Renaud’s Patisserie and Bistro

Renaud doesn’t half-​ass quality. He only uses the finest ingredients and he personally takes the time to ensure that his staff are presentable, friendly, and efficient.
My favorite dishes are the egg, ham, & cheese croissant with potatoes on the side. AND I also love their omelets because gruyère cheese is one of the most spectacular foods on planet Earth.
For lunch, the Renaud’s salad is my go-​to. If I want a sandwich, I’ll go with the oven-​roasted chicken sandwich with a small side salad.
Their coffee is pretty good, but the presentation of the coffee makes it taste even better.
Of course they are known for their croissants, and I suppose I’m yet another one of the million people that is head-​over-​heels for the almond croissant. It’s unbeatable, especially if you get there early in the morning when they are piping hot and fresh from the oven.
If you aren’t feeling up to the task of a heavy croissant, their salted caramel macarons will give you the satisfaction of a salty-​sweet lighter treat.
And the service is the best!

Awesome pastries and coffee. I love the almond and chocolate croissants. I got a caramel latte and it came out fairly quickly. There is usually a line out the door so make sure you calculate that into your time. Pick up some fresh macaroons on your way out. The raspberry ones are my favorite. Not a great dine in location if you bring a huge party and due to the wait time, I do t give this place 5 stars. The staff is friendly and attentive.

Best croissants in California by far. Especially the almond croissant. Even if you don’t like almonds, you will like this. It’s amazing.

This cute little bakery is tucked in the corner of a shopping plaza. The ambience is warm and inviting with a European touch. We came here for breakfast and took the last almond croissant, which is their most popular item. It’s not hard to see why! Each bite of this warm, buttery pastry topped with sliced almonds was like a taste of heaven! Their display case is filled with lots of beautifully decorated desserts and pastries. It’s hard to choose only one, but if you must, then go for the almond croissant!

During my first visit here it was early in morning and the baker came out with a fresh, hot tray of Almond Croissants. I thought «Good Lord, I’ve found Heaven!» Best croissant ever by far, and their Chocolate treats are something special. It would take me all day just to make one!
My only complaint is that they didn’t craft a very good latte. Peet’s Coffee is down the street if you want a better cup of Joe — but this place is famous for pastries not coffee.
Also, the payment process is a bit tacky. After you hand over your credit card they put a computer monitor in your face which states the total along with huge buttons that gives you options to tip various percentages. Funny considering how French people are known to be cheap tippers in the U.S.
Also, breakfasts are over-​priced. A better option is Max’s very close by. Just stick to pastries & treats here.

A true 5 star. I am a Swiss citizen, so I know about croissants & Renauds does them proud! I love coming here for breakfast. Always freshly baked and perfectly flaky croissants, a nice selection of fresh coffee and top quality ingredients. Today I had the croissant with Gruyère cheese & an egg. Just the perfect little breakfast sandwich!

First time here on a Tuesday morning at 10. There were no inside tables available. We dined outside in 52 °F degree weather… the tables are fine.
The omelettes and croissant’s are delicious. Good coffee. Counter service.
I’ll return when it gets warmer.
Enjoy!

A couple months back on our way wine tasting, my siblings and I stopped in Santa Barbara for lunch and all agreed on Renaud’s. It’s not too far off the 101 exit and is in a fairly nice shopping complex. It’s not a chain, but they have several locations in Los Angeles.
We came around lunch time and there was a fairly consistent number of people going into the café. It’s fairly small but has a lot of outdoor patio seating. This is where we chose to sit.
I ordered the almond croissant as I felt I wouldn’t have truly experienced Renaud’s without doing so. It was awesome! Sweet, rich, and full of flavor. It’s truly a treat and worth checking out the café for. I had the oven roasted chicken sandwich for lunch. It came with a little salad on this side. The sandwich was good, but it wasn’t special in any way. I could have made the same exact thing at home.
Patio seating is wonderful. We came on one of those idealistic days where it’s not hot when sitting in the sun, and not cold sitting in the shade. The fountain has been drained (guessing due to the drought) but it’s not really hurting the feel. Some of the chairs are uncomfortable to sit in for more than scarfing down food.
Service was okay. My sandwich came out fast but it took a long time before my brother-​in-​law got his food so we all waited and talked amongst ourselves and waited, and kept talking, and waited and looked at the time on our phones and then his food came out and he had ordered the pasta dish. Backup in the kitchen maybe?
As we have one closer to us in La Canada, it’ll be fun to check it out and try that wonderful almond croissant again!

I was so excited to check this place out on our last trip to Santa Barbara especially since our hotel was close by.
I’ve read good things about it, checked their menu on line and I love French food.
Renaud’s in the uptown area is inside the Loreto Plaza Shopping center, in the corner, close to Gelson’s. Free parking.
The place is cute, cozy, has inside and outside seating. We stopped by around 2 pm and the pastry selection was poor. No savory ones, whatsoever. Also, they don’t label or price anything so you have to keep asking the snooty guy behind the counter what every pastry has inside. I also asked a waitress for a menu, she made me go to the counter and there were none there. Let’s put it that way, the service in this place is very poor, everyone has an attitude and they are very unhelpful. Prices are high and the selection is poor, there aren’t many things on the menu either.
We ended up getting 2 apricot danish pastries which were small and generic, we had way better in other places. The café mocha I got was big, decent, but it took forever for them to make it and bring it to the table.
Very disappointed with Renaud’s.

I heard a lot of good stuff about this place, awesome reviews by friends, hotel receptions and online. So I went there and my first impression was not that great. It was 10 am and the place was full (mostly old people). They didn’t have a lot of choices at the counter, only some average sweet pastries, breads and croissants.

Great coffee, but over-​priced and small portions. Same goes for the food.
Great service though, had a pleasant dining experience mid-​day in Santa Barbara.

This bakery features photogenic and delicious french pastries. It is absolutely worth braving the counter doosh to satisfy your pastry snob cravings.
There is lunch until 2:30 (except for ‘maintenance days’ when they stop serving at 2 pm. No dont ask me about that because I’m not clear about how to know when those days are scheduled.)
Please be sure you bring your data device with you because there is NO WAY to know what the offerings are according to the cashier! Per his suggestion, you can look online. Hmm. Okay. Clearly there IS A MENU somewhere, right? You know, the kind you can look at in the restaurant without consulting a computer? I am obviously a little skeptical that there isn’t a printed menu and was perplexed as to why the cashier appeared to be hoarding information. It gives a whole new meaning to ‘secret menu,’ right?
I picked a couple of pastries from the case. Sadly I really wanted a pain aux raisins, but they were out. Oh well, maybe another time. Then I ordered a coffee… that was easy because there is a coffee menu above the register. The cashier put the pastries on a plate and gave me a number to take to my table and said they’d bring the coffee when it was ready… and then swung his computer screen our way to sign for the charge and add a tip. Tip? For what?
So I got past the fact that the counter help wasn’t helpful as soon as I tried the pastries. The chef is talented. Really talented. The raspberry tart is amazing… not too sweet, perfect in every way. I also had the apricot tart… the apricots were yummy and were baked on puff pastry. I wasnt a huge fan of the puff pastry, but my sister who is as judgmental as I am about pastry liked it just fine. And now the brioche. It is really good brioche. The Brioche Queen (yeah, you, sis) gave it an A plus.
So yes, I will be back. And if I lived here I would try to make peace with the doosh because I would need him to provide my fix. But I was just passing through… and will be sure to pass by here again next time I’m in the area.
I dont really need to tell you why not 5 stars, right?

I love this place since i studied in Santa Barbara city college. Moved and just came back to visit but look like they’ve changed. That server Maddie was not very kind. She was nice with other white people but gave me a mean look even though i was very nice talking to her. She had never smile with me, maybe because i’m asian and i have accent. I bought breakfast + 6 macaroons and a almond croissant to go. Told her those pastries are for to go but she still put on the dishes and gave me. The food is fantastic but this lady really needs to watch for her behavior. She asked if i pay by credit card but i said i want to pay cash. She didn’t give me receipt. When i asked her for receipt she gave me a mean look.
Overall 5 stars for food but 1 star for bad service

Five stars without a doubt for the croissants and chocolate croissants! Every time we’ve come to get one, it has been amazing and probably the best in Santa Barbara. I also really like their cookies and other pastries.
Three stars for their sandwiches (and really, like 2 stars for their grilled cheese). We came on the weekend as a group of five and ordered sandwiches. Four of the five people ordered the grilled cheese, and I got the chicken sandwich on a soft roll. I really liked my sandwich — bread was nice, chicken was good and it was hot — but all four of the grilled cheeses had very little cheese and no grill. Honestly, it looked like dry bread with just a bit of cheese and sundried tomatoes. Total disappointment! All four people were bummed and considered taking it back, but we were all so hungry and didn’t want to wait.
Improve the sandwiches and this would be a five star place in a heartbeat! Love the outdoor seating, too.

Two Words: Warm Pastries
I love going here early in the morning to taste some of their fresh warm pastries. My favorite is the chocolate croissant. I have tasted the almond croissant before, but I am a chocolate connoisseur (two points for the alliteration). The croissants are light on the inside, and crispy on the outside. It is near perfection!
I am not a big fan of their coffee, it tastes somewhat burnt. But, I come here for pastries not for their coffee ;)
Since you have so many choices, you can ask for a bite sized samples.

Wowzers. Love this place.
I mostly love the authentic, buttery, flakey delicious, perfect french croissants. Plain, almond or chocolate. All about them… Perfection!
They offer macaroons (yum). Lemon was tasty. I also have had a chocolate chip cookie and peanut butter cookie (super awesome). I’ve had a slice of the Bouche de noel (I think), which was sort of expensive for the size but delicious. Every part of it was perfect and beautiful.
I’ve had a latte here. It was ok.
THE BREAKFAST SANDWICH IS AWESOME. I learned not to underestimate simplicity. When I received my breakfast sandwich, I thought, «wow, that’s it?». But then I took a bite and I was blown away.
The basic bread slices were incredible on their own. The bacon was thick and quality meat. The egg was perfectly cooked. The mushrooms were great. Gosh it was good. So good. My side of fruit was super awesome. It had pears and pineapple (who serves that???)
Anyway, it has a decent amount of tables. Go try a croissant and breakfast sandwich. You’re welcome.

We were so excited to try Renaud’s on our weekend getaway to Santa Barbara, and the food was excellent. We tried some sandwiches, salads, pastries, and desserts. All were wonderful.
HOWEVER. Service was shotty. Everybody was friendly, which is great. But the tables outside were not being busted so people were just stacking dirty plates so they could use the table. Then our food took 35 minutes to get to us (except the dessert and pastry as they were premade), and we didn’t order anything outrageous.
I don’t think this place was outstandingly good or bad. The food is tasty, but it’s not run with the finesse you’d expect from a place like this. If you’re just in it for the pastries and cakes however, then definitely stop by.

Renaud’s is just about as good as it gets for croissants on the West Coast. They are one of the edible standouts of Santa Barbara.
The almond croissant is the most popular. My favorite though is the apricot, which is slightly less sweet with a plump fruit in the center of a square-​shaped flakey pastry. This one in particular lends to a distinct crackling sound when you bite into it because the outer layers are crispy, while the inner layers are light though rich and buttery. And it’s composed of dozens and dozens of these paper thin layers. It’s a very attractive treat and engages the senses further with the scent of toasted butter.
The entrees are pretty good, and especially the croque-​madame if you like grilled cheese. It’s a perennial French favorite with Béchamel sauce, Swiss cheese, ham, and a sunny side up egg on homemade sliced bread.
For a no-​brainer breakfast, get the «Renaud’s,» which is a croissant of your choice with a seasonal fruit salad and cup of Numi tea or self-​serve Peerless coffee.
Available coffee flavors are organic French Press in decaf or regular, Kona blend, or Mexican.
Other foods here are mostly good, and few things are terrible, like the bran muffins. The salad is organic but clearly isn’t a speciality, though it’s a good side to cut the fat of a cheese sandwich or sausage.
The folks at Renaud’s place detail in the quality and presentation of their foods. Expect a wait in the morning and pastries to be mostly sold out by the afternoon.

I just stopped in to browse the other day. I was just about to go eat lunch so I was only going to get something if it totally leapt out and forced me to, and I got REALLY close but in the end was able to control myself and left without a pu