Ottawa Foodies

La Maison de la Baguette, on Bank Street, has very good croissant. They are not viennoiserie style (which I find The French Baker's) but are more buttery and less flaky. They are hard to find sometimes because all the people working downtown buy them all up at lunch time. Worth the trip for the croissants, the rest of the stuff there is good but not nearly as amazing.

The French Baker hands down has the best in the city!!!

Here is a perfect croissant, freshly purchased from the Première Moisson bakery on Monkland Ave in Montreal (June 24, 2006). A few memorable minutes later it was all mashed up and soggy in my gut. Highly recommended.

I was in Herb and Spice on Wellington and noticed that they carried The French Baker products. Definately an easier place to access than the market location for me.

I bought croissants. They were amazing. Basically, a real French croissant, unlike any croissant-like "bun" that you buy at the supermarkets here in Ottawa. I forgot how good the french croissants were and will be spoiled by this experience from here on in.

I have no idea how much I paid for them as I bought several things at the store and did not get my receipt.

If you are going to indulge, go for the gold and don't waste your time/caloric intake on Costco/Metro etc croissants.

After seeing the Buzz on Ottawa foodies about how good The French Bakers Croissants are, I went over to check them out this morning. I had recently posted about how Bread and Sons makes the best Croissants in the city and I wanted to see if the FB stood up to them. Well, no, they didn't. Don't get me wrong, they were very good, soft, and fresh. And yes, one of the better croissants in the city - but i resent people saying they are as good as Croissants found in France. This is not at all a negative judgment on this lovely little bakery. I also picked up a baguette this morning which was amazing and I had a really delicious Illy coffee. I just urge you foodies out there, to check out Bread and Sons Croissants because they are simply amazing. In terms of other bakery items tho, I would say both shops have a fair competition in terms of quality. The french baker however, comes out on top in terms of Coffee. I must mention that if you like soft croissants this is likely the place for you - and at any rate, you can't go wrong with practically anything you buy here.

That is my two cents.

ossBASHA, what you are saying is impossible. I know several bakers that work at TFB, and you will never get a croissant that is not fresh. Like the owner says (whom I have the privilege to know), some are kept to make the almond croissant and the pain au chocolat.

Contrary to what you say, TFB is THE place to get a real croissant in the Byward Market. There are plenty of places to go if you want a mediocre one, though.

Dear M. Mantel,
Welcome to Ottawa Foodies! I think the ossBASHA may have meant "pastries" when he said "pates", but he/she would have to clear that up.

I wouldn't be too concerned with one review. The fact that he worries about us calling him biased tells me that maybe he works for the competition! or maybe I am just making up foodie drama.

I think TFB croissants are to DIE for. Every time I have had them, they have been nothing short of perfect! Buttery, flaky deliciousness.

Keep up the great work!

Dear ossBASHA,
I am the owner of the French baker and am a little upset by your comment.
Obviously you were not in my bakery : we don't sale any pâté!
Our croissants like all our Viennese pastries and scone are bake daily in our fournil on Murray St.
At the end of each day, we give away to some charities all our unsold products (Viennese pastries and breads). We just keep croissants and chocolatines for making almond croissants or chocolatines (the real traditional way).

Went to try the croissants on Monday and was disappointed. It was dry and seemed like it was baked 1-2 days before. The same for the pates, although they were slightly less old. I'm not going to suggest somewhere else, so I'm not labelled as biased, however there are better places to go in the market.

I am absolutely in love with their croissants. Better than the grocery store bought ones for sure. I love the crisp exterior and soft and buttery interior. Perfect fluffy texture that just melts in your mouth. Love it.
Next time I'll try their almond croissant and baguettes!
P.s. Their Illy coffee is also delicious!

The chocolatines are to die for. My friend shared hers with me. I was expecting a Bridgehead chocolatine since I thought that TFB supplies Bridgehead, but somehow this chocolatine was 100% better than any I've had at Bridgehead. The outside was perfectly flaky and crisp, the inside nice and soft and buttery - and somehow the chocolate was melted inside? Maybe this only happened because it was so hot today (Mousseline?) but the chocolate inside the ones at Bridgehead is always hard. I much preferred the melted-chocolate version!

I lived in France for several years and I can confirm that these croissants are the real thing. I searched for months here for something that approximated a true French croissant and The French Baker is it. Their almond-filled croissants are very similar to the "Alsacienne" that you find in Alsace--filled with a not-too-sweet almond paste and sprinkled with almond slices. The petits pains au chocolat (I think they call them chocolatines here)are also very good. It's all about the butter....and also about not being overly sweet.

I loved the croissant here. It was airy, light and buttery. A perfect croissant and wasn't even greasy at all. Next time I'm in the city, I will definitely get croissants here.

they certainly know how to make a croissant done right here. they're very flaky and buttery, like a croissant should be. reminds me of great croissants in Montreal at Duc De Lorraine and Au Pain Dore.

these should really be rated much higher on OF. go out and try one and give a thumbs up!

My favourite croissants I've yet had in Ottawa (including those from the French Baker!). Made with 100% butter, they are also available with bars of dark chocolate or crushed almonds.
Just flat out delicious.

I literally just came back from the Bridgehead at Golden and Richmond. A friend invited me for latte and then treated me to an Almondine. We both quite liked them. Really flaky on the outside and the inside had that yummy paste but still had the layers of croissant. It was a pretty decadent treat calories wise I am sure so I best not do that too often but for me it was a delightful treat. I guess different strokes for different folks.

I love the new Bridgehead croissants. I hate the new Bridgehead Almondine. An almond croissant should still taste like a croissant. It should be a bit flaky, a bit crispy and the almond mixture shouldn't be so buttery and thickly layered that it makes the inside of the croissant soggy.

Honestly, I wasn't impressed and I probably won't order it again. On the other hand, they have three other croissants that impress me time and time over.

Very good croissant, should probably have made the top 3 and beat out Le Moulin de Provence... I had the ham & gruyere croissant, amazing! Definitely rich though, maybe a once a week type of indulgence. I wish I would have taken a photo, but I ate the thing too damned quick... was a beautiful looking pastry while it lasted.

The new croissants are better than the average grocery store croissant but they don't really compare to the French Baker ones that they used to carry.

I'll probably get baked goods from elsewhere instead of their now overpriced croissants.

I was not first but I also got one of their croissants this morning. I was pretty dubious about them getting rid of the French Baker croissants and chocolatines but I have to say their new ones are excellent too (the croissant anyway, I did not see any chocolatines). They are very crispy on the outside, soft and flakey on the inside; maybe not as buttery as the French Baker but perhaps closer to what people might expect in a croissant. I'm a fan of the F.B. style but these will certainly do.

I was fortunate enough to be the first to try their new croissants at the new Metcalfe and Sparks store this morning at 6:30 am.

Cheaper than a flight to Paris!!!

Run, run now. They won't last long.

ottawafood.blogspot.com

Rumor has it that the new croissants will be made from the same dough that they are using for the Morning Buns (see review below). If this is the case, I think they'll survive just fine.

Gasp! Looks like Bridgehead is switching from French Baker Croissants to... (wait for it) MAKING THEIR OWN! Big shoes to fill! Looks like no croissants at Bridgehead until they get going on April 12th. I am interested to see how this goes down!

Yum - I've finally found a croissant that reminds me of the ones I used to get at my local market in Montreal! Picked one up at the Merivale location this morning, fresh out of the oven.

All this talk about croissants made me hungry - picked up a couple at Farm Boy (Merivale) this evening :P

Today's batch (or what was left of it) looked more like buns than croissants ->

Sorry - I should have clarified I was talking about the Premiere Moisson croissants! I really wish they had them in an open display so I could pick and choose as I see fit :)

Just wondering monty....are you talking about the Premier Moisson croissants from the showcases or the croissants that you get in the 6 packs??

I love these croissants. Great flavour with just the right amount of butter, and baked to perfection - unlike some other grocery store's so called croissants (Loblaws...blech!)

Yes!!! If they bake them correctly (e.g. Merivale location) they are recognizable as the superior Première Moisson croissants. Interestingly, the shape is more "manufactured" and less artfully delicious looking than those in Montreal.

I was shopping quite late in the day (6pm) and purchased two of the five remaining croissants. I ate one as soon as I got home and it was clear that it hadn't been baked within the past hour or two; but the great flavour and texture were unmistakable. I'm drooling to try one earlier in the day, when they are fresh from the oven.

For my taste, these are now the best croissants in Ottawa!

Spied at the Merivale Farm Boy location: perfectly baked non-yellow Première Moisson croissants (like the one in my photo on the Croissants page). Because of the holiday shopping rush I didn't get a chance to linger and sample one, but I will do so ASAP.

The new Farm Boy in Barrhaven sells Première Moisson croissants. I was excited when I discovered this because the ones sold in Montreal are truly awesome.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed to find that the Première Moisson croissants sold in Ottawa are underbaked. Croissants are not meant to be a YELLOW food! They are supposed to have a nice brown colour like the one in my photo of a Première Moisson croissant purchased in Montreal. Sorry, I can't recommend them.

Plain, almond (not overly sweet) and chocolate (pain au chocolat); wonderful brioches, too.

The Herb and Spice (at least the one on Wellington, I'm not sure about the one downtown) sells croissants from The French Baker. So if you're craving croissants and can't get down to the Market, there's another place to get your fix!

I've eaten croissants on my travels, including France. I agree the French Baker croissants are great. But, right there with them are the croissants from Second Avenue Sweets in the Glebe. You have to get there early to buy them as they don't make a lot each day. The chefs there are incredible.

I can't believe that nobody has mentioned Boko Croissants yet!

Buttery and soft on the inside, crisp and flaky on the outside. They are an absolute delight!

My favorite breakfast is to pick up a Bridgehead coffee and a Boko Croissant on my way to work.

Their croissants are really good, both the traditional and chocolate. Probably only second to the French Baker in my opinion.

i know i shoulnt compare anything to paris, but i cant find anywhere that makes good (with real butter) croissants! Ive heard Delice royal was suppose to be there, and ive had their croissants before, but i cant find them...

After reading that Ron Eade and company (communities.canada.com) found these to be the best croissants in Ottawa, I had to give them another try.

It seemed a little better than I remembered from before, being a little more moist and a little crispier. However, I found it waay too sweet. The sugar may be added to appeal to the North American palate, but to me it just makes it taste like grocery store product.

In my books, The French Baker is still king of the croissant, although I'm keen to try the new ones at Bridgehead .

We tried some croissants here (plain, cheese, and chocolate) just after trying one from the French Baker (The French Baker). It was a bit like eating a slice of processed cheese after tasting a morsel of Oka.

Not absolutely terrible, but not much better than one can get at the grocery store. (Pillsbury croissants are absolutely terrible, so these aren't quite that bad! :-) ). A little on the dry and chewy side.