Nectarine Grove Cafe & Bakehouse — Restaurant in San Diego

VERY IMPRESSIVE ! There's very little in the way of good coffee shops / cafes in our neighborhood of Del Mar, Solana Beach & Rancho Santa Fe. There has certainly been zilch in the Flower Hill Promenade shopping center in the 7 years we have been coming here ( thanks to Starbucks for that one ). We usually get a fresh made sandwich at the deli inside Whole Foods Market and sometimes lattes ( in paper cups ). It was only a couple of days ago that we heard about this new place which moved in after Nothing Bundt Cakes kicked the bucket ( we were never fans ). So we decided to have lunch here on Thursday. And to our surprise...it was very good ! First up big kudos to the 2 young ladies working here....Rubi the cashier and Kelly the trained barista / server who looked after us very well. After parking our wheels nearby my wife and I walked in here at 12.30pm. We checked out the printed menu and ordered 2 x Lattes ( no fat free milk sadly ) and 2 x Prosciutto + Fig Sandwiches ( prosciutto + fresh mozza + cherry fig compote + arugula on a croissant ). Now that description reads well but having never been here before we had no idea whether their sandwiches were a big serve or a small serve. We figured on a small serve so we ordered one each. WE WERE WRONG ! Now their seating arrangements are a bit tricky or compact might be the right term. All the tables were occupied during our ordering process at the cashier counter with Rubi so we grabbed an outdoor table with an overhead umbrella on their side patio which faces the carpark. Kelly the barista brought our well made Lattes to our shaded table on the outdoor terrace. Nectarine Grove Cafe & Bakehouse use Cafe Virtuoso coffee beans ( among the best quality coffee roasters in San Diego ) and that is a big deal. Our lattes tasted truly sensational...we were not expecting coffee drinks of this quality. WELL DONE KELLY THE TRAINED BARISTA ! Not long after Kelly returned with our 2 Prosciutto + Fig Sandwiches which were beautifully presented on wooden trays. We were very impressed with the attention to detail ! Now croissants come in different sizes..small, medium and large. These croissants were huge ! My wife and I tucked into our sandwiches looking at each other for a reaction. Our huge Prosciutto + Fig Sandwiches tasted truly spectacular. BEST CROISSANT SANDWICHES EVER ! Of course we were taking our time with our amazing lattes....good to the very last last drop ! The breakfast / lunch menu is not huge but adequate for our occasional visits. I noticed a bunch of baked goods like cupcakes, muffins, cookies and cinnamon rolls in a glass display case. They also serve a number of gluten free products. My wife and I are stoked that we can FINALLY get a well made latte ( with top-quality coffee beans ) in coffee deprived Del Mar. We are bringing overseas friends here for brunch this Sunday. I...

FABULOUS LUNCH ! This delightful cafe is now our local haunt for lunch. My wife and I drove down here on Friday.....it's just 5 minutes from home so that is very handy. We arrived around 12pm and luckily scored a table on the open patio in front of the service counter. Kelly was doing double duty as barista / cashier and took our lunch order from my wife. We ordered 2 x LATTES ( no fat free milk sadly ) and a PROSCUITTO + FIG SANDWICH ( prosciutto, fresh mozza, spring mix, herb aioli, tomatoes on a paleo baguette ) to share. My wife pointed out to me that Rhiana the owner / founder was working behind the counter. Kelly did a great job on our lattes as they tasted AS GOOD AS IT GETS ! Our scrumptious looking Prosciutto + Fig Sandwich on 2 plates arrived soon after courtesy of Kelly. It was exactly what we needed to make our tummies lunch happy ! We even got to have a meet and greet with Rhiana the owner who certainly comes across as a caring & thoughtful individual. Definitely a great lunch...

I love this place so much! After having to go gluten free recently due to health issues, it’s been really hard finding a place where I can eat out and be at ease. Everything here is gluten free, but doesn’t taste like it!

The gluten free croissants are the real stars though. Croissants are notoriously difficult to make, and even harder when gluten free. These are the only GF croissants in Southern California (I’ve searched far and wide), and they are really good too. I’m a croissant snob and these are buttery, flaky and airy, though denser than regular croissants. Consider me a lifelong customer, just for this!

Got the breakfast sandwich and the bread was awesome (like a savory biscuit). I tried the cinnamon roll too, but I would not recommend it. It was rock hard and gave me stomach upset. But still, 5/5 for this restaurant for all the other...