Carrara's Pastries | Restaurant, Gelato & Coffee - Moorpark, California

Sheryl M.

The food is great. The atmosphere was wonderful. And the service was so amazing. I had such an unexpectedly beautiful birthday dinner ❤️. This was our second time but the first time as a family and we will be back.

M X.

November 2024
A blessing... to my waistline. Lol.
Here's why:

1. Yes, I will be back...... religiously! Lol.
2. So much good gelato, so little time
3. I definitely have to try some of the regular menu items for dinner next time
4. You'll never get me to shut up about how good those cream stuffed puffed pastries are
5. The Lemon Granita is powdery, smooth, not overly sweet, nice lemon flavor that tastes like real lemons

Where do I even begin? So many good things in this one establishment. No clue they had live entertainment on Fridays and saturdays, until I walked in the door tonight.
What a great entertainer, straight from Texas, who knows all those classic 1960s jazz lounge favorites like "take five," and also is hip to Liza Minelli's New York New York.

So I was already in a happy mood walking just feet inside the front door. Figured, let's splurge!

Next great moment came from the manager behind the counter, who definitely took the time and patience to answer all 536,000 questions I had, lol, and stuck with me through the entire process of ordering, and paying.

Oh, even the operations manager stopped by our table to check in on us, which I really appreciated. He gave us some insight and backstory into the original owners, and how the new management team is trying to preserve the old ways.

Speaking of which, I absolutely love the fact that this is truly Italian Gelato. Not the fake stuff! Their process and ingredients are true to the way it's made in italy. And I'm glad the operations manager stuck to their guns by keeping the old methods alive and well.

The gelato here, and I cannot stress this enough, does not have any of those artificial fillers or stabilizers, and it shows. You can literally taste how smooth and creamy it is. There's a certain technique and process involved in mixing and freezing, without incorporating unneeded air. Carrara's does this process once a week they said, and each batch lasts them through the end of the week. Once they're done with the flavor, they're done with the flavor, until the next week when they do it all over again. That to me is what I call Quality Control.

Tonight we had the chocolate hazelnut gelato, which is as smooth as can be. Very little air incorporated into the final product, and super fine crystals, almost like powder, which gave the gelato a very nice mouth feel.

Very authentic Italian Granita, aka the lemon sorbet as well. Very little air, very powdery texture, smooth, sour, and fresh! I cannot stress how important it is to get that Perfect Blend of not being too sweet, yet having some sourness to give that freshening feeling in the mouth, and also having a super smooth texture to melt away with each bite.

The pastries? I could have had one of each of them tonight, but chose the cream puffs. They remind me of Italian puffed pastry, stuffed with a smooth vanilla cream. Not overly sweet at all, the coolness of the cream inside of the lightly puffed shell is absolutely heaven. There is no equivalent of this, and it would almost be an insult to compare it to a cream filled donut at Krispy kreme. You'll have to try one to experience it for yourself.

What threw me a little off guard in a good way was watching other people ordering full-blown dinner. I definitely have to come back, and something that caught my eye on the menu was the squid ink pasta. So I'm looking forward to trying that next time.
Other people were having halibut, Caesar salad, different types of pasta, it all looked so good.

Parking is a breeze, located in a huge shopping center.

The staff, absolutely amazing. I felt like if you asked anyone for anything, they would either get it for you, or would bring someone over to help you. That ability to follow through is it true Testament of customer service.

First time in here, but you had me at New York new york. Lol. I will definitely be back. I believe there are two other locations that I need to try as well, one in agoura.

Please mention me and this review if you happen to visit this location. Cheers

P J.

After being in Korea for five years, this place is the closest I have found to remind me of Korean cafes. Slight industrial feel with plenty of seating. They serve a full menu and beautiful cakes to go. Staff was genuinely nice.

Sabrina C.

Carrara’s catered the cakes for our wedding and oh my gosh they were so delicious! We selected the yogurt wild berry, chocolate hazelnut, and peach & mango cakes. So many guests told us how much they loved all the flavors and they couldn’t stop themselves from eating all three cakes.

Crystal C.

Cute little spot for a date night. Visiting from AZ. Desserts are delicious! Live music on the weekends.

Kennedy O.

Came this evening and had just the most extraordinary experience. My server Eriika P was nothing but exemplary. Hands down one of the best servers I have ever had. Such a pleasure, will surely be coming back and specifically sitting with Eriika.

Victoria

tl;dr Cakes are very expensive, and not flavorful enough to justify the price. Service is fine but the ambiance of the place itself is kind of cold and unwelcoming. Will not return.

Full review✏️:
I wanted to preface this with the fact that I only purchased dessert from here and my review is not on the restaurant or its food as we did not try it.

With that being said, I dont believe the prices of the sweets at this place match up to their quality. We came here for the first time after seeing the reviews and after a friend said she came here. We walked in and the place was almost empty since they were prepping for dinner. We took a look around, amazed at the beautiful pastries and cakes (as pictured) and got to choosing.

My first issue was that there were no cake prices shown and we needed to hunt down an employee to help us out. The cakes come in 3 different sizes, with the smallest starting out at $30 followed by $40 for the next size and $50. For me, an approximately 4-slice cake (if even!) for $30 is a bit pricey, especially since we have always gotten bigger cakes for cheaper at another popular Cuban bakery and Cafe (if you know, you know 😉). We went with the peach and mango cake (since we LOVE the mango mousse at the aforementioned cafe). I did, however, want to compliment the presentation and packaging since it was beautifully boxed and ribboned and the cake looked exceptionally decorated.

My biggest issue however, was the flavor of the cake, or rather the lack thereof. Usually I can justify a high price tag IF the cake is tasty and flavorful. Mango is a very savory and robust fruit, as well as peach and yet, not one of our guests could determine what the flavor of the cake was supposed to be. It was very sweet with no distinguishable flavor at all which was very disappointing because the cake on the outside looked absolutely fabulous. The cookie base was hard and the red outer layer was just a gelatinous, sugary gloop. The cream on the inside just tasted sweet, kind of like whipped cream and sugar mixed together, which would make sense if this were a cream cake but we were promised mango and peach, of which none were present.

Overall, I wouldn't come back here as it's a bit too expensive with not enough flavor to show for it. I know at least two other places in the area that make amazing, flavorful mango cakes as well as tiramisu and others that offer more product for a cheaper price that are equally delectable. The workers here are very kind and approachable, so i gave my review an extra star for the good service. The atmosphere isn't very cozy, feels more like my college cafeteria to me with the gray walls, high ceilings and metal tables and chairs. I just don't see this as an Italian restaurant seating, seems very sanitized, like the inside of a Yogurt land where you just want to order and go. Sure, the desserts look absolutely stunning but the taste leaves more to be desired.

Alison D. G.

Airy, light and flavorful pastries. Their Tiramisu cake was exquisite! I am so glad we discovered this place and know we will become regulars. We will dine in next time, as the menu looks tasty and the environment is open and welcoming.