Capitola Restaurants, Gayles Bakery and Rosticceria

A Village Bakery with International Acclaim.

A GuestLife Monterey Bay Great Restaurant

Twenty-eight 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. Open 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily except major holidays.

Photograph above-right by Batista Moon Studio

Menu Highlights

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

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

Photograph abovev by Jonathan Chester

Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria
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.
(831) 462-1200

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