50 Best Cafes near Lake Forest

“Great donuts and excellent service“

“Don't miss this wonderful place. Once you try BrioBrio's delicious food, you'll regret you hadn"t discovered It before. Thanks Naoko and Ruichi for feeding our body and soul!!!“

“Nothing is better than fresh croissant! Great family owned place. Very friendly prices. Signature Butter Croissants baked daily. The taste is balances, very mild sweet as I like, texture is between the super fluffy croissant and the bun, I really liked it. The chocolate croissant was a totally different story, check the picture. The taste was like it was baked sometime this week :) and the texture was like it is a bun with chocolate. So do not expect the same excitement from their chocolate croissant as from their signature plain croissants, which are super awesome and could be used for French toast and sandwiches as well and any filling. Next time I will take fresh plain croissant and fill it with chocolates home :) Next time we will try their breakfast / lunch menu. It looks awesome and the customers I met were happy. Update: amazing place with unique home character, loving breakfast here“

“Very good food with my baby“

“fresh coffee and ham&cheese. and delicious egg omelet. highly recommend“

“very yummy and satisfying food. the staff are very friendly and helpful.“

“Clean and open. The coffee and smoothies are spot on. Everyone working there seems to be a bit of a “coffee nerd”. They really know their coffee! I would recommend it to anyone that prefers a higher quality coffee.“

“Tim is Making Great Coffee lives up to its name — and then some. This San Juan Capistrano spot has a cult following among locals for good reason: the coffee is thoughtfully prepared and the personal approach to the craft is genuinely refreshing. Stopped in with clients exploring the historic downtown SJC corridor and it was an immediate hit. The mission-era charm of San Juan Capistrano is a major lifestyle selling point, and cafes like this add to that authentic, unhurried quality of life. When buyers ask me what the daily rhythm of life in SJC looks like, places like this are a central part of the answer. Highly worthwhile.“

“Love our first time here this morning. Better croissants than we had in France and we thought they were good! Outstanding quality and you can tell everything is made with 100% pride, care, compassion and love. Will definitely go back more than once! Goodbye diet!😆❤️❤️👌🏼🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟“

“Great food/drink. Nice patio.“

“Welp! As the owner, I have to say it’s a sweet lil spot with great food on the weekends and a perfect spot to pick up anything you need during the week. A great getaway from the madness downtown and a place to reflect and be grateful.“

“Delicious 🥰familiale belle vague 🌊 beach 🏝️☀️“

“The iced chai, churro latte (hot or cold) and their bagels are to die for. I live out of state but cannot wait to go back when I’m in So Cal! Employees are so nice too - seems as though they are very happy working there:)“

“The is was our second trip to NEP and was as good as the first! Both the shrimp salad app and the squid and mango salad were so well balanced and tasty. The garlic noodles and shaking beef were sooo good. Nothing was too spicy but really flavorful. The shaking beef was so good we ordered another one! The cocktail that night was a raspberry sour and too was perfectly prepared. For a casual restaurant, these guys really put out the effort. Oh, and the sticky rice/mango desert was the topper. Not too sweet and the mango was perfect! Will be back sooner than later. Well done NEP.“

“This coffee is amazing. I live in Kentucky and the coffee i received was well packaged and very very fresh and packaged air tight. way better than the big store chain. I was on a search to find a very low caffeine coffee that tastes o.k. and I found it! It tastes wonderful.“

“Delicious Dinner. Beautiful presentation and the Carnitas Tacos unbelievable. Chef Michael is a true gem.“

“Great food and awesome service! Perfect place for brunch 😋“

“It was a great spot for a quiet chat with friends. I wasn't sure if the person serving us was an employee or the owner, but they were incredibly friendly—and the food was delicious, too! It’s the kind of place I’d almost rather keep all to myself.“

“Fresh, tasty, great combination of flavors and options on both salads and sammies. The natural sodas are a nice touch. Gotta try a cookie!💛 Staff has been consistently courteous and responsive. I’ve been three times. I CRAVE their salads.“

“Amazing coffee and food. Very good ingredients.“

“Hands down BEST donuts ever! Great family story, best ingredients, homemade syrups, homemade glazes, made fresh to order. We will be back when visiting again from Pennsylvania!“

“🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰“

“We did the afternoon tea service at the cafe. The vibes are super cute and the back room where they do the tea service is very chill. Overall the food was good, but a lot of what you get are sweets (not savory) and a lot of the sweets were really, really sweet. For a kid it would be a dream, but for the adults in attendance it was a bit of a cavity. We would have loved it if they balanced the savory/sweet a bit better, and if the pastry and baked items were fresher. All of the items they give you do feel premade and out of a refrigerator. And all that considered, I think it's a bit pricey for what you get. You're paying for the character themed atmosphere certainly. There are better places to go for afternoon tea service that have better, fresher food and tea, yet would have cost less. The staff were very nice, but just FYI, they add on a mandatory 18% gratuity to your bill, which didn't sit well with me - even if the service was subpar you'd still be paying them 18% tip - and even though the service was polite, the servers quickly bring you food and tea and check in once or twice, but otherwise they're not super involved. In total the tea service cost us $163 for two of us, which was certainly a bit of sticker shock even though I knew the pre-fixed cost upfront. You can go to other places in this area and get divine fresh food and baked goods in a full tea service for 2 for as low as ~$100, but again, here you're paying an upcharge for the novelty of everything being cut out with a hello kitty cookie cutter, or designed with a little chocolate bow. If you really love hello kitty it's worth it, and I'm sure the kids love it, but just know what you're getting :)“

“Great food! great appetizers!“

“The earl gray lavender ice tea was the best along with the melt in your mouth croissant 💕💕“

“Amazing food and service!“

“Delicious, when they have what you want in stock. They are constantly running out of the Peach Rooibos tea and it’s very disappointing. The associates usually can’t provide an update on when it will be available again. It would be great if this process could be communicated better to customers.“

“My wife & I have been eating at The Broken Yolk Cafe in Irvine for several years now and we absolutely love the delicious food and the wonderful service, particularly via our regular server Alicia. She has such a positive attitude and shares our love of dogs. She always makes sure to bring our dog Maizie a bowl of water and a pup cup whenever we go there. I cannot recommend this Broken Yolk location and Alicia enough.“

“11/10 experience! I visited Vivot with my best friend - a nurse who works across the street after hearing her rave about the quality of the matcha and thoroughness of the drinks made. Unfortunately I ordered via OLO to the wrong location but nevertheless the store team quickly made our new drinks. I ordered a Einspanner Matcha Latte with Oat Milk and a Lavender Cloud. After visiting Japan, it has been extremely hard to find authentic matcha. Vivot was extremely authentic and delicious. A special thanks to Brandon for his help processing the refund for my error ordering at the wrong location. I can’t wait to visit again when I am back in town!“

“My go-to location since it's close by. They're pretty consistent and prepare our drinks fast whenever we stop by. Even got the new year scratch offs for spending a certain amount (and won 777 leaves, oh my lord) hahah staff are friendly and chill. Plenty of parking since it shares the lot with other shops“

“Delicious food🤤 Must give it a try.“

“I always go for hibiscus or passion fruit tea with boba whenever I visit. Today, I saw a new hibiscus menu came out so I gave it a try. First, I noticed the cream on top was coconut. Coconut cream went along really well with the hibiscus. Hibiscus was great as always.“

“Amazing food and service!“

“just love this hole in the wall. Its the best“

“Le Cafe Du Park is seriously a MUST VISIT if you're in the area or in Orange County.
This cute cafe is hidden in a Irvine community park. The café is in the park and it's such a cute little space. The park is so relaxing, has green grass to grab food from here and lay a towel and have a small picnic. There's a playground you can walk around. You can sit outside and enjoy the breeze. Honestly, the food was amazing.
We got an ice cream waffle and it was so delicious. Super chocolatey, and soft! The barbecue flatbread pizza was amazing too super flavorful and soft! & our strawberry lemonade was super good.
honestly, I feel like this would be such a cute DATE SPOT or just to getting some food here.
They had a variety of food options from sweet treats, Dubai crepes, waffles, pizzas, coffee
Honestly coming back soon' The service was amazing too!!!
They have outside seating!“

“A popular Vietnamese‑inspired tea and coffee cafe with refreshing drinks like Thai tea, jasmine milk tea, and signature Vietnamese coffee — many fans highlight the flavorful beverages and friendly service. It’s a casual, mostly takeout spot ideal for a quick pick‑me‑up or late‑night drink, though sweetness levels can be a bit high for some.“

“There bagels are better than the ones in New York. They are always fresh big and super delicious. They even have lox in cream cheese. The staff are always super friendly and helpful.“

“Ts place is so tuff🔥 Mustard dripping of the walls how demure🔥 I ordered a lunchly with drippy cheese and I can say it was very drippy🔥 and guess what Adrian was there🔥 he just got back from the barber shop and it only cost a quarter 🔥 so we had our food he ordered mangoes 🥭 🔥 so yea a very rizzy experience would recommend coming here about 6 or 7 times every full moon before ur inner wolf breaks loose🐺🔥 one last thing Diddy might be there so chat ur cooked💀😭🙏🔥“

“Great NY STYLE BAGELS!!! Great service too“

“The food is above average for a hospital cafeteria. The best value is the soup station, $2.70 for one serving. Optional rotate daily but I've seen chicken noodle, lobster bisque, clam chowder, red pepper Gouda, French onion, Italian wedding, broccoli cheese, vegetarian chili.There's also a small salad bar, hot food bar, grill, pizza, yogurt bar, baked goods, and some chilled grab-n-go items. Tuesdays are Taco Tuesdays (carnitas or quinoa, plus 2 sides of black beans/roasted corn/Spanish rice)

Vegetarian options: Taco Tuesday had pork and quinoa as options. There's also a self serve salad bar. Today also had vegetarian chili.

Dietary restrictions: Lots of options for different dietary needs.“

“Bluberry Social is my new go-to brunch spot in Irvine! Everything we tried — avocado toast, crece brulee pancakes, chicken and waffles, Cali chopped salad, and french onion soup — was amazing.

The blueberry and strawberry matcha lattes were delicious, and the cozy pink interior gives such warm, welcoming vibes. Service was super friendly and attentive as well!

Perfect place for a mommy date or brunch with friends — can’t wait to come back!“

“Reduce decision fatigue by going to Oslo every day knowing that you’re getting the best in the area. It’s confident enough to let their flavors shine rather than overcompensating with sugar and syrup.

Get the Viking Tonic when it’s warm out and you need something refreshing, or the Oslo Fog (iced) or Folklore Flat White (iced or hot). If you’re lucky enough to catch a seasonal menu, they’re well tested and delicious. Baked goods are also pretty solid.

If you’re coming in peak hours, order online to skip the wait. Although waiting isn’t bad because the aesthetic and vibes are quite nice. Staff are friendly, awesome, and consistent - a marker for good management and reliable quality.“

“Café Bistro is nothing short of perfection! I used to frequent a Bistro in Texas before they rebranded and switched management, and unfortunately, it went downhill from there. But this place feels like stepping into a time machine--bringing back everything I loved about the original experience before it got ruined. The food, the service, and the atmosphere here are exactly what a bistro should be. Everything was spot-on, from the fresh ingredients to the perfectly crafted dishes. It's like finding that old favorite spot again, and I couldn't be happier. Five stars for truly keeping the magic alive!“

“I had a great experience at Cafe Hafez. The food was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the staff were very kind and attentive. Definitely a lovely spot to enjoy delicious Persian cuisine. I’ll be coming back again!“

“delicious food & great service 😋 💁‍♀️“

“Amazing service, great decor, great food. What more could you ask for ? The smoothies are great BUT could be a meal replacement if you wanted a heavy smoothie. We got the breakfast burrito and it blew us away. The ships and roasted red salsa was a great addition to the meal. We split it because the burrito was HUGE. Will be coming again to try seasonal drinks, the bowls, and different smoothies! Thank you guys!“

“Yummy breakfast spot with good lunch options.“

“Love the pastries and bought a cake“

“I had clients fly in from Portland and, with dietary restrictions, they asked for vegetarian/vegan lunch options. Between showings, we stumbled upon this spot—completely unplanned—and it exceeded every expectation.

Great food, great service, great ambiance. One of those places you think will be “pretty good”… and then it completely blows you away.

I didn’t even think to take a photo at first or write a review, but after the first bite, I knew this place was special. By then, it was too late—the food didn’t stand a chance.“