Bread & Cie
350 University Avenue
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 683-9322
I love french baked goods. I love the classic white french bread with its crispy thick crust and unbelievably soft and flavorful center. I love eclairs, tarts, croissants, macaroons, etc. Earlier this year, I discovered Bread & Cie through yelp. It is now my favorite place to get french bread and pastries!
One of the best parts about Bread & Cie is that it has a parking lot! Which is hard to find in Hillcrest. This place is always bustling when I go. A lot of people come in for lunch or breakfast. I’ve only been here to pick up bread and pastries.
Inside you will find some tables, a large display of delicious pastries, as well as fresh baked bread behind the counter. The servers are quite friendly and quick.
So far I’ve sampled the almond croissant, the pistachio cupcake, and the eclair. The almond croissant was very rich in flavor, like an explosion of goodness in your mouth. The pistachio cupcake had a beautiful buttercream frosting on top. Normally, I don’t enjoy eating frosting, but the buttercream frosting here is delicious. I still took some off because it was a bit too much, but it went well with the moist cupcake.
The eclair is one of my favorites. I first had an eclair back when I was taking french in high school. I loved it! The shell was delicate, the inside was light and airy and creamy all at the same time. Since then I’ve tried various other eclairs which don’t taste right. The shell is too dry and the cream usually is way too heavy and doesn’t taste right. Having the wrong cream can completely change the taste of an eclair in my opinion. I finally had good eclairs again when I was in Chelsea in NYC. I found a fabulous french bakery there. I don’t remember the name though. Since then, I have been searching for good eclairs in San Diego. My search has finally ended with the ones at Bread & Cie. These eclairs are big, the shell is just right, and the cream filling is how it’s supposed to be. Not too sweet, not too heavy, not too thick. It tastes so light and creamy and blends perfectly with the outside shell. Yum!
I had a beautiful cupcake this last trip, but it didn’t survive Sunday’s heat, so I don’t have any photos.
The french breads here are great too. They have a lot of various kinds. I have only tried the classic white one though. I usually bring home a loaf, and warm some up in my oven. Tastes great with soup!
They also sell various cookies and biscotti. They have lots of different kinds of biscotti. I really enjoy their biscotti here and usually grab a bag.
Sorry for the blurry photo on the biscotti display! The ones I usually get have a chocolate swirl, and pistachios. Crunchy, but not too hard. Delicious!
