I don’t care how good the food is. Selling out an hour or two or more before you close COMPLETELY is absurd. I drove 25 minutes for Canele, which is an hour of my time and costs me gas money. Complete waste. Bake more food if demand is that high.
Yao Yu
Best bakery I’ve had in San Diego. The chocolate monkey bread is fire ?? it’s crispy outside and soft inside. Perfect amount of chocolate inside and perfect ratio of sugar and oil. You can tell that it is really high quality, well made bakery.
J M
Canele has some of the best pastry in all of San Diego. They stick to a small menu and deliver those items at the highest quality. Chocolate monkey bread is a must try item!
Vivian Anne
We pre-ordered a butter croissant, chocolate almond croissant, and canele on Thursday night for a Friday pick up. The pre order and pick up process was very easy. They had the packed baked goods on the counter with your name on them. We picked up our baked goods around 12:20 pm and they had a sign up on the door that said they were sold out - so something to keep in mind if you're not pre ordering. We enjoyed both of the croissants! The butter croissant was buttery and flakey and the chocolate almond croissant was full of flavor. I think they use dark chocolate because it wasn't overly sweet. The canele was OK - it's pretty pricey at $4. The outside of their canele has a very, thick crust and the inside was very custardy. However, I don't know if I would get it again. I would definitely recommend the croissant and we will be going back to try the other croissants and monkey bread.
Rienne R.
I can't believe that I've lived this close to Canele all these years and only just found out about their incredible pastries-- they're located right next to Rubicon, and according to Yelp users, they sell out fast-- so I placed an order the night before on their website (powered by Square) and it went through without a hitch. I ordered: 2 caneles, 1 almond croissant, and 1 plain croissant. My SO, who went in to pick up, got himself a ham and cheese croissant also. I've never had caneles before, so I was eager to try these out. You guys!!! My SO, who is not a big fan of sweets, turned to me after the first bite with a thunderstruck look on his face and said, "That's really good." I don't even know what to compare these to-- a bread pudding, but not heavy at all? It's delicate on the inside like a crepe, but buttery and moist and airy. The shell on the outside is caramelized and it's such a treat to bite through. It's like creme brulee, but in pastry form. Incomparable, you really have to try these if you come here. With the croissants, the flaky pastry is really the highlight of it all-- my SO said he wasn't super impressed with them until I asked if they had been heated up a little, since I know that croissants can come across as a little stale if the butter has solidified too much. We popped the remaining ones in the microwave for 10 seconds and I personally thought they were perfect that way-- melty, buttery, so very flaky. I love this place! I'll be coming back for certain. Best pastries I've had in San Diego so far.
Russell J.
Excellent pastry. Almond croissant, chocolate monkey bread and chocolate croissant are all must try. Great quality and family owned.
Soojin Lee
Best traditional and authentic French bakery in SD, even better than Wayfarer and Izola. Real flaky laminated dough, none of that bready American stuff! Limited menu but every item is perfect. Usually totally sold out by 11am even weekdays so consider ordering online if you’re really set on a perfect monkey bread, canelé, or croissant!
Sharon C.
I don't really go out of my way for pastries, ever. I really like the cake at Paris Baguette but I literally only get it for birthdays. The texture of every single pastry at Canele is mind blowing - especially the texture of the little cylindrical pastry. My favorite is probably the cylindrical pastry and their monkey bread. That monkey bread is so dangerous =d...
Alison Z.
This unassuming bakery in the middle of a medical plaza is LEGIT! I always look for French bakeries when I travel and was so excited when I saw this was right next to my hotel. I got there a few minutes after they opened and the person in front of me must have ordered at least 20 pastries! When it was my turn, I ordered a chocolate croissant and canele. MAN, were they EXCEPTIONAL. The canele had the perfect shell and soft inside, almost like a custard/bread pudding. I appreciated that it didn't have a strong rum taste like other places. Then I dove into the chocolate croissant -- it was so flaky and the chocolate:dough ratio was perfect. If you're in the area, this is a must try!!!!
Michael L.
I recently got to try Canele bakery for the first time! I was quite excited given all the great reviews. Sadly the almond monkey bread was sold out before I ordered, but we got to pre-order the chocolate monkey bread and almond croissant. Chocolate Monkey Bread: This was very good! I would highly recommend giving the monkey bread a try. It was nice and gooey chocolate, with a flaky exterior. Almond croissant: While I was eating the almond croissant, I kept feeling like something was missing. It felt a bit dry, and I think needed almond paste filling on the inside. This might be a personal preference, but I think it would have fit my taste more if it was filled. Overall, Canele has some great and well made flaky pastry. It's very convenient to pre-order to plan for a pick up order with their website. My preference was more toward the monkey bread than the almond croissant. I'll have to come back and try the almond monkey bread next time!
There is an option to order the night before the next day's pick up. That way, you can ensure what you want is available and not be disappointed in person if it's sold out. You can also pick up your order anytime during their hours of operation. We came to pick up our order around 9:45 AM and there was still a decent amount of baked goods to choose from. I did see a few people walk in to buy around that time. They have a table with a display of their baked goods of around 5-10 items to choose from. It's take out only, no seating available. Parking is free and in a plaza. The ham and cheese croissant was delicious. It was pretty big, about the size of my hand and the croissant was flaky and buttery but not greasy and hard to eat. The chocolate almond croissant was also around the same size and packed with almonds on the outside and layers of chocolate throughout the croissant. Also flaky on the outside but soft on the inside just perfect. They sure don't skimp on ingredients. As for the Canele, it was a bit disappointing in size knowing that I'm basically paying the same price as a much larger croissant/comparable pastry. It was delicious though, reminded me of a custard sponge like cake. Either way, I'll be back to try their other menu items!
Gregg Tavares
I'd probably rate then lower but beggars can't be choosers. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd maybe give these canele a 7. Over cooked and not as smooth inside as good ones. Unfortunately canele are not common in the USA so they're better than none? Although sadly they aren't at the level that I'd ever come back where as good canele are addicting which is why I drove 90 miles hoping these would match my good canele experiences
Denise
Cutest little bakery! Super welcoming and friendly. The monkey bread & canele were DELICIOUS! You can tell that there’s a lot of attentiveness, perseverance, and patience put in to make these delicacies! So so delicious and worth it! Highly recommend!
Marlena R.
I was recommended by the staff at the pita house and wow did it live up to every expectation. I got a chocolate croissant and an almond monkey bread. The texture was amazing but the most amazing part is the flavor! No overload of sugar. I didn't feel sick to my stomach even though I indulged in 1.5 pastries. I save 1/2 of the almond monkey bread for my BF. Highly recommend this place.
Emily V.
What a delightful surprise it was to stumble upon this gem. I LOVE good pastry/patisserie, and this place is dangerously good. Will certainly be back to try something savory, but I'm currently savoring the chocolate monkey bread. Melty chocolate from being briefly in the hot car is sublime: I recommend doing this on purpose.
I don’t care how good the food is. Selling out an hour or two or more before you close COMPLETELY is absurd. I drove 25 minutes for Canele, which is an hour of my time and costs me gas money. Complete waste. Bake more food if demand is that high.
Best bakery I’ve had in San Diego. The chocolate monkey bread is fire ?? it’s crispy outside and soft inside. Perfect amount of chocolate inside and perfect ratio of sugar and oil. You can tell that it is really high quality, well made bakery.
Canele has some of the best pastry in all of San Diego. They stick to a small menu and deliver those items at the highest quality. Chocolate monkey bread is a must try item!
We pre-ordered a butter croissant, chocolate almond croissant, and canele on Thursday night for a Friday pick up. The pre order and pick up process was very easy. They had the packed baked goods on the counter with your name on them. We picked up our baked goods around 12:20 pm and they had a sign up on the door that said they were sold out - so something to keep in mind if you're not pre ordering. We enjoyed both of the croissants! The butter croissant was buttery and flakey and the chocolate almond croissant was full of flavor. I think they use dark chocolate because it wasn't overly sweet. The canele was OK - it's pretty pricey at $4. The outside of their canele has a very, thick crust and the inside was very custardy. However, I don't know if I would get it again. I would definitely recommend the croissant and we will be going back to try the other croissants and monkey bread.
I can't believe that I've lived this close to Canele all these years and only just found out about their incredible pastries-- they're located right next to Rubicon, and according to Yelp users, they sell out fast-- so I placed an order the night before on their website (powered by Square) and it went through without a hitch. I ordered: 2 caneles, 1 almond croissant, and 1 plain croissant. My SO, who went in to pick up, got himself a ham and cheese croissant also. I've never had caneles before, so I was eager to try these out. You guys!!! My SO, who is not a big fan of sweets, turned to me after the first bite with a thunderstruck look on his face and said, "That's really good." I don't even know what to compare these to-- a bread pudding, but not heavy at all? It's delicate on the inside like a crepe, but buttery and moist and airy. The shell on the outside is caramelized and it's such a treat to bite through. It's like creme brulee, but in pastry form. Incomparable, you really have to try these if you come here. With the croissants, the flaky pastry is really the highlight of it all-- my SO said he wasn't super impressed with them until I asked if they had been heated up a little, since I know that croissants can come across as a little stale if the butter has solidified too much. We popped the remaining ones in the microwave for 10 seconds and I personally thought they were perfect that way-- melty, buttery, so very flaky. I love this place! I'll be coming back for certain. Best pastries I've had in San Diego so far.
Excellent pastry. Almond croissant, chocolate monkey bread and chocolate croissant are all must try. Great quality and family owned.
Best traditional and authentic French bakery in SD, even better than Wayfarer and Izola. Real flaky laminated dough, none of that bready American stuff! Limited menu but every item is perfect. Usually totally sold out by 11am even weekdays so consider ordering online if you’re really set on a perfect monkey bread, canelé, or croissant!
I don't really go out of my way for pastries, ever. I really like the cake at Paris Baguette but I literally only get it for birthdays. The texture of every single pastry at Canele is mind blowing - especially the texture of the little cylindrical pastry. My favorite is probably the cylindrical pastry and their monkey bread. That monkey bread is so dangerous =d...
This unassuming bakery in the middle of a medical plaza is LEGIT! I always look for French bakeries when I travel and was so excited when I saw this was right next to my hotel. I got there a few minutes after they opened and the person in front of me must have ordered at least 20 pastries! When it was my turn, I ordered a chocolate croissant and canele. MAN, were they EXCEPTIONAL. The canele had the perfect shell and soft inside, almost like a custard/bread pudding. I appreciated that it didn't have a strong rum taste like other places. Then I dove into the chocolate croissant -- it was so flaky and the chocolate:dough ratio was perfect. If you're in the area, this is a must try!!!!
I recently got to try Canele bakery for the first time! I was quite excited given all the great reviews. Sadly the almond monkey bread was sold out before I ordered, but we got to pre-order the chocolate monkey bread and almond croissant. Chocolate Monkey Bread: This was very good! I would highly recommend giving the monkey bread a try. It was nice and gooey chocolate, with a flaky exterior. Almond croissant: While I was eating the almond croissant, I kept feeling like something was missing. It felt a bit dry, and I think needed almond paste filling on the inside. This might be a personal preference, but I think it would have fit my taste more if it was filled. Overall, Canele has some great and well made flaky pastry. It's very convenient to pre-order to plan for a pick up order with their website. My preference was more toward the monkey bread than the almond croissant. I'll have to come back and try the almond monkey bread next time!
Restaurantji Recommends
There is an option to order the night before the next day's pick up. That way, you can ensure what you want is available and not be disappointed in person if it's sold out. You can also pick up your order anytime during their hours of operation. We came to pick up our order around 9:45 AM and there was still a decent amount of baked goods to choose from. I did see a few people walk in to buy around that time. They have a table with a display of their baked goods of around 5-10 items to choose from. It's take out only, no seating available. Parking is free and in a plaza. The ham and cheese croissant was delicious. It was pretty big, about the size of my hand and the croissant was flaky and buttery but not greasy and hard to eat. The chocolate almond croissant was also around the same size and packed with almonds on the outside and layers of chocolate throughout the croissant. Also flaky on the outside but soft on the inside just perfect. They sure don't skimp on ingredients. As for the Canele, it was a bit disappointing in size knowing that I'm basically paying the same price as a much larger croissant/comparable pastry. It was delicious though, reminded me of a custard sponge like cake. Either way, I'll be back to try their other menu items!
I'd probably rate then lower but beggars can't be choosers. On a scale of 1 to 10 I'd maybe give these canele a 7. Over cooked and not as smooth inside as good ones. Unfortunately canele are not common in the USA so they're better than none? Although sadly they aren't at the level that I'd ever come back where as good canele are addicting which is why I drove 90 miles hoping these would match my good canele experiences
Cutest little bakery! Super welcoming and friendly. The monkey bread & canele were DELICIOUS! You can tell that there’s a lot of attentiveness, perseverance, and patience put in to make these delicacies! So so delicious and worth it! Highly recommend!
I was recommended by the staff at the pita house and wow did it live up to every expectation. I got a chocolate croissant and an almond monkey bread. The texture was amazing but the most amazing part is the flavor! No overload of sugar. I didn't feel sick to my stomach even though I indulged in 1.5 pastries. I save 1/2 of the almond monkey bread for my BF. Highly recommend this place.
What a delightful surprise it was to stumble upon this gem. I LOVE good pastry/patisserie, and this place is dangerously good. Will certainly be back to try something savory, but I'm currently savoring the chocolate monkey bread. Melty chocolate from being briefly in the hot car is sublime: I recommend doing this on purpose.