Kirbie's Cravings

Herb & Eatery

photo of different pastries served at Herb & Eatery
Herb & Eatery is a cafe and chef’s market connected to Herb & Wood. The casual eatery is the latest concept by Chef Brian Malarkey and opened just a few months ago. It’s also the home of my favorite croissants in San Diego.
photo of the outside of Herb & Eatery
I loved my experience at Herb & Wood last year and I also really enjoy the new Herb & Eatery. I first got to check out the cafe’s offerings through a blogger group lunch. I left so impressed that I promptly returned the next morning to pick up some more items.

photo of the inside of Herb & Eatery
The cafe and market is open from 8 AM to 8 PM everyday. They offer a variety of coffees (with unique syrup flavors), smoothies, beverages on top (including kombucha), fresh baked pastries and cookies made in-house, salads, sandwiches, and entrees.
photo of the dessert and pastry display
photo of the cheese and meat display

The market section is filled with gourmet goods like foie gras, venison sausage, duck fat, premium ice cream, jams, sauces and more. I wanted to buy nearly everything.
photo collage of the freezer and refridgerated sections at Herb & Eatery
herb-eatery-4

It’s very spacious inside, with a lot of natural light streaming in. They also have a small upstairs section.
photo of the dining area in Herb & Eatery
photo of the decor inside Herb & Eatery

During the blogger luncheon, we got to try some items from the breakfast and lunch menu.

Prior to this visit, I’d heard really good things about their croissants, so I was excited to see some set aside for us. They usually sell out of the croissants in the morning.
photo of a plate of pastries at Herb & Eatery
The croissants did not disappoint. These are the crispiest croissants I’ve ever eaten. When you bite in, there is an audible crackling sound coming from the flaky outermost layer as it breaks apart. The croissants themselves are also very rich and buttery.  These are now my favorite croissants in San Diego.

At the end of lunch I wanted to buy about a dozen croissants, but unfortunately they were sold out for the day. I came back the next day and ended up buying two boxes of pastries.
overhead photo of cookies and pastries
I really enjoyed the cookies as well. They are soft and chewy and each of them have a little twist on the traditional flavors. For instance, peanut butter and fennel or lime sugar.

Another favorite was the cinnamon twist. It uses a similar dough to the croissants, so it’s made up of flaky, crispy layers coated in cinnamon and sugar.

Baked Egg

mushrooms, humboldt goat cheese, herbs, kale & crème fraiche
photo of a baked egg dish

heirloom tomatoes, olives, capers, basil pesto & lemon zest
photo of heirloom tomato dish

avocado, breakfast radish, dukkah & citrus
photo of avocado dish
The Baked Eggs were all so beautifully plated. They all tasted good, but did pale in comparison to the croissant sandwiches and some of the other entrees we had.

Maple Croissant Sandwich
photo of Maple Croissant Sandwich

h&e bahn mi
photo of h&e bahn mi

sugar cane thai chicken skewers
photo of sugar cane thai chicken skewers
These bite-sized appetizers were packed with flavors. They were savory, sweet, spicy all at once.

olive oil poached tuna melt
photo of olive oil poached tuna melt
The olive oil and lemon gave such a lightness to this sandwich.

root fries
photo of root fries

marin triple cream
photo of marin triple cream
I know it’s just cheese and toasted bread, but the creamy triple cream brie was just so good, especially paired with the jam and mustard.

smoked curry chicken & cashews salad
photo of smoked curry chicken & cashews salad
I didn’t think much of this when I first saw it because it’s a salad and I don’t usually care for salads when I’m at a restaurant. But after biting into the chicken, I was pleasantly surprised and this ended up being one of my favorites.

I was so excited when I found out that the smoked curry chicken salad is available to-go. The next day I bought a small container of it. The key to this dish is the shredded pieces of smoked chicken, which add such a great flavor and texture.
photo of smoked curry chicken salad
close-up photo of smoked curry chicken salad

Cold Brew with Tarragon Anise Syrup
photo of Cold Brew with Tarragon Anise Syrup
They offer a full array of coffee drinks and serve James Coffee Co. I really like the unique syrups that you can add to the coffee drinks, like the tarragon anise syrup.

Overall, I had a delicious lunch and returned the next day for pastries and smoked chicken to-go. I would have brought Mr. K here for lunch but we already had plans. I’ll definitely be bringing him here to eat soon and I also plan on spending some money in the market section.

You can check out my visit to their more formal restaurant Herb & Wood here.

Herb & Eatery
2210 Kettner Blvd, San Diego, CA 92101

As noted above, my initial visit was through a group blogger lunch invite and that meal was complimentary.

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4 comments on “Herb & Eatery”

  1. Oh, my, this looks divine!

  2. OMG. First and foremost THE UNICORN. Second that brie sandwich thing FREAKING OMG. How did you not spend all of your money here? Looks awesome. 

    • the unicorn is so awesome! haha. It was really hard not to spend all my money here. But it’s only been a week. I’m pretty sure I’ll be buying up everything in the market soon.