The east coast has Au Bon Pain, Europe has Pret a Manger, and California has well, neither of those. After falling in love with Au Bon Pain (only to find out that there were no locations in the west), I was determined to find a bakery/sandwich shop that had the same feel. Enter C’est Si Bon.
C’est Si Bon is located in Newport Beach on PCH and is tucked away in a small strip mall. Parking is limited and there’s almost always a line of locals eagerly awaiting freshly baked bread, homemade pastries and other goodies C’est Si Bon has to offer. After hearing coworkers and friends alike rave about this bakery/café I knew I had to check it out.
Credit: OCRegister.com
I cruised in during the week mid-morning and was surprised to see how packed it was. Some people were ordering loaves of bread for the week while others were seated at the small tables inside, relaxing with a cup of coffee and a pastry. The place also seemed to be full of Newport Beach locals which is always a good sign in my opinion.
C’est Si Bon offers made to order sandwiches, giant loaves of bread, and an assortment of desserts. There is also a small section in the bakery where you can by jams and giant jars of nutella (which required strong resistance on my part).
The baked goods were calling mine (and my coworkers) names so we decided to get a bunch of different things and share including a cinnamon roll, chocolate chip cookie, raisin scone, and palmiers (also known as elephant ears).
While all of the items were delicious, I LOVED the scone. It was light, fluffy, not too sweet and had yummy plump raisins. I nearly devoured it all in a few short bites until I realized I was supposed to share. Honorable mention goes to the palmiers which were light and crispy and dusted with sugar.
While this is not exactly the same as Au Bon Pain or Pret a Manger, I really liked the vibe at C’est Si Bon and thought they had a great pastry/sandwich selection. I’d definitely come back on a nice sunny day and enjoy a scone (or two) while sitting outside with a cup of coffee.
Now we just need to work on C’est Si Bon getting a few more locations in the OC….
C’est Si Bon
149 Riverside Ave
Newport Beach, CA 92663