Sweet Melissa's is a local favorite. It's a quaint and cozy cafe with the warmest staff. Here, you'll find the most creatively delicious freshly baked pastries--from pistachio cream cruffins, raspberry Nutella croissants, Gruyère zucchini croissants... the list goes on. I'm gluten free, so I do wish there were more baked goods and menu options for GF folks like me. Nevertheless, the bakery's flourless chocolate torte and the kitchen's All Day Breakfast Salad are both to-die for. I probably eat the Breakfast Salad weekly. Sweet Melissa's coffee bar is also wonderful. I tend to opt for a cappuccino with an extra shot. Whether you're looking for a quick coffee pitstop, sweet treats for the family, or an unforgettable brunch, Sweet Melissa's is a 10/10 choice.

What a happy find. Everything has been delicious so far and that was one of the best caneles I ever had.

My sister and I stopped in to try an array of pastries from the case and were amazed by them all. Canelles are my favorite pastries so I had to try one from here, a large size with the most delicious vanilla custard flavor inside. We had the mushroom and cheddar brioche with the most flavorful caramelized onions in the center, definitely our favorite! We also got a ham and cheese croissant and a Nutella raspberry croissant which were so light, fluffy and buttery. The staff was so kind, explaining what each item was and super patient while we made our choices because we honestly wanted everything! Lol I will definitely be back to eat my way through the pastry case as well as for a sit down meal as the menu looks wonderful. Highly recommend making a trip, totally worth it!

Stopped in on a late weekday morning for coffee and pastries to go. Warm inviting spot. Staff was friendly and helpful. Excellent selection of muffins, donuts, cupcakes, cakes and croissants. Got a couple of cupcakes (Halloween themed), which were moist and flavorful. Also, raspberry croissant, which was buttery, crisp and very puffy. A fair amount of raspberry, overall excellent. This place has a full sit down restaurant which I'll definitely try in the future. A very short ride from I-78, seems like a good place to stop coming / going to PA.

This place is amazing! I don't even know where to start! This place welcomed a person like me that struggled in life for a long time with drugs, anxiety, depression and had no hope! Long story short they gave me a second chance by hiring me and giving me an opportunity to provide for my son! First I was the dish washer, then I worked my way up to a prep then became the head chef for two years. And when I decide I wanted to move on with a new career they have been supper supporting and proud of the person am growing into! MRS MELISSA AND CHRIS are a blessing to this community and to my family! I LOVE THEM AND MOST IMPORTANTLY I LOVE THEIR ESTABLISHMENTS! SWEET MELISSA'S is one of the BEST PLACE TO COME EAT WITH THE FAMILY! MRS MELISSA IS AN AMAZING BAKER! EVERYTHING SHE DOSE AND PUT ON THE MENU IS FIRE! The FOOD IS AMAZING AND THE STAFF IS AMAZING!

Consistently exceptional. The pastries are creative and decadent. The croissants are simply the best. I have never had anything I didn't absolutely love here, breakfast or lunch. Have gotten burgers and quiches normally but branched out a bit today. Got the croque madame was rich and delicious. The cheese was melty and the mornay sauce rich. The egg on top was very slightly overdone for me but that is a very minor nit. I like mine super runny. Very, very good fries as well. My wife had brie and fig grilled cheese sherry wild mushroom soup that she enjoyed immensely. Definitely a consistently wonderful experience every single time.

***4 1/2 stars*** Sweet Melissa has been getting a ton of buzz over the past couple of years, to the point where I convinced my chum Jeffrey to drive out of his way on the way up for Thanksgiving last year to get one of their chocolate bourbon pecan pies I saw on their online menu. Literally the best pecan pie I've ever had, which is saying something given that a) I've had a ton of pecan pies and b) by the time I get to pie on Thanksgiving I'm usually feeling too disgusting to enjoy it. It's definitely not just me either, since this place is regularly appearing on a lot of top lists in the area and state overall. So when I realized I'd be less than 10 minutes from here at the end of my hike last weekend, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to visit and experience the sit-down service as well. As a born and bred creature from the Kingdom of Hunterdon, I can tell you a lot of positives about the area. Its food scene is pretty abysmal though, and it's rare that I ever go out of my way to endorse one of its restaurants. As an example, there's a sushi place close to my hometown that is incredibly mediocre and has sky-high reviews because the residents literally have never been to another sushi place. This place actually matches the hype though. I stopped by around mid-afternoon, about an hour before the kitchen closed. (I was looking nervously at my watch during the tail-end of my hike, knowing that time was not my friend for this one). It's very easy to find/spot, just off Route 31 S about two minutes past North Hunterdon High School. It's located in a newer strip mall with tons of parking available. Once I walked in, a waitress showed up within 30 seconds or so to direct me to a table in the room off to the right, away from the bakery area (which was probably a blessing in disguise). I can't find my main entree on the online menu, but it was an incredible breakfast sandwich, featuring a croissant, garlic aioli, eggs, avocado, gruyere cheese and thick cut bacon. Absolutely one of the best and certainly classiest breakfast sandwiches I've ever had, and it was enormous. The garlic aioli is a gamechanger for this, adding a delicious savory zest to the proceedings. As soon as I saw it, I knew it probably wasn't the best idea to also order the bread with raspberry compote - that was perfectly fine but I wasn't able to finish it/do it justice. I think they could have put a LITTLE more avocado on this (I had to get creative to ensure it was in more bites), but that's a dictionary definition nitpick. The lavender latte was solid as well. The only blemish was a bit of a service issue. My waiter was VERY nice and stopped by frequently. However, he didn't bring over a pad to take down my order, which wouldn't have been an issue except he had to come back sheepishly to confirm what entree I wanted (not a huge deal, but verification that he should be writing the information down to avoid inefficiencies/potential mistakes). The bigger problem though was that I actually ordered a salted caramel tart, not the peanut butter one. I was honestly in an ambivalent mood about them (they're similar taste profiles AND look close to identical in the display counter), which is why I didn't give pushback on it, but it once again went back to the fact that basic hospitality 101 is getting the orders right. That goes to the core fundamentals of a restaurant, so it's something I'd emphasize in training going forward, especially since the other service aspects (demeanor, turnaround time, etc.) were great. Especially given that the food I've had here on various occasions has been off-the-charts good, this is still one of the best places in the county I've been to. They're tantalizing close to a perfect experience if they just tighten the reins a little (yes, I decided to use a horse reference as a Hunterdon homage. You're welcome).

When I first found this place about a month ago, which coincided with my "healthy lifestyle eating change," I told my wife that I had found the Devil, and it was just about 7 minutes from our home. Sweet Melissa is the Devil. The most exquisite pastries, cakes, tarts, donuts, croissants, sandwiches, soups, savory and sweet tastes made with love and fresh, wholesome ingredients. The setting is bistro style and just cozy enough to have an intimate lunch with 2-3 friends or pick-up what you want at the counter and take home to gorge on like a fiend. You can even call ahead and order sweets they will pack up and have ready for you!

I love finding gems like this, it's just the perfect brunch spot. If you come on the weekend, be prepared to wait! It will be absolutely worth it, I promise!! PRO TIP, if you see something you want to try in the display case, get it!! They will get sold and you will be out of luck. We got here on a Sunday morning and told that there would be a 30 minute wait for a table. I checked out the display case and decided to just order them once we sit down. Oh what a mistake that was!! All of the savory danishes and croissants were promptly sold within the next 5 minutes! I did managed to get the last ham & cheese croissant. It was spectacular. The wait for a table was about 30-40 min, and the wait for food was another 30 min or more as there is only one chef working. I would highly recommend getting a pre-brunch snack from the bakery to tide you over. However, as I mentioned, the wait was absolutely worth it as the food was really really good. The butternut squash soup had a hint of curry to offset the sweetness while the steak was perfectly cooked. Meanwhile the blueberry pancake can give Clinton Street Baking Company a run for its money. So fluffy and airy. Despite the slowness of the food, the service was impeccable, so friendly and attentive. I also left with a number of delicious pastries for later, including the absolutely amazing raspberry Nutella croissant, Boston cream donut, sour cherry & dark chocolate cookies and two mini tarts. Can't wait to go back!!