La Monarca Bakery

Nice little place in South Pasadena to sit and chat, gather your thoughts, or people watch.
The coffee is good, the treats are the right portion size to not make you feel like you have to leave here and go directly to Spin class.
The atmosphere is nice and laid back and the music is just the right volume to not be annoying.
All in all, good place.

Yums, this place is my weakness. Those little vanilla butter cookies are the death of me. I can eat a dozen of those in one sitting without even realizing that i just inhaled them. The specialty coffee is also yummy since they all contain Mexican chocolate and tons of whip, yasss. I’m so glad that the location in Pasadena is totally out of the way for me so I’m only here once in a while when i’m getting my haircut in the area. Otherwise i would come everyday and stuff my face with those damn flakey moist and buttery cookies. They’re like shortbreads but less dense and lighter in taste.

Café Oaxaca was fantastic, butter cookies (only $ 0.50) also delicious, and prices are very reasonable.

The young gentleman at the register with the glasses has no customer service or actually he doesn’t have people skills to carry on conversations with customers. Last week I was told they had no cheese Danishes just cream and pineapple, lo and behold I buy a Danish and boom there’s cheese in the middle. Also there was another young girl there that was also on the rude side.
Here’s some advice kid, I’ve been the whole cool and rude so let me tell you kindness goes a long way. Sorry if you weren’t feeling the Fyf lineup this year. Maybe you didn’t have your kale cold pressed juice either.
Leave for the customer service but stay for the cheese Danishes. And remember son this ain’t no Portos

I was on the way to work, Google maps took me a weird different way through Pasadena to get there, and I wanted a coffee and a snack. I got some Unilocal finding La Monarca Bakery and so happy I did! There was parking right in front, which I was thankful for cause it would have sucked looking for parking in an area I have no clue about. I walk in and see all the yummy baked stuff! I looked through the glass display and saw a ham and cheese chipotle croissant which sounded wonderful and I was going to get a regular coffee, but I asked the girl working there, who was very sweet, which drink is really good, and she said the Café del Carmen. I got it all to go and opened it all up at my desk and had an awesome breakfast feast! They gave a little cup of pico de gallo salsa to have with the croissant which was freakin awesome! The croissant totally filled me up. Now on to the drink… This ‘Café del Carmen’ is like caramel paradise. I am trying to stray from sugar but this thing just hit the spot. I have a feeling it is full of sugar (hence the caramel, lol) but it wasnt overwhelming, it was just nice, warm, and smooth. I dont know how often I would be in this area, but If I am, I would totally go back… maybe try something with less sugar, but I would totally trust that their drinks and food are good!
I’d recommend swinging by and trying them out if you haven’t!

Party of 3. 3 different coffees, all 11 out of 10. Larry went above and beyond for customer service and we left fat and happy. Jalapeño corn cheese croissant?! Please and thank you! Got 2 cakes and sampled all the cookies. I can’t have pastries anywhere else now!

Such a gem! The Café Oaxaca, blending cinnamon and Mexican chocolate with espresso, is one of my favorite coffee drinks of all time. The pan dulce is to die for and, when combined with the Oaxaca, makes me float into oblivion for breakfast. Their chicken mole Torta also hits the spot for lunch.

The most amazing Soyrizo ever! If you haven’t tried this place come out on Thursday go to La Monarca and enjoy the farmers market (every Thursday is farmers market).

Nice little coffee shop located in South Pasadena. This place is located right next to the Metro Mission train stop.
I usually come here just to sit down, order some decaf coffee & check my emails. They have some Mexican sweet bread for your selection. It may be a bit more expensive compared to some of the Mexican markets, but hey, this is South Pasadena we are talking about. Rent is high along with the operation for this establishment as well.
If you come down here on Thursday afternoon, you can catch the farmers market that is going on next to this bakery.

I love the food, the coffee, and the pastries. But one star for the customer service. Its horrible. Ive been in customer serve for over 8 years and I would have fired almost all of them for their customer service. I felt as if I was bothering them when ordering and didn’t get a greeting or a thank you. i was just handed my receipt. Will not be going here again. Although the location in Highland Park is complete opposite. I love it there as well as the employees.

Love coming here during the Thursday Farmer’s market! It’s always such a nice little treat. My favorite thing is to get a savory croissant or if I feel like I’m in a «treat yo self» mood, I’ll get the Dulce De Leche cake! It’s a rich white cake with creamy frosty and thick caramel drizzle. Lushhh.
They also have great brewed coffee and lattes! Their specialty lattes are a bit on the sweet side though. Be warned.
You could study here, but it is a small space and is spent much better interacting with people instead! If you insist, on studying here, then come in the afternoon when it’s not as busy. Yes, they do offer wifi.
Anyway, Love this little place! Everyone is very friendly and the area is just super charming! Definitely come by!

The first time I came to this café was after my boyfriend’s birthday dinner at Radhika. While we were dining, I had noticed the new café was still open and thought we could stop in for some cake.
We split a dulce de leche latte since it was a little late for caffeinated drinks. And because we were torn between a couple of cakes, we instead opted for individual slices: tres leches and fresas con crema strawberry shortcake. Both cakes were soft and the frosting was airy like whipped cream (and not buttercream) The drink was a bit sweet, but good. I’ve asked them to do the drink using brewed hot coffee and it tones the sweet flavor down considerably.
The menu is relatively small. Bonus for having soyrizo substitute. I’ve had the mollete and torta. Both were perfectly portioned meals that can be easily tackled in one sitting. They’ve gotten hip to the cold brew trend, but raised the bar a bit with their cold brew café de olla. The boyfriend is a fiend for this house specialty.
Fresh pan dulce can be found to the left of the order counter when you walk in. Grab a tray, a pair of tongs, and take your pick. Some items are uniquely theirs and cannot be found at the average panaderia. Dulce de leche filled items are my favorite because I’m a caramel junky. We had a Mexican wedding cookie concha that was like two desserts in one. It was the perfect coffee dunker dessert.
Reclaimed wood tables inside and outdoor seating for train-​spotting.

I have to meet someone near by this place so I stop by at LA MONARCA for my breakfast it’s a cool place everything was so fresh location is amazing. However there are couple of other place as well but I found this so cool about everything.

La Monarca is right down the street from my place and I’m so glad for that! I love this little place. I know there are several locations in LA but it certainly doesn’t have that «chain» feel. The drinks there great (way better than Sbux). I love the bakery section too, everything is so fresh and delicious! The staff is always pleasant. It’s a nice weekend treat for me and the bae to get some breakfast pastries and coffee drink. I usually get a mocha and he gets the Café Oaxaca. Both are wonderful. My best friend came for a visit and I brought her here, she loved it so much that the next time she came back she insisted we go again. She didn’t need to twist my arm though!

This place deserves five stars. This is some of the best champurrado I’ve ever had and I’m Mexican. Their pastries are very well priced for the quality of treats you’re getting. And the girls behind the counter are the absolute sweetest. Definitely coming back when I’m back in South Pasadena.

Cute little bakery with many choices to choose from. Selection of drinks pretty interesting and good!
How they display their baked goods is nicely done. They have many cakes to choose from. When we saw the picture of a horchata cake, we knew we had to buy it.
I got the mango tea which was refreshing after working out for an hour.
Clean inside. Few tables to choose from.
Street parking is two hours.

The bakery is on the corner of Mission st and Meridian Ave. I came here today because I was in town getting treatment at RejuvaYou med spa. I had I few minutes to kill before my appointment so I went on Unilocal to check out a good spot close by. After reading a few reviews decided on La Monarca.
On my first impression I could see it was clean and crowded. The décor was Spanish, rustic, and small wooden tables and chairs lined one sided of the bakery. There were nice big paintings and pictures on the walls with captions explaining a little about the pastries and drinks that they served (a nice touch in my opinion).
I order a few different sweet breads and a small coffee. All of the pasties that I tried were moist and tasted very authentic. This was one of the better Mexican breads I had in my lifetime, and being that it is all organic with no artificial flavoring or coloring I was very impressed. As for the coffee very smooth with a clean finish no bitter after taste.
I enjoyed this place although you can find Mexican bread a lot cheaper elsewhere, it’s still a must try and a place you can recommend to your friends.

Great Mexican coffee. Super smooth.
Good food — shared an open face vegetarian chorizo sandwich (I’m not even vegetarian) with a friend and was surprised at how delicious it was. The corn and black bean salad is also super fresh and only ($ 2.5) for a cup of it.
Really cute with some seating available inside and outside. I need to try the pastries next time!

Location/​parking: This is located right on Mission, next to the Mix n’ Munch. It is right on the corner. It is a small bakery with plenty of seats inside and 2 tables outside so you can bring your pups. There is parking on the street and along the small side streets as well.
Service: Very friendly customer service. The lady at the register greeted us right away. She helped us choose, which coffee to get and which we recommends. She also asked us if this was our first time here and since it was, she gave us free baked goodies to go with our order! How awesome is that?! That’s what I call great customer service!
Food/​drinks: We ordered the Café del Carmen, which is a latte with caramel syrup on ice. It was delicious! It was the perfect amount of sweetness, caramel, and coffee! I highly recommend this! It was great on a warm day. I also got the wedding cookies (0.50 each), and they are TO DIE FOR! They are so buttery and they melt in your mouth. Good thing I only ordered 2 because I ate both of them right away! If I bought the whole box, which they sell, I’d probably eat the entire box! :P
Overall: This is such a cute location. It’s a great place to study, plenty of single tables to sit at inside. It is quiet. Staff is extremely friendly. Good coffee, good cookies, and plenty of breads to choose from! I will definitely be back here soon!

What a gem! My SO & I stumbled upon this place after having lunch next door. One of the customers sitting outside recommended a few items to us while we were having lunch so we decided to give it a try right after!
I was craving some iced coffee after but wanted something that would be rich, smooth, and creamy… I asked the cashier for recommendations and she said they could do any of the specialty drinks iced. I decided on the Café del Carmen which is basically a caramel latte with dulce de leche caramel syrup. It really reminds me of the Spanish latte from Urth café which I enjoy. I will definitely try some of the other drinks next time!
As for the cookies, I had a few pieces of the Mexican wedding cookie which was awesome! It literally melts in your mouth and is super buttery. Definitely one of the best, if not the best that I have had!
Last but not least, the service here is EXCELLENT. I don’t know the name of the gal that helped us but she was super friendly and even gave us a few extra small cookies to sample! I’ll definitely be back here to try their other drinks, pastries, cakes, and cookies!

Everything is amazingly fresh and good. They bake everything at the manorca it’s brought in from another bakery.
The coffee is very good as well

I had heard about this place prior to moving to the area; I was told I had to try their desserts. I’ve been here on a few occasions for morning pastries or cakes.
Its located on a great corner; Mission & Meridian & South Pas train stop off of the Gold Line. Free street parking all around the building. Tables inside and a couple out front.
This afternoon, stopped by and grabbed a table outside; perfect, considering it was sunny and 85 degrees. My husband was craving one of their sandwiches, but couldn’t remember which one he liked better; the chipotle beef machaca or salsa verde braised beef. Staff was super friendly and let him try samples of both (yes, I was right; he likes the Salsa Verde Beef. My son is also a fan and I’ve tried a bite before and liked it; Beef is very flavorful). Further, he saw a Café De Olla (cold brewed) and didn’t know if he’d like it and they gave him a sample of that too. In the past I have ordered for parties both the Tres Leches and Coconut Flan, which were big hits. I looked in the bakery case and they didn’t have any slices of coconut flan, and staff offered to cut me a slice from the back. Awesome.
I have to admit that I tried the Garbanzo, Red Bean & Cotija Cheese salad in the past and wasn’t a fan.
But their coffees, sandwiches, pastries & cakes are excellent.

This is a Mexican bakery with a modern twist. The staff was friendly and the ambience is trendy and open. I liked how they offered us a sample of their cakes, the tres leches cake was sweet & milky, very good. They sell traditional Mexican bread called «conchas» which means «sea shells» its basically a bread topped with vanilla or chocolate sugar topping, designed to look like a sea shell, the intention is there, but the bread fell short on taste, it was a bit hard, maybe it was old. Their coffee choices include the mexican hot chocolate (abuelita) and dulce de leche and many more. Overall its a cute trendy place but the seating is a bit limited and the coffee was average.