Arely’s French Bakery Cafe — Restaurant in San Diego

HELLLLL NOOOOO . THIS ISNT TRUE FRENCH .french wanna be , fusion maybe . Those flavor DO NOT EXIST in france . French sweets are very delicate and all about balanced flavor this isnt the case . Its clearly not bake by a reputable chef / pattissier / boulanger either ... im mind blown how they can get away with poor presentation poor taste zero standard and people think its "french" . Those people giving 5 stars probably never set foot in france . The fruit tarts the dough was dry crumbly falling apart stuffed with way too much almond powder some of the fruits were so young and hard like the kiwi im outrage . The vanilla " custard" was barely there and couldnt taste it . All i could taste is the overpowering almond bitterness and the motherload of sugar. The matcha was disgusting zero matcha taste JUST SUGAR .DONT PUT SUGAR IN MATCHA !!! sacrilege !! Matcha is supposed to be bitter people can add sugar later . Sadly mine was diabetes in a cup and i couldnt remove the excess of sugar . The only time i ate " french inspired" sponge cake like that is in north africa ( think morroco , tunisia ,algeria) . Skip this place like the plague it doesnt even come near to what you would eat at french bakery in oc la. I wont be back . I was beyond disappointed . The pain of chocolat was dry stale the chocolate is cheap ovet process and gross . Its supposed to be buttery and flaky i make better one at home !!! Shame on this place for passing below mediocre food and drinks as " parisian" its NOT . Chef in paris would cry or die of embarassment . Everything is way too sweet and catered for american or tourist . Whoever is cooking has no clue how to balance flavor and what over power what . At 30$+ a cake i was expecting way higher quality . At 38$-40 $ i can get a true french one baked by true well known french chef . I will not be coming back due to poor taste . The only plus was the place is clean and very cute decor with a photo op inside in the wine barrel . You are basically paying for the ambiance...

Based on multiple visits. Cafe and bakery with great food and nice staff. I've come here for quick pastry pick up for breakfast, sit down breakfast/lunch/dinner, phone in take out meal ordering, take out for pastries/desserts/meals. They also do online order for pickup, custom cake orders and catering but I haven't used this part of their services. I've tried most pastries, and they're all pretty good, but the muffins and chocolate chip cookies were not as tasty to me (I'm not a muffin person, but SO gets them a lot here). I'm partial to their fruit tarts, palmiers, chocolate mousse and creme brulee. They do have macarons, haven't tried them yet. They also have some seasonal pastries, so it's worth it to check back every so often. As far as regular food/meals, I've had a bit of each category, and I haven't eaten anything I wouldn't order again. I do order these more often though: arley's scramble, chicken florentine crepe, french onion soup, croque madame, blackened salmon salad, angel hair capellini with shrimp. Service time is reasonable for a small cafe style place with food that rivals many larger restaurants, it does take longer on weekends when they're busy during typical brunch time hours. Early morning, mid afternoon, or evening hours are more quiet, and feels much more relaxed like a coffee shop or cafe. Either way, if you plan to order food from the kitchen, give yourself some extra time. July 2019: I noticed the consistency on food prep/plating has wavered a bit over the past months, based on multiple orders of same two things (arely's scramble and plain croissant) but no change in taste (still delicious). Croissants have sometimes had extra egg wash such that it pooled at the base of the croissant, then cooked and stuck to the pastry. Arelys scramble has had slight differences in the coverage of hollandaise and doneness of the toasted...

Finally had the chance to try this place and it did not disappoint! We went in on 7/4/23 very early in the morning. We called ahead to make sure it was open since it was Independence Day and luickily, it was. We ordered two cappuccinos, one double shot of espresso, two croissants, an Arely's Scramble and French toast. The croissants were not as crispy on the outside as I would’ve liked, but everything else was excellent. Our server, Kevin, was fantastic. He had a great attitude and was really on top of it; he is what anticipatory customer service looks like. Even though the cafe was quite busy, he kept our water glasses filled and even remembered that one of us preferred our water sans ice!

The basics: The ambiance is European-ish without being pretentious. Walking in, you will see a dessert and bakery case filled with delectable breads and pastries. You can order here for takeout. If you choose to dine in, the seating area is spacious yet cozy; the lighting is warm and makes you look pretty good (even if it’s only 7am and you were on a 4th of July weekend pub crawl the night before). The menu is varied and will have something for everyone. The music is nice and seems carefully chosen. The bathroom is clean and properly maintained. Outdoor seating is available. There is plenty of parking right in front of the cafe.

Even if you are not in the North Clairemont area, it’ll be worth the drive. It’s great place to have a morning cappuccino and chill or even an after-dinner dessert...