South Park European Cafe to Double Up in North Park

Café Madeleine, which first opened on 30th Street in South Park in 2010, is planning to put a new neighborhood bistro in North Park.

North Park Scene says Café Madeleine will land at the corner of El Cajon Boulevard and Utah Street, next to the San Diego Soup Shoppe.

Owner Christine Perez, whose husband, Jerome Gombert, ran the nearby French-inspired Vagabond until it sold to Brabant Bar & Café in 2013, told Eater that her remodel of the 1,300-square-foot space should be completed by late May and cited the lack of breakfast spots in North Park as the impetus for their expansion.

The modern, European-influenced cafe, which specializes in crepes, panini and quiche, will have a stand-up coffee bar and a larger kitchen that will enable the cafe do all their baking in-house and expand the menu to add more salads and a grab-and-go deli counter with a focus on organic ingredients; master French chef Patrick Ponsaty (Bellamy's) is the cafe's consultant.

Perez hopes to extend their hours of operation to include evenings and brunch service and is looking into a beer and wine license; she says there may be more Café Madeleine locations in the work, including Orange County.

San Diego Soup Shoppe