Bakery La Patisserie Exudes French Authenticity
The gluten free hazelnut chocolate cake is a stunning beloved menu item at La Patisserie.
Fresh beignets are delicately displayed on a plate at the front of the shop.
La Patisserie’s store front features an aesthetic cursive sign and a small table with two chairs.
The Hibiscus Sunrise drink, a medley of lemonade and hibiscus flavoring, astonished customers with its unique combination of flavors.
The colorful strawberries and cream macaron is a fan-favorite at La Patisserie, with its vibrant look and luscious taste.
The Lemon Meringue Tart served in a golden tin with a creamy meringue frosting was breathtaking with its perfectly sculpted peak.
La Patisserie’s signature pistachio macaron is a popular choice of macaron with its unique salty taste.
Bakery customers leave messages on the chalkboard to create a friendly vibe.
A unique variety of flavors of macarons are displayed at the front of the shop.
Tucked into the corner of a shopping complex, the pastry shop La Patisserie, exuded French vibes and diffused the air with the sweet smell of macarons and cakes. The shop, owned by Soraiya Nagree, aims to transport guests to a quiet street in Paris where they can purchase authentic French baked goods. La Patisserie has two locations and is continuing to expand. They also offer special events and bulk orders as well as wedding tastings and has an online store option.
The location I visited on Burnet Road was extremely tiny which made it hard whenever more than five people were in the shop. Limited seating is available inside the store with two rusty chairs and one table outside. Despite the cramped space, the shop presents a very authentic, cutesy, and chill French vibe. Light music plays on the speakers as we walked in and we couldn’t help but notice the adorable small jam jars displayed in the corner for sale. A huge chalkboard was in the other corner of the shop with chalk provided on which the community of sweet lovers wrote small French sayings and drew French themed pictures. There is a large black menu at the front of the store displaying the different drinks they offered. Unfortunately, this menu doesn’t display any prices and the prices can’t be found anywhere else which makes it quite difficult to estimate the cost of everything. However, the service was exceptional and the employees were so sweet and nice. They told us the prices before ringing us up and giving us our pastries, which we were eager to try. Their recommendations were also very helpful and thorough, which helped us in choosing our items we wanted to try. All in all, the location presented a professional look and feel, with kind people and friendly vibes.
We first tried two different macaron flavors- strawberries and cream and pistachio. The strawberries and cream macaron was impressive just by looking at it. It was pink and white and was alluring. As soon as I took a bite, the distinct strawberry flavor spread across my mouth. It was fresh and had the perfect amount of sweetness. Meanwhile, the pistachio macaron was similarly attractive with a luscious green color. However, it didn’t seem to be on the same level as the strawberries and cream macaron. Instead, the pistachio macaron came off as a bit too nutty. It had all of the basic elements of a pistachio flavored item with the slight saltiness, but it wasn’t the best pistachio flavored food I have ever tasted. Despite this, both macarons shined in quality and I would definitely try La Patisserie’s other flavors.
The next pastry that caught our eyes was the Lemon Meringue Tart, which was beautifully baked into a golden crisp tart shell. The meringue was caramelized at the top adding another crispy level to the creamy texture of the sweet dessert. The lemon filling was sour, but it was all balanced out by the crispy shell and creamy meringue. Overall, the tart was put together very well and all of the components complimented each other.
Finally, we tried the gluten free chocolate hazelnut cake, which was chewy and nutty. The chocolate cream was heavy and rich while the cake was quite dense and hard to get through. Despite this, the flavors mingled together very well and there was just the right amount of sugar. The cake didn’t look as attractive as the other pastries, but the taste was definitely on the same complex level as the others.
We also tried the Hibiscus Sunrise drink which consists of a blend of lemonade and a hibiscus drink. Upon first look, it looked very aesthetic with its bright pink color and decorative cup. After tasting it, I immediately felt refreshed by the cool icy taste melting in my mouth. It had the ideal mixture of lemonade and hibiscus flavoring. The distinct tangy flavor blended so well with the lemonade’s slightly sour one. The energizing light drink was rejuvenating and seemed like a perfect afternoon drink on a hot day.
Other items on their menu that stood out was their mille-feuille and the croissant-wich, which we unfortunately didn’t get to try. However, their authenticity must be applauded. La Patisserie does a tremendous job at recreating a French scene with genuine French flavors. Still, one disappointment was how expensive the prices were. The total for everything came to $17.95, with the cake costing the most at $5.75. Despite the hiked prices, La Patisserie shocked me with their beautifully crafted desserts and pastries and I can’t wait to come back again to try all of their other stunning sweets.
Overall Rating: Five out of five stars
La Patisserie
7301 Burnet Road Ste 102 Austin, Texas 78757
P (512) 770-6442
Monday-Sunday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
This is my third year on student press and my fifth year of taking journalism. I love to write, read, eat, sleep, and procrastinate. :) I’m in DECA,...
