Diotima Bakehouse — Restaurant in Mission Viejo

NICE LUNCH ! My wife loves this little bakery so we headed over on Saturday to grab some lunch. Somehow we scored a parking spot in the overused public parking lot. It was just before midday when I jumped in the line flowing out the door. My wife joined me after parking our car. BUSY BUSY ! This was our 2nd visit within a few days....the line does move tiresomely slow. I think most of the customers simply take too long to make their choices....after all it is just pastries and dessert cakes. My wife kept our spot in the line while I nabbed a small table for 2 inside. And I watched the line move at a snail's pace. I guess Kian the friendly chef / owner also the cashier needs to get things to flow faster. Eventually my wife was served...didn't get what she wanted because it was sold out. We did buy 1 x BBQ Brisket Croissant, 1 x Spinach & Cheese Croissant, 1 x Almond Brownie and 2 x Double Shot Lattes with whole milk ( no non-fat milk ) & Monin hazelnut syrup. It had been 30 minutes from arrival to when we had our lunch on the table...way too long in my opinion. Joy the barista made our 2 Lattes ( they use Espresso Republic Roasters here ) and delivered them to our table. The cups and saucers looked pretty and our lattes tasted very good. NOISY ! Being such a tiny space inside it was for the most part unbearably noisy while we enjoyed our lunch. My BBQ Brisket Croissant tasted excellent....I have seldom tried savory croissants except for ham & cheese. My wife liked her Spinach & Cheese Croissant but wished she had gotten the same as me. The Almond Brownie ( gf ) tasted okay....nothing special. I thought my wife might like it but she scored a Strawberry & Cream Chiffon Cake for free...it was the last slice and was banged up because it had tipped over. By the looks of it Kian has become a bit of a rockstar with a few of his regular customers. Things would have to move along a lot faster before I would return....and the sweet stuff needs to get...

Takeout | French pastries | $30 for 6 pastries Open Tu, Th and Sa only as of May 2023

If you want excellent croissants, Diotima Bakehouse is the place for you. Kian is an expert French pastry chef. The croissants are so crispy, they crackle slightly when he picks them up with tongs.

On the day I went, he had chocolate croissants, butter croissants and croissants filled with vanilla pastry cream. Each and every one was perfect.

The pastry is buttery and flaky. If you're lucky, you'll get them within an hour of them being baked. Together with a cup of coffee...heaven. If you take them home, you can duplicate this by warming the croissant slightly in the oven (4-5 min) or a toaster oven (2-3 min).

The fillings are wonderful as well. The chocolate croissants are filled with chopped, high quality, bittersweet chocolate. I can't begin to describe the deliciousness of the vanilla pastry cream. So the croissant wouldn't be soggy, he filled the croissant when I selected it. The ratio of filling-to-pastry allows the flavor and texture of each to shine.

When time allows, Kian will eagerly chat about his passion for cooking and baking. He is charming and delightful. It is more like he's a host welcoming you into his home rather than just a guy selling food.

The only advisory is that he sometimes sells out early. So get there in the morning to dig some deliciousness.

TOTALLY RECOMMEND Also recommend following @kianthechef on IG for previews of...

TOTALLY DELECTABLE ! While I am writing this review on my Mac at home I am indulging in some lunch time dessert...Triple Chocolate Cake. My wife and I zipped over to this bakery this morning. THE WORD IS OUT ! My wife has been following yummy things posted on Instagram by Kian the chef / owner and it all looks very good ! We arrived around 11.30am and managed to get one of the last parking spots on the busy lot. There were a few customers standing at the service counter when we walked inside....no doubt having a hard time deciding what to select from the amazing goodies on display behind the glass wall. NO SAVORY SRUFF ! We were hoping there might be some savory croissants available but not today. In fact Kian the chef popped out from the kitchen to the service counter to look after my wife. Kian said he will have savory croissants available on Saturday. My wife asked questions about some cakes and Kian was quick to explain. Our selection was 2 x Triple Chocolate Cake, 1 x Gateau Basque ( fig ), 1 x Almond Cake and 1 x Pistachio Croissant. If the cake & croissants we chose taste as good as they look....it will be dessert heaven ! Kian reminded us they serve espresso drinks....nice espresso machine on the counter. There is a bit of seating inside for customers. OH YEAH.....I finished my slice of fresh baked, moist and luxurious Triple Chocolate Cake a few minutes ago. I'M IN...