Cardamom Cafe & Bakery

Great breakfast /​lunch. Saw recommendations on line and came to check it out. Great menu with lots of choice, croissants and muffins made on site and very fresh. Great value, good service, will be back!

This restaurant is very small and quaint. The inside only seats about 34 people. I came on a rainy Sunday so I was surprised it was full. I got here at 9 am and there were no available seats but I only had to wait a couple of minutes. By 9:30 am, there were about ten people waiting. I assume it is a favorite with locals in the North Park area. I was seated across from the cashier and baked goods case near the entrance. The customers waiting to be seated were literally next to me so I felt rushed to eat and get out. My intention was to have a relaxing morning reading my book while I ate but that didn’t end up happening. Having other people eye ball you and give you the look of «hurry up so I can eat too» is not a good one. It was also on the louder side with everyone chatting.
The layout of the restaurant and where the baked goods are shown could be more welcoming but they make due with the space they have. The espresso machine was down so I settled for orange juice. One of the refrigerators is exposed to the restaurant so I was disappointed when I saw it was Kirkland brand.
I ordered the cardamom braid french toast.
It came with fresh blueberry compote. I am normally not a fan of fresh blueberries but the way they are cooked is fantastic. Light and sweet. Doesn’t need maple syrup but I added some anyway. You receive six thick slices. The flavor of the french toast was good. Some of the edges of the bread were a little hard but you get so much you can simply leave the crust and eat around it. It was tasty.
The main reason I decided to dine here was the pictures of the almond croissant online. I had my waitress put one in a bag before they sold out so I could take it home and have as a snack. So disappointed! It was hard, dry and a bit burnt tasting. The filling was good but the croissant itself ruined the entire thing. I was hoping it would be delicious. After my second bite, I began to wonder if I got an old one. Maybe because they knew I was taking it home, I got the shaft. I tried to eat only the bottom half with the filling but it was extremely hard. Croissants should be light and flaky not a paper weight. So bummed!
The staff is friendly and welcoming. Quite attentive given they were busy.
I’m not sure if I will come back and give it another try.

all of their baked goods are fresh. and by fresh, i mean house made. this is a winner!
they had what was left of their baked pastries in their display window. i was there with some friends at 1045am and about half of their pastries, if not more, was already sold. guess i’ll have to go earlier next time!
i ordered the cardamom french toast. can’t go wrong with a dish named after the restaurant + house made bread, right? mmm, was that delicious. normally, i avoid the french toast route because i feel very heavy afterwards and it’s usually so much that i’m not able to finish the dish. well, i was correct as predicted, and ate half the dish. however, it was delicious! my french toast came with a berry compote and the bread soaked up the fruit juices so nicely! syrup was definitely not needed for this dish.
can’t wait to come back for those english muffins!

went to breakfast this last sunday and it was decent for a hole in the wall place in North Park. I think it’s supposed to be part of their character where they use very old and beat up chairs and tables outside in the patio area but the chairs and tables were unsafe as one of our chairs broke a leg and the metal table was falling apart where all the food plates would slide to the middle haha. I did like the food and I love the area of north park but they need to work on the maintenance side of things.

That dragon burrito haunts my dreams. Also a big fan of pancakes and sandwiches.

This place is perfect for a cozy Sunday brunch. It has the North Park neighborhood vibe, and it’s very authentic in its atmosphere and service. No commercial BS
has a little bit of a rustic feel. The service is attentive. I really like the food, they have a lot of good breakfast choices, and they even manage complicated dishes like eggs Florentine very well. You will be surprised by the quality of the food at this little hole in the wall place.

Spectacularly fresh daily pastries. Great croissants (I like the sweet ones better) with generous and interesting filings.
The regular food (diner stuff) isn’t special, so focus on the bread ands pastries!

I come here about every 2 weeks. I typically get the loaded potato bowl with chorizo. You get a choice of flour or corn tortillas and it comes with rosemary potatoes. You have to pay a couple dollars extra for eggs if you want it, but the bowl is huge and filling. I haven’t seen anyone finish them so far. I always take the extra home and eat it later!
Today I got the bacon Bennies. Eggs Benedict with bacon and rosemary potatoes. The English muffin is SO good, the owner (I think) bakes everything from scratch.
I also always get coffee. If you get a latte, they come in super cute mugs! They make some pretty delicious lattes/​mochas /​ect. However, you’d think they would make their own whipped cream.
Still love this place 100%!!

Cardamom is in walking distance of my house, which makes it a great, quick walk to pick up croissants on the weekend. Dangerous! I love the croissants, especially the almond croissant. SO highly recommended. 5 stars for the pastry case.
Meals such as egg dishes are standard. Fine but unremarkable.

Love this place!
What can I say that hasn’t already been said? Joanne knows what she’s doing. Croissants are phenomenal here and kudos to this place for being one of the only locations that serves homemade English muffins!
I typically get a scramble, savory croissant, and coffee whenever I come. Staff is all very friendly and accommodating.
Can’t praise this place enough. Keep doing what you’re doing and we’ll keep coming back!

Drawn by the name of the fragrant spice and locale, I came in for breakfast. The price for an omelet plate seemed fair, so I went for the North Park omelet, the community’s namesake. Expecting a breakfast sausage, I was greatly disappointed by it being a pre-​cooked kielbasa style. Maybe that’s a norm here, but where I come from, it’s breakfast sausage doesn’t have casing, and is not pre-​cooked/​smoked, but cooked fresh to order. It had a rubber band texture and was embedded IN the egg, not sandwiched in with the cheese and vegetables. Very strange concept… again, maybe normal in this region? In an omelet, the egg should be the star and the fillings the supporting actors. But it was only an overcooked rubbery disk, studded with more rubbery disks of «sausage». I would expect a small specialty bakery to do better than a Perkins or IHOPS, but I couldn’t eat it… I picked around and ate the veggies and cheese, most of the potatoes and my two slices of dry toast, which I expected to be better since they make it there… rosemary toast… but it really wasn’t that great.
The danishes and croissants looked tasty, and we would have tried for dessert if we weren’t so disappointed in the weird egg experience.

Service and food was awesome! Our server KLEA was just delightful, she made us feel right at home soon as we walked in. I had the soyrizo omelette and my friend had two eggs and bacon, everything was delicious!
The coffee was strong and robust! Love the place!

I’m upset to give this even 1 star. There is nothing special about this place. All the ingredients are your bottom of the barrell. the potatoes are the greasiest/​tasteless thing ever. The coffee cups had dirt on the outside and crap floating in the coffee. The waitress was rude and this place needs a complete makeover. worst dining experience ever. save youself the trouble and skip this.

Within walking distance of where I was staying — score!
This place is always hopping on the weekends! I ordered eggs/​sausage on a fresh croissant with a side of rosemary potatoes — B+
The croissant was delicious and flaky — and huge — the eggs tasty yummy and fresh. The turkey sausage was pretty good as well.
The rosemary potatoes were tasty, but they were large chunks and some weren’t cooked all the way through — either cut smaller or cook longer.
I will go again and try other items! Yummy!

Came on a hot day and it was pretty muggy inside because they do not have a/​c. Sat outside and has to be swatting flies the whole time-​not their fault, but kind of annoying.
Food was ok. Croissant was good but the place itself wouldn’t drive me to return.
Coffee was terrible l, orange juice was expensive and definitely not freshly squeezed. Brought milk instead of creamer as a side to the coffee-​weird.
They don’t have a drink menu either.
So yeah I’d skip it, not really cute inside and not too comfy inside unless the weather is cooler?

This is my new fav spot in North Park! The food was reasonably priced and the portions are huge! I also had a mocha latte and my bf had a chai latte. Both were delish! The egg croissant was so big, it could have fed us both. We also had to try the chocolate chip pancake which we also enjoyed. Amanda was our waitress and was on top of everything and so so sweet. Thank you Amanda!

Schoolteacher and I were in San Diego for an exciting weekend getaway. She had won passes to both the Zoo and Sea World. We had arrived at our Bed & Breakfast just a mile or so away, checked in, and were on our way to the Zoo when we realized we were both kinda hungry. We checked for breakfast places and this place came up closest and first. We parked across the street, and walked a block or so to the café.
We were quickly greeted and seated at a seat in the back of the place. The first thing we noticed, it was quite hot inside. The second thing we noticed was that there were flies buzzing about mercilessly. A waitress came over dropped off menus, and got our drink orders. When she came back with our coffee, we ordered.
I had seen the turkey eggs benedict on the way in, and they looked wonderful, so I went with that. While Schoolteacher went with the Queen’s quiche. I also ordered a goat cheese, basil and scallion croissant just to be fancy. Waitress took off with our orders. We drank our coffee, and swatted flies off things as they landed. This is when service got a bit spotty.
After some time, waitress came back with our croissant. It was huge, it was warm, and once we tore into it, it was quite flakey. We shared the pastry, quickly tearing it apart and devouring it into a plate of crumbs. Then waited some more. We discussed our weekend plans, our plans for the day, which included the zoo and dinner in the gaslamp quarter, we spoke about our long drive down, and other assorted topics. All the while, swatting at the flies that would land just long enough for us to swat at them.
After many minutes of conversation, I looked up and asked Schoolteacher, «Has it been as long as I think it’s been?» and she nodded a reply. I even went to the bathroom to wash my hands in hopes that it would make the food arrive while I was away. I got back to my seat only to see the plate of croissant crumbs staring back at us.
Eventually waitress came back with our food. Her quiche and my eggs were both beautifully plated. We both dove in and ate. Both of us commented on how great the food was. We shared and tasted each other’s food. The price was even pretty good too, so it’s not too hard on the wallet. (it was twenty-​something for breakfast)
Waitress actually stopped coming by after that. After waiting a really long time to handle the bill, I actually had to go up to the front of the restaurant and pay my bill there.
So all in all, the service was kinda spotty, it was really hot inside the place, we were swatting at flies the whole time, but the food was really pretty wonderful. Try sitting outside, maybe that will help with the flies.

This homey little place was quiet and just right for a relaxed breakfast. Service was a little on the relaxed side too, but lucky for me I was unhurried that day.
I lusted after the pastries in the display case, which I didn’t try, much to my chagrin (diet schmiet). Instead I was served the most delicious oatmeal I think I’ve ever had. Light, fluffy, creamy, I don’t know how they did it. I had it with fresh fruit and brown sugar, and it was an extremely generous portion, rendering superfluous the toast I ordered on the side. Bravo, cute little Cardamom!

We stopped by here to grab a quick coffee, and we were greeted quickly. The service was incredibly friendly, and they have a lot of options for coffee drinks that are all reasonably priced. Plus, the place had great seating indoors and outdoors, and a very eclectic charm. Everyone was genuine and warm, and this place strangely feels like home.
My iced coffee was great, but perhaps, not the freshest brew because we got there right as they were closing. But, all in all, I’d stop by here again, and I have to say everything in the bakery counter looked amazing. If you’re in the area, check this place out.

Its early Sunday morning and after working a long sixteen hour shift the day before, I’m ready for a heavy carb breakfast which includes some pancakes. Unilocal steers me to this place located in the middle of north and south park. My friend and I come here early in the morning, right when they open up around 730ish. There’s only street parking, so its good we came early. Place is empty, but there’s a line of people already ordering from the baked goods area. The hostess/​waitress/​cashier tells us to sit anywhere.
Ordered the chocolate chip pancakes (
) with eggs and turkey bacon on the side (
). My friend ordered the apricot oatmeal with some eggs on the side. Unfortunately they aren’t steel cut, they are the quick cooking oats. Although she liked the oatmeal, she wished for some steel oats.
At first the pancakes didn’t appear to have chocolate chips but after one bite (
) you could see they put them on the underside and not too many of them, which is good for balance not too chocolately. Three medium sized pancakes were fluffy and tasted great, had to finish them all. They were very filling though, didn’t finish my eggs or bacon. I also had some coffee for my beverage, but nothing to rave about, pretty mediocre coffee.
After looking over their baked goods when I was leaving, they have a really good selection of pastries and the largest almond croissant I’ve ever seen. Need to come back to give it a try.