Bakerie & Latte Chateau Arme

This is the best bakery. This is not a place that I would go to if I were in a rush. It can be very busy and sometimes there is a long line… but worth the wait! Everything that Helen creates it absolutely delicious. You can tell she works so hard! My favorites are the muffins and zucchini bread! LOVE Château Arme!

This place is a hidden El Dorado Hills gem. Delicious scones and cookies, decadent desserts, incredible sandwiches on homemade bread, and soul-​warming soups. I recommend the tuna salad, it’s not sweet like most places, but has a nice flavor to it. The owner, Helen, has been running this shop for years and for dedication to handcrafted food excellence shows.

****UPDATED 3/​11/​16****
Alright — last time coming here. I read these reviews and always wonder how they think the owner is so friendly? I can tell English is her second language, but she is ALWAYS grumpy & comes off as rude. Today, after waiting at the counter for a while, she walks from the back room and says «what do you want»… I tell her I’d like a cinnamon mocha (the flavored syrups are visible, so I know they have it), and she says «do we have cinnamon?!». Well, it’s your business & you can take 2 seconds to turn around and check to see if you have that flavor… the bottle is half-​used, so I’m sure you’ve made it before.
Jeeze. A smile and a thank-​you go a long way. I’m sorry you are apparently not wanting business /​always seem to have a bad day.
The coffee is good, and the pastries are good… but so not worth the gloomy feeling you get when you walk into this place & the bad attitude you receive while trying to support local small businesses.
Previous Review:
Kind of sad to update my review to a lower rating, but I’ve given this place enough chances to redeem itself and prove it’s a nice place to visit, but it always seems to let me down.
This morning (8:30am) I stopped by on my way from El Dorado Hills to Granite Bay, and I was the only person in line — yet I still had to wait 5 minutes for someone to come out from the back to acknowledge me. I know the sign on the door says «Help Wanted», but it’s still not an excuse to make your customers wait around thinking nobody is there. Also, there were only a couple of muffins readily available, and not a single thing in the pastry case. I’m wishing them the best, hoping they sold out of everything this Friday morning, but it doesn’t look like anything was even put in the case yet (and I think they open at 6am). Now I’ll have to grab some pastries in Granite Bay somewhere.
Oh… It also seems to be a common occurrence that whoever is working doesn’t appreciate the business the customers give. Don’t come walking from the back room and give me a look like «what do you want» (without saying a single word), especially if you are the one making your customers wait forever. I apologize for giving my business.
However, the coffee is great. Unfortunately I’ve never been able to try a pastry here. They look delicious, but I always feel rushed to get out of the line.

I’ve started going here on Sunday mornings to get a cinnamon roll or pecan cinnamon roll. They are both deliciousness. I only gave them 4 stars because I wish they had a little better coffee. The coffee is not bad but I’m kind of a coffee snob and I wish it was higher quality. It would be an unbeatable combo to have killer coffee with the excellent pastries they have. Stay away if you’re on a diet or if you’ve got an addictive personality. It’s like crack

Went back today and Helen smiled at me when I said I had to try her notoriously delicious chicken sandwich. Wow, they were great. I ordered mine on focaccia (mustard, alfalfa sprouts, red onions, lettuce) while my other ordered his on a croissant. Actually, he told me he ordered tuna but was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be chicken as well. Both were $ 8.50 and included either a bag of chips or pasta salad. We brought the treats home and I added cashews to the salad and sandwich and couldn’t stop eating even though I was full. I recommend this place 100%.

We have been here many times, family lives up the street. We have tried all the scones, and the raspberry scones are by far the best! The cinnamon rolls are decent too. I don’t like how it takes over 5 minutes to make a chai latte, but as long as I am not in a hurry its fine. Service is pretty hit or miss too.

One of the best lunch deals in the area. Sandwiches with pasta salad can’t be beat. Baked goods are always fresh. Love the experience every time I visit. Highly recommend.

I’ve been coming here since I was a little girl. Everything from the scones to the croissants to the lunch menu is absolutely delicious. Helen has been the head lady in charge for a long time and still remembers my face even after I’ve been gone at college. I have always looked for something that even comes close to this bakery and nothing compares.
This will forever be my favorite little spot in EDH.

Woke up nostalgic today, thinking of my parents long gone. This new town far from family and old friends. I wanted the chocolate cake of my childhood. Each bakery had a specialty but, I wanted a mousse, grand marnier chocolate cake with the correct consistency.
I found it! It almost brought me to tears! And, the bakery had the Swiss chocolate. Got both to take home.
The consistency and flavor’s are perfect!
Those of you out there looking for authentic European/​Swiss food. This is the place. She told me that she is going to have a German Christmas log, and will save one for me since I will be gone for the holidays. She is so sweet. I look forward to the Log, too.
It’s the holidays, best time for some European pastries, since it’s seasonal!
I am so happy!

I have been coming here for 20 years now and this has to be the best bakery in El Dorado Hills and Folsom. Helen’s baking is to die for… her scones, foccasia breads, sweet breads, sweet treats etc are just delicious. Besides, she also makes breakfast and delicious lunches and soups! In the fall and winter, she makes this amazing bread pudding topped with warm caramel sauce! It’s soooo yummy and I look forward to that ever winter. Her pecan cinnamon buns are also really good. I didn’t take a picture today but will post some in the future! Pls come and support our local bakery!

The food is amazing. In my book, the woman who owns and does the baking here is a top chef. Her pride in a job well done is evident in the high quality of the food produced. So many favorite things here it is tough to single any one out. Don’t waste your time at the Starbucks across the road, get yourself here and support a local, long time business. You will be glad you made the stop — breakfast or lunch or buy some goodies to take home.

Château Arme is my favorite place for breakfast and lunch. All of the pastries are unreal and the breakfast panini is awesome. Also the breakfasts she serves are so good. Way too much food!!! And the price is right. This bakery is such a gem and we in EDH are lucky to have it. It’s the best!

This place is one of my favorite spots in El Dorado Hills! The food is always spectacular and fresh! The lady who owns it has a sort of magic touch for baking and it shows in every dish she makes! The service is great, most of the time. They’re coming around tho.

Great neighborhood bakery. Every morsel baked here has put a smile on all our faces. Cakes are 10 times better than any major food market in the area. Been coming here for over 10 years and we love it.

I meant well by supporting local business while traveling, but this quite possibly the worst almond croissant I ever had in my life! Flat, bready, flavorless, etc. Better pastries across the street at Peets, Starbucks, or even Safeway!

I’ve tried the sandwiches, muffins, lemon cake and cookies. All good. Coffee is also good and piping hot. Can’t go wrong here.

Helen is the owner and chef; you will not be disappointed with anything! She is an inspiration to the food industry itself. Thank you Helen for every time you have filled me with your amazing breakfast panini’s, zucchini bread and of course your awesome soups/​salad!

We stopped by here to try some pastries on our way down to Folsom Lake and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of food! The other 5-​star Unilocalers have it right! We bought a Lemon Poppy Seed Scone and a Bear Claw. Both were delicious and went great with coffee! The only complaint (and it is a minor one…) is the Scone didn’t remind me of scone so much as it did a muffin. The texture was very moist and delicious, don’t get me wrong, but I usually expect a more «biscuity» texture from a scone. The Bear Claw, on the other hand, was fantastic! Super flaky, buttery pastry with delicious cinnamon filling and a delightful marscapone flavor, topped with the perfect amount of glaze. Highly recommended!

I had the chicken sandwich on whole wheat bread, it was delicious. Served with pasta salad in a light vineagrette with squash, carrots, and garlic. Everything was fresh and the bread was so delicious, dense and full of flavor. The chicken is a blend of fresh breast meat with celery and walnuts.
My mother bought a cream puff which is filled with a fresh whipped cream. We also selected an apricot scone and a raspberry scone for later. Both are made with a light scone base, not dense or dry like any other scone you have ever tried.
This is a must try place. It’s small and by the end of the day they may sell out. The selection varies by the day. I just love it here.

For lunch today we had the Chinese chicken salad — it was the best salad that we ever had. The decadence chocolate cake was out of this world. The cookies were big and melted in our mouth. Best lunch ever!!!