La Bonne Bouchee

A very good bakery, a very average lunch spot.
I tried La Bonne Bouchee for lunch today for the first time, and I came away mostly unimpressed. The menu has a fair amount of variety, with several salads and sandwiches in addition to a regular lunch entrée section. I chose the vegetable sandwich, which was tasty, if a bit sparse (even with it being just on a 9-​grain toast piece, it felt like there was far more bread than sandwich filling). The only side option available with sandwiches is a fruit cup, which is really just a medley of melons, so that was disappointing.
The bread provided with the meal is light and flaky, although a bit dry. The butter was still frozen when left at the table, so I ended up eating the roll without it. The rolls are good, but nothing particularly special.
The side salads are a bit plain, but the main course salads look substantial and tasty. The omelette was serviceable without being noteworthy.
The bakery is the centerpiece of the establishment: colorful, full of variety, mouth-​watering in appearance. Lots of varieties of cakes, cookies, macarons, etc… This is definitely the highlight of the experience, and if I return, it will be for this, rather than lunch. My only concern is that there is so much variety available that some pastries may not have the opportunity to be sold at peak freshness, but I did not encounter this with my order.
The service was at best indifferent. Our server was brusque to the point of being rude and was not particularly attentive. Our table was missing place settings, and then when we did actually get settings, they were not complete (some missing forks, etc).

Incredible! My wife and I are visiting St. Louis and from SF. The French pastries are amazing and the owner/​staff are wonderful. Thank you for starting our day off right!

They had very loud playing music and attempted to sit us directly under one of the speakers and seemed «put out» when I asked for another table in a fairly empty restaurant. She just handed me all four menus and rudely said, «go find your own table». For a French bakery… the croissant I ordered was bland and not buttery. Tasted more like a store bought croissant. Two of us ordered Omelettes and only ate one or two bites. They just didn’t taste very good. Even when the waitress came at the end of thr meal and saw our mostly untouched food… she didn’t even ask if anything was wrong. I wouldnt go back

Love this place!!! The staff is awesome and the baked goods are even better. Their coconut macaroons and crème brûlée are amazing. The employees are always very friendly!!!

This has been on my list for a number of months to try. Not normally my kind of brunch spot, but the wife was really excited to go.
The entry bring you into a very simple bakery with wonderfully smelling cakes, cookies, and everything in between. I did not try anything from the bakery except the muffins (I will get to those shortly).
We chose to eat outside and waited a few minutes to get noticed and actually seated. From this point it was a bit of a roller coaster. The table and chairs outside were some of the most uncomfortable and shabby I’ve seen for a french bakery.
As with most french bakeries during brunch we were served bread while we waited for our entrees — we opted for actual sandwiches since we had breakfast earlier. The bread, which you’d expect to be fresh, most likely took my two front teeth and possibly a molar during the first bite — it was seriously hard, so much that the outside crumpled off as you tried to cut or pull apart.
The sandwich my wife ordered, the chicken salad, she enjoyed. It was not exceptional by any means but decent. The turkey sandwich I ordered was adorned with that lovely soft bread I sampled earlier so you can imagine my satisfaction. The blueberry muffin I mentioned, that we ordered for our son was the highlight surprisingly — it was an incredible muffin.
The service was not good, and the waitress told me I could pay inside because she was too busy to assist, so that was a real disappointment. Overall, the pastries are legit, the food and service a not.

This is a great place with awesome atmosphere. Prices are very reasonable. My family loves to eat here especially on special occasions when the have buffets. All the meals are great with real ingredients and serve butter with homemade rolls not margarine. They are so flexible with the menus I even created the breakfast croissant sandwich which is now on the menu.

What an amazing assortment of macarons! So colorful! We’re they as good as they looked? You bet! I would have to say some weren’t as fresh as others. I had some that tasted a little stale. They might overstock their macarons but you do get a very large assortment.

First time at La Bonne-​Bouchee Café and definitely will not be our last. Special thanks to owner and pastry chef Olivier Leguet who went out of his way to make our first time visit a special one.
We were in St. Louis for the weekend when some friends of ours recommended we check out this local authentic French bakery.
The place was packed with locals yet Olivier quickly spotted us in the crowd and welcomed us. Not entirely sure what we wanted, though we heard the chocolate mousse cake was amazing, he insisted we try it by ushering us over to a patio table where he brought us fresh ground coffee and a very generous piece of cake. Entirely on the house!
The chocolate mousse cake was just as good as the hospitality! Light airy mousse, rich moist chocolate cake, wrapped in dark chocolate ruffles paired perfectly with French roast coffee.
Magnifique!

Nice little café connected to a French bakery which, incidentally, smells delightful.
The rolls for a late breakfast were light and flaky. Think: croissant-​like and tasty when loaded with real whipped butter.
The spinach with lemon and asiago quiche du jour was perfectly golden-​brown, with just the right amount of lemon. Cheesy and delicious.
I would have preferred a crispier roasted rosemary potato. Not a fan of soft roasted potatoes. I want them nicely browned and crispy on the outside with an almost creamy inside. Instead, I had potatoes that were soft, not crispy. Not a fan.
Hubby ordered a waffle and it was loaded with fresh berries: blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries.
Service was excellent and a post-​breakfast tour of the bakery while your belly is full is a must even if you’re just checking out the beautiful cakes.

My mom and I have purchased cakes and pastries from La Bonne Bouchee ever since I was a little kid. This is my go to place for birthday cakes and macarons in St. Louis. I absolutely love their strawberry mousseline cake. I am impressed by the selection of macarons here. They’re not as good as Ladurée macarons, but they’re still delicious.

I was blown away at how crowded the bakery was on December 23. Most people were picking up orders.
It didn’t even OCCUR to me to place an order ahead of time. For Thanksgiving, I just walked in and got a carrot cake. I thought it would work like this for Christmas, too. Not so much.
When it was my turn, I apologized for not placing an order and asked if they had what I wanted: a carrot cake (again) and a German chocolate cake. She asked what size I wanted. I didn’t even know the cakes came in sizes. There’s a small, medium and large; and she told me how many people would be served by each size. Well, I think that totally depends upon how big you cut the pieces. I got big «sweet» people in my family.
So, I decided a medium of each cake would work, as there would be 7 of us for Christmas Eve and 8 of us for Christmas Day.
She went to the back to see what was available. Came out and said they were available, but still being frosted. Talk about FRESH!
I waited. She showed me each cake when it came out, and, gol, they were both gorgeous.
She rang me up, asked «Anything else?» And, oh boy, I had to get a to-​go bowl of the French onion soup that just drives me wild.
P. S. German chocolate cake is my brother-in-law’s favorite. He got the first piece.
P. P. S. The two cakes cost ~$ 68.

When you walk in the bakery, you will be blown away by sensory overload: the colorful pastry offerings, sparkly and rotating displays, people milling about trying to decide what they want to indulge in, and that aroma of sugar!
We had an early dinner here, and since I wasn’t too hungry at the time, I opted for a salad of chicken salad. It was pretty basic, with a scoop of chicken salad atop mixed greens and a couple egg and tomato wedges. I asked for dressing on the side, but got it on top. Whomp whomp. Also, none of the place settings had forks, and the waiter kind of gave me a look when I asked him for forks.
It was a little odd that the 2 cups of french onion soup were served literally 10 – 15 minutes before our entrees came out (which included the salad, 2 other bowls of french onion, and a sandwich). I would reco the french onion soup. It was thick, hearty, flavorful, and definitely not shy on the cheese!
On our way out, we picked up an assortment of sweet treats, including a raspberry lemon cake slice, lavender macaron, and red velvet truffle. Impressive that La Bonne puts out over 60 flavors of macarons! At that rate though, all of them cannot be in tip top freshest shape on a daily basis, and the outside of my mac was crunchier and not as fresh as I would’ve liked.

My husband had told me for the past five years that he needs to take me to La Bonne for breakfast and it finally happened last week! After an early mass, we came here with my mother-​in-​law. Both of us opted for omelets while my husband went for the loaded waffle. I decided to load up my omelet with onion, cheddar and bacon! This omelet was definitely the best I’ve ever had in a restaurant! It was absolutely packed with the ingredients I chose! It’s as if it was mostly onions, cheddar and bacon that was held together by a little egg. The roasted potatoes that came with it needed some salt, but were very good!
My husband said the waffle wasn’t quite as good as he’d remembered, but he still managed to eat the whole thing.
Leaving without a tasty treat was hard. But it’ll give me a good excuse to go back! So many yummy looking cakes!

My wife has always wanted to come out and try their breakfast service since she discovered hey had it during one of her many trips to the counter for goodies. We got there about 11am on a Sunday and there was already a line waiting. What made it not understandable was there were open tables. And when the hostess did seat folks they seemingly took a random table regardless of size of the party. There were many couples seated in 4 seat tables. Then when a four person group wanted a seat they would have to wait. They really need to learn how to manage seating. Something as simple as not only recoding a name but a party size.
After the long wait we were seated at a table that had a beam right next to it taking up one of the seats. Made for interesting bending/​turning for conversation. The waitress was friendly enough and took our order right away (since we had nearly an hour to wait to review the menu).
Once the waitress filled our coffee and waters we only saw her when the food came out and when the check was delivered.
The food was mediocre at best. If I wait an hour I want my socks knocked off. I want the food good enough that while I am eating I am planning my next trip back. I don’t think anyone in our party was taken in enough to ever return for a meal. Now the display cases… they will keep us coming back.

Discovering new places is so exciting and this week, I made a point to drive to La Bonne Bouche for two reasons: 1) to check out their café and try their french onion soup and 2) acquire a variety of macaroons to bring to a Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow. As a guest, I would not want to bring something to a dinner that is subpar so I made sure to check out the reviews before making the commitment of bringing these macaroons to the host’s dinner. So far, there are dazzling reviews pertaining to the bakery.
Now it’s time to share my very own experience. I came in around 11:30am and was seated right away. Water and rolls & butter basket were brought to the table but I don’t really like bread so I passed on that. Since this is my first time, I wanted to try a variety of things even though I know I wouldn’t be able to eat everything. I started out with a cup of french onion soup. What a delight! It was oozing with cheese and the base was very tasty and flavorful. I was not at all disappointed. Then for my entrée, I ordered something I could not pronounce (which is a shame since I work for a French company): Les crepes aux fruits de mer et aux epinards. In short and less fancy terms, seafood crepes — baked crepes stuffed with crab, shrimp, spinach and topped with tarragon lobster and mornay sauce. I ordered the large portion which was a mistake because they gave me 2 stuffed crepes which were not small by any means. After finishing off the cup of french onion soup, there was no way I could have eaten 2 stuffed crepes. Needless to say, I ended up taking the other crêpe home with the steamed carrots and cauliflower that came with the meal. That’s right, I am ashamed to say but I actually did not eat my vegetables during lunch. The stuffed crêpe was so good and flavorful, though and the sauce complemented the dish very well. I loved every single bite.
I also had a cup of latte with my meal and it was fine. Service was excellent. My waitress was quite attentive and brought my orders quickly. She even warned me about the sauce over the crepes bein really hot (it was still bubbling when she brought it to the table).
I will have to say, I did skip desert because I was way too stuffed. Rest assured, I will edit this review once I sink my teeth into the delicious-​looking truffles and rhum balls I took home with me, not to mention the macaroons. The bakery was such a delightful scene to me. All sorts of different delectable cakes and pastries! My eyes feasted upon them but I knew I couldn’t buy them all. The bakery service was great! The woman helping me was so nice, informed me about their already packed variety of macaroons and the price difference if I choose my own flavors. I did and at check out, she explained to me how to keep the macaroons from getting too dry after I told her I am bringing it to dinner tomorrow. I will be back.
Verdict on the pastries:
The French macaroons were a hit at the main Thanksgiving dinner. I brought 4 different flavors: milk chocolate, Venezuelan chocolate, vanilla, and cherry. I think I liked the Venezuelan chocolate the best but the milk chocolate did not quite live up to the expectations. I did not try the other 2 flavors but everyone said they liked them. They were definitely a hit mostly because they were different and quite delightful to look at.
The rhum balls were quite rich that if I was to eat 2, it would have been way too much. Lastly, the truffles were good but did not quite blow me away. In short, I have had better truffles. With that said, I would love to go back and try their crème brûlée and some of their cake varities!

I didn’t eat here but picked up an order of macaroons and sugar cookies. Their decorated sugar cookies and pistachio macaroons are guaranteed crowd pleasers. As usual, I was served quickly even though it was really busy.
The macaroons are expensive but worth every penny. Their sugar cookies aren’t nearly as pricey per weight and are beautifully decorated (with many choices of style). I forgot to take a pic of this order but found a photo of a previous one. I would almost say they’re too pretty to eat, but I don’t have enough willpower to follow through on that. :)

I could see where this place is reviewed mostly for being a bakery. The macaroons, pastries and cakes looked wonderful. But I was there for lunch.
I decided to go with the quiche of the day which was three cheese with herbs. Your choice of a side, I chose the French onion soup. The soup was good but toward the bottom I started tasting something nutty. I never did figure out what it was. The quiche came with carrots and broccoli. While the quiche was delicious, I did not care for the veggies. I like mine mushy and these were a little hard.
I cannot believe I left without trying any of the sweets. If dessert was offered at the table, we never heard about it.
I would go back but mostly to try one of the pastries.

So I’ve finally finished my assortment of 17 different macaroons. Some were tastier than others, I particularly enjoyed the bluberry, chocolate coconut, pistachio, Nutella, lavender, rose, Macha tea, red velvet & chocolate.
I did not care for the pumpkin (lacked flavor), earl grey (bland) salted caramel, tropical, tiramisu, boysenberry, lemon (tasted like fruit loops cereal) & mint. Don’t get me wrong, they were all edible and extremely cute but where some had the perfect airy shell and soft inside construction, others where hard shell hollow inside. Hollow macaroons indicate a baker’s error and should be tossed rather than sold.
I like my macaroons fluffy inside La Bonne Bouchee. I realize it takes skill to make the perfect macaroon but if your establishment specializes in macaroons I expect perfection.
Gonna give the place another twirl.

This review is for the Bakery and Patisserie side of La Bonne Bouchée Café.
When you walk into the store, the display cases make your mouth water. How can anyone choose just one treat when you have multiple cases displaying dozens of cakes, macaroons, croissants, tarts, meringues, cookies, and other sweets? Well, you can’t. That’s why you (I) get enough to fill a box.
Personally, I found croissant heaven. Lots of other reviews have focused on the amazing selection of macaroons they offer — it’s true, they do — but I love the buttery, delicate, baked goodness of their croissants. My favorite is the Cinnamon Cream Cheese Croissant — oh my goodness! It has a delicate buttery dough and a not too sweet cream cheese filling that is topped with a light sprinkling of cinnamon sugar that crunches a bit with each bite. It’s heavenly!
So if the bakery is heaven, then the wait staff are angels. They were helpful in describing the treats and quickly taking care of everyone in line.
Visit this sweet shop for a sweet treat and a tasty bite that will transport your taste buds to France!

Came here today!!! Still a great place for pastries! This time we got a ton of macaroons and pineapple and strawberry mousseline cake! A few of my favorite macarons are the earl grey and matcha tea! This time we got a few other new ones that we never tried before which was amaretto, pumpkin, tiramisu, and salted caramel which were all absolutely fabulous! The lady that was helping us was very patience and nice! When there’s so many flavors to choose from its hard to decide!
PS: whenever I usually order a ton of macaroons here, they’re usually in trays… now they’re just in a box. Luckily they didn’t get squished! But the cakes were a little congested in one box.