Le Matin French Bakery

REAL French owner, so nice and friendly! Love coming here for bakery items in the morning — please have CASH! Today I came for lunch, wine shop was open and I loved the unique VINTAGE selection of wines from around the world !! No need to guess which one because he has Wine Spectacular reviews with vivid detailed descriptions, making it very easy to know your likes!
WOW — prices that are feel like your stealing it! $ 15 for a scored 92 ! Yes Mr. French baker, I will tell everyone In Lexington about you and buy a lot of wine for Christmas presents this year!
The good news, if you buy wine your food can be charged by credit card on wine side! This is my NEW favorite LOCAL gem!

Love this place! What a special find! Delicious pastries and an incredible wine selection. Be sure to ask for a wine recommendation. I’m excited to return to try the cheeses.

One of my Ultimate places to go when I truly desire something French! You can grab a quick lunch from the Menu or try the specials like Pumpkin soup and Garden Quiche. To have some coffee here and one of the pastries is the Highlight of the day. A sure recipe for turning a bad day around. Some of the pastries can only be found here like Pear Wiiliam my fave. So… in the wonderful words of Julia Childs… Bön Appetit

Please understand that, like a few other shops in Lexington, this is a French establishment. If you don’t embrace that, you will not enjoy Le Matin. This is a chance to experience a part of another culture right here at home.
As should be expected, some of the customs you will encounter are French. The staff is not going to bend over backwards to accommodate you. They will not always smile at you and act like they are having the best day of their lives when you enter.
What you will receive is genuine conversation, a good selection of wines and the closest thing you’re going to get to French bread in Lexington. Enjoy!

I’ve stopped here twice to eat on my way home from a yoga class, and I’ve met the owner. I had no problems with the owner — his attitude didn’t even register as anything other than friendly in an old-​fashioned «this is my place and I do what I want» way — or any of the other staff. I came for quiche, and I wasn’t disappointed… terrific flavor and the pastry was light and buttery. I’ve also had a sandwich here — prosciutto, tomato, fresh mozzarella on french bread — that I loved.
Any place that doesn’t take credit or debit cards isn’t really interested in attracting customers. This time, I went down the street to get some cash, but the next time I think about stopping here and don’t have cash in my pocket I won’t make the effort.

Simply French with NO attitute !! This is a family business with 35 years of serving satisfied customers !! They treat every customer with respect & warmth ! TRES BIEN !! Food, Pastry & Wine is fantastic and priced reasonable. As I said before FRENCH WITH NO ATTITUTE !! Bön appetite !!

First this establishment doesn’t have parking, so that’s one issue.
Secondly, I took my family here hoping to have some lovely pastries and in the display there are burnt pastries.
We only bought two items and meh, they weren’t anything special.
But to top it all off, this older man that worked there yanks the sugar packets out of my granddaughter’s hands (she’s 15 months) and says that’s not for her to play with. Seriously, this old man should stay in the back and not be with customers.
My family will never go back and I’ll not recommend it.
You want delicious and flakey pastries? ME TOO! And it isn’t this place. If you know of a place, PLEASE SHARE. I’m still on the hunt.
Fresh Market on Tates used to be good, but they switched bakeries and now they’re mediocrity too.

I was thoroughly unimpressed. It was VERY apparent that the majority of items in the pastry case were purchased and not made on site, the pastries we did try were on par with a grocery store bakery, prices were high, the atmosphere reminded me of a nursing home, staff ranged from cold to rude, they do not accept credit cards for purchases less than $ 20 (but do not have that posted anywhere or notify you until after you’ve ordered), and the only table near a window is permanently «reserved» (even though we were the only people there). I definitely will not be back and am glad that Lexington has several true bakeries with great food, reasonable prices, pleasant environments, and friendly staff.

I don’t know what all you sensitive sallies are crying about. I had a very standard customer service experience here. Nice enough girl, served me a yummy yummy turkey and cheese croissant. My sister had an almond croissant. Coffee was crappy, but we were very happy with our baked goods. They could do well by having a little more breakfast selection perhaps. Bear in mind, we didn’t meet the infamous owner. I will go back to see what all the hype is about!

I agree with the other reviewers that the attitudes of the staff are unsettling. I don’t know whether this is cultural — by American standards, the owner has a «customer-​is-​seldom-​right» mentality, but what perplexes me more is that even the American staff can be unfriendly. Don’t get me wrong: I wince when someone in a Lexington store says, «Have a super sparkly day,» but I am saddened that the owner does not seem to want to retain old customers or show an interest in attracting new ones. Nobody who works here even acts remotely happy in serving customers.
That being said, this is the only place I know of in Lexington to buy decent French bread. As such, I can’t, and won’t, cross it off my list. The French bread really is quite good — for Lexington. I have eaten here, too, and the food is fine. I stick to basics like the soups, the ham and cheese sandwich, and the cheese plate. All were solid choices.
I may try the wine shop one day because I like the idea of supporting an independent seller, but I’d be afraid to ask the owner for any advice on a wine selection. He simply is too off-​putting, and I’m certain I would fire back if he were rude to me. Of course, he is not as nasty as the woman who ran the gourmet shop on Romany Road, but that’s another story entirely…
Be aware that Le Matin is closed Mondays, and they do not accept credit or debit cards. Cash only. If you know what to expect before you arrive, you probably won’t be disappointed, and then you can shop at the really cool Morris Book Shop next door afterwards.
I’ve been buying French bread here since my days at UK, so I’m used to the level of service. but I’d like to warn more timid folks that this place can be unpleasant if you need a customer-​centered experience.

Every time I step foot inside, I feel like I’m intruding on these folks. It has to be the unfriendliest place I’ve been in Lexington. The pastries are nothing special, and neither is the space. Maybe it used to be much better, or maybe it’s just a nostalgia thing for some people. I’ve crossed this place off my list.

We were food hopping and stopped in for pastries. I’d have to give this another shot. Was not too impressed the first time around.

I love French food. I love French pastries. I love French culture, art, wine and cheese and the language. I even adore their stereotypical Frenchy arrogance (come on, they make better food than we do and they know it). Be that as it may, I try to limit my visits to this local French establishment. The owner is a grouchy curmudgeon who is terrible to interact with. Conversations with him always come close to dissuading me from buying those delicious fruit tarts I enjoy so much.
I’ve been ordering custom-​made birthday cakes from this bakery, every year for the last 24 years. In that time, the prices have gone up considerably, from $ 16 to $ 37 (the price of my last one). When Debbie used to work here she would be so kind as to write a Happy Birthday message on them each time. This past year, I ordered a cake made with pears. The owner not only refused to write any letters on it, but the cake was made of cheap yellow sponge cake and CANNED pears. It was watery and tasteless! Furthermore, the cream inside was seeping through the sponge cake and drenching the box it came in. The cake was impossible to store (too moist and falling apart) and too bland to eat, so we ended up throwing some of it away. Needless to say, that may be the last time I ever order a cake there. I’ll bake my own d*** funfetti cake next year. And I’ll stick canned pineapple in it myself and save myself the $ 30 (I’ve actually done this and it’s not too bad).
In sum: if you’ve got thick skin and an even thicker wallet and are ravenous about French baked goods, this could be your place, I guess. But for those of us who like our proprietors and dining experiences like we like our flan (sweet and cheap please), you might want to go elsewhere. Please can someone else open a French bakery/​café in Lexington so we can get some competition for this place?

exam time was nearing
and i hadn’t spent
money on anything other
than rent and groceries
in who knew how long
so one day i said to myself
«i’m going outside and buying
something french!»
i had no idea in my neighborhood
existed
a delightful french
bakery but boy was i ever so
pleased!

I like that they try to make the place inviting. With comfortable chairs set up, a self-​service coffee mess with real mugs, and a selection of home-​made pastries, this should be a hit. But when your mug has lipstick on it (see picture), and the coffee is lousy, the place begins to lose its charm pretty quickly. The saving grace is that my croissant with eggs in it was not bad and was fairly inexpensive. I don’t know anything about Lexington, KY, this being my first visit and all, but I have to imagine there are better places to go.