Brio Brio Bakery & Café - Lake Forest, California

Sophie T.

Brio Brio is a charming neighborhood Japanese bakery offering unique pastries and beverages! We arrived later in the day, so many pastries were already sold out, but I’m so glad I got to try the Hojicha cheesecake—it was incredibly dense and packed with flavor.

We also ordered the sausage bread and the artichoke bread, both of which were delicious. For drinks, we had the Hojicha Latte and the Iced Matcha Yuzu Lemonade, and both exceeded expectations! I also noticed they sell Mameya coffee beans, a Brio Brio Blend—such a cool collaboration.

I’ll definitely be back to try their coffee and more of their baked goods. This place is a gem!

justin K.

We've ordered roast beef, pulled pork sandwich and a chocolate briochi today for lunch. The sandwich portion was big, super tasty but a bit too salty. After the lunch i could feel my salty tongue! Briochi was amazing! It's warm, smell and taste so good, and the softness is at the right level! Briochi is the best!!

We had our lunch outside at the patio with music, more quiet then at the inside. Good place for a slow-mo lunch there!

Tony E.

BRI BARU: nighttime dining only, Wednesdays to Sundays.

The quality of food is very good. I don’t think they are used to high volume of customers yet. There were mix ups with our orders, but they fixed it. Managed to get the last burger for the night, I think (only 5 are made per day/night).

From the regular menu, we tried, Garlic shrimp skillet (tasty), Takoyaki, Prime beef curry and tacos (Aji fry, teriyaki chicken and pulled pork). Aji is an acquired taste, chicken was low on the teriyaki sauce, the pulled pork was on point. Can't complain about the Takoyaki and the beef curry. Both were served nice and hot.

Tried the Wagyu smashed burger and the Hiyashi Udon with Ponzu from the special summer menu. Although it's a smash burger, the two patties, runny egg, toppings (tomato, lettuce, mozzarella and sauce) and the brioche bun, make this a very tall burger. Forget about knife and forking it, you need to squish the burger to eat it. The cheese didn't do anything for the burger. The Udon is a cold dish (I don't/didn't care for cold chicken).

We ordered a lot of food to try along with desert (2x flan, 2x Mango Panna Cotta) so the bill was over $120.

Belem R.

I’m gonna keep this short and sweet because honestly hands down the best Food Experience my pictures don’t do it justice ! Customer service is on point their so nice and friendly. The ambiance gives very lid back coffee shop. I love Matcha & both the Matcha Bread & Scone where so delicious ! There not bitter or overly sweet its just right ! There matcha latte is delicious but if your sensitive to caffeine and have anxiety I would not recommend you definitely gonna feel that caffeine kick and get the jitters. It goes the same with the matcha latte not bitter and not super sweet witch is how I like my matcha. They do have dairy alternatives for your drinks which I love. The BLT was so delicious the risk was worth it ! (Mild Egg Allergy). I have never tasted something that good in a long while ! It has such a unique flavor and how it all just combines just so perfectly AMAZING ! I'll definitely be coming back here a-lot! Also, there restrooms are very clean & the dinning area was super clean as well. It was an epic first experience here.

Suzie A.

I spent $70 here for brunch, drinks, and merchs, including 15% tips, and was disappointed with how my request was handled. I ordered a matcha latte but didn’t realize it would be quite sweet. Since I couldn’t enjoy it, I politely asked if it could be remade with less or no sugar. While I understand that’s not how I originally ordered it, the staff’s response was unprofessional—they exchanged looks and hesitated to answer, making me feel uncomfortable. They did remake it, but the barista made a point to come out and tell me to “give clear instructions next time,” which felt unnecessary. I’m not sure if she behaved this way because this happens often, but it didn’t feel right as a customer. I really enjoy this place, but unfortunately, the customer service was not there.

Luce T.

This is now my ultimate destination for catching up with friends, indulging in some alone time with a coffee and a good book, or simply getting work done. The food and coffee here are absolutely scrumptious, with just the right balance of sweetness. And let's not forget about the fantastic atmosphere that sets the perfect mood.

Lisa K.

I loved this place! All the customers were Asian when I was there. I was literally the only white person in the whole restaurant. We had such good food. The desserts were fantastic. The Matcha cheesecake was definitely my favorite. It was one of those places where you read down the menu and you want to try everything. I will definitely go there again. There’s a nice area to sit outside

Judy W.

I found out Bri Baru Japanese Izakaya style dining via Instagram, so I came and give it a try.

First I think the Izakaya-style needs to be noted…smaller portions (like Spanish tapa) but their food is not the traditional kind. I feel it’s a modern fusion (like Nakiryu in Tokyo), not like the very traditional Japanese Izakaya ones. And of course there are plenty of alcoholic beverages and non alcoholic ones.

The place is clean with Individual backless stool chairs on one side and long bench style seating on the other. Outdoor seating is available, beautifully decorated. It is a bakery from 8am-3pm and then Wed-Sun from 5-9pm becomes the Izakaya cafe.

We had Japanese fish (Aji/jack mackerel) & chips, wagyu dan dan udon noodles, half size premium beef Don and half Mt. Fuji Caesar Salad. My husband also had a wagyu beef taco, but I didn’t have any because it was a little spicy than my preference. All had that clean and flavor tastes, very good. The dan dan noodle description says spicy but it was not at all. I only wish they’d give me a spoon so I could have noodles with the the minced meat and creamy soup together.

It is not cheap because it is a place that focuses on high quality ingredients (quality > quantity). I would go back try other small dishes as well as their daytime menu.