Emma's Bakery and Cafe

We were driving through Salinas, CA, and noticed Emma’s Bakery and Cafe signage in the shopping plaza we stopped in. I have a longstanding love affair with pastries and baked goods especially if they're authentically fresh made from local bakeries not franchises. So even though we were on a time schedule, I made time to check out this place. So glad I did. Delicious baked items. Right when I walked in, I was greeted by a young woman that had the best smile and attitude. She was super helpful. I chatted her up a bit and found out they opened in 2021 and it's a family business. The recipes are family recipes. Luv that! Also I had to ask about the prices, there are no prices marked for the baked goods. The case had cookies, cream pies (whole and slices), croissants, muffins, scones, cream

I was able to special order a Lemon Meringue pie and it was the best! It's hard to find a local bakery that makes lemon meringue pies. The crust was flaky, the lemon curd filling was not too tart, and the meringue was perfection! Everyone really enjoyed it! Thank you for doing special orders that are not listed on your regular menu.

I went out for lunch and had an Asian Chopped Chicken Salad. If you’re into salads, you’ll love this one—it was super fresh and made to order. Definitely a 10/10! If you’re short on time, I recommend calling ahead to place your order. I also picked up a double-baked almond croissant for my mom, and she said it was absolutely delicious. All the pastries looked incredible! I highly recommend checking out this gem!

First time visiting today and Wow! I’m impressed! They have a wide variety of pastries, freshly baked pies, cookies, muffins, croissants, eclairs and breakfast and lunch options. Give them a try you won’t regret it!! I had their Blue Zones Avocado Toast, it was very good and filling. I also got their strawberry almond croissants, those are to die for!

Stopped at the Starbucks Nextdoor. Better to get your muffin from here then Starbucks. More choices and bigger. The almond croissant was super good. Muffin was moist. I would come back to try some other things. The cookies are huge!!