At 9900 Greenback Lane, the patio looks over Lake Natoma toward Rainbow Bridge. People have known that view for years from lunch, sunset cocktails or a live set at Crawdads on the Lake. As of this month the same view comes with a cappuccino and a waffle at 8 a.m.
That's the shared thread in Folsom's fall food news. Lakeside Cafe at Crawdads, Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie on Iron Point Road and The Breakfast Club at Midtown in Broadstone Marketplace all serve the morning. None of them opened in a space built for mornings. One is a waterfront property known for cocktails and concerts. One is a former Mexican bar and grill. One is a former burger counter. So Folsom's breakfast map got redrawn over addresses people already link to later hours, and two of the three are now done for the day by 2 p.m.
Three addresses, three former lives
The table shows each building's old use next to its new one.
| Spot | Address | What the space was known for | Reported hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeside Cafe | 9900 Greenback Lane, at Crawdads on the Lake | Waterfront dining, cocktails, live music | Daily, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie | 400 Iron Point Road, near Folsom Premium Outlets | Former Mariachi Mexican Bar & Grill | Soft opening, Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| The Breakfast Club at Midtown | 2750 E. Bidwell St., Suite 100, Broadstone Marketplace | Former Five Guys | Not published for Folsom |
The two schedules that are published both end at 2 p.m. That tells you how these businesses plan to use their rooms. They're breakfast and lunch operations sitting in buildings that were designed around the dinner rush.
At the lake, the morning plan finally showed up
The Crawdads property took the longest to get here. When Folsom Times reported in March 2024 that the former Cliff House of Folsom would become Crawdads on the Lake, the plans already included a café area and a full-service restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. For the next two and a half years the place built its name on the later part of the day: waterfront dining, live music and afternoon get-togethers.
Lakeside Cafe finishes that original plan. Folsom Times reported on Oct. 14 that the grand opening was set for Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 8 a.m., with free coffee for the first 50 guests. After that, the cafe planned to open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The menu covers breakfast and lunch, along with coffee, specialty drinks, pastries and bagels. Promotional photos showed waffles topped with berries and whipped cream, egg-and-avocado dishes and croissants. Inside, the cafe has exposed wood beams, natural wood finishes and greenery hanging from the ceiling, with a large ordering counter and casual seating. The outdoor area looks across the water to Rainbow Bridge.
The view is the same one Crawdads has always sold, and the cafe gets it at a different hour.
On Iron Point Road, a bar and grill became a pâtisserie
Estelle shows the same pattern from another angle. It's a well-known Sacramento bakery going into a building that served a very different kind of meal. The Folsom shop is at 400 Iron Point Road, in the former Mariachi Mexican Bar & Grill, which went through an extensive renovation first. The Sacramento Business Journal reported on Oct. 16 that a soft opening was scheduled to start that day, with soft-opening hours of Tuesday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Folsom is Estelle's fourth location. The others are in Arden-Arcade, Davis and Sacramento's Downtown Commons. Folsom Times reported that owner Esther Son founded the bakery in 2011 and had wanted to come to Folsom for years. Executive Pastry Chef Gregory Doyen, a Burgundy native, runs the pastry program.
What Folsom gains from the building swap is space. This is a standalone building with parking and outdoor space, which Folsom Times noted sets it apart from some of Estelle's other locations. If you've stood in line at Downtown Commons, that difference will matter.
At its existing locations, Estelle's café menu runs from French toast and sourdough tartines to quiche, soups and salads, plus sandwiches like a croque monsieur with French ham, béchamel and Gruyère, and prosciutto and Brie on a baguette. The pastry cases at those shops carry croissants, macarons, tarts and specialty cakes. During the soft opening, the Folsom case may carry a shorter list.
At Broadstone, a former Five Guys now serves pancakes
The third address finishes the pattern on East Bidwell Street. In September the Bel Air-anchored Broadstone Marketplace got two new restaurants in one week, and both moved into spaces that had served other kinds of food. The Sacramento Business Journal reported that The Breakfast Club at Midtown planned a soft opening in the former Five Guys space at 2750 E. Bidwell St., Suite 100. That same week, Palette Dim Sum & Lounge started its own soft opening at Suite 600, the former Saigon Alley Kitchen + Bar space, and required reservations for it.
The Breakfast Club's website now lists the Folsom location as open. It doesn't give Folsom hours, so check before you go. The company says it has spent more than 30 years in the Bay Area. Folsom is its first location in this region, and a Midtown Sacramento location is also planned.
On the menu, the restaurant calls its pancakes signature dishes. Two stand out: Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Pancakes and Tiramisu Pancakes. There's also a crab cake Benedict, a Chicken & Waffle with four pieces of bone-in chicken, and Blueberry Cream French Toast topped with cream cheese frosting and blueberry compote.
Of the three, this is the full sit-down breakfast. It's also the only one in a shopping center, so it fits easily into a weekend grocery run at Bel Air.
Matching the spot to the morning
All three got opening dates this fall, and they suit different mornings.
- Coffee with a view, any day of the week: Lakeside Cafe, the only one of the three with a published seven-day schedule.
- A pastry box or a quiche lunch, Tuesday through Saturday: Estelle, while soft-opening hours are in effect.
- Pancakes for a table of four: The Breakfast Club at Midtown at Broadstone.
The lake spot also works well with a walk. The California State Parks trail map for Lake Natoma shows the Lake Natoma Bike Path and the South Lake Natoma Multi-use Trail around Greenback Lane and the lake. The map is several years old, so use it for route names and check current trail conditions with State Parks before heading out. Coffee at 8 and a loop near Rainbow Bridge leaves plenty of time before the 2 p.m. close.
The 2 p.m. close is the main thing to plan around. A lazy Saturday that starts at noon only leaves about two hours at Lakeside Cafe or Estelle, and Estelle's soft-opening schedule leaves out Sunday and Monday.
The next round is already lined up
Folsom's next big batch of openings will look different, because most of it is going into a center that's still being built. Alder Creek Marketplace, at the southwest corner of Alder Creek Parkway and East Bidwell Street in Folsom Ranch, is a 95,000-square-foot center anchored by Safeway. DesCor reported in June that its first businesses could open in the first half of 2027. Announced tenants include Paris Baguette, and Folsom Times also named Jersey Mike's Subs, Chipotle Mexican Grill, SAFE Credit Union and Jetset Pilates.
The Historic District also has a move coming. Folsom Times reported on Oct. 7 that Ruby's Books plans to move from 724 Sutter St. to the former Fire and Rain Gallery at 705 Sutter St. The target is sometime in 2027, pending approvals and construction.
Until then, Folsom's new mornings are happening at three addresses it already knew: 9900 Greenback Lane, 400 Iron Point Road and 2750 E. Bidwell St.
New breakfast spots like these change how a part of town is used day to day, and that affects how homes nearby compare. Rajan George follows Folsom one address at a time. If you'd like to know how your home compares as these streets change, ask for a free home valuation.
