Madeleine Café & Bakery — Restaurant in Solana Beach

Small french cafe with flavorful sweet and savory foods, pastries, and little tarts. Pretty expensive though not unexpected as this is Solana Beach area, but everything tastes delicious. Decoration is pretty minimal, which is fine as we dined outdoors and cared more about food than anything. They serve toasts, sandwiches, crepes (savory or sweet), baked goods, coffees and teas. We tried two savory crepes (3 cheeses and one ham and cheese) and one sweet (strawberry jam + fresh strawberry-cost extra). They were all yummy and we finished the plates. Thes espresso tart is delectable too, although I wasn't too keen on how the dulce de leche tart tasted.

Outside dining is provided with small tables with chairs, with some covered by umbrellas. There is barstool seating on the inside of the cafe on the opposite side of the baked goods display.

Bathroom is a communal bathroom shared by other stores and a key needs to be requested from the cafe attendant.

I'd go back for the taste but would definitely be intimidated...

Wow, I was not expecting to love this place as much as I did. It's expensive, small, but the food was so good I have to give it 5 stars! My wife and I came here for a brunch, and ended up eating enough food for 5! We ordered the Croque Madame and a Strawberry+Nutella crepe, a coffee and iced tea, and foudn a seat outside. The food showed up quickly and was well presented. We cut the Croque Madame in half, each took a bite, and knew we had to order a second one. We inhaled it! The crepe was good, not amazing, but good. I went in and ordered a quiche, second croque madame, and a bowl of tomato soup. Those all came out quickly as well and we devoured them! The salad on the croque was great, nice little dijon dressing! The quiche was the best I have ever eaten; light, silky egg texture, great cheese and ham flavor, lovely crust! And the tomato soup as so fresh and bright tasting, it was amazing. I can't believe we ate 5 dishes between the two of us, but we did, leaving no crumbs behind. Makes me want to...

C'est Magnifique! I had the most delicious croque-monsieur sandwich here. That's a ham and cheese sandwich on brioche bread with bechamel sauce, toasted. The bechamel had a proper hit of nutmeg and all the other ingredients were first quality. There was also a small salad on the plate with a mustardy and well-seasoned vinaigrette. Not cheap but worth a small splurge. The coffee was OK. I also got an almond croissant to go that was buttery and crispy with a nice amount of filling. They make French classics very well here.

The place was clean, including the bathroom. The server/cashier was very friendly and efficient. Parking is not ample but not too hard to get a free spot on Cedros Ave during weekday lunch time. The cafe is in the middle of a shopping district that specializes in home furnishings but there are also clothing and jewelry boutiques about. I'll...