Provence Breads & Cafe

Guy forgot about my drink, then when I reminded him, he told someone else to make it. Other guy took his sweet time and after having to run out the door, 20 min later, my drink wasn’t even half sweet like I wanted. Had to throw it away because it was so syrupy.

This was my first time to Provence and I loved it. There menu is very full and has a lot of options. They make their own homemade breads. And the coffee is very good.

First place we ate in Nashville for breakfast. Friendly service, super affordable food prices (so used to California’s inflated cost), and great for couples or groups.
Ordered yogurt & granola, egg quiche, chocolate pastries, and a few breakfast egg sandwiches. All delicious except the quiche was a bit dry.
Clean dining area as well. Would definitely eat here again before leaving.

Awesome!!! Great ambiance and coffee and tea delish! We only had a muffin but it was perfect. Would love to go back for more!

We had a coffee and an iced tea here. Nearly empty on a weekday afternoon. Excellent coffee, black and rich. Spacey cashier had trouble subtracting $ 5.15 from $ 10.15 when he made change. Clean tables and bathrooms.

I would highly recommend that you read «Eve D.‘s» review before going. I wish that I had… Ditto on her review. We had an assortment of salads, quiches, breads & pastries. The only thing even edible were the pastries. However, they were stale. Never again… Ewww.

I can’t say enough good things about Provence. The coffee is amazing… I like trying different flavor combinations and my favorite is the honey bee latte. The food is delicious and from local sources. If you are looking for an awesome atmosphere and healthy food to eat while supporting the community, look no further!

This review covers a range of experiences. I work at the library next to Provence, so this place is kinda the only game in town if I want some coffee at work or don’t have time to pack breakfast or lunch. I used to go at least 3x a week to this place. There are some good things about Provence, but unfortunately, most of them are bad. This only applies to the downtown location. I’ve only been to the Hillsboro village location once.
The good: their chocolates, tortes, and sweet things are damn good. Their croissants are stellar, when they don’t overcook them. Their bread in general is good. It ought to be. They’ve won awards for it, apparently. The coffee is pretty good, too, even if Starbucks’ is better. Tomato basil soup, shepherd’s pie, and pot pie are all tasty and have none of the faults the other hot items have. The sweets case is refrigerated and has a door on it. Nice and clean.
The bad: The pastries case does not have a door. I have seen flies all over the contents. The food from the hot case (quiches, paninis, etc) is greasy and lacking in filling. It just doesn’t look or taste fresh.
The ugly: Beware the open refrigerated case across from the checkout. Every item I have ever purchased has been spoiled. Olive tapenade (With way too much anchovy. And it didn’t come with bread.) — spoiled. Orzo salad– spoiled. Couscous salad– spoiled. Tuna salad– spoiled. Greens– wilted, wet and brown at the edges. They make entirely too much food for that cooler. It sits there too long and turns, and then people buy rotten food. That Tuesday sticker on the bottom? It’s probably last Tuesday. Also, the coffee grinder is next to the ice machine, and they often leave the lid off the machine. I’m fairly sure that’s a health code violation. it also means your ice water will often have coffee grounds in it.
The service is abominable. They have no system for handling customers efficiently, so the wait is always at least 10 minutes, even for a simple cappucino. I waited 17 minutes for Ben to heat my panini for 40 seconds. And when I went to my desk and opened my package, it was only half a panini instead of the whole one I ordered. I also discovered I’d been overcharged about $ 1.50. I went back to dispute it, but now I don’t know how many times I’ve been overcharged in the past.
The staff is friendly about half the time, and generally preoccupied the rest of the time. The manager, Ben, is always surly. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him with a definite expression on his face. But I’m not mad about that. I didn’t go there for the conversation– I went for food. Didn’t get either. I’d love for this place to take a turn for the better, but until then, Starbucks is a block down Church St, and there’s a foofoo little sweets bakery half a block up 6^th Ave if you can catch them while they’re open. Oscar’s Taco Shop is catty-​cornered to them if you want clean hot food.

This café is one of my favorite places for lunch when I am researching in the TSLA just up the hill. Located inside the NPL it offers fresh sandwiches and salads. Weekdays they have specials and on Saturday they have a cup of soup and grilled sandwich option. Try the grilled cheese with spinach and artichoke! When you finish you can also take home some great loaves of bread!

I really wanted to like this place. They use intelligentsia coffee beans which was great but the breakfast and pastry options left something to be desired. We ordered a breakfast panini which was lacking, a crust less quiche that was the consistency of rubber because they over-​nuked it, and the almond crossiant was dry and lifeless. On the bright side the yogurt and granola was good. I returned the quiche and they were gracious enough to reheat another slice but with significantly less time in the microwave. The second slice was edible but underwhelming. Also service was good although the gentleman was barely audible. Perhaps he had a sore throat or something but neither my husband nor u could make out most of what he was saying.

This place is great. The food is good, coffee and teas are amazing! Staff is very polite and attentive. This is my last morning in Nashville and thought I’d make this my last meal here and it was so worth it!

Love it. High quality food with great service. I will definitely be back. Had creamy grits with cheese and ham which came with a complimentary slice of bread of your choice. The service was kind and fast. The prices were a lot lower than expected for the quality received. I kept looking at the salted caramel croissant, the decadent gallette and savory paninis. Yes, I do need to come back soon.

This is a cumulative review based on several observations. This location is the closet café to my job. It opens at 7am, I have a 10min grace period before having to officially clock-​in, and so it should be a breeze to go into Provence then hop along into my work. It is not!
As stated before, Provence is supposed to open at 7am. The manager usually doesn’t get the place opened until 15−20min after that. He moves around like he’s made of molasses and smells like he’s just inhaled a chimney worth of smoke, sometimes. When one does go in to order the customer is either met with warmth and friendliness, or the customer doesn’t exist at all. It’s not uncommon for one to see three bodies roaming around behind the counter without so much as a glance at the people waiting in line. I once asked a person going before me had she been waited on, and she said, «No.» This was shocking because she and I were the first two in line!
Apparently, they were just getting ready for the lunch crowd and hadn’t pulled everything out yet. This wouldn’t have been a problem if it wasn’t for the fact that this location does this constantly! I’ve actually had semi-​cooked food delivered to me because one of the personnel hadn’t put the food in at an appropriate time, therefore it wasn’t ready by the lunch rush. That, of course, didn’t stop them from serving it and charging $ 10. So, I received bland half-​cooked food that I could’ve made better at home for less cost. One also has to pay extra for drinks, like with most places. However, one can’t get free or reduced price refills, unless it’s coffee.
The only reason this place is getting two stars is because some of the staff are great, and the pastries are decent. I love the little tarts and cakes that they offer. I also enjoy some of the banter that the employees provide. Plus, many of them will point out which items to get over others. This can save time and money.

Has a very European feel with small round tables scattered throughout the establishment. The building has high ceiling and is very open and well ventilated. The lighting through the large windows and doors definitely adds to the ambience. If you are looking for a relaxed location to sit down with an excellent cup of freshly
ground coffee and a pastry while
planning the rest of your day I would highly recommend Provence Bread and Coffee. Shame I could only award it 5 stars.

Oh I wish they were open later! A cup of their cream of mushroom soup for dinner is my request.
Lovely large café with friendly service across the Cumberland and the Library and a few blocks for the capitol building. Far enough away from Broadway to give you a break from the crowd there. Good coffee and tea varieties. Reminder this is not fast food — the older gentleman server is slow but nice. Overall its a nice place & recommended.

Very cute café located next to the public library. Service is a bit slow, but very friendly.
Their macarons are okay… Chewy and big, but a tad bit on the sweeter/​stale side. Their truffles are amazing! Definitely try one! And coffee is okay too!

This bakery is completely charming, as is the other location.
Pastries that were amazing:
Almond braid
The raspberry & cheese filling one
And salted chocolate
They serve intelligentsia coffee, an awesome coffee company out of Chicago so my heart went pitter patter. It’s outstanding coffee.
If I lived in Nashville it would be one of my haunts. Definitely make a pit stop here!

Provence is a great lunch spot and bakery/​coffee shop. Their baked goods are fancy and high quality. I have a soft spot for the ginger molasses cookie, and basically anything made of chocolate. In the afternoon between 2 – 4, they have a special for $ 4 that includes a slice of any cake and a latte. It definitely picks up the afternoon doldrums!
Their lunches are also quite good. They have paninis, soups, salads, etc. The only problem is there is often quite a long line. But if you need to score a baguette, you have a perfect reason to wait it out.

Nice little café!
Crustless Quiche was listed as a café favorite so I had to order it especially since I love quiche. It was good but I think I was expecting something different. It wasn’t as light and fluffy as other quiche that I’ve experienced. I will definitely make a return visit to try something different.
The atmosphere was cozy and awesome. It had a french feel to it and the service was great.

I came back to Provence on a Saturday morning to let them redeem themselves, and I’m happy to report that the coffee was strong and amazing! They also had 3 people working the counter this visit, so I think that helped A LOT. The food also seemed fresher and they had more selections.
Keep it up Provence!