Ad Astra in Carmel Valley is open and already establishing itself as a local favorite.

The menu is small but mighty. Tinned fish can be paired with freshly baked sourdough, herbed focaccia with drizzled olive oil, or a French baguette. The shelves are decorated with bread knives and books about food. The ceilings are high; it smells of bread and pastries, and tables are often filled with locals chatting or reading alongside a cup of coffee.

Ad Astra’s second location officially opened the first week of June, to great anticipation from locals and a steady stream of business since. After the Beerded Bean shut down in late 2024, many were hoping for something similar to take its place. Ad Astra—hugely popular during the pandemic and growing significantly since—expanded beyond its original Monterey location with “Ad Astra Atelier” in Carmel Valley.

“It’s been so busy,” says Cody Alias, manager of the Carmel Valley location. “The community support has been really nice.”

All of the baked goods sold at this location are still done by hand, delivered fresh daily from their downtown bakery. He adds that the "vibe" in Carmel Valley feels more local compared to their Monterey location. One man, he says, comes in a few times a week to work on his book, spreading out with his papers, a cup of coffee and a pastry.

The breakfast menu (available until 11am) includes a yogurt and granola bowl, oatmeal topped with ricotta, fruit, and Ad Astra's seeded granola, toasties with avocado and chili or ricotta and fruit, and breakfast "sandos" with your choice of egg and bacon, smoked salmon, or cucumber and avocado. For lunch: salads topped with squash panzanella or a classic Caesar with chicken; or snag a Jamon au Beurre (made with rosemary ham) or Italiano sando. 

The tinned fish selection includes smoked salmon with Sichuan chili crisp, mussels in basil pesto, or slow-smoked mackerel in olive oil—served with freshly grilled bread of your choosing.

The Carmel Valley location’s name, Atelier (French for “a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer”), reflects the space itself: open and breezy, with more room to sit, mingle and relax.

Alias says there is hope to renovate, but no timeline has been set. “We want to focus on meeting the community’s current needs with this coffee shop as is, for the time being.”

Ad Astra still sells its baked goods at the Carmel and Pacific Grove farmers markets. But, with the opening of the Carmel Valley location, they no longer sell at the Carmel Valley farmers market.

Ad Astra Atelier. 319 Mid Valley Center, Carmel Valley. 7am-3pm Thursday-Monday, closed Tuesday/Wednesday. adastrabread.com