Thyme In The Ranch

Steven G sounds like a snob! I guess he’s too far above the people who frequent Thyme At The Ranch.
A couple points I agree with him on: the quiche is dry and parking is atrocious in RSF village.
They make the best cakes! We get all our birthday/​special occasion cakes there and we’ll buy cake by the slice when there is no special occasion.
Great zucchini bread too.
Everyone is very nice and although it gets extremely crowded, service is great.

Great all around. A must try, especially the pear it blackberry muffins! Real fresh fruit chunks inside. Great frittatas also.

Last minute, they were able to produce the best cake I have ever eaten; and since I’m a baker, I’m hard to please. The decorations were perfect for the occassion and the recipient was overwhemled. She absolutely loved it; taste and appearance. I will definitely use them in the future! However, next time I will give them more than a few hours notice!

Parking SUCKED, drive around downtown RSF until you find something on the streets, there are no obvious parking lots close by to speak of.
Stand in line, order/​pay and THEN grab a table. We got there right around 11:30am and the place was starting to fill up with entitled middle aged white women… I think I saw two other male patrons… CLEARLY geared towards those in touch with their feminine side!
Ordered the full Cobb salad ($ 14.00) and quiche lorraine ($ 7.00) with an iced tea ($ 2.50 maybe)
I let my friend pick the restaurant, and am pretty sure he is losing that privilege, because I was truly underwhelmed, even though some good Unilocal!friends have written positive things about this location.
Ambiance/​Cleanliness was good. It Is a cute building and the place was CLEAN… however… hated WHERE it was at, and don’t think that I saw one patron that I would have enjoyed sparking up a conversation with…3 stars.
Service…everyone was pleasant, and helpful. The gentleman that brought us our food did not bat an eyelash when asked to fill up our drinks and he was quick about it. Much appreciated…4 stars.
The food… damn…a MOUNTAIN of a Cobb salad… truly epic AMOUNT of food… however…it was the ugliest Cobb salad I have ever seen. A great Cobb is a bed of chopped greens COMPOSED with Egg, Avocado, Tomato, Chicken, Onion, Bacon and Blue cheese. There should be no cheddar in a Cobb salad… what I can say, this had some of the best avocado I have ever eaten, perfectly ripe and buttery.
This salad was NOT chopped and all the components were mixed in. It made eating difficult, and unsatisfying. The requested dressing (honey-​mustard, on the side) was mostly mustard and given a choice, would have picked NONE and taken it home to make a proper balsamic vinaigrette.
The quiche had great flavor, but it was overcooked and dry, and that ruins the best flavored quiches quickly.
The iced tea was delicious, and the best part of the meal. 2 stars… the food was a fail in my book.
Not horrible, not even bad, just made without knowledge or competency of the basics.
Will not EVER go back… this place is resoundingly geared towards a different clientele than myself.

Damn if I didn’t remember this. CASH ONLY. Great fresh muffins and pastries. Coffee is good as well. Opens at 7:00 on Saturdays.

Love this place. Had my third visit here and we ordered the very berry blackberry and payaya muffin, the tasty quiche Lorraine, the moist quiche with roasted peppers, a not too sour lemon bar. Don’t forget to bring cash or check and definitely eat outside ;)

The great part is there cakes are incredibly yummy. The bad part is it is not kid friendly at all. No high chairs and no space to bring your strollers through.

I’m obsessed with Thyme just order anything you won’t be disappointed love the desserts love the turkey sandwiches and the soups… yum!!!

The customer service sucks here! The lady in front of us had a few questions regarding the pies and cookies in package and the employee was showing more and more frustration with each question.
As I finished paying for our order and I was putting my wallet away, my husband sat down at a table behind me. This is when things got bad. A server immediately approached my husband and asked him to leave! My husband told him that I was bringing our food right behind him. This was unacceptable. The management was non-​existent and we ended up leaving with a bad mood. No one should leave feeling like we did when we went in for a piece of pie. Speaking of the pie itself, it was not like it used to be. The apple slices were undercooked and the crust was dull and old tasting.
This is a business that has a good volume and still only accepts cash, one can’t help but wonder why!

This 1920s home coverted to a breakfast/​lunch destination in the village center, is glorious. Lunch was homemade soup & half sandwich. Decadent finish was a slice of shared coconut cream pie. Seriously, the best version of this baked REALLY good that I can recall ever having. A locals’ fave. Expect a line to order before you choose your seats.

So I think I’ll just move in.
Not sure if I want to just make myself a bedroom in their Pollyanna perfect dining area, or if I should just stuff myself like a turkey in their cold bakery display and just eat cake and muffins all day long like its my job.
Either way, this restaurant feels like home, and their food tastes even better.
Can’t go wrong with any salad, sandwich or bakery item, and the staff are the sweetest most polite people ever!
****FYI CASH ONLY! No cc’s, no debit cards, JUST CASH.***

I love the restaurant atmosphere, it is amazing. Also, the foods are delicious.
There is one thing I do not like it (Cash Only).

CASH ONLY!!!
Little pricey.
Employees starting to call yo by your first name once you become regular!
Perfect place for that perfect little surprise luncheon. Such hidden little jewel.
You need to come here to understand what I am talking about…

i was so excited to go to the Thyme In The Ranch it is so cute inside and the food looks amazing. my mom and i ordered their apple pie which is really popular there but we weren’t all that satisfied the apples were really hard and sour like the pie wasn’t cooked enough. I’m sure we will return to try their sandwiches because the looked amazing but will not buy anymore pie there.

Pretty good. No atmosphere!

Seriously, I’m glad I don’t live very close to Thyme ITR, because I would be here constantly and I would be broke. It’s like Chino’s: for your safety, you should limit your exposure.
My favorite has to be the Tarragon Chicken Salad Sandwich, on wheat with no tomato. It comes with a little pasta salad, and fruit (slice of watermelon this time). It is so good, definitely fancy food, and $ 10. I also have to get a slice of cake or a muffin, just on principle.
They have the sweets case, the muffin and cookie stacks, and the case with quiche, salads, and more hearty items like stuffed potatoes. They have the pie cooling rack by the side patio, and they look amazing too. I might have to take out a loan at my bank nearby, to afford one!
Don’t forget, this is RSF. They will take your check, but no cards. Thurston Howell, III would be proud.
Also, parking in RSF sucks, look for the short-​term green curbs (15 or 30 min, 1 or 2 hour, you have to read each section). They let you get a little closer, especially if you are taking your food to go.
The décor is very garden party, silk flowers & cherub statues inside, and real roses on the front façade. They also sell things like fancy cutting boards, if you need a last-​minute gift for your Aunt the Famous Chef.
I am usually on my way to Del Mar, so I always get it to go. One of these days I will be able to relax and enjoy myself.

I love the atmosphere here. It’s easy to sit and relax. Coming here I feel like I’m getting away from the hustle and bustle of the city and pushing the pause button on crazy urban life for a while to just unwind in a seemingly timeless environment. If you side outside there’s plenty of shade and most of the tables are well away from the street (not that there’s much traffic in RSF).
The menu is good but not great so I took off one start for that. I had the quiche and a slice of blackberry pie last time. Those were both delicious so I couldn’t complain too much. The pies and the quiches are good. There are some items definitely missing from their menu that you’d expect at a café such as Italian sodas. You’ll probably find that other reviewers are a bit dissatisfied with the food or menu or both. I think that all but the most fussy of eater will probably find at least one or two items on the menu that they like though.

We sampled their baked goods. The blueberry papaya muffin was good. However, I can’t recommend their other items. Both the signature Monte Carlo and apple crisp were far too sweet which unfortunately ruined a lovely looking dessert. Cloyingly sweet desserts do not exactly appeal to me.

Very nice spot.
That’s about it though. Here’s my issues.
1) They don’t take any credit or debit cards. Instead cash or checks. Seriously? Who writes checks? Also, who always has cash on them? It’s 2014. Get with the times. Get a f’n Square reader.
2) I have been here multiple times. I always purchase a beverage and sometimes some food. Often I meet clients here for lunch or coffee meetings. Today was one of those days. I did arrive prior to my meeting today to get some work done, so between being there prior to my meeting and for my actual meeting, I was there for about 2.5 hours. I admit that may be a while, but not once were there never any other tables for guests to sit at, and it’s not like I didn’t order anything. Needless to say, right before going, I was going to politely ask for a coffee refill. I was denied and told by the associate «sir, you’ve been here for hours, it’s about time you leave.» Really!?! Talk about crappy customer service.
I guess I won’t be taking my business here ever again.

I used to live near Thyme in the Ranch and I am certain it is the absolute cutest eatery in all of San Diego county. It’s close to the golf course and offers casual indoor or outdoor seating. Orders are taken at the counter.
The building resembles a petite, charming country cottage, and it offers a vast array of pretty baked goods from cookies to cakes and muffins behind a glass display. I never got around to trying any, but my sandwich and chili was always very good. The bread I chose always had a nice crisp along the outer edges with a good chew.
The only cons about this place are its location and limited seating. It’s always crowded for what little seating they offer. And the downtown village of Rancho Santa Fe makes for a somewhat distant and windy trip if you don’t live in this unincorporated community.
I would like to go here again. It’s a great spot to make mothers and girly girls go gaga. That’s why I give it a 5 ;)