Spanish Bakery & Cafe

Friendly staff. The bakery has a nice outside patio with tables. The empanadas are good although my beef was a bit spicy. Pastry a bit dry. Nice spot to eat and relax.

This is the nicest bakery. I got a latte and ham and cheese croissant. MyHusband got the eggs Benedict and he can't stop talking about. Very friendly staff. Sat outside on a cute little patio. This cafe is a must!!

Seems like they have a new chef or are trying some new things. The food was delicious. I had a beef empanada, with black beans and rice. The breading on the empanada was very thick. Too thick to be perfectly honest. Staff inside was great too. I'll definitely go back again to try other things.

Ehhhhhhh. The empanadas were SO disappointing. The first bite was DRY & a mouthful of just bread. I picked it apart. Pricey too. Rice and beans were subpar as well. The ladies with me weren't a big fan of their meals either. It is what it is.

I remember discovering this little bakery tucked away from the main old street during a childhood trip to Saint Augustine. Back then, it felt like discovering a little oasis of comfort meals in a little sanctuary. Visiting many years later, it still feels that way, like you're making a discovery. The bread and baked goods are all home cooked and sometimes you'll have the privilege of seeing them bring in fresh loaves and pastries out of the oven. I always love getting their soup of the day. They had a chicken and dumpling soup when I went that was very tasty. I will agree with others that the bread on their empanadas is quite thick and the meat inside might benefit from a little more seasoning or sauce. But that might also be me more used to South American style empanadas I typically find in Miami.

My friends had visited this small bakery in St. Aug a few years back and loved it so we decided to try it out today. The bakery is very cute inside and outside has a lot of seating. We wanted empanadas, and they only had a few options left so we got the chicken and veggie empanadas. The empanadas came with side so I got the black bean and rice mix on the side. As far as the quantity of food - the empanada was huge. The side were also decent sizes. In terms of flavor - I was very underwhelmed. The outside was wayyyy too thick for an empanada. It was too doughy and chewy. The inside of the veggie had spinach and corn with some spices. It was not spicy at all and seemed to have lacked salt and some other spices. The chicken in the empanada was very dry and again, lacked flavor. If it was just up to flavor, I would give this place a 2/5 but because of the portion size and the ambience of the space, I'm giving it a 3/5.

I'm not sure why I keep doing this to myself. Been going here for 20 years. It was a must for my family every time we were in St. Augustine. It's one of those places that is just a piece of my family. Unfortunately we will have to say goodbye. I know the owners changed a while ago. Since that happened it's steadily declined. I keep hoping and praying this next time will be better but it never is. So why is it bad in my opinion? First, the empanadas used to be the star. No more. It's definitely not the same recipe. If you want an empanada that is mostly, no excessively, breading, this is the place for you. It is so much breading and so dry, it's just awful. Back in the good old days if you spent any time there, you'd see them bringing out fresh bread and empanadas from the ovens to the store. If you ordered a sandwich, it was made to order fresh from the kitchen. Now most everything seems to be premade. Bread is plastic bagged up, used to be warm from the oven. They also got rid of their signature cookies, cinnamon, lemon, etc. They're gone. There is no charm in this place any longer. Drinks are warm. Lastly, the prices have significantly increased. For 10 bucks you get a single empanada and a bag of chips. 14 bucks gets you a premade Cuban, which is quite small, and a bag of chips. It is WAY overpriced now unfortunately. Sadly I think we've made our last visit and are saying goodbye. The family tradition has finally died this year.

Was really looking forward to the empanadas. Was so disappointed. Breading was so thick and bland. Beef inside wasn't seasoned well. The sides were very basic, Spanish bean salad and tortellini salad were basically just soaked in a vinaigrette dressing. $50 for 4 empanadas and a cinnamon roll

*This review is for the bread loaves only*FYI: I've seen reviews about them being cash only, that is no longer the case. I was introduced to Spanish Bakery by a friend. When we walked through the front fence and into the courtyard, I had no idea this bakery was tucked in the back. We ordered a rectangle loaf of bread to-go. The loaves were about to come out of the oven so we waited about 5 minutes. Well worth the wait! We took it back home and devoured it.A few months later hubby and I were in the area. That night I was planning to make a charcuterie board. I thought we could have some bread with olive oil on the side. Ohh was that a good idea. I picked up a round loaf this time. Same look and taste of the rectangle, just different shape. This bread is amazing by itself, with butter, with olive oil, toasted, you name it. It's been fresh, fluffy and positively delicious both times.If you are in the area, pick one up and try it for yourself!

empanadas were so Meh and overpowering with cumin. rice and beans taste the same. I should have checked reviews first.