Carrara's Pastries | Restaurant, Gelato & Coffee — Restaurant in Moorpark

November 2024 A blessing... to my waistline. Lol. Here's why:

Yes, I will be back...... religiously! Lol. So much good gelato, so little time I definitely have to try some of the regular menu items for dinner next time You'll never get me to shut up about how good those cream stuffed puffed pastries are The Lemon Granita is powdery, smooth, not overly sweet, nice lemon flavor that tastes like real lemons

Where do I even begin? So many good things in this one establishment. No clue they had live entertainment on Fridays and saturdays, until I walked in the door tonight. What a great entertainer, straight from Texas, who knows all those classic 1960s jazz lounge favorites like "take five," and also is hip to Liza Minelli's New York New York.

So I was already in a happy mood walking just feet inside the front door. Figured, let's splurge!

Next great moment came from the manager behind the counter, who definitely took the time and patience to answer all 536,000 questions I had, lol, and stuck with me through the entire process of ordering, and paying.

Oh, even the operations manager stopped by our table to check in on us, which I really appreciated. He gave us some insight and backstory into the original owners, and how the new management team is trying to preserve the old ways.

Speaking of which, I absolutely love the fact that this is truly Italian Gelato. Not the fake stuff! Their process and ingredients are true to the way it's made in italy. And I'm glad the operations manager stuck to their guns by keeping the old methods alive and well.

The gelato here, and I cannot stress this enough, does not have any of those artificial fillers or stabilizers, and it shows. You can literally taste how smooth and creamy it is. There's a certain technique and process involved in mixing and freezing, without incorporating unneeded air. Carrara's does this process once a week they said, and each batch lasts them through the end of the week. Once they're done with the flavor, they're done with the flavor, until the next week when they do it all over again. That to me is what I call Quality Control.

Tonight we had the chocolate hazelnut gelato, which is as smooth as can be. Very little air incorporated into the final product, and super fine crystals, almost like powder, which gave the gelato a very nice mouth feel.

Very authentic Italian Granita, aka the lemon sorbet as well. Very little air, very powdery texture, smooth, sour, and fresh! I cannot stress how important it is to get that Perfect Blend of not being too sweet, yet having some sourness to give that freshening feeling in the mouth, and also having a super smooth texture to melt away with each bite.

The pastries? I could have had one of each of them tonight, but chose the cream puffs. They remind me of Italian puffed pastry, stuffed with a smooth vanilla cream. Not overly sweet at all, the coolness of the cream inside of the lightly puffed shell is absolutely heaven. There is no equivalent of this, and it would almost be an insult to compare it to a cream filled donut at Krispy kreme. You'll have to try one to experience it for yourself.

What threw me a little off guard in a good way was watching other people ordering full-blown dinner. I definitely have to come back, and something that caught my eye on the menu was the squid ink pasta. So I'm looking forward to trying that next time. Other people were having halibut, Caesar salad, different types of pasta, it all looked so good.

Parking is a breeze, located in a huge shopping center.

The staff, absolutely amazing. I felt like if you asked anyone for anything, they would either get it for you, or would bring someone over to help you. That ability to follow through is it true Testament of customer service.

First time in here, but you had me at New York new york. Lol. I will definitely be back. I believe there are two other locations that I need to try as well, one in agoura.

Please mention me and this review if you happen to visit this...

tl;dr Cakes are very expensive, and not flavorful enough to justify the price. Service is fine but the ambiance of the place itself is kind of cold and unwelcoming. Will not return.

Full review✏️: I wanted to preface this with the fact that I only purchased dessert from here and my review is not on the restaurant or its food as we did not try it.

With that being said, I dont believe the prices of the sweets at this place match up to their quality. We came here for the first time after seeing the reviews and after a friend said she came here. We walked in and the place was almost empty since they were prepping for dinner. We took a look around, amazed at the beautiful pastries and cakes (as pictured) and got to choosing.

My first issue was that there were no cake prices shown and we needed to hunt down an employee to help us out. The cakes come in 3 different sizes, with the smallest starting out at $30 followed by $40 for the next size and $50. For me, an approximately 4-slice cake (if even!) for $30 is a bit pricey, especially since we have always gotten bigger cakes for cheaper at another popular Cuban bakery and Cafe (if you know, you know 😉). We went with the peach and mango cake (since we LOVE the mango mousse at the aforementioned cafe). I did, however, want to compliment the presentation and packaging since it was beautifully boxed and ribboned and the cake looked exceptionally decorated.

My biggest issue however, was the flavor of the cake, or rather the lack thereof. Usually I can justify a high price tag IF the cake is tasty and flavorful. Mango is a very savory and robust fruit, as well as peach and yet, not one of our guests could determine what the flavor of the cake was supposed to be. It was very sweet with no distinguishable flavor at all which was very disappointing because the cake on the outside looked absolutely fabulous. The cookie base was hard and the red outer layer was just a gelatinous, sugary gloop. The cream on the inside just tasted sweet, kind of like whipped cream and sugar mixed together, which would make sense if this were a cream cake but we were promised mango and peach, of which none were present.

Overall, I wouldn't come back here as it's a bit too expensive with not enough flavor to show for it. I know at least two other places in the area that make amazing, flavorful mango cakes as well as tiramisu and others that offer more product for a cheaper price that are equally delectable. The workers here are very kind and approachable, so i gave my review an extra star for the good service. The atmosphere isn't very cozy, feels more like my college cafeteria to me with the gray walls, high ceilings and metal tables and chairs. I just don't see this as an Italian restaurant seating, seems very sanitized, like the inside of a Yogurt land where you just want to order and go. Sure, the desserts look absolutely stunning but the taste leaves more...

Carrara Pastries recently relocated its main restaurant in Moorpark to a larger space nearby. The new space is significantly bigger and holds more people. All told, it's a nice upgrade--with respect to the new facility. That said, my wife and I recently went to Carrara at its new location for the first time, and we were disappointed. To be frank, the restaurant is not up to what it was before the move.

Whereas before the food was outstanding, now it's basically "okay," and the service has gone downhill. Let's start with the food. My wife loved Carrara's caprese salad, and usually ordered it. On our latest visit, the salad arrived with no balsamic "glaze," and the parmesan cheese sprinkled atop everything was overpowering. I ordered the fettuccine with chicken added. The pasta arrived undercooked, the chicken bits were hard little nuggets, and there was very little sauce. Worse, we'd each ordered a serving of bruschetta as an appetizer, and it was delivered to our table AFTER the entrées. Go figure. But wait, there's more.

The menu has been trimmed, and the price of everything has been raised, most items on the menu by at least a dollar each. We ordered two capresse salads, an order of fettuccine with chicken, three orders of bruschetta (still excellent), and two bottles of sparkling water; with tip that came to over $100.

Moreover, in the former location, a server came around with an iPad to each table and took the orders. Not anymore. Now, patrons go in and stand in line to place their orders, and they are expected to pay in advance--just like a fast food joint. To add insult to injury, patrons are now expected to choose the percentage of tip they wish to pay BEFORE they are even seated at the table! Finally, beverages used to be served in a glass; now you get a plastic cup to serve yourself.

I asked about the price increases when I was at the counter ordering, and I was told that it was because of the new California minimum wage law. However, that doesn't make sense, given that the wait staff does not even have to bother taking your order once you’re seated at a table. Truth be told, we're probably having to pay for the new "improved" restaurant décor.

I understand that one of the principals of the restaurant, the chef who has been responsible for the innovative and excellent food served in the past, has been in Italy for several months, concentrating his energies on Italian television cooking shows. Anyone who knows anything about restaurants knows that they require constant care and oversight; otherwise, quality diminishes quickly. Sadly, it seems that standards have been allowed to slip at Carrara Pastries, because it isn't what...