Pinwheel Cafe & Bakery

I am writing this because my family is now dealing with an identity theft case, and Pinwheel French Café appears to be directly involved. My wife discovered that her name, age, and our home address were appearing on another woman's employment record. That woman works at Pinwheel French Café under my wife's name, despite the fact that my wife has never worked here. We called the café. Staff confirmed they employ someone named "Maria Aguilar." They took my wife's number and said they would reach out when the store was less busy. Nobody ever called. We later emailed the owner at the email address that they provided, and received no reply. Silence like that raises concerns when identity theft is involved. We now have an active LAPD identity theft investigation and a CFPB complaint. Fraudulent credit accounts and fake addresses have been attached to my wife's credit report, and the employment listing for Pinwheel French Café appeared right in the middle of all of this. When a business refuses to respond after being notified, it becomes part of the problem. It suggests that they hired this individual knowing that their identity was fake, or they were actively involved in creating that fake identity. We reached out privately to clear this up in case it was an honest mixup. That opportunity was ignored. If someone using my wife's name truly works here, we hope the business will cooperate with LAPD and help resolve the identity theft. If their employee used false documents, the café should want that corrected too. I'm posting this review because repeated attempts to handle this quietly were met with complete silence, which speaks volumes about the integrity of Pinwheel. We are trying to protect my wife's identity, which has already been used to open fraudulent bank accounts. We are asking Pinwheel French Café to respond, acknowledge the issue, and work with law enforcement to help clear up this situation. Silence only makes things worse.

Macarons are yummy. A little expensive... But it's in a nice area so that is to be expected.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Zero star!
I have been coming to Pinwheel since they opened years ago ( multiple owners ).
Quality of the food had been in decline.
Service is getting poor.
Couple weeks ago, I went in to get a scone and a tart to go.
The tall gray hair guy ( he could be the baker) had serious attitude. Very arrogant.
The scone was dry and tasted awful. Not edible.
The tart was stale tasting, I had to toss it after a couple bite.
$13 !

The poor service and bad attitude are unacceptable.
Pinwheel was one of my favorite for many years, I would never ever go back after this last experience.

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 1

Service: 1

I stopped by a French inspired cafe called the Pinwheel Café and it was a great! The service was welcoming from the moment we walked in. You can tell the team here truly cares about creating a great experience.

The food was absolutely delicious. Everything tasted fresh and thoughtfully prepared. The almond croissant was incredible! It was light, flaky, and filled with just the right amount of almond filling. You could tell it came straight out of the oven. The quiche of the day (broccoli and cheese) was perfectly made, with a golden, buttery crust and a creamy, flavorful filling. I also had the French onion soup, which was rich, comforting, and full of flavor.

We also tried the Spanish latte. It was smooth, slightly sweet, and perfectly balanced.

And for anyone who loves authentic French cuisine, they even offer escargot, which you don't often find in cafés.

Overall, Pinwheel Café has excellent food, friendly service, and cozy atmosphere. Can't wait to come back and try more of their pastries!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 4

This is my favorite in the area. It's ample enough to handle lots of people inside and outdoors. The food is well displayed, staff are patient and helpful.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Attended a wedding shower at Pinwheel. Very nice restaurant. The food and service was great!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Was watching reviews online and thought it would be amazing. My wife and I were looking forward to trying a few regular items very much. However, some pastries, like the croissants were not fresh but dry. It could very well be just this one case, but I was a little disappointed. The morning breakfast sandwich was good!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

This place has the French bakery style, theme, food totally down! Never left here disappointed 😁👍🏻

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

really nice place place to grab all kinds of yummy goodies. baked goods are...good. the service was good too. tons of seating and outdoor too. prices on some stuff are a little high, but for the area I suppose decent on other stuff.

the Cheddar scone was alright but had a rubber cheese to it. not my favorite. the omelet was average.

it's not bad, it's not mind blowing. but the staff were the best part eith smiles and being super kind to everyone I saw them handle.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 5

Very nice French bakery/cafe. If you want fresh pastries this is the place.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Paid 3.5$ for a croissant that takes like Cotsco's. I wish Porto's had a location closer to the Beach Cities..

This charming cafe is a great place to grab coffee or some amazing baked good and sweets.. but they also have really good food so you can sit down and have a full meal here and get outstanding food at a great value for the area. It can get crowded at times with families and friends enjoying their spacious patio or bright inviting interior dining room. We have ordered almost all the food on their menu and all I can say is if you eat here you are going to be happy. The portions are just right.. a nice breakfast or lunch but light enough where you feel great. From a quick snack or drink on the go to a full meal with friends Pinwheel is a great option.. located at PCH and Hawthorn right near Trader Joes.. there is a huge parking lot but it can get full at time.. there is less crowded parking in the lot behind to the north. It is easy to see why Pinwheel Cafe is a local favorite.

French, French, French authentic French bakery. Never disappointed. Breakfast croissant, Spanish coffee.

The staffs are real nice but I personally didn't have a taste for the eclair and pastry. I'm that way with almost every bakery I've gone to, therefore I am the issue. The inside is well kept, clean and good presentation

Lovely little cafe with lots of goodies