Café Jolie in Alameda, California recently opened a second location on Alameda’s Bay Farm Island (about 10 miles/ 16 km) east of San Francisco.

Café Jolie’s fluffy beignets

As the name suggests, Café Jolie Petit is smaller, but their menu is the same full size one as Café Jolie’s. They’re known for their tasty beignets served with a rich chocolate ganache for dipping. On weekends, the line goes around the corner!

Café Jolie Petit is located in stylish shipping containers in the sprawling Harbor Bay business park (former location of the Oakland Raiders’ headquarters before the NFL team moved to Las Vegas). Unlike the original downtown Alameda location, there’s plenty of free parking, which is a plus! Diners can either sit at one of the tables underneath a clear tent or at uncovered tables in the courtyard.

Harbor Bay business park is in Alameda’s Bay Farm Island district

On the day my younger daughter and I went, there was a momentary break from the atmospheric river rain so we were seated at an uncovered table. In retrospect, it was risky as it could’ve started pouring down at any moment. Thankfully, the clouds were kind to us during the 60 minutes we were there.

The food was nicely prepared and flavorful, so my compliments to the chef! The dishes more than made up for the uneven customer service.

While there wasn’t a long wait to get seated, it took about 10-15 minutes before someone came by to take our order. (To be fair, the food came out pretty quickly after we ordered.)

The tables were so close to each other that when the server took our neighbors’ orders, his backside was facing our table. (I need to provide some context here so you don’t think I’m nitpicking: he could have stood on the opposite side of their table – where there weren’t any people eating!) If that weren’t annoying enough, I’d even overheard him tell them about the specials of the day! Our server (a different person) hadn’t told us about any specials!

delicious avocado toast

In the end, it didn’t matter. We were happy with the food we ordered from the regular menu!

I had the avocado toast. It was excellent. Three slices of soft, slightly toasted baguette were topped with creamy slices of ripe avocado, paper thin slices of radish, micro greens and a sprinkle of everything-bagel seasoning. It came with a side salad of spring greens and carrot shavings drizzled with a savory balsamic dressing.

flavorful challah French toast

My daughter ordered the French toast, which was made with three golden brown slices of challah, topped with powdered sugar, and served with fresh strawberries and blueberries. I took a few bites of it with maple syrup and it was delicious, too! The toast was soft and flaky.

If I had to rate Café Jolie Petit, I’d say:

Food: 5/5
Customer Service: 3/5
Location: 5/5
Atmosphere: casual vibe and attire; good for couples, large groups, and families; pet-friendly

⭐️ I definitely recommend the avocado toast and challah French toast!