Karens Bakery Cafe & Catering Kitchen

I had been to Karen’s a few years ago and only ordered iced tea but today a friend and I searched for Karen’s, this time, to enjoy a late lunch. This is a great lunch stop, bustling, nice array of pastries and beautiful outdoor seating. I ordered the pork con salsa verde which came with 4 small corn tortillas (2 more tortillas would have been awesome) it was slightly spicy, tender, beAutiful and delicious with just the right amount of black beans. My friend ordered a plain burger with only cheese and added bacon. The first time it came out it looked delicious (to me) but was not plain as ordered. We requested a plain burger. As the server left, my friend said, «I’ll bet they just scrape it off.» I could not believe he thought such a nice café would do such a thing that usually happens at Nations (as it happened to him previously). To my shame, they scraped the burger off and brought it back out! I could not believe the cook sent the server out with that. She told us we could have the burger we ordered but it would take «a lot longer». Wow. When the burger came out my friend said he would have preferred a Nation’s burger! Overly buttered bun and slabs of hard baked potatoes called «steak fries» made this an unimpressive burger. Overall, with a beer and glass of wine it was a 60 $ meal (my friend tipped 6 $ before the burger debacle!) which we would have enjoyed more at our favorite lunch place in Town Center. This is a pricey spot best for cyclists (sheesh, like every cyclist in Folsom) or for a simple salad or biscuit. We will not be back and I would not recommend. Any restaurant that scrapes a burger and charges what Karen’s charges, is not the kind of caliber I was expecting. Disappointed.

My husband and I have tried this place 3x. We overall rate this place a 3 star. We will mor than likely not return. The atmosphere is great. It’s close to downtown, there is seating outside, and it’s great for large groups. No knock on the service, people are very friendly and attentive. It does suck having to wait in line when you just want to order a cake.
The food and dessert presentations ate great. Everything looks like you want to just devour it; however that’s not what our taste buds state. We have tried breakfast twice and bought a carrot cake for a birthday here at karens. All 3x we were disappointed in the taste and lack of flavor. The breakfast sandwich tasted blah, the breakfast baguette was very bland, and according to my husband and his mom who are carrot cake specialist says the frosting on the cake was the worst they ever had. I cannot comment because I’m just not a fan of that flavor of cake.
Like I said the place has great potential, you won’t leave upset just not completely satisfied.

The quiche and salads and pastries are tasty but the service is very, very slow. Get there early if you can but we waited for over 30 minutes for our meal for the pair of us.
The peanut butter cookie/​blossom is exponentially better than the chocolate croissant.

Great atmosphere! Great food. Had the salmon scramble for breakfast with sourdough toast, great food taste buds are going crazy! Stopped by after a ride placed was packed. Wanted to see what was going on. After eating here I can see why everyone in town comes here. Best breakfast I ever had!

I made a custom cake for my mother’s 50^th birthday and I couldn’t have been happier with the result! Between phone calls and email, Karen and her staff were absolutely a pleasure to work with and very accommodating! Karen gave me wonderful options and opinions that helped me achieve the cake style I wanted for the price point I was working with. Thank you!!! Definitely coming back for any future occasions :)

It’s been years since my last review, but Karen’s Bakery is still fantastic.
I love the lunch salads samplers especially the salmon bow tie with edamame. ALso their snickerdoodle cookie is amazing. The croissant bread pudding is served with this delicious vanilla creamy sauce that tastes heavenly.
What else… the hohos! These are the best damn ho ho’s that I’ve ever had. You just gotta try one yourself… dipped in chocolate ganache with rum creamy filling. Okay just too many good things here.
Usually there are some very helpful ladies who work here and super friendly too. Recently I’ve noticed there are some male employees working here and they are super nice and helpful.
Come on a weekday because it’s less crowded!

This is a favorite stopping place for people riding the American River bike path. Our group of recumbent trikes were there for the annual TARTAR ride that is nearly always held on the last Saturday of April. We had about 45 riders on both two wheel and three wheel trikes.
It was very crowded as it was Sunday afternoon so there was a long line of people waiting to order from the counter. My husband and I decided to split a chicken tarragon sandwich and a berry pastry. I grabbed a table as there was one unoccupied. He also ordered some green iced tea and I had a mango smoothie in a bottle which was yummy.
Our sandwich was delivered so we each took a bite. The first bite told us this was not our sandwich. The second bite told us it was delicious so we didn’t complain. I believe it was what they call their 70’si sandwich with avocado, sprouts, tomatoes, etc. I would order it gladly next time we end up there. The pastry was also delicious.
But I think I will avoid this place on weekends and hopefully it won’t be so crowded.

I went here on a Monday around lunch time to check out their baked goods. They had a great selection and everything I got was delicious and fresh! The pecan brownie and lemon muffin were some of my favorites. The couple people behind the counter that helped me out were very nice and helpful. I am new to town and this will definitely be my go to place for baked goods! Yum!

Great atmosphere, great food, a wonderful place to have breakfast, brunch, or lunch! I like to eat there and then walk on the trails along the river — right down the street from Karens!

Great little find in downtown Folsom. Heard so much about this and finally came to check it out. Place is nice and clean and has plenty of seating. Parking is also a breeze. We ordered the following:
Bran muffin– absolutely delicious. Moist and sweet.
Almond croissant– comes in a bigger portion size. Now this is my absolute favorite so I have to try whenever it’s offered on the menu. This one is ok, nothing too special about it.
Sausage scramble with basil– this was delicious. The 2 sausages and croutons are scrambled with egga and drizzled with basil oil. It was fresh tasting. The croutons are a great addition as it balances the texture of the dish. This dish is a must try.
Avocado toast– served on 2 toasts with a side of lemon. Yum, yum, yum! I added a pinch of salt on each toast and I was in heaven.
Cappucino– decent, needs stronger espresso.
White mocha– a little on a sweeter side, again, can use stronger coffee flavor. But hubby loves sweet coffee and he liked this one a lot.
We came on a Thursday morning, not quite busy and our drinks came much later than our food order. It would have been nice if we had it to enjoy our pastries.
Our meal came to about $ 34. Expect to pay at least $ 12 – 15 if you decide to order a breakfast full meal.
Nevertheless, the food is great and fresh tasting. The bakery is divine-​so much to choose from. We can’t wait to come back with our boys.

The food is ok. It just bugs me that there are no rotating food items on the menu. I don’t think the menu has changed in years either.
There isn’t much up in the area in terms of competition when it comes to dining options. That’s how they can get away with it I guess.

We got a recommendation from a local to go here for lunch. We all shared the meatloaf sandwich, chicken sandwich, and the kale /​pistachio pesto /​avocado sandwich. The kale sandwich was maybe the best sandwich I’ve ever eaten.
Hot damn!

Stopped in to have some breakfast after hearing about this wonderful spot for quite some time. The staff was friendly, menu had a great selection, and the baked goods served for breakfast were delicious. I didn’t see the cakes and other dessert offerings until I say down. I’m going back for lunch and dessert very soon!!! The cakes were very impressive and I’m looking forward to trying a few different kinds.

This is my favorite brunch spot. It’s closed Sunday.
If you go for brunch the quiche of the day (which is always amazing) or the breakfast croissant sandwich add avocado or avocado toast is the best. They don’t include sides in some items but it’s because the potions are sufficient.
Karen’s also has a great variety of baked goods you can pick– muffins, scones, croquettes, cookies, etc. you can also order cakes and catering from them– which is also amazing.
Their lunch is so good too!!! I love their salad area, they have some amazing salmon pasta salad.
You can’t go wrong here (:

I just love the whole atmosphere! With much more than just a bakery. Yes they have cakes and muffins and pastries, but they also have some homemade breakfast choices as well. I ordered the salmon scramble, with sourdough toast. What an excellent choice and the raspberry jam most likely is homemade. Many choices for coffee o fit everyone’s desire for coffee. Food was served promptly as well.
My only complaint would be not having a refill on the coffee. Maybe they do refills on the regular coffee, but if they do I would assume you would end up waiting in line at the register.

Yummy treats, good coffee and surprisingly good omelets, Karen’s Bakery is a winner.
There didn’t appear to be table servers so you need to order at the counter. The service was really friendly and the atmosphere was delightful. Most the parties were groups of older women, so occasionally you’d hear bursts of laughing and cackling. So if you have young kids, don’t worry about the noise. They’ll surly be quieter than the party of grandmas.
Price is right, food is great and service is prompt and friendly. Come here for the coffee, blueberry Danishes and veggie omelets. You won’t be disappointed.
(And if you’re a single Grandpa on the prowl, come here to find a girlfriend lol)

Great place to catch a bite to eat in the historic old town Folsom area. Had the chicken salad sandwich on a croissant which was very good. Grabbed some bakery goods to go — iced cookies and a huge palmier. The staff there is very nice. Place gets really busy with lines extending to the door. You can order ahead of time if you want to save time.

Came here for breakfast three days in a row because I was staying at the nearby Lake Natoma Inn. I wish I had a place like Karyn’s in Arlington! The pastries are just to die-​for. I tried the blueberry muffin, the peach/​chai muffin, and the maple scone and all were delicious. The quinoa-​oatmeal was less exciting — it’s an odd texture with little taste (unless you dump lots of cinnamon in it, which I did) and sort of a rip-​off. The avocado toast was yummy (I ordered it with fried eggs) although could benefit from some red chili flakes.
Overall, awesome, awesome place. You must go here for the baked goods if you are in the area!

Wow we were so pleased with our meals!
I enjoyed my house salad. Fresh ingredients and perfect flavored!
Chicken avocado bacon and pesto sandwich was perfect with crusty freshly baked bread. Made in heaven!
Tried my husbands burger medium rare was superb! Recommend!!!
Will come back for some more

I really liked this place. We stopped in during a bike ride on the American River. (Two main groups of people here for lunch today: ladies who l lunch and cyclists.) Nice outdoor seating on the patio, which is where we sat.
The bread on our sandwiches was good bread. I mean the fillings were tasty too, but hey, it is a bakery after all, so the bread was noticeably good. The salads in the display case all looked really good, and I very much enjoyed my Mediterranean pasta salad. For dessert, the apricot streusel pie and sugar bun were excellent.
Totally charmed by this spot, just wish it was open at night so I could come more often.