Caffè & Market

Good cappuccino and an almond croissant for breakfast while seating outside on the patio and absorbing the surrounding beauty of this magnificent resort. Awesome gelato!
Great service as always every place you go at Pelican Hill Resort !

If I could give their gelato 10 stars I would! Beautiful & delicious, I can’t get enough!

This place is amazing if you want a snack. Friendly staff and delicious food, especially the gelato!

How I heard of this place: My sister and her utter delight in all things spa.
Type of cuisine: «Caffè offers an easy indulgence with an authentic Italian espresso bar tucked into the main hotel. Sample the array of Italian coffees, from cappuccino to macchiato, along with many breakfast and light-​dining favorites such as fresh baked pastries, smoothies, gourmet sandwiches, salads, resort-​made gelatos and more.»
Ambiance: A domed ceiling, brilliant natural lighting and expansive tiled floors create a sense of warmth amidst the amber toned seating and wooden frames. Large planters filled with greenery, seating indoors and out on the patio overlooking the manicured landscape and ocean below, and finely crafted pastries… Ooooh. Ahhhh…
What I ordered: My immediate inclination was «I’ll have what he’s having» when first I spotted the tall glass of frozen mocha goodness. And, indeed enjoyed the Mocha Smoothie ($ 7 large) prepared with espresso, chocolate syrup, milk and house-​made vanilla gelato. My husband selected from the array of the best gelato in the OC, enjoying a large cup of the Oreo Cookie Gelato ($ 5), after we sampled the Daily Special: Hawaiian (Pina Colada inspired), Blood Orange and Pistachio. My sister savored and shared the Chocolate Croissant ($ 4.50) and an Americano ($ 5 large), served with a mini carafe of steamed, frothy milk.
On a return visit, Saturday, 8 June 2013: The three of us returned for a pre-​graduation snack which included two large mugs of hot chocolate ($ 6 each), one solo espresso macchiato — with a dollop of foam ($ 4.50) accompanied by an Almond Croissant ($ 4.50), a Chocolate Croissant ($ 4.50) for me! and a Chicken Vegetable Panini ($ 7.50) with a side of Kettle Brand Potato Chips in Backyard Barbeque flavor.
What I loved: The Chocolate Croissant. In fact, I think I need to go back today to get my own…
Why I loved it: A beautiful setting: scenery, friendly staff, a cool breeze enjoyed on a covered, outdoor patio, Italian-​inspired café, landscape…
Cost: Average to high ($ 4 — $ 6 per beverage)

Yum, gelato! My husband and I like to drop in here for a treat now and then — you can’t beat the view while you enjoy coffee or a little indulgence. There is both valet and self-​parking for the resort, and staff is always friendly and professional.

Self-​parking in garage or valet parking in front of hotel. Good service. Great ocean view from Caffe, but you can also see the ocean view w/​golf course as you stroll on the hotel grounds.
Prices are decent for the dessert.
1. Gelato– Loved the pistachio, passionfruit, and blood orange. My hubby has had plenty of pistachio ice cream and he said this was one of the best.
2. Mousse cake– YUMMY!
3. Coconut cheesecake– delicious if u like coconut.

Rainy Days. Sunny Days. Every day is a good day. Every visit to Pelican Hill is a great one.
And this place is going to make me fat.
Desserts, gelato, espresso, and paninis… and a very small but extremely mighty wine list (Duckhorn Cab and Saintsbury Pinot by the glass)… what’s not to love? Although basking in as much beige-​tan elegance as the rest of the resort, Caffe at Pelican Hill may very well possess the finest ocean view of any of Pelican Hill’s dining rooms — an uninterrupted emerald vista of rolling fairways plunging into an ocean barely a stone’s throw away. Indeed, it is quite the million dollar view for a fifteen dollar lunch.
I have anointed this lovely place as my official «solo lunch» place on the Newport Coast. The staff is as friendly and attentive as the staff at Andrea next door, and there is no sense of pretension. Though I must admit that once in awhile the newbies end up in here for their initial training, so service can sometimes be slow (but always extremely friendly. I have yet to be snubbed) Caffeinated beverages arrive in hand-​painted ceramic mugs (complete with ‘coffee art’ on the surface of each that rivals Urth Caffe’s finest work and arguably tastes better… though that’s probably just the intoxication of the location talking) and every foodstuff on a hand-​painted Italian plate. The paninis — antipasto and grilled chicken in particular — are delicious and extremely affordable. Add on one of their daily selection of hand-​made desserts (their raspberry mousse, ganache cakes, and hazelnut chocolate tart… when they have them… are addicting) are works of art in pastry form. And at $ 5 each a surprisingly inexpensive treat. Pair them with a scoop (or two) of their hand made gelato and you’ll find yourself happily piling on the calories.
I have made a habit of driving down about once a week, snagging one of the tables on the periphery, and savoring a view along with a steady parade of masterful café fare with (maybe) a side of work being accomplished simultaneously. Try as I might, however, the atmosphere is simply too intoxicating and the escape too complete to allow for any measure of productivity.
And I always take a dessert (or three) home. It’s a wonder I’m not fat.

Amazing view, mediocre food vs rude service.
Me and my friends met up here for brunch. We were the only customer in the whole café.
The waiter/​waitress have frozen face, like they work for the funeral parlor.
The lady works for the hotel lobby wasn’t informative about the hotel facilities.
After my friends got their orders, while I was still waiting for my food, the bill is already arrived on the table???
When we were having a conversation, the waiter made this click sound with his tongue???
When we were still having our conversation, the waiter brought us the bill a second time!!!
While we were eating, the waiter came over twice to check whether we paid our bill.
When the sun is shining, the waiter came over and light up the candles!!!
Do you really have nothing to do or you just don’t want to work? Perhaps it’s too easy to keep a job at Pelicans? I couldn’t think of any reasons other than you want to get rid of us.
There is no description on the cake counter at all, you have to guess.
+++ Vanilla tea: My friend loves her tea.
+++Passion fruits sorbet is excellent.
+++Chocolate cake: It looks beautiful with a strawberry topping and garnished with golden flakes. It tasted very chocolaty, it’s fluffy, creamy, but not overly sweetened.
—-Waffles with berries and chocolate: They kept the berries too long in the fridge and some of the raspberries were rotten. There is nobody checking the quality, so they just deliver rotten berries to the customer. The chocolate that comes with the waffles looks like diarrhea on a plate. Awful presentation and rotten fruits, wow, I though it was a 5 star hotel.
–+ Ham and cheese sandwich looks homemade and the toast was mediocre at the best.
–+There was too much milk in the Cappuccino, it tasted more like café au lait instead of cappuccino.
5 Star for the view
3 Star for the food
0 Star for the rotten berries
0 Star for the unprofessional service

Since this place was in the Pelican Hill Resort, I expected everything to cost a buttload of money. Surprisingly, after choosing three small cups of ice cream, an Italian macron, and one of their small cakes, the total was only $ 21.38!
As the waiter prepared the macron and cake, we took our ice cream and sat ourselves in the nice sitting area with the breathtaking view of the golf course and the ocean. However, he started to talk to another customer and forgot about bringing us the rest of the pastries. My mom went to tell him and he quickly got the macron and cake and then gave us a free chocolate tart as an apology for forgetting. How sweet!
All three of the ice creams were really good. I highly recomend the Hazlenut one. The Italian macron and the chocolate tart were my other favorites. Their macron was twice the size of a normal macron and was very chewy and not too sweet. Caffe’s chocolate tart crust went perfect with the dark chocolate filling. I was unable to sample the cake because my sister ate it all.
Next time, I am coming back to try their wraps and sandwiches!

These guys really know their stuff when it comes to coffee service, my shot of espresso was pulled short just as I requested and served with a twist of lemon just like in Italy. Oh. my. god — this espresso is so delicious, zero acidity and perfectly balanced –I just wish they sold the beans but unfortunately the vendor they source them from is wholesale only (Tru). What a wonderful way to start my morning while staying at this fabulous resort.

I wish I could recall the name of the vendor but Pelican Hill gets a special Arabica blend made just for them. I’m pretty picky with my coffee and if it isn’t excellent un-​adultered, or the way my old professor would say «ridin’ it bareback», it’s not worth drinking. Served old school in a sleek French Press, this is the way coffee ought to be. They also serve baked goods. You surely can do the Italian espresso slurp and go before you hit the grounds, 36 holes of golf, the Coliseum pool or spa.