Haute Cakes Caffe — Restaurant in Newport Beach

FEELS LIKE HOME ! We all go out looking for great food and welcoming service. Someone quite famous recently said....we remember how we felt more so than the actual food. SO TRUE ! My wife and I enjoyed a pretty fabulous breakfast here a week ago...first time visit and we left very impressed with everything particularly the friendly service. WE'RE BACK ! On Saturday we decided to have a nice breakfast here to kick start our day. EARLY ! In fact we pulled up outside at 7.50am ( before they opened at 8am ) to beat the rush and nab a table inside. As we walked inside I said hi to a tall male employee named Mario who was arranging items on tables on the outdoor patio. Turns out Mario is one of the chefs. I spotted another gentleman wearing a baseball cap and sipping his take-out coffee..this guy looked familiar and I was right....it was Paul Taddeo the co-owner / founder ( with his wife Tania ). We struck up a lovely conversation...Paul is a warm and genuinely friendly guy. I mentioned how much we enjoyed breakfast on our first visit a few days ago. HARD TO BEAT ! Our expectations this visit were very high given our stellar first time experience. After quickly working out what we wanted we lined up at the cashier counter to place our brekkie order...almost first in line. My wife who loves pancakes wanted the HAUTE COMBINATION ( 2 eggs any style + two buttermilk haute cakes + sausage or bacon or fruit + maple syrup + butter )....my wife asked for crispy bacon while I had decided on PIERRE'S SCRAMBLE ( two eggs + asparagus + caramelized onions + tomatoes + goat cheese + toast + jam + potatoes ) and a side of crispy bacon. DRINKS ! I had to have a FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE ( and it is fresh squeezed ) plus we ordered 2 x 12oz LATTES ( they use Common Room Roasters ) with whole milk...no fat free avail and caramel syrup. Vianney the cashier / barista took care of us in a very friendly helpful manner. We paid and we're given no 37 table number. I took my chilled glass of fresh squeezed orange juice to our table. WHOOPEE ! We scored a perfect inside table with a commanding view of all the action. Being here so early we knew that it would get very busy before too long. AND IT DID ! Before we knew it our Lattes were ready.....they looked magnificent. I thanked Miriam the barista when I picked them up. OH YEAH ! Our expertly made creamy lattes tasted rich and very satisfying. As Paul the co-owner said to me earlier....he prefers richer tasting coffees not mild. WOW ! A very pleasant young food runner named Ana brought out our breakfast dishes together....what a mouth watering sight ! TOP OF THE WORLD ! We had everything we could possibly want right in front of us...it doesn't get much better than this. My fresh squeezed orange juice tasted as good as any I've ever had...and I've had them all over the world. THE FOOD ! My wife was in raptures enjoying her pancakes...perfectly made I was told. I couldn't get over the sheer size of my Pierre's Scramble let alone the amazing flavor combo of the fresh ingredients incl scrumptious skillet sweet potatoes....and the yummy side of crispy bacon. Mario the chef came by to make sure we were happy with our meals. OF COURSE ! A smiling young man named Cane ( also cooks the pancakes ) came by to take our empty plates away. It was 8.45am and the place was filling up fast...time to leave. No wonder this thriving eatery has been going for 33 years with friendly service second to none plus amazing food and drinks. Our high expectations were...

VERY IMPRESSIVE ! My wife has been quietly nudging me for a few weeks to try this local place for breakfast. Admittedly we don't go out for breakfast very much because we want great lattes and a fresh cooked breakfast...not easy to find at the same place. As usual I did my research on Haute Cakes Caffe and came up with mixed results.....some very average reviews whinging about high prices, slow service, average food and some very good reviews overall. With the horrible hot weather lately we decided to amp up the volume on Sunday and hit the road at 7am on our bikes....a bit of a challenge for me in particular but it was my idea so I better do it. AND WE DID ! After our ride to the Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve we rode our eBikes straight here. THE PLACE WAS PACKED ! We parked our eBikes outside their covered patio at 8.45am. I went inside to see if this was where we wanted to eat.....it's fast casual so you have to line up and there was quite a line. Glancing at tables I passed the food looked pretty decent. LET'S DO IT ! My wife checked out the menu board outside the indoor dining area and then I lined up to place our order. SURPRISE SURPRISE ! I really only waited a couple of minutes before it was my turn. A very cheery cashier named Riley took my order for 1 x ALL AMERICAN SCRAMBLE ( 2 eggs + bacon + cheddar + avocado + tomato + toast + jam + potatoes ). I asked Riley about substituting poached eggs on one of the breakfast dishes...that was a no. But Riley came straight back with I can have 2 poached eggs, bacon, toast and a side of fresh fruit...a special not listed on the menu board. WHOOPEE ! I did ask Riley to make sure my eggs were HARD POACHED. Oh and do you have FRESH SQUEEZED ORANGE JUICE ? We do ! And last but very important 2 x 12 oz LATTES....had to have whole milk no fat free....with caramel syrup. I paid upfront and was given a table number...63. Riley explained they will announce when our lattes are ready to collect at the espresso bar. TOO EASY ! I took my glass of fresh squeezed orange juice with me. I then came back and grabbed a couple of cool waters from their huge water dispenser opposite the espresso bar. A LOT OF DOGS ! We are not very found of eating any meal with dogs around. We had a good spot at the very front of their covered outdoor patio away from the dogs and within view of our eBikes. I walked back inside and arrived just as our Lattes were placed on the counter. THEY LOOKED GOOD ! But then I had to ferry them all the way out to our table without making a mess and without bumping into anyone in line....about 50 feet. We thought our lattes tasted quite good....thank you barista Vianney. WHOO HOO ! A bubbly server named London brought our our breakfast order and everything looked fabulous. My wife was more than impressed with her huge All American Scramble...I did not think she had a chance of getting through it. My wife demolished the lot...so delicious ! I did pinch a couple of her skillet sweet potatoes...scrumptious. My breakfast dish was exactly what I wanted....2 hard poached eggs, yummy crispy bacon, artisan toast with jam & butter plus side of lovely fresh fruit. HARD TO BEAT ! Between sipping my well made latte, drinking my delicious fresh squeezed orange juice and an occasional slug of cool water I was getting very hydrated for the hot day ahead. We enjoyed everything we ordered and thought the service was exceptional....

My recommendation is to get there 15-30 mins before they open because it gets packed pretty quick. There are outdoor seatings available but even then, if you really want to sit inside then refer to the first point. Overall it’s a nice quaint area. It’s next to business buildings but overall a little treasure to find. If you see from the photos, they have an extensive menu. Considering it gets quite busy, that’s a feat to have that many things and still keep up with the demand. You have 2 entrances, the left side is mainly for coffee and togo orders (don’t know if it’s limited) while the middle/right hand side is where you enter in to get the food to dine in. The orange ricotta haute cakes, carnitas burrito, and Brussels & bacon scramble was chosen for the first meal of the day. Orange ricotta haute cakes are quite the next level pancakes. It comes topped with warm berry jam/compote on top w/ a side of maple syrup. The haute cakes are warm and gooey kind of like a raw cookie dough of pancakes where it’s not so firm and dry but warm and gooey where it kind of feels undercooked but cooked just right. You can definitely taste the hints from the orange zest infused into the pancakes. Not too sweet and using the syrup won’t disrupt the flavor or the haute cakes themselves but only adds to it. Overall it’s a ooey gooey light but slightly hefty haute cake that you might crave after you finish it. I highly recommend this dish as this is probably one of if not the signature dish they have. Carnitas burrito was better than expected. The tenderness of the carnitas and cooling/creamy effect from the avocado with bits of cojita cheese was great. You can taste what seemed a bit like smokiness from the carnitas and overall added a plus to the dish. They also give you a handful of potatoes to go with the dish. The dish also comes with some sort of crema/sour cream?, not sure if chipotle or other spice, on the side if you want use it towards your potatoes or burrito. Lastly the Brussels sprout and bacon scramble was the last of the hefty meal. The brussel were definitely soft and had pieces of bacon bits and egg to bind it all together. The dish came with a bunch of potatoes and a side of 2 pieces of rustic sourdough? bread toasts and sides of goat cheese and blackberry jam. I would say the highlight for of that dish was spreading the goat cheese and blackberry jam onto the toasts. The jam is slightly sweet but not offensively sweet where it doesn’t make sense. Overall I’d come back just for the haute cakes alone but in general this is a...