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BEST FRENCH BAKERY IN THE EAST BAY! I love this place. I’ve only been here twice but entering the bakery was like entering a small patisserie in France. So many scrumptious items to eat. It was overwhelming. I could’ve eaten pretty much everything that they had. And the things I did get word incredibly good. I highly recommend this place for anyone with a predilection for French bakery. FOOD: well of course they got me to come in because this place features galette des rois which is a special French pastry only made during the month of January. It celebrates the Epiphany or Three Kings Day and it is such a beautiful and delicate tasting delight. The one that they have here is better than almost every one I have ever had. And that includes the ones I have had in France! They have a nice variety of both savory and sweet items, mostly breakfast items. My croque was not hot but nothing a few seconds in the microwave could not fix. We also got a number of other pastries and they were expertly made. If you like French pastries which tend to be a little bit less sweet bunch more flaky in buttery, you’ll really like the selection here. SERVICE: Excellent! The owner is not only talented at baking but is also incredibly nice. So is the staff. They are really helpful especially with trying to figure out what is in each item. If you are unfamiliar with European baking terms or types, they are more than willing to help you find one that will be a good fit for you. Plus it’s just super yummy. It is obvious that they care a lot about their products and want you to enjoy. COST: reasonable. If you are used to paying $.75 for a donut, you might be a little bit shocked. But for this type of pastry, they are reasonable even if the quality was not as good as it is. But since it is so good, I think it’s more than fair to pay the price they ask. On average each pastry cost about four dollars. However some of the fancier ones like the galette des rois cost more. All in all it is a worthwhile investment.

• Fleur du Jour – Menu with Prices – 603 St Clair Ave W, Toronto
• Fuji Bakery-Bellevue Menu with Prices 699 120th Ave NE #3009, Bellevue
• Cameli’s Pastry and Café – Menu with Prices – 119 Dundas St, London
• Iggy’s Bread – Menu with Prices – 130 Fawcett St, Cambridge
• Milagrito Market and Bakery – Menu with Prices – 10705 Courthouse Rd, Fredericksburg
• Bakery Panaderia La Gloria – Menu with Prices – 2120 Broadway, Everett
• Pandorée Restaurant – Bakery – Bar – Menu with Prices – 195 NW 36th St #3107, Miami
• Juarez Bakery – Menu with Prices – 1068 N Waco Ave, Wichita
• PANCHITO’S BAKERY “PANADERIA” – Menu with Prices – 9537 Q St, Omaha
• Tango Pastry Menu with Prices 6100 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria
• La Creacion Bakery – Menu with Prices – 11258 W Hillsborough Ave, Tampa
• Auspicious Baking Company – Menu with Prices – 5224 Skidaway Rd, Savannah

Fleur du Jour – Menu with Prices – 603 St Clair Ave W, Toronto

This quaint little French patisserie was recently opened by a nice couple who lived in France for many years. Upon walking in I was greeted by the the wife who was happy to walk me through the selection of little cakes and pastries that they offer. She explained that her husband was trained as a pastry chef in France. When I arrived at 4:30pm, they had a limited selection of cakes and an even more limited selection of croissants. I opted to purchase the Rocher (similar in appearance to a Ferraro Rocher except made with almonds), the donut tatin (a beautiful pastry that looks like a donut with a gorgeous caramel glaze and apples and pastry crust inside), a passion fruit cheesecake (one of the gluten free options), and a butter croissant. The donut tatin had a nice crunchy pastry crust and apple filling. However I found it much too sweet for my palate. Perhaps if less caramel was used or the white chocolate stripe around the finished pastry was eliminated, this would be a better in my opinion. The passion fruit cheesecake had a lightly sweet, milk chocolate and crispy rice cereal base, a tart passion fruit gelee centre, and a creamy cheesecake dome with a generous drizzle of the same passion fruit gelee. Although also on the sweet side, I appreciated the tartness of the fruit flavour which helped balance the creaminess and crunchiness found in the various components of the cheesecake. The butter croissant was light, flaky and delicious. Sadly I was looking forward to trying their almond croissant. Although I didn’t get to taste the Rocher, my in laws tell me it had a similar puffed rice/chocolate base with a chocolate and mocha mousse that was overall less sweet than the donut tatin. The cafe seats 11 people (including 3 child sized chairs at a children’s sized table). While it lacks the polished packaging of other established bakeries and lacks the wow factor in physical space, the pastries and cakes stand up in terms of appearance and flavour. I also appreciate the gluten free options (which seems atypical for a French patisserie) and the focus on seasonal type ingredients whenever available. On weekends they carry savoury pastries and a limited selection of full sized cakes. I will definitely be back as it’s only slightly off my home bound route from work, as I’m very interested in trying their almond croissant. 3.75 stars

Fuji Bakery-Bellevue Menu with Prices 699 120th Ave NE #3009, Bellevue

Recently Fuji Bakery returned back to Bellevue opening up a kiosk storefront inside Uwajimaya next to Ellenos Greek Yogurt. With this new shop opening, Bellevue again has a Japanese bakery. It doesn’t seem like they do baking at this location, so the selection is more limited than you will find at the International District store. At this location, you will find a selection of cakes, macarons, pastries and Japanese style sandwiches at reasonable prices. Also, you can find their shokupan in the bread aisle at Uwajimaya. On a grocery shopping trip, I picked up a couple pastries to go for a Sunday morning breakfast. I noticed that Fuji is now offering malasadas, so I had to give them a try being a Hawaii native. Ordered a malasada ($1.50) and a custard bun ($2.25). I enjoyed both pastries. The malasada here is good and is the closest in taste and texture to the ones at Leonard’s in Honolulu. The only knock was that they were not fresh out of the oven and hot which is the best time to eat them. The custard bun was delicious with a nice thick cream filling inside. It is great to have a Japanese bakery again in Bellevue. I would like to see a better selection of baked goods to choose from here, but happy enough with their presence at Uwajimaya.

Cameli’s Pastry and Café – Menu with Prices – 119 Dundas St, London

It really was just okay. Pretty sure 99% of the rave reviews are friends and family, which hey is cool but I donâ??t want people to be misled. The coffee is good because they use O-Joe but the pastries (both sweet and savoury) were bland and did not taste fresh at all. I brought some home and reheated then in the oven and that made a slight difference. This is certainly nowhere near what you would expect from a good European pastry shop. I have yet to see one last very long here in London which is unfortunate because we are always on the lookout. If you want great pastry though, head down to Walnut Bakery (Richmond or Worley), everything is super fresh and delicious (no affiliations lol). Perhaps you can make some improvements in which case I am more than happy to try you again.

Iggy’s Bread – Menu with Prices – 130 Fawcett St, Cambridge

Not sure why some haven’t enjoyed Iggy’s croissants. Maybe they aren’t getting them directly from the Cambridge bakery? Maybe they’ve traveled too far (farmers’ market? cafe?) and are too old? Whatever the case: I lived in France. And the pain chocolate from Iggy’s is as good or better than the majority of the ones I ate outside of Paris. And they are as good as *many* of the croissants I ate in Paris. (NB: I think one of the reasons these pastries are so so good in France is that you’ll never eat one more than 2 or 3 hours old.) The butter croissants at Iggy’s are really nice, too, but I don’t have frame of reference to compare these with their French counterparts. The only other local place that does these similar justice is Athan’s in Brookline. I also love Iggy’s Francese bread, and my partner is nuts about their cranberry pecan rolls. Lastly: you won’t find a nicer bunch of bakers. If chocolate croissants are your thing, do yourself a favor and go get one!

Milagrito Market and Bakery – Menu with Prices – 10705 Courthouse Rd, Fredericksburg

Milagrito is all of the following: Mexican grocery, bakery, deli counter, and restaurant. The restaurant we did not try but is right beside the grocery store. The deli is all the way in the back and looked quite small. The bakery items are in the back as as well in a case. They did not offer a huge selection of bakery items but I think there were enough selections for a grocery place that is on the small side. Upon entering on a Saturday at 4pm, I could smell the bakery items and it smelled so divine I had to try one. It seems they were restocking the bakery shelves with fresh goodies because a guy came from the back with a huge tray of baked goods. I had what looked like a rectangular cake with two layers with a thin layer of jelly between the layers. It had pink sugar on top. It was slightly warm so that’s a good sign. It was soft and not too sweet but sweet enough. Since it was such a huge slice, I had some left over the next day and it was still soft. Also bought some limes (6 for $1) and some spicy mango lollipop candy. Spent around $3.

Bakery Panaderia La Gloria – Menu with Prices – 2120 Broadway, Everett

Pastries of all kinds are my heart’s delight, bordering on obsession, and I first must apologize deeply to all of you to whom pan dulce is a familiar comfort for the ungenerous flings I have made on occasion on the subject of Mexican baking. I based my judgment on the few dusty, crumbly conchas whose pastel shades nevertheless caught my eye in the plastic bins of ethnic groceries from here to California. Thanks to the wonderful Panaderia La Gloria, I now know this was like dismissing croissants in general based on a few week-old specimens from the Albertsons bakery — rank foolishness for which I’m deeply sorry. Apologies to the cognoscenti, and for the benefit of all of you who’ve never had fresh pan dulce I will say that, as with croissants, freshness is everything — the rich, none-too-sweet doughs are at their best for half a day at most and transportation is not kind to the fragile decorations of many of these fine pastries. I stumbled in there as a newcomer last week, not knowing the name for anything but the ubiquitous concha and empanada, and am immensely grateful to the proprietress for the brief lesson and for patiently enduring my intolerable attempts at pronunciation. From the perspective of European baking from which pan dulce traces its descent, the conchas and all their variants at PLG share a rich, eggy dough that bears comparison with the finest brioche I’ve ever tasted. The laminated-dough items, the pineapple-filled Taco and something like a cream horn for example, strangely remind me of the kind of robust puff pastry used to enclose barbecued pork at dim sum — perhaps lard is the common element, unctuous and flaky. I had a beautiful little cheesecake with a dark, caramelized swirly top that would have graced the finest china plate, and a gloriously light and springy coconut sponge jelly roll called a niño envuelto — wrapped-up baby. The pastry crust of the empanada was amazingly soft and tender (though the strawberry filling was a little rubbery) and the rich shortbread on the bottom of the sevillano blended seamlessly with what amounted to a hidden icing beneath all the powdered sugar that clung charmingly to the backs of my incisors The dry and crumbly cinnamon-and-chocolate-tinged elote (which looks like an ear of corn) virtually demanded a cup of strong coffee to dunk it in, whereupon it left all thoughts of biscotti and other dunkers far behind. I emerged full of envy for those of you who grew up on this bounty and stunned by the find and the incredible variety — it features all the labor and decorative efforts of the finest French bakery at, not to put too fine a point on it, the price of a doughnut. I advise all fellow devotees of the pâtisserie to take up the plastic tray and tongs, open the glass-fronted cabinet to your right (not neglecting the pastries in the case to your left) and graze in a pasture that is wonderfully green.

Pandorée Restaurant – Bakery – Bar – Menu with Prices – 195 NW 36th St #3107, Miami

It’s a cute little bakery on an ugly street, but this area is still upcoming. I was going to Guarapo next door when I saw this spot. There is outside seating, both tables as couches. They have a variety of pastries and the usual what a bakery offers. Outside you would not expect what a wonderful place you walk in. Lots of space and seating, nice music. And the display is excellent. I ordered the 3+1 free pastries. I got almond croissants and Danish. I have to say they are very big in size but not the best I’ve had. The croissants are a little too dry for me. Even the almond croissants at Whole Foods are a lot better and closer to what we have in Europe as there’s frangipane inside; Here there’s not. If you don’t know what frangipane is or have it then you should get another baker in there. The Danish was so dry, couldn’t eat it. I ate the part that was moist with the fruit but had to throw away the rest. I doubt the owner is French as it’s more an attempt to get close to the real thing. Or maybe they are not trying to be a French bakery just copying some items but not being really good at it. All stars are for layout and how good the business is to look at, displays are so organized and give a clean feel. it is more than a bakery, it is a good spot to meet for coffee. They have a parking lot and there is street parking.

Juarez Bakery – Menu with Prices – 1068 N Waco Ave, Wichita

This place is right down the way from Molino’s, so we stopped in to check them out… right after feeding our faces at Molino’s down the street. I don’t know a lot about the Mexican pastries, they were all very different from what you find locally at a doughnut shop or bakery. My grandson got a slice of the chocolate cake, and we bought two other pastries, one that was similar to a croissant, but filled with a sweet filling, that had a hint of fruit flavor… divine! We also got another pastry, that was a sandwich type of pastry, filled with chocolate creme filling. They also have tamales for sale. We got there rather late, close to closing, but will go back. You get a tray and a pair of tongs to pick out the pastries you want. Then pay at the counter, so each is priced differently, depending probably on the time involved to prepare. Highly recommend.

PANCHITO’S BAKERY “PANADERIA” – Menu with Prices – 9537 Q St, Omaha

We read the great reviews in the paper about this new West Omaha Mexican bakery. Our recent trip here did not disappoint. The young owner of this bakery is the son of the owner of the acclaimed South Omaha International Bakery. This bakery is every bit as good as the South Omaha legend.We came just as they were closing for the night (9pm on a Saturday) and they were more than happy to serve us. They could have easily turned us away, but instead the friendly clerk helped walk us through a great selection of pastries. We walked away with about 10 items for $5 — a bargain by today’s standards. We would have been willing to pay double for the deliciousness of these great items.With a grocery store bakery on nearly every corner in this town, this place is a refreshing alternative to the glazed and chocolate donuts typically sold in bakeries. If you’re looking for standard American bakery fare, then this place isn’t for you. If you are looking for great Mexican pastries not typically found west of 24th Street, then give this place a try. They serve a whole lot of awesome at this place.A great new addition to West Omaha and a new ‘go to’ on our bakery list. Show this place some love!

Tango Pastry Menu with Prices 6100 Richmond Hwy, Alexandria

Tango Pastry is a small, unassuming Argentinean bakery, attached to the Days Inn off of Richmond Highway. They have a pretty extensive menu, being a small bakery/cafe – facturas, various pastries, alfajores, cakes, breads, a brunch menu, and what they’re famously known, empanadas. We ordered a small box of various cookies/pastries – mini tarts filled with quince, alfajores, a little chocolate cookie bomb, and a glazed sweet croissant; all were the perfect amount of sweetness (which was not too sweet); the shortbread-like parts of the cookies were tasty, and all were fluffy and not dried out. Emapandas fillings include chicken, corn and cheese, ham and cheese, beef, tuna, spinach, and onion and cheese. We chose all, except for the tuna. The empanada shell is made with puff pastry, and all come generously filled. The hubs enjoyed the ham and cheese the most, while I really enjoyed the spinach one (tasted like spanakopita!). Ms. Sandra, who helped us, was very welcoming and very sweet! She explained all of the pastries/desserts in the case. Definitely a good number of people dining in as well as picking up pre-orders. Definitely a hidden gem off of Route 1 – I’ll definitely be back for their empandas! -empanadas -ask for Ms. Sandra! +attached to Days Inn +plenty of parking in lot

La Creacion Bakery – Menu with Prices – 11258 W Hillsborough Ave, Tampa

Came across this bakery when I tried out the LA fitness in the same shopping center. I love that it’s locally owned and is not your average bakery. Lots of new Puerto Rican pastries to try and they are all so fresh. I decided to go for the first time on Father’s Day. My husband loves cafe con leche and any chocolate pastry. My son loves anything chocolate (shocker). We chose from a large selection. I read reviews and had to try the quesito, since it’s a known Puerto Rican pastry. I have never had one, to the point where I had to ask which one was a quesito, newbie alert! Trying it for the first time I thought it was delicious and will definitely get another one again. Not too sweet but just enough. My husband raved that his donut was so fresh. And my son was surprised and excited to eat the m&m donut. The staff is so friendly and welcoming. I had a huge mishap where my toddler would not cooperate which led to me spilling my whole cafe con leche on the sidewalk. I came back in to order another – willing to pay (gotta support small businesses), but the owner refused and gave me another one on the house. So thankful! The staff immediately cleaned up “mommy’s big mess” and we were on our way for the second time. I loved this bakery and will definitely be back and recommend to friends!

Auspicious Baking Company – Menu with Prices – 5224 Skidaway Rd, Savannah

I keep pressing the 5th star in the hopes that it will explode into more stars, but you get the point! I have followed Auspicious Baking Co. on Insta for quite some time now and they have me drooling every. damn. time. Wherever they got their culinary training, they must have the pastry chefs in France wondering what their secret is! Finally, last Sunday, I planned my family’s outing around ABC. It was our first pit sop and planned to go on a trail nearby. Parking – They have their own lot. Always a win! What we ate: Youngest – Chocolate Mini Loaf with Peanut Butter Frosting. The loaf was moist and the frosting was so creamy and smooth. Not overly sweet. Oldest – Vanilla Mini Loaf with Buttercream Frosting with multi-colored sprinkles (resembles a Birthday Cake). Same as the chocolate loaf. Cake was moist and the frosting was creamy and smooth. Husband – Sausage and Gravy Pastry. He ate it when I wasn’t looking, so I didn’t even get to taste. Is this love?! I am assuming it was good (sad face). Yours Truly – Chocolate Croissant. It was heavenly! Exactly the way a croissant should be. It had layers and layers that I kept peeling off. I was curious and started to count the layers, but then my hunger got the best of me and I was in too much of a hurry to devour it. It is actually on the larger side and it had 2 long, skinny bars of chocolate nestled inside the center, providing a great balance of both croissant and chocolate. It was lightly dusted with powdered sugar and left my fingers coated with the butter ever so lightly that was rolled into the croissant with love. Just a note, we gave the kids only half on Sunday and then I snuck a bite 2 days later and they were still good! Pricing – It is a higher price point than the average bakery. For example, my Chocolate Croissant was $3.75, but trust me, it is worth every penny! There are just some things in life that is worth paying extra for and pastries is one of them! Service – Impeccable! I think one of them was one half of the duo that makes this bakery. He was all smiles on a Sunday morning and thanking us for coming in. He seemed so genuine. The lady packing up the box of goodies was also so sweet and very patient while both my kids were pointing to every thing in the showcase when asked to make a decision. Vibe – Quaint little shop with glass display showcases with a vintage look. Kind of what you would see at an old antique shop. The goodies are artfully displayed (and protected from probably people’s drool, like myself). Standing room only though! When you walk in, you have about 10 steps. Goodies are to the right and coffee stand to the left. Kid Friendly – Of course! The kids wanted one of each one! Savannah, we are so lucky to have the likes of ABC here in our very own backyard. Most people have to travel to a much bigger city or even to France to taste something like this! Although my ONLY complaint is that they are not open more often to the public, making a detour there on a Tuesday or Sunday is definitely worth your while.