Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria

A GuestLife Monterey Bay
Great Restaurant

Twenty-six years ago, Gayle and Joe Ortiz started as a small bakery in 800 square feet, with one friend serving 10 items. Five years later, the Rosticceria, an Italian deli with a wood-burning rotisserie was added. Today, Gayle’s is a thriving 10,000-square-foot food emporium with two successful cookbooks and 115 employees.

Every day they transform the best natural ingredients like real butter, fresh eggs and organic flour into more than 500 different pastries, cakes, cookies, breads, sandwiches and entrées. Even the mayonnaise is made from scratch! Freshness in the food business can be a relative term. Here, it means daily or hourly.

Like village bakeries everywhere, Gayle’s is a meeting spot for locals, many of whom stop in several times a day. It is a destination for people from all over the world who love food.

A visit begins before you even open the door. Early in the morning, the air outside is filled with the smell of yeasty Danish baking. Later, a peek in the window reveals the warm fire of the rotisserie spinning with golden chickens. In the afternoon, the aroma of chocolate cakes baking tempts you to come in. Inside, stunning displays in gleaming showcases beckon you to select as much or as little as you like, on your time schedule. You can have hot pasta and garlic bread for breakfast or a bear claw and a cappuccino for dinner.

Service is casual. Take a number and relish the wait; it will give you time to decide among myriad treats. Have a glass of wine outside on the heated patio, eat inside in the Café or Espresso Bar, or take it “to go” for a picnic on the beach or in your hotel room. Nestled above the quaint Capitola Village at 504 Bay Avenue, Capitola. Forty minutes north of the Monterey Peninsula and ten minutes south of Santa Cruz.

Menu Highlights

Gayle’s Favorites From the Bakery:

Raspberry Pastry Cream Danish

Apple Carrot Muffin

Downtowners

Lemon Lust Tart

Crocodiles

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Pecan Tassies

Chocolate Macaroons

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Orange Chiffon Cake

Chocolate Éclairs

Chocolate Mousse Cake

Princess Cake

Gayle’s Favorites From the Rosticceria:

Bacon and Egg Croissant

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

Southwest Chicken Sandwich

Caesar Pasta Salad

Francese Garlic Bread

Spinach Gorgonzola Pasta

Chicken & Green Chili Enchiladas

Chicken Diavolo

Yankee Pot Roast

504 Bay Avenue,
Capitola, California.
831/462-1200.
Open 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily except major holidays.

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