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Categories: Desserts, Candy Stores, Restaurants
Neighborhood: PasadenaMon-Sat. 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
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No joke about these sea salt caramels. Quite possibly the most expensive but best tasting thing you would have ever experienced in the life of lives. You will find many sea salt caramels at Little Flower Candy Company but their most popular is just their standard size. A small bag will cost you almost $7. A life's fortune for some pieces of candy. But a life's fortune well spent!
This is definitely a must stop and next time I'm in town I will be sure to rob a bank like the previous reviewer suggested and buy them out!
If you're reading this and it's during normal business hours, you should stop immediately and head over to The Little Flower Candy Company to buy a bag of what is essentially sugar heroin. On the menu they are actually called Sea Salt Caramels. You'll probably also want to stop and rob a bank on the way, because a bag costs a king's ransom here, as do the almost as good marshmallows.
Having finished the bag I bought, and seemingly finished with the good parts of my sugar rush I now find myself in an uncomfortable state of withdrawel. Hands shaking, stomach crying.... it's a sad sad state of affairs that it's almost one in the morning and there is no possibility of getting another fix.
This is going to be a problem for me, certainly didn't see that coming. Didn't see that my downfall was going to be a little bag of candy. In fact, upon further thought you should save yourself and never, ever come here.
It seems they also serve regular food here including pastries, quiche, sandwiches and all sorts of retro candy, but I really couldn't tell you if that's the truth because the only thing that matters here and the only true reason to make the trek over here are for those lovely Sea Salt Caramels.
If I ever manage to actually eat some real food here, I'll turn this into a proper review.
I still have not yet been to Little Flower Candy Company, but I was fortunate enough to pick up a 1/4 pound bag of their sea salt caramels at Platine. The owner of Platine recommended them and mentioned that the Sea Salt Caramels are the ones that sell out quickly. Little Flower Candy Company seems to offer a few different caramel options.
I had a bag of Little Flower Candy Company vanilla caramels from Bottega Louie. I was not thrilled with the texture. The sea salt caramels were different. Where the vanilla ones were not creamy and kind of dry, the sea salt caramels were very creamy (definitely melts in your mouth). The salted flavor is definitely distinct.
Overall, I liked Boule's salt caramels (Fleur de Sel caramels) better, but these are definitely a viable alternative (especially since Boule is no longer open).
I saw Little Flower Candy caramels a while back at Platine in Culver City. Recently, I saw them at… Read more »
What are YOU doing reading about this place on ilne? Get yourself in to your car, bike, or hovercraft and move it on over to Little Flower ASAP.
Holy Jesus! I have worked as a baker and a pastry chef and very few places rival Little Flower's baked goods or other lunch items.. seldom have I tasted any where that gets it as good as Christine Moore (owner) does! Read other postings for recomendations. I don't have time to write anymore!!! I am JONESING for a macaroon and chocolate hazelnut croissant! Wait... I better jog there!
I can't believe it took me as long as it did to discover this sweet little gem of a bakery/candy store/cafe. It's the kind of place that makes you feel as if you are vacationing in a small town, and the food is delicious too.
(I'm not even going to bother talking about the sea salt caramels. As 50-something other reviews will tell you, they are quite tasty.)
Last time I was there I got the pretzel roll on the recommendation of a friend. While I am a huge fan of the twisty Bavarian treat (especially when it is made by my um, Aunt Anne), I am not one to order a roll when what I am really after is butter, sugar, and vanilla. Well stop right there, because this take on the twisty loops is the perfect blend of a salty pretzel and a buttery croissant. They came fresh out of the oven when I was there and I could have eaten three of them. I didn't, because I had to save room for bites of a gooey, almond cake and some quiche, which to be honest, wasn't the BEST I've had, but I think it was more the combination of things in the quiche that weren't necessarily my bag, rather than any baking technique. I learned, for example, that my love for tapenade does not extend to its presence in quiche.
If you live on the Eastside, what are you waiting for? If you don't, don't bother coming over. It's quite a trek really, and I don't want you to eat all the pretzel rolls.
Thumbs Up!
This little candy company is more of a cafe than you'd think from the name. The fresh lemonade alone is worth the visit.
Just had to update to say:
If they have the blue cheese + caramelized onion quiche as a special when you're there. Just get it.
AMAZING.
It is so incredibly difficult to find a quick, healthy lunch in Pasadena....
And I was sooo pleased…
Read more »
It's a small quaint little place which is just a few blocks from my office. I had been here earlier in the week after a business lunch as our host wanted to pick up some dessert and they do have some pretty interesting dessert choices from candies, scones, cupcakes, cookies and marshmallow goodies! Everything is freshly made and baked on the premise daily I'm told.
Our host wanted to pick up a bag of the sea salt caramel which was a whopping $14...yikes! One of my colleagues also ordered a few cupcakes to try back at the office and I must admit, the red velvet cupcake was pretty good, but a tad on the puny side.
I also purchased a chocolate chip cookie which was average sized and that was $1.50. The chocolate chips weren't as gooey as I tend to like them as these were a little more harder, but gets the job done if you have a sweet tooth after a meal.
Unfortunately, this is a foo-foo place as the prices are a bit high for what you get. Case in point, I walked down again a few days later to have lunch since there are a limited amount of eateries near my office. I ordered the barbecue chicken sandwich which was listed as a "Special" on their black board. This was recommended as one of the cashier's favorites.
I was a bit disappointed when she brought it out because it was a 6 inch baguette with not so generous amount of chopped chicken and not so generous amount of shredded cabbage or something. The barbecue came from the watery barbecue sauce they poured on top of the chicken as an after thought which just dripped out of the sandwich as I was eating it. The barbecue sauce was also extremely hot as it burned my tongue a bit as I ate it. It's as though they had microwaved the sauce before pouring it on. Lunch came with two very skinny slices of pickles that were very wilted and had seen better days. I thought the whole meal didn't merit the $8.50+tax price tag which was the normal price tag for all the sandwiches it seems. It would seem for the price you'd get a side of potato salad or salad or something! I don't know if all the sandwiches are like this, but I definitely would not recommend the barbecue chicken.
I later asked the cashier about the "Special" and whether there should be a "Special" price and was told it wasn't a "Lunch Special" but a list of sandwiches they don't normally carry on their regular menu. Ahh, good ploy I thought!
Well, I doubt I'll be ordering any more sandwiches from here as there just wasn't any value there and the sandwiches were way below average in quality, taste and portion. I'd probably stop in for coffee and a scone sometime as the freshly baked scones looked somewhat inviting.
This is probably a good place when you have a sweet tooth but I wouldn't come here on a regular basis. I'd recommend skipping the lunch here and sticking to the desserts. There are too many other places to get a decent lunch for a decent price!
I'm giving Little Flower Candy Company's cafe a 5 star review solely based on the people, the ambiance, and the proliferation of retro candy (not to mention their coffee and caramels). Little Flower is on an obscure stretch of Colorado in Pasadena you may need to make a point to get to, although it's very easy, off the 210...I think.
Robert, one of the owners, tells me they're constantly busy. The food looks amazing and I saw him chopping veges by hand while someone else layered large paper thin potatoes with gruyere (and I forgot the other cheese as I'd started swooning) to make a deep scalloped potato dish.
Unfortunately I was on the run but I will surely be back for that little flower.
Having gone on a fairly recent cupcake mission/binge covering over a dozen places from Pasadena to Burbank, I have to say the cupcakes here were not in my top five. Some specific items however, are amazing-- the vegetarian sandwiches are unique and satisfying. And those salted caramels, as so many others have attested to, are unreal. You can also grab small bags at Europane if the geographical propinquity is more desirous and you are hankering for a candy binge (what did i just say??).
Decently good: salads, comfy soups, baked goods
Major props: veggie sandwiches and salted caramels
Lil' downer: pricey (but I'll still go semi-regularly while I still have a job)
I was out and about pretty early this morning already, and felt inspired to come and check this place out. I ordered a pastry and a sandwich to go, and had an opportunity to observe the other people in the restaurant as they came in and greeted each other and the staff and owner, and it just felt so warm and inviting.
I didn't LOVE the sandwich, but it was well put together, and had high quality ingredients, and I imagine that other people who are not so oddly picky probably ADORE it. I did not even know what onion sprouts were, and now I do, so it was at the very least, a great learning experience and an opportunity for me to expand my food-rizons a little. I would love to try more of their food options (salads! soups! quiche!!!), and don't feel discouraged by this sandwich, to be honest.
The pastry I chose (an almond raspberry sort of cake?) was pretty delicious. I will definitely return for the purpose of procuring further pastries and candy! I feel like this would be a great place to go this summer to follow through on my goal of spending more time reading and relaxing.
I do wish the website included their menu, but maybe they will do that in the future. Prices are a little too high for me to be able to visit very often, but it does feel like a special sort of treat.
I'm sad to see that Bee's Knees Bakery is gone. I loved their cakes, but I guess they are no more. In its place is Little Flower Candy Company, a charming little shop with a few sidewalk tables and a small space to eat inside. The display case and a table alongside it are filled with beautiful treats. It all looks very appealing.
I ordered a vegan coconut cupcake and didn't completely love it. The frosting was too sweet for me (and I like sweet). I ended up removing the frosting and just eating the cake, which was fine but not really special. Next time I'm going to order lunch here. The menu looked great.
I took some sea salt caramels and marshmallows to go. The marshmallows are great-- sweet, fluffy and vanilla-flavored. However, the sea salt caramels are divine, exceptional, thoroughly memorable and irresistible. Thank goodness I don't live closer to Pasadena or else I'd be cleaning out my 401k (or what's left of it) to purchase endless amounts of these caramels. Hats off to Little Flower for the sea salt caramels. These rank right up there with the best sweets in town.
amazing ginger cookies ... YES unless they happen to bake them incorrectly that day.
also i ordered the meatloaf sandwich, but once i got on the road i realized they gave me pastrami, or something... it wasn't great
service - meh
scones - dry
cuteness - super cute
in general a really nice place to site down and have a coffee and sandwich.
This is a great neighborhood place with sandwiches, salads, beverages... oh yeah... and the best damn caramels you could imagine.
I never tried anything but the caramel. The sea salt caramels are fantastic. No, you don't understand, I mean really truly seriously fantastic.
I couldn't care less how the people who sell these caramels behave. I couldn't tell you if they were nice or not. It's all about the caramels.
This is the kind of place you usually have to find on the internet in some remote Outer Banks beach side town, then pay way more on shipping than on the candy. And here it is just as close and cute as could be.
I hope they stay awhile. Bees Knees was there before at that site, but they never had anything to eat, and were rude to boot. You can't be rude and have no food, and to prove it they are gone.
"this is pasadena's best kept secret"
I must profess my love for the dear, Mushroom and Brie Sandwich AND sea salt caramels AND the awesome quiche AND those little dark chocolate covered mini biscuits AND omg I am getting carried away.
Hurry on in to little flower candy company and find out what I'm talking about. The food is amazing and its definitely a must try. This is a great place to take your kids for a treat, Kirsten is wonderful with kids and super friendly. Yum! As good as it gets!
Biting into my first sea salt caramel, a free sample from the owner after I had already bought a quarter-pound bag, my mouth found a kind of bliss that can only be achieved through consumption of warm, buttery and sugary treats. These caramels, however, bring the comfort of childhood treats into adulthood with the subtle flavoring of sea salt and high quality ingredients.
Such delight is only compounded by eating them at this charming storefront, with jars filled to the brim with giant jawbreakers, rainbow colored lollipops and oversized marshmallows in slightly more sophisticated flavors like coffee and cinnamon that are satisfyingly squooshy and plump. The rhubarb jam, simply but smartly packaged, also looked tempting.
The overall feel of the Little Flower Candy Company is not exactly a time warp to simpler days but of the modern present tinged with a taste of nostalgia in their sugary treats.
once in awhile i treat myself to some beautiful spongy marshmallows. i love them...they're so cute and always put a smile on my face and in my heart everytime i see one. :)
we recently had lunch at europane bakery in pasadena, and bought their marshmallow there. (for photos i took of the marshmallow, please check the photos on little flower candy company page, or "local photos" on my profile page.)
each packet comes with four very pretty pastel colors vanilla marshmallows. the only complain we would have is how these are crystal sugar coated instead of powdered coated. when we bite into it, the sugar was so sweet and the micro-crystal texture simply overpowered the soft and delicious marshmallow itself. other than that, if you love marshmallows and sweets, drop by and pick one up...makes a nice little cheer up gift, too! :)
Oh. My. God. My sister got little bags of their caramels as party favors after my niece's baptism. That was yesterday afternoon, and the bag has since been emptied. I've never met a caramel that I really loved until I experienced their Sea Salt Caramels.
They are seriously like little sticky drops of heaven.
I looked at their website... thank God they sell them at the Blue Fog Market in San Francisco. I am SO hitting that up after work....
*Gulp*! Um, I don't know what to say about their sea salt caramels. All I know is that my eyes widened up, and I thought of all the people who would enjoy this little packaged piece of nirvana, which is everyone. How could something taste that good? My word, my saliva was flowing, and I was speechless for a long damn time. Should I eat another one? And another? These are pressing questions of my day now.
Got a salad, too. Endive and arugula. Champagne dressing. All lovely and quite fresh.
I am with all of the other reviewers regarding the food quality at Little Flower - I've been there for breakfast several times and the baked goods are uniformly good (the ginger scones are fabulous, worth every calorie). Love their City Bean coffee and adore the caramels - they even have a petite version of my favorite little sweet, candy raspberries/blackberries.
However, I tried LF for lunch today and I don't think I'll try it again! The food was, again, great but apparently they're understaffed to handle their lunch crowd. We got there about 12:45 and there were several empty tables. We waited for a couple of people to order and then ordered 4 plain sandwiches and a salad. No "special orders", nothing hot. It took 20-25 minutes for the food to arrive and when it did arrive, the server didn't apologize or thank us for waiting - just dumped the food off without comment, so I'm guessing that kind of wait is normal for them. I don't mind waiting 25 minutes when I'm in a sit-down restaurant serving fresh-made cooked meals but - 25 minutes for a ham & butter on baguette? The kids with me were joking that they should go in and help out, since they certainly could have made their own lunches faster!
Love the food quality... but don't go if you are hungry or pressed for time at lunch!
This place has the best coffee and pastries! Their lemon ginger scones are delicious! My boyfriend and I are coffee whores and we both agree that this is the best we've had by far!
Great caramels and marshmallows, but what I go for is the FOOD. They are also the Little Flower Cafe, serving a nice assortment of sandwiches, prepared salads and a daily soup. I like the Vegetarian sandwich minus the tempeh (not a fan of soy) . The wheat bread is so soft I could take a nap on it. The veggies are always fresh and high quality - avocado, pea shoots, onion, baby lettuces, mayo and a tapanade-y spread, served along side yummy garlic pickles. I also enjoy the french ham and butter sandwich on baguette, and the roast beef.
They have a selection of baked goods- cookies, cake, crumbles etc... The macaroons are killa.
So go, have a sandwich, a macaroon and a glass of orange water. finish with a coffee and you are set. It's cute, it tastes good and you will love it.
Best Sea Salt Caramels EVER!!!
Too bad the lady that runs the place is difficult to deal with...Which is why I don't carry her products in my store anymore... Never the less... So Tasty!!!
I'm pretty sure it's a home-based business... You can order them from her site or visit local shops that carry her products... Just go to her website.
I need to try these sea salt caramels, but in the meantime, let me rave about their food. They have an endive arugula salad. It sounds simple, which it is, but add on the candied pears, blue cheese, grapes, walnuts and a delicate champagne truffle vinaigrette and you have one simply delicious salad and a very happy me.
Also, their meatloaf sandwich (where the meatloaf is wrapped in bacon and loaded with mushrooms) on pillowy white bread and their brie & mushroom sandwich (sauteed in garlic oil) and piled high in open-faced style are quite tasty. The curried chicken sandwhich also looks delicious. I really want to try to beet & goat cheese salad.
Their macaroons are mysteriously addictive. I didn't care too much for their peanut butter cookie, but the gingerbread was good, as was the oatmeal raisin.
But go there! It's a little out of the way, where the bee's knees used to be out on the far end of Colorado going towards the rose bowl.
I know they are all about their sea salt caramels and homemade marshmallows. But I went there for some real food.
They had about 5 or so selection of sandwiches, a soup, some salads. They had a ham and butter sandwich, which was a very pleasant surprise--transports me back to England. So that's what I got. The ham and especially the butter were very high quality. The french bread was stale!!! Look, there are only three ingredients to that sandwich, and for the $8 or whatever I paid, seems like they could get every single one of those three things right. Fresh bread isn't that difficult. Plus the coffee was very mediocre.
I'll go back for the caramels (which btw are also sold at Surfas). Wish they would sell them in smaller amounts. As for the marshmallows, I'm not into marshmallows enough to pay $6 for four marshmallows.
Cute little place on the west side of Pasadena. Yes their sea salt caramels are amazing, as many reviewers are said. I'm not a caramel fan to begin with but had to try some and was not disappointed. Those bags makes great gifts. Had the argula and endive salad, was a general serving in a large bowl with bread and was very, very tasty. My guess is the champagne dressing made the big difference. The person who helped me was gracious. Would definitely come back to try sandwich and soup.
You have not lived until you sink your teeth into Little Flower Candy Co's SEA SALT CARAMELS. There is nothing that brings out the taste of sweet like salt, and in this case, the sweetness of the caramels is juxtaposed and elevated by the sea salt.
I just recently returned from Paris where we spent an entire day searching for and then eating the delicious salt caramel ice cream from the very famous Berthilion ice cream producer on Ile St. Louis. We then found another candy shop that dispensed salt caramels from Brittany, and in a serious comparison between the French caramel and Little Flower Candy Co - our handcrafted domestic sea salt caramel won hands down!
Try the other caramel flavors as well as their pillowy marshmallows. Divine! Order as many as you can and you are guaranteed to be loved by friends and family forever!
Once the sleepy and now defunct Bee's Knees Bakery, the Little Flower Candy Co. has turned the space into a bright and charming order-at-the-counter style cafe with a bounty of tantalizing baked goods handsomely displayed front and center. Good eats are abundant but seating is very limited, though dining in can be a comfortable experience at the right spot. Intimate conversations might easily go on display if not for the bustling lunch crowd. Service is excellent and punctuated with team effort. It's not unusual for staff from the BOH to the FOH to hold down the fort, depending on who is immediately available, sometimes that means the chef in-between preparing orders or the cashier/wait person/barrista. The lunch menu is absolutely outstanding and I consider brunch to be served all day when quiche is available. The flavors are well balanced, surprisingly delicate and subtle when hoped and punchy when expected: hence my regular order of the pulled pork sandwich stuffed with dripping wet coleslaw -- a must try. With my husband, it's a mad dash for the last bite of the side of pickles accompanying the sandwich, regardless whose pickle it was in the first place! A cup of soup (try the white bean soup and Mediterranean vegetable) are well worth the price equivalent of a Starbuck's venti latte; though nearly $4 might initially come off as a bit pricey for an 8 oz portion of soup the size is just right as a first course or light meal along with its complimentary side of french bread. Then again, a labor of love is priceless, and by that token their soup could be a very inexpensive and nutritious meal in a cup. If you enter the Little Flower Candy Co. with the intention to shop now and eat later, pick up a basket and browse the shelves of their well stocked cold case of freshly prepared meals to-go, dressings, soups, sides, unique bottled beverages, baskets of fruit and colorful candies as you stand in line [I hear the marshmallows are excellente). And by deduction my guess is that all of their hand packaged foods are house made. Take a buttery cheese and truffle pastry for later and a moist, dense vegan chai "latte" muffin for next day's breakfast while you're at it. Though food selection is very satisfying, more attention to detail could go into their to-go packaging for such items as soups and saucy sandwiches. So request your cuppa' something or wet foods tightly wrapped in an additional protective layer when possible. Aside from those minor details, I am very very happy this place has come along. By the looks of their kitchen, seemingly twice the size of the front of the house, it's obvious they take quality and preparation very seriously and serve it up with classy comfort in a casual setting. For a long time I had wished for something - anything - more inviting to take over the charming space, and now valuable offerings of great food, good service and inviting ambiance have me going back for more. It's very promising and for what it is it's as good as it gets.
Yeah ok, candy and stuff, but you guys have to try the goat cheese and golden beets salad! I am pretty picky about goat cheese salad, for me something always goes slightly awry with the taste, but this one was heavenly! A warm , incredibly creamy on the inside large piece of goat cheese sits on top of a bed of beets and greens soaked in a mild vinaigrette... Hmmm I ought to go back this week...
Yeah, the owner is a tad Snooty, but whatever, everyone else she has hired is Bitchin!
Love her Lemon Caramels.
I am quite pleased there is not much of a selection since I get overwhelmed at a large selection. I had roast beef and it was yummy. I had carrot-ginger soup and it was a PERFECT light lunch. I think the day I had the roast beef, I also had Chilled Corn Soup, which was yummy and too much food, but not like too much food @ the Icky CheeseCake Factory! Or any other Icky chain.
While visiting Southern California I was treated to coffee by my friend, Emily, at Little Flower Cafe. What an adorable little shop! I loved the cute little shop, with tables and chairs out front as well. I especially loved the fact that it was quiet enough to have a visit without fighting to be heard over music.
The owner seemed to actually know many of her customers and was able to speak to my friend by name and sat with a few other customers at a table during a slow minute or two.
My iced mocha was quite tasty! And coming through West Pasadena again I definitely plan to visit.
The pillowy marshmallows are heavenly too, with a light dusting of sugar for the perfect crunch. Try the coffee flavored ones - pure indulgence, and this from someone who normally says no to desserts. If you can't make it to the new store in Pasadena (in the former Bee's Knees Bakery), pick them up from Auntie Em's in Eagle Rock.
Oh my goodness. This is one of my favorite places because of the food AND the people! The owner has such a love and passion for food, and I think its so cool that she sits down and chats with her regulars. It is a very homey feel and a great place to sit and talk while trying the AMAZZING food. Everything I have tried there is amazing. Best kept secret of Pasadena hands down. Give it a try! You won't be disappointed :)
One of the best places to eat lunch in the area. Someone finally followed an obvious, simple recipe: lots of salads, a soup everyday, usually vegetarian, and some sandwiches. They also do a really good job with the quiches and other prepared foods. I give this place a 5 because it is best in class. Does not mean it's perfect. One day, I got the beat/goat cheese salad and the beets were so cold they chilled your teeth (and of course had almost no taste). Sometimes the soups don't exactly hit the target. But that's actually a good thing, because it shows they are trying different things. Before this place, Auntie Em's was the closest analog in the area, but this place has better quality control and is a bit more vege friendly.
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