Short Cake

We had a flat white and a regular latte. They’re strong and delicious which we were happy about. Also they made a cute little design! They have pastries as well, sweet and savory. It was nice that they had samples of try, we tried a piece of the feta tomato and basil pastry (sorry I forgot the name). We just ended up getting a ham and cheese croissant which was so good. It was flakey and they helped us warm it up!

Not sure what happened here, Unilocal.You typically never let me down! I stopped by this stall at the Farmer’s Market the other morning looking for some fuel to start my day. I opted for a regular 12oz coffee plus a chocolate croissant.
The coffee was the biggest let down, aside from the snobby service (almost an implied consequence of getting hand poured coffee). I watched them carefully weigh and pour the coffee and to my surprise, the coffee came out watery and atrocious. It was such a let down. Nothing pisses me off more than a watery coffee that I paid an arm and a leg for.
For a chocolate croissant, a 12 oz Ethiopian and a bottle of OJ, we paid 20 $. We didn’t even get a decent coffee. I was waiting to sip my hot cup of coffee bursting with bright blueberry flavors. Instead I got a sub par cup of light coffee — water. Not worth dealing with smirking dirty looks from the cashier.
Annoyed.

Just had the best cookie of my life here & I will spend the rest of my life trying to replicate it. Dried apricot, white chocolate chunks, lavender, maybe some citrus… finished with sea salt. So good it made me weep.

Inside the Farmers Market, it’s refreshing to see a establishment that makes good baked goods! And the sandwiches were solid too. The Brie, tomato and basil one for $ 8 to be specific. So cheesy and yummy. They warmed it up for me too!

The staff here have more attitude than like if Barney’s were staffed by Parisian waiters. It happens every time I go, and I keep going because at this point I’m morbidly curious about — and amused by — what kind of passive aggressive shade they’ll throw next. Go to Blue Bottle, where a) the coffee is much better, and b) the people are lovely and don’t act as if they’re all going through a divorce… that you caused.

One star until they bring back the chocolate cardamom cake! All their current cakes pale in comparison.

Maybe I came on an off day. I asked the lady at the counter whether there were any more hazelnut croissants. She said yes. I then asked for two … and a chapple cider.
She handed me a bag with two croissants. And when I got home, I realized they were not hazelnut croissants. They were just plain croissants. Flaky (dry), messy, and decent, but not what I had asked for. Perhaps it was my fault for not checking.
The chapple cider (chai + apple cider) was also disappointing. Seriously, I can make much better at home. With the amount of spices in both a chai and a cider, I thought it would be bursting with flavor, but it was lackluster. It tasted like hot apple juice, some cinnamon, and foam — definitely not worth the $ 5. Since they serve Verve Coffee, that might be a better option.
Yes, the Farmer’s Market near the Grove tends to be expensive, but I’m not sure if I would return to this particular stand for another snack.

Solid pastries and really good coffee. It’s a must when I am in the area.

Definitely pastries and coffee are delicious, but service not that great! We could be return customer if service and quality represent each other.

Let me set the scene: It was late in the afternoon on a chilly day. We were in need of a good cup of coffee. Enter the ‘Verve Coffee’ chalkboard in the corner of my eye. We go to order coffee and at the last minute, throw in a slice of the pecan pie since it’s the holiday season.
THE PIE WAS DELICIOUS. Hearty chunks of milk chocolate, a flaky crust and ooey gooey pecans. Unexpectedly amazing pie and I will definitely be coming back for more.

I wonder if Short Cake is feeling the pinch now that the mothership, Verve Coffee Roasters has opened two LA locations. Still if you’re shopping in the Grove or Farmers Market, this is the only place to get a really good espresso, coffee, latte, shakerato, etc. Prices are generally in the $ 4 – 6 range.

Chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting was $ 7 and very bland. Which is pretty disappointing because it looked really pretty but honestly not worth the price even if it was good because it was just a normal slice of cake.
Ugh doncha hate it when you realize the dessert you are eating isn’t very good?! Had such high hopes! Haha
Go to cheesecake factory and get bombed with sugar and calories instead.

I have a love/​hate relationship with Short Cake, but leans more towards love. The service is a little dicey and the coffee can be on the expensive side depending on how fancy your order gets.
But! The finished product is 100% worth it. This coffee is the best in the farmer’s market and their pastries are worth indulging in as well. I was having a ‘treat yo self’ moment and got the massive chocolate chip cookie w/​sea salt and it was easily the highlight of my day.

Coffee is great, they serve verve. Customer service can be very spotty at this location since it is a very busy spot, so yeah…
Nonetheless, it’s in a great location, definitely serving the best coffee at the farmer’s market and the grove.

They serve the most delicious Verve coffee in all of Los Angeles here. The only comparable places we’ve had were at Verve itself up in Santa Cruz. I’ve seen people from Verve training folks there so it is truly legit. It is rad that they have a frequent verve buyers card. After 10 punches you get a free coffee drink!
We are always warmly welcomed when we come there. They treat us like Norm & Cliff Clavin (and our baby can be our little Carla) and that makes us smile all the more :)
Even when their line is long, they move quickly and I’ve never had any goof ups.
You HAVE TO try the lightly salted chocolate cocoa nib cookie — oh my lordy it is so decadent! I was told it was voted the #2 chocolate cookie in Los Angeles but I can’t imagine what could beat this out. A gold dipped cookie? A cookie delivered to you in bed baked fresh by Eddie Vedder? I was going to say Martha Stewart but I don’t want her in my bedroom.
Oh also — they make this insanely delicious egg salad sandwiches on flakey, buttery croissants with thinly sliced radishes for some added crunch. I am not a huge egg fan but these are just so great.
No complaints here!

Had the «Amazon Local» deal — $ 11 for $ 22 to spend on «food and drink».
We came to the Farmer’s Market to walk around, do some shopping and grab dinner. Looking at Short Cake’s website and online menu, it certainly appeared they had enough savory options to make a casual dinner. That wasn’t really true. A tiny chalkboard listed the 2 or 3 savory options available on the evening we were there. We had to ask to even find that. And asking questions is something you’ll do a lot because things aren’t very clear here. When we walked up, it appeared they were cleaning up to close. We had to shout to ask if they were still open. The young lady working the counter was not particularly friendly OR helpful.
Given the very tiny selection, it didn’t take long to decide what to have… I got the daily quiche, which was something with bacon. She got the egg salad sandwich. They were out of croissants (which is what the sandwich is supposed to be served on), but they could substitute another type of bread. My quiche was OK… barely warmed. Not bad. I can make a quiche about as good and I’m no cook. Her egg salad was very yellow — lots of mustard. It needed pepper but they don’t have small packets of pepper so they handed her a giant old fashioned pepper mill.
Both our little plates came with our «main» and no side — not even a little pile of lettuces. No prices were listed on their chalkboard menu system but I’m certain each dish was at least $ 8 or more. She ordered a «lavender lemonade» that tasted like a floral arrangement and cost $ 4.50 for a small-​ish cup.
The desserts might be great — and they did look interesting. But our error was in trying to order an actual meal from this place — and believing the online menu that seemed to indicate that was a possibility. It really isn’t.
They do validate your parking. Likely not with a smile… The folks working there are not in the least bit interested in being helpful or friendly. Lots of other delicious offerings in the Market and places that actually WANT your business, so pass this one up.

This review is just for the hazelnut croissant. It was twice baked, perfectly flakey, and oh so good. My only regret was not going another one before I left.
Note: They can validate your parking. Accepts credit card.

I love croissants and I’ll have to say that for just a regular plain croissant, I prefer Chaumont. But Short Cake has to be on my top places to go if I dont want to drive all the way to Beverly Hills. And… they have the twice baked hazelnut croissant. It is a bite of heaven. The crushed hazelnuts give it an extra crunch when you bite in and inside, there are so many buttery flaky layers. Delicious.
As a tip: get there early if you want one of these twice baked hazelnut or almond croissants. They usually sell out by lunch time.
Tip #2: after 6pm, most items are buy 1 get 1!
Definitely try them out while you are walking around farmers market or the grove.

Stopped by here on our way out of the farmer’s market for some iced coffee and a scone.
Based on a recommendation I had the sea salt caramel iced latte and a blueberry scone.
Latte was weak and too creamy. Didn’t taste the sea salt caramel flavor at all. It also took awhile for the barista to make. The scone was also dry and somewhat hard.

Oh… ho…ho. The brown butter blueberry pie was truly delicious. Crumbly, perfectly sweet with just a hint of tartness. I loved the crust too. This has gotta be one of the best bakery shops at the Farmer’s Market.
The lady behind the counter was super nice and they had a wonderful selection of pastries. I sooo need to find my way back soon.