Common Bond Cafe & Bakery

I can’t believe that I haven’t written a glowing review for this place already! Before I officially moved to Houston, I had to stop by here when I was visiting. Now that I live right by here, it is a privilege I will never take for granted. Common Bond is a world class bakery. I have had pastry and baked goods in the finest bakeries in New York City, Paris, and Tokyo, and this place stands up to the best. You can seriously not go wrong with anything you decide to order here. Their croissants are flaky with infinite layers, kougan Amman caramelized to perfection, sandwiches full of balanced flavor, first class executed breads. Their cookies, tarts, and other desserts are also to die for. If you are here around Christmastime, don’t resist getting a pannetone, because the chef and owner Roy Shvartzapel learned from Iginio Massari, the «Michael Jordan of pannetone.» (
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Aside from the incredible product, the service has always been impeccable. While Common Bond is an insane madhouse on the weekends, I highly recommend coming in on a weekday around lunchtime. After the lunch rush, there is time to settle down and have a world class coffee/​latte/​any espresso based drink. The baristas are extremely talented and also super friendly. I had an incredible experience today just talking to one of them about latte art, and he not only showed me and my friends a little bit about the concept itself but also gave us a free flat white. Do not miss this absolute gem when you are in town!

Hands down this is the best bakery in Houston! I have only tried their pastries so I will only comment on those. The Kugelhopf is my favorite pastry they have with the Almond Croissant and Kouign Amman coming in at a close second. Their macaroons are good, especially their salted caramel one.
You are probably wondering why I did not give them 5 stars out of 5 as I am saying they are the best bakery in Houston, well the reason is two-​fold. The first is that their staff is far too pretentious. I know this is a nice place, but friendliness go a long way, especially when you have wait in line for 10 minutes. The second reason is the price point. The last time I was in, I purchased 6 pastries and the total was close to $ 30, which in my opinion is steep. Saying this though, it is worth the money every once and a while for a special occasion. I recommend this place to anyone who visits Montrose.

I can’t comment on the quality of either the food or the coffee here, but their bakeries/​desserts are some of the best I’ve had, period. Of which, the two that are most noteworthy are the Walnut Chocolate Chip Cookie and the Pain au Chocolat (chocolate croissants, for the non-​Francais speakers). Both are quite polar opposites in taste and composition. The cookies are small (about the size of an above-​average fist), have a perfectly-​crisped outside, and pack a heavy duty 1 – 2 walnut-​chocolate chunk punch, while the croissants are as big as your face, fluffy and airy, and much more chocolate-​conservative – but both deliver the goods in their own unique way. I’d actually recommend getting both if you’re looking to splurge on a cheat meal or in need of a quick indulgence. The law of opposite attraction applies here, as both complement each other really well.
The ambience here is quite neat. It’s classy, hipster, modern, and chic all at the same time (+ cheers for a ton of outdoor lighting!). Not recommended if you’re cramming for final exams, but a perfect spot to take a date or someone new to the Houston area. Weekend afternoons here are pretty packed, but outdoor seating and a fast customer turnover more than make up for it.
It has only been two days since I was last here, but I feel like I’m due for another visit already. I’ll have to give their food and coffee a try before I can award them that sacred fifth star.

Girls brunch spot ftw!
I love French pastries and especially almond croissants. You can’t go here and not order this. You won’t be disappointed.
I also ordered the freshly squeezed orange juice. The portion was small but the OJ was amazing. It tasted so good and it was true to its name, fresh.
One disappointment for me was their soup of the day, cauliflower soup. It tasted like cardboard. You might want to skip out on this if you’re craving a soup.
*You seat yourself but seating is limited. They fill up fast.