For years, Crawdads on the Lake has been a Folsom afternoon address. People go there for waterfront dining, cocktails, live music and afternoon gatherings beside Lake Natoma. Folsom Times put it plainly: the property "has built its reputation around waterfront dining, cocktails and live entertainment." Folsom Times
As of this week, the same waterfront property opens at 8 a.m. Over on Iron Point Road near the outlets, a Sacramento French bakery has rebuilt a former Mexican restaurant on Iron Point Road. Its owner picked the site because it has room for people walking dogs and riding bikes. These two openings land in the same October, and they point the same way. The Lake Natoma side of Folsom is getting breakfast. That matters most on the late-fall weekends when regattas and trail races decide which mornings at the water are calm and which are packed.
Crawdads Adds a Morning Shift
Lakeside Cafe was scheduled to hold its grand opening Tuesday, Oct. 20, at 8 a.m., at 9900 Greenback Lane. The plan is to stay open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., which gives the property a breakfast and early-lunch window ahead of the lunch, dinner and entertainment Crawdads is known for.
The outdoor seating looks across the water toward the greenery and the Rainbow Bridge. Inside, Folsom Times describes exposed wood beams, natural wood finishes, greenery hanging from the ceiling and a large ordering counter.
The menu covers:
- Coffee and specialty drinks
- Pastries, bagels and croissants
- Breakfast plates, including egg-and-avocado dishes
- Waffles topped with berries and whipped cream
- Lunch selections for the late end of the 2 p.m. window
The opening-day offer was free coffee for the first 50 guests on Oct. 20. By the time you read this, that offer is over. The 8 a.m. start every day of the week is the part that lasts.
Estelle Chose Iron Point Road for the Patio
The second opening comes from a bakery with a long history in the region. Esther Son founded Estelle Bakery & Pâtisserie in 2011. It already has locations on Arden Way, in downtown Sacramento and in Davis. The Folsom shop is at 400 Iron Point Road near the Folsom Premium Outlets, in the former Mariachi Mexican Bar & Grill building, which got an extensive renovation first.
The reason for the site connects it to Crawdads. According to Folsom Times, Son had wanted to expand into Folsom for years. The Iron Point property appealed because it had room for an outdoor area "where customers walking dogs, riding bikes or simply spending time in the area could stop and relax." The standalone building also has parking and outdoor space that some of Estelle's other locations don't.
Lakeside Cafe's selling point is a patio facing Lake Natoma and the Rainbow Bridge. Estelle's is a patio sized for dog walkers and cyclists. Both openings this October are built around people who are already outside in the morning.
As of mid-October, Estelle's website listed the Folsom location as "opening soon," and the bakery's social media updates pointed to an October opening. The company had not posted an exact date. Check estellebakery.com before you plan a weekend stop around it.
Estelle's pastry program is run by Executive Pastry Chef Gregory Doyen. A native of France's Burgundy region, he trained at Culinary College Le Castel and the École Nationale Supérieure de la Pâtisserie, and has worked at Le Grand Véfour in Paris. Based on the existing locations, here's what to expect:
| If you want | Estelle's existing menu offers |
|---|---|
| A quick pastry after a ride | Butter, almond, chocolate, ham-and-cheese, pear and strawberry croissants; danishes; pain au raisin; brioche doughnuts |
| A sit-down breakfast | Vanilla bean and strawberry French toast, or a version with caramelized bananas, cream cheese, pecans and house caramel |
| Lunch | Quiche, tartines like Korean beef or smoked salmon with avocado, a croque monsieur with French ham and Gruyère |
| Something to take home | Baguettes; traditional, cheese, olive and cranberry pecan sourdough; macarons; tarts; whole cakes |
Estelle hasn't said whether the Folsom shop will also offer the catering or the afternoon tea service available at its Arden location.
The Lake Has Its Own Weekend Schedule
New breakfast spots near the water only help if the water and trails are open the morning you go. Between now and mid-November, the California State Parks special events calendar for Folsom Lake State Recreation Area lists several events on and around Lake Natoma. Some of them close specific stretches.
| Date | Event | Where | What's listed as closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri.–Sat., Oct. 23–24 | Head of the American rowing regatta | Nimbus Flat and Lake Natoma | Nimbus Flat; Lake Natoma from Nimbus Flat to Folsom Crossing |
| Sat., Oct. 24 | Foothill Food & Wine Festival | Palladio | Not a lake event |
| Sat.–Sun., Nov. 7–8 | Rio Del Lago run | Lake Natoma park units, Beals Point, Granite Bay, Rattlesnake Bar | None listed |
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Run the Parkway | Lake Natoma park units, American River Bike Trail, South Lake Natoma Bike Path | American River Bike Trail and South Lake Natoma Bike Path, 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. |
Head of the American is the biggest of these. The state calendar lists all-day activity on both days and an expected 1,800 participants. The listed closure covers Nimbus Flat and the water between Nimbus Flat and Folsom Crossing. If you usually paddle or launch from Nimbus Flat on weekends, that's the weekend to go somewhere else.
Nov. 8 has a clearer cutoff for anyone on wheels or on foot. From 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Run the Parkway closes the American River Bike Trail and the South Lake Natoma Bike Path, with about 1,300 participants listed. Lakeside Cafe's posted hours run until 2 p.m. On that Sunday, a late breakfast after the path reopens fits inside the cafe's window. An early ride on the south side does not.
Saturday, Oct. 24, Splits Between the Water and Palladio
The regatta's second day is also the day Choose Folsom brings the Foothill Food & Wine Festival back to Palladio. More than 40 Sierra Foothill wineries are expected to pour, along with bites from culinary partners and live entertainment. This year's theme is "Better Together." Folsom Times described the festival as an afternoon event.
So that Saturday has all-day rowing on Lake Natoma and an afternoon of wine at Palladio. A breakfast stop that closes at 2 p.m. fits before the festival. It's the first big weekend where Folsom's new morning options and its established afternoon events overlap.
Nov. 7 Moves Part of the Weekend to Sutter Street
Two weeks later, Saturday, Nov. 7, is busy too. Rio Del Lago starts in the Lake Natoma park units that day, and the Historic Folsom Ice Rink opens its 2026/2027 season. According to the Historic Folsom ice rink page, the season runs Nov. 7 through Jan. 18, and tickets went on sale Oct. 14. Ticket links, skate sessions and special event days are posted there.
Historic Folsom has dated its official Community Christmas Tree Lighting for Friday, Dec. 4, at the Historic Folsom Ice Rink Plaza and Historic Sutter Street. That leaves about four weeks of skating before the tree lighting. Opening weekend also lines up with Run the Parkway, which closes the bike paths that Sunday morning.
A Fall Morning Plan by Weekend
Putting the dates and hours together:
- Any day from Oct. 20 on. Lakeside Cafe opens at 8 a.m. daily.
- Oct. 23–24. Expect regatta activity at Nimbus Flat and on Lake Natoma from Nimbus Flat to Folsom Crossing. On Saturday, the Foothill Food & Wine Festival takes over the afternoon at Palladio.
- Nov. 7. Rio Del Lago starts in the Lake Natoma park units, and the Historic Folsom Ice Rink opens.
- Nov. 8. The American River Bike Trail and South Lake Natoma Bike Path close until 12:30 p.m. Lakeside Cafe stays open until 2 p.m.
- Whenever Estelle posts its date. 400 Iron Point Road adds a patio stop near the outlets, set up for dog walkers and cyclists.
Our team follows openings like Lakeside Cafe and Estelle because they change how a Folsom weekend works. When you're ready to hear what a home near Lake Natoma and these new morning spots is worth, Turner DeMarco + Friedman is happy to walk you through it. Get Your Free Home Valuation.
