Le Fournil Bakery & Catering
| Address: | 3230 Eastlake Ave E A, Seattle, WA 98102, USA |
| Phone: | +1 206-328-6523 |
| Site: | le-fournil.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 7AM–6PM 8AM–3PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
A
A Private User
When you see the pastry case your heart will soar. When you see the prices your heart will soar higher, as they seem very reasonable for such visual artistry. But when you bite into, say, the gorgeous fresh blueberry tart, your heart might come crashing down again if you were expecting intensity. Under what appears to be a big mound of blueberries is a big blob of flavorless whipped cream. Phooey! Why not a rich custard, as in the French version? I suspect the answer may be related to labor intensity and/or the bland Seattle palate. Also, instead of a flavorful currant glaze over the berries, theres a scattering of granulated sugar. Much less labor-intensive, and less satisfying. Would I pay an extra $1 for the labor-intensive version? Yes. To see if I was being too harsh, I tried the Rosemary Pear tart. I liked that it wasnt too sweet, but felt the thick almond paste overwhelmed and ordinary-ized the interesting pear/rosemary combo. Finally I tried the chocolate tart with the little demi slice of candied orange on top, thinking it would be a strong chocolate/orange flavor, but found it was just a cookie crust filled with chocolate frosting. Supposedly there was a layer of marmalade at the bottom, but in my specimen there was none to be found. Perhaps the marmalade got left out that day, or else was so microscopically deployed that it was not detectable. Except for the food, I like this place. The staff is friendly and the bay window rocks. I havent tried the bread yet, but the sandwiches look pretty good. What I want, though, is a destination for truly intense authentic French pastries~
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chris corneloup
A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I visited Le Fournil for the first time. We placed an order consisting of a pain au chocolat and two sandwiches. We ate our sandwiches while we waited for our pain au chocolat. No one called out that it was ready so I had to get up and try to get the attention of someone working behind the counter. I waited for five minutes before I was finally acknowledged and the pastry was given to me. Today (9.23.12), we went back to Le Fournil, hoping the service would be better this go around. We ordered the same thing and to my dismay, they forgot my pain au chocolat again! So I politely told one of the males working behind the counter that I am still waiting for my pain au chocolate. He looks at me funny, turns and talks to the only women working there. After their brief conversation, neither one acknowledges me. The male goes into the back room, for what felt like ten minutes, as I stand at the counter waiting. The employee comes out with a tray of tarts and they both continue to ignore me like Im not even there. A 3rd person hands me a tart. I go to the front of the line where the female employee is making coffee and she looks at me a few times, with a disgusted look, like Im an inconvenience, and continues to ignore me. I ask another male employee about the pastry and, after 15 minutes of waiting, I receive my pain au chocolat with no apology. This bakery was highly recommended to us. We were very disappointed by the poor customer service we received and will not be going back.
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John Printz
The best happy meal in Grunyonton (Seattle Neighborhood under I-5 Ship Canal). Pros: - Le Croque Fournil Special. No idea what it means, but it sure tastes amazing, and the price is right. Its one of those daily specials, that isnt special, as it is seemingly the ONLY "special" ever offered at Le Fournil Bakery. For about $5, restaurant goers receive a caffeinated beverage of choice and a rather scrumptious Ham, egg, and cheese croissant. This is like getting a breakfast meal at McDonalds, only more tasty and likely a bit healthier. - The other various pastries. All of them are delicious. - The coffee. Cant complain here. Cons: - Understaffed. Most mornings in the Grunyonton involve a busy hustle and bustle of U of W students, cosmopolitan worker bees, and Amazon bikers. This crowd stops in at Le Fournil on their way to starting their respective days. This morning rush, seems to overwhelm the staff at Le Fournil, making for a long long layover to get your morning cup of Jo.
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Timothy Hogan
I order here under duress for work-related lunches--the food is excellent and popular--I cannot deny. The ordering system is difficult to navigate and there is really no support for helping someone calculate catering amounts. The ordering page says that you will receive a confirming phone call after the order is placed. I had noted on the order that I would appreciate speaking to someone to ensure that I had ordered enough for my group lunch. No phone call. I just called to confirm and was treated so poorly and rudely that I would not do business here again unless I have to. The woman I spoke to showed zero interest in providing a positive customer experience. She really should apply for work at Comcast or Verizon. Furthermore, what kind of business website has no clearly marked way of contacting the management?
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Geraldine Lee
Extremely disappointed with the Mille Feuille cake I ordered. The one on the website looks great, something youd want to present at a birthday celebration. The one we got was messy. The icing did not cover the cake properly (plain, thin and patchy with extraneous crumbs on top), the piping was amateurish (I could have done better), and the sides of the cake was sloppy with icing dripping down the sides. Im actually afraid to taste the cake. For a cake thats supposed to be professionally made, I would have thought the bakery might have taken pride in how their cakes looked. Their small mille feuille pieces at the bakery look neater and much more appetizing than the cake we ordered. I would never order a cake from this place again. And beware that the cake you order may not look at all professional.
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Buddy Smith
Terrible terrible terrible. The staff cant seem to handle picking up a phone and writing down a sandwich order. If they are having a good day and can be bothered to take your phone order, they think one slice of deli meat on a baguette so hard it will chip your tooth is a sandwich. I wouldnt eat here again if it was free and came with a gift certificate to one of the MANY better restaurants in the Eastlake neighborhood. Le Fournil - your staff is incompetent, your portion sizes are meant for rabbits and other small animals, and your food is bland, tasteless garbage. Is that clear enough for ya?
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Sydne Dresser
Was excited to grab a quick coffee and pastry at what looked like a delicious french bakery. I was pretty disappointed when I ordered a Mille-feuille that had all the wrong textures and tasted old. The rest of the pastries tasted like I could have gotten them at any grocery store. We then waited 15 minutes for a cappuccino that was grainy. At the 30 minute mark I left the cafe without my Chai tea latte because it was taking so long and I got frustrated with the barista messing up all the drink orders. Pretty underwhelming experience.
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James Svenson
We tried using Le fournil for a lunch catering and it worked out wonderfully - about 15-20 people, we did a bunch of sandwiches & salads. Delicious, fresh and easy. I think there were chicken salad, turkey, ham & swiss sandwiches along with a caesar salad. Very good. Would recommend for a quick, easy and affordable catered option. Their bakery has been a mainstay on Eastlake for a long time - was surprised to see them catering, but it was awesome.
