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Cafe' de L'Opera
Rating Details »
Categories: Desserts, Coffee & Tea, Bakeries, French [Edit]
Neighborhood: Downtown1354 5th Ave
(between A St & Ash St)
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 234-0425
- Hours:
Mon-Fri. 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good for:
- Breakfast, Lunch
- Alcohol:
- None
20 reviews for Cafe' de L'Opera
This is a LUNCH cafe, not a LAPTOP cafe, and as a quick place to grab a light bite (sandwich / salad / coffee / tea) it is super awesome. Cute decor, friendly staff and a very extensive menu made it a perfect find for a quick, affordable, memorable lunch downtown.
Agree with another reviewer that it is clearly a hang out spot for students at the Paul Mitchell school, but whatever, that's what cafes are for.
Good food, good coffee, good service!!
Cute cafe, great variety on the menu, and tons of drink options. The decor is nice, and it has outside seating which is always nice.
The food was good; I had the chicken cranberry sandwich, and opted for the side salad for an extra buck. Their special dressing is very good, and their Passion Fruit Iced Tea is light and refreshing.
I'd go back for lunch, and it's 4 blocks from my condo, which is nice.
A great place downtown to get some lunch...Cafe de L'Opera offers a variety of sandwiches, soups and pastries. This place is "slightly" French. You can buy croissants, baguettes and pain au chocolat (chocoale-filled bread), but other selections are purely American. I was there for lunch last week and had a tuna melt...good, though not excellent (the filling had trouble staying in the croissant). My coworkers each ordered different salads which they seemed to enjoy. I really like the selection of delicious, though non-fancy pastries. I've enjoyed the pain au chocolat and the blueberry-cheese croissant. There is a good selection of coffe drinks as well. On occasion, I pick up the multigrain bread to bring home. Once for work, we had a sandwhich platter catered and it was filled with all different sandwiches with various breads, meats and cheeses....really great sandwiches.
The atmosphere is simple with European-lookin wrought iron chairs and tables under a dispay of impressionist prints and paintings of cats. When we were last there, trance music played.
It is important to keep in mind that to get a sandwich or salad and beverage, you will likely pay around $8. Pastries can easily cost $3-4.
I had lunch here before paying my parking ticket (don't ask). Heidi was very friendly and recommended the grilled turkey, which was very tasty. The salad wasn't much of an add on for the extra buck but I needed a couple pieces of tomato for the day, so we live and learn, right. Parking is not the funnest thing since everything is metered down here, and the portion size wasn't great, but for a lunch stop around downtown, it's a good spot to grab something quick and sit outside and watch the meter maids write up innocent folks trying to run their errands (oh, sorry, a little bitterness over the parking ticket).
Get the Turkey Ciabatta.. Out of this world!
It kind of made me sad to see that no french people worked there, but the cafe has a nice feel. The cranberry chicken salad was pretty good and large for 7 ish dollras, but it wasn't spectacular. Apparently their green tea smoothie drinks are popular. All in all, not bad but not amazing.
Everything I've tried here so far has been delicious! The service, especially during the slower hours is top notch, they really go out of their way to make sure you're satisfied. I was sitting across from an older couple who had limited English skills, and the staff took the time to make sure they were taken care of and got what they wanted.
Also you can't go wrong with any place that has a GIANT coffee table book on cats!
opera's coffee is fantastic
Its pastries are fantastic
Dont get the fruit salad
Sincerely,
Tina
I like appreciating the finer things in life. Cafe de L'Opera is one of the finer things I appreciate.
I appreciate the charming French decor.
I appreciate the smell of fresh bread baking.
I appreciate how the customer service was attentive and caring.
I appreciate the delicate detailing of every cookie, croissant, salad, and latte.
I stumbled upon this charming French cafe while waiting for a friend at a nearby office building. I decided to get some homework done. I came in and was ecstatic about this new cafe. The upholstery on the chairs, the adorable trinkets all over, the wood veneered refrigerator [thats some serious attention to detail!], the catchy french tunes in the backround, the portraits on the wall, and my favorite: the cheap prices!
$5.25 for chicken pesto pizza? In downtown? Oui.
Please try the chocolate or almond croissant. Have a rich chocolate chip cookie or two....maybe even the peanut butter ones. The fresh biscotti is waiting to be dunked in your coffee. The caprese, salads, sandwiches with bechamel, fresh paninis, and more! Simple, fresh, delicious french cuisine served with class.
J'adore Cafe de L'Opera.
I've driven by this cafe and kept meaning to go in. Finally today I headed over here, and I am so glad I did!
I have to agree with the other reviews here- L'Opera has it all- very charming French decor, a classy menu, delicious coffee drinks, and to top it off, excellent service. As soon as you step in, you're in another world- it's quite different than the other cafes in the area. I'm so glad I found it- when the proprietor told me to "come back soon" I could honestly answer that I'll be back tomorrow!
note: this cafe doesn't have internet, which is usually an auto-fail for me in cafes, but that's how freaking cute this place is!
Amazing caprese salad, amazing bread. Cute little tables outside.
The white pizza and ham and cheese croissant were both pretty good. Portions initially seemed small but it turned out to be enough food.
Yummmm. My go-to spot for lunch. Great atmosphere, good service and delicious food.
My favorite items here:
- turkey baguette
- kimi salad (alone or as a side salad with a ciabatta)
- peppered turkey ciabatta (the proscuitto ciabatta is also excellent)
- and of course, the croissants
I haven't tried everything on the menu, but everything I *have* tried is delicious. The prices are reasonable, too.
A lovely cafe that definitely brightens my days. If I could afford it, I'd eat here every day. Go Opera!
I thought I would check out this place the morning of my wedding before I had my hair done at the Paul Mitchell school. They made my vanilla latte perfectly and I had a nice, creamy, fresh croissant to go with it. I lucked out and didnt get towed for not paying my parking meter, so that helped, but I would love to go back some other time and try out all their other tasty treats. Really cool shop with great music playing and plenty of seats inside to chill out and relax.
Meh, the cafe is ok but not my scene. I went in to get some work done but the music was pretty loud. Oddly enough, it was rap music (2Pac, Busta Rhymes, Dr. Dre were a few that I had heard there). Nothing wrong with rap music...but not my choice for work. Kudos on the green tea and taro smoothies as well as the free wi-fi. As for the decor, the big couch looked very comfy but, in general, the decor feels pretentious to me. What's with the chandelier? Chandelier + rap music + asian flavored smoothies?? All in all, I would describe the vibe of the cafe to be...random.
I'm lucky enough to work nearby so this is my fav new lunch spot. I would go here for pre-pubcrawl food too if they were open that late. I ordered the Turkey Ciabatta (like a panini) and salad based on "the cute asian girl's" recommendation (there were two actually, they probably have names and I will be sure to learn them for next time) and my only regret was that I had made plans to takeout and eat at my desk, as the cafe turned out to be much nicer than the other casual eateries in the area and I should have brought lunch pals. Next time. Many next times for this one.
Very flavorful choices that deliver. Classy joint. I'd be a regular if I knew more people I wanted to impress.
Great sandwiches! I got a black forest ham croque- it was less than $5! My friend got a turkey panini that she also enjoyed. The salads that came with it were very tasty as well, with a great salad dressing! I also got a chocolate croissant. It was good, but definitely a small croissant! However, it was cheaper than the other pastries, so it balanced out. I loved our server. She was very nice. You don't pay until you are done eating, which was cool. It was nice to be able to sit down after ordering.
Location is easy to get to. We went on a Saturday and had no problem finding street parking (metered of course).
The person working at the counter recommended the peppered turkey ciabatta grilled so I ordered that and split it with my friend who ordered the prosciutto ham ciabatta grilled. The peppered turkey came with smoked gouda, roasted bell pepper, mushroom and pesto. The prosciutto ham came with fresh mozzarella cheese, tomato, basil, and pesto. Both were only $5.95. Considering the price, both sandwiches were good, but nothing stellar that would make me want to return again. I ordered a chocolate croissant and wasn't very impressed. I'm not even sure that they make them there. The ambiance was quaint and casual. If you have a young child that requires a high chair, this is not the place to eat at. They do not provide high chairs. Parking is a challenge is this neighborhood so be prepared to spend several dollars to park in one of the lots scattered throughout the area.
this is my newest favorite downtown lunch spot & it's mostly because of the decor. everyone needs more trees made out of pink cookies, EVERYONE.
