Arcangeli Grocery Co – Norm’s Market

I will take the one hour drive from the South Bay just to visit this bakery!
Besides the infamous baked breads, I come here just for that hometown, country feel. I feel like I’m in a romance movie whenever I visit this cute little forgery store/​bakery.
I cannot believe how reasonably priced those loves of bread are. They’re $ 5.99 and worth every penny.
If you’re looking for something to do in Pescadero, grab a loaf of bread from this bakery, something to drink and head to the beach for a relaxing day!

GARLIC ARTICHOKE BREAD!!! SOOO GOOOOOOD!!! Right after we left, I regretted buying an extra one. When I got home I looked up their website and was thrilled to discover that the Milk Pail Market in Mountain View carries their bread: D!
but I will be back! to try their sandwiches. (the line was very long from a biking event, but it looked delicious!)

I love finding local places that are truly amazing. Pescadero itself is pretty cool but Arcangeli Grocery Co is fantastic. It’s a local store in the very small town of Pescadero. It’s a great market to stop to pick up whatever you need for your trip. The Deli in the back makes some killer sandwiches. I had a really good Turkey on a french bread roll and my wife had ham on the french bread roll. They were so huge we saved half for dinner. All made fresh and very very good.
They bake several types of bread on site. When is the last time you picked up a loaf of bread and it was «hot «not just warm straight from the oven. Wow, now that is fresh. We had the famous Artichoke Garlic bread and devoured most of it in the car on the way home. This was Saturday, we ended up going back Sunday and got another loaf, guess we’re little piggies.
Pescadero is a great «little «town a stones throw from the Pacific Ocean so when you stop by the quaint town be sure to go into Arcangeli Grocery Co and pick up a few items for the road.

Garlic artichoke bread was something I had heard from multiple sources was an absolute must when visiting Pescadero, and it was totally true. This stuff is amazing! I highly recommend checking out Arcangeli in general, they have lots of yummy food items and you don’t want to pass them up!

Omg. The artichoke bread was fantastic. I’ve never had anything like it. And very reasonably priced. A really enjoyable store with lots of goodies. I’ll return when I’m in the area.

Cool little grocerie store/​bakery. They make sandwiches in the back and I tried the chicken with bacon sammy. Sammy was pretty good and their homemade potato salad was better than most store bought potato salad. They make an artichoke infused bread which looked and smelled good, maybe I’ll try it next time. This was my first exploration into pescadero and I definitely recommend driving through when you’re in the half moon Bay area.

We stopped by for a snack on our way to Monterey. Everything is delicious here!

I was in town for a volunteering session, and since it is 9:30 AM and I was early, I decided to swing by to get some Artichoke Bread. It is pretty good when it was fresh, but it is not something I would go out of my way for it.
I do like that they carry a small selection of Santa Cruz wines.

Their artichoke bread is every bit as good as the reviews. I ate that thing in two days with only a little help from others. They do not skimp on the artichokes!
Also got an apple pie, and it was SOLID. Apples were the perfected consistency, and the crust was thick and dusted with cinnamon sugar. Well worth the cost.
The store also offered some cool looking jams and run of the mill convenience store items.

Forget the artichoke bread. The giant chocolate chip cookies are where it’s at. Buttery, chocolately, delicious, and as big as your head. Did I mention they’re enormous, because they are. You will want to share one. Or not. Save it for yourself. Take it to the beach and eat the whole darn thing. You’re worth it.
Also, the staff members are really nice.

Perfect spot to grab bread, cheese & sandwiches before heading to the beach.
I always stop by here for the artichoke bread ONLY!
5 stars — artichoke bread, so yummy.
¾ stars for sandwiches
Jams/​salad dressing — it’s ok

Pescadero has become one of our favorite weekend mini-​getaway town. We will visit Arcangeli Grocery everytime to get an artichoke bread and a garlic sourdough. They freshly bake the bread periodically through out the day. I’ve been visiting the store in different time during the day, and the bread in the basket are warm!
They also have a sandwich counter at the back of the store. I’ve tried it once and it’s pretty decent, a bit expensive though.
On the left side of the store, you can find many store made sauces and condiment. My favorite has to be their aged balsamic vinegar, one of the best I had in recent years. It goes well with their bread too!

Forget Duarte’s and their overrated artichoke soup. Arcangeli is THE reason to stop in Pescadero. (Okay I’ll give a pass to the thrift store on the corner that carries terrifically awesome $ 2 models of landmarks of the Bay Area that are so incredible my husband bought the Moffett Field one.)
If I’m just going by the scrumptious artichoke garlic herb bread and the ollalieberry scones, this place scores five stars easily. The bread comes out of the oven every 15 minutes so it’s still hot. When we cracked it open it was soft and warm on the inside, interspersed with chunks of artichokes. Even if you’re not an artichoke lover you will LOVE this bread.
Although the lemon scone was quite good, the ollalieberry scone was the clear winner. Really it was more biscuit than scone. The husband said it was the best scone he’s ever had.
However, this place only rates 4 stars for their sandwiches. And this rating was just based on the quality. I’m not even factoring it that they took FOREVER to make. (And granted, we arrived at 12:40 on a Saturday.) The line was sloooooow and then they were sloooooow to make the sandos.
I had the godfather sandwich — their Italian meat sandwich. I didn’t see the tiny «toasted» sign until it was too late, but unlike other toasted Italian meat sandwiches where heat melts all the fat on the sandwich, this wasn’t too greasy. It was served on a nice pesto focaccia with the right amount of sport peppers. My sandwich merited 4 stars. The husband’s pesto chicken sandwich was rather unremarkable (probably a 3 star-​er). My kids shared a make your own pastrami and jack cheese sandwich. It was fine. All the sandwiches were HUGE.
We took our picnic bounty to the grassy area behind Arcangeli along a creek. Half of the tables were shaded, and it was a good spot to stretch our legs, eat some sandos, and pass around hunks of bread.
So do I give Arcangeli 4 or 5 stars? I say 5 because it’s the bread and scones I’ll return for. And what I’m dreaming about. So they get a Kathy star bump.

Let’s get down to business — the only reason you really roll into Norm’s is for the Artichoke Garlic Herb bread.
Yes, they do have other things that you would find in a grocery store and you’ll even find local artisan jams, jellies and the like; but, what you’re here for is the bread. If you’re fortunate, you’ll find them taking them out of the oven and you’ll get a hot and steamy loaf.
The g/​f and I brought some friends here — one of them could live on bread alone. Norm’s was her own little piece of nirvana. She had over half the loaf even — before we walked next door for lunch.
I’ve talked to people (while furiously eating my own loaf) who come as far as Gilroy just to get this bread.
Run, don’t walk and get you some!

I didn’t look around at much of anything else except for the artichoke garlic herb bread which was phenomenal. The grocery appears pretty unassuming but there must be a secret artisan baker because this bread is the best. You must have it fresh and hot – obviously.
The bread has a delicious hard savory crust and kneaded into the dough are delicious herbs and garlic flavor. If, you like me, could not wait to take it home to eat it and just started ripping it straight from the bag as you exited the store, you will also notice, to your delight, that there are giant pieces of artichokes embedded within the bread. They are like little jewels in the sourdough loaf. So juicy and delicious.
We had originally intended to bring home the bread for our family. Instead, we brought home a half-​eaten loaf to dinner. That’s just how good the bread is. You will not want to wait to bring it home. They also secretly know this – which is why they offered paper towels to us as we exited the store. There are 2 benches and tables outside to sit at as you devour the loaf of bread.
Apparently there are wine tastings on Saturdays too. But, like I said, I could not concentrate on anything else in the store other than the bread.

I don’t care if this place sucks at every thing else. the bread is delicious.
We went on a little Sunday roadtrip and decided to stop in because my friend loves their cinnamon roll english muffins. We walk in, and we’re standing by the bread display when this woman comes up and starts raving about the bread — about how they already bought a loaf and devoured it and now they’re back to get more for the road. «It’s to die for,» she says. I keep glancing back at the display and all this while as she’s telling her story people are coming up and taking loaves of the Artichoke Garlic bread. I reached over and secured a loaf before the supply vanished.
This bread beats all the expectations. It is greater than the sum of its parts. The bottom is soft, the top is a bit crusty and covered in herbs. The middle is spongy and studded throughout with artichoke and garlic. The whole thing smells of olive oil and Italian spices. This is probably the bread they serve to artichoke lovers in heaven. Take this bread with you on a drive through mountain roads and it feels like you’re in Italy.
My parents on the east coast think I am crazy when I say I might bring bread the next time I visit them. They’ll probably change their minds when I bring this next time.

I still have fond memories of driving to Pescadero during high school to get artichoke bread. Last week, I made a new memory with a relatively new friend by taking her to get artichoke bread in Pescadero. Go to Pescadero if you want really good, fresh out of the oven, artichoke bread.
After you buy said bread, go across the street to the nearest beach, and have a little picnic. Great view, good food, it’s really quite fabulous.

Five stars for the bread alone! You can fulfill all your glutinous needs here. My roommate and I were going overboard with the bread. we had about three loaves each. But we toned it down a notch, and ended up taking the garlic herb artichoke bread each. I could have eaten the whole thing right there. and took a couple of bites in the car on the way back to the city. But I stopped myself and ate the rest the next day…
I also got a huge chocolate chip cookie, and it satisfied my sweet tooth for a couple of days.
I can’t wait to come back.

The artichoke bread is worth it. It’s available hot and fresh almost right when you walk in the store above the pastry case, and you can buy some half-​baked varieties to take home with you.
We also tried an apricot croissant, and I would pass on that. It didn’t taste good at all.

Yep, their artichoke garlic herb bread is that amazing! I love how it comes out fresh from the oven, a bundle of warm gooeyness to enjoy at one of their picnic tables for $ 5.95. Picked up some artichoke basil spread to go with it, which was amazing as well, and $ 5.95 as well. Got some more to go for the fam, and although I was hoping to try one of their famous pies, they are a bit expensive ($ 16-​$ 18) and wish they sold by the slice!
It’s a small market, but has so many great local products, jams, Harley Farms goat cheese, etc. Also got a nice chilled bottle of wine that was perfect for the warm day.
I definitley want to try their sandwiches the next time I’m in town!