Croissant D’Or Bakery

Who would’ve thunk it? A real life French patisserie in the middle of an industrial estate! Then again, Croissant D’Or Bakery is more of a ‘working bakery’ than high-​end patisserie café, with the majority of their product ending up at local eating establishments. And probably being sold on for some considerable mark-​up.
This is one of these hidden jewels of the south, where you can grab a delectably flaky almond pastry and creamy latte for a fraction of what it will cost you at one of your more fancy establishments. It’s worth seeking out this place early on a Saturday morning if only to grab a $ 6 tray chock full of croissant-​y goodies; plain, chocolate and almond. And of course, you need to get one to eat then and there as well!
The only downfall of this place (besides it’s slightly difficult to get to location), is the general atmos. As I mentioned before, this is a working bakery set on an industrial estate. There are seats outside, but they are few and far between. The view is of the surrounding warehouses, with some old cracked cement pots with a few token plants for greenery. The music is also of some questionable taste at time — you’ll have a few charming Parisian café tunes, but then mysteriously Zamfir will suddenly bust some panpipe moves. You can’t help but think that with a little more careful planning, some more care taken with the outside décor and keeping up with the oh-​so-​French-​chic musique that this bakery could become a real trendy hit with the Southerners.
However, until then, I will continue to go for the amazing pastries, great coffee and friendly service. It’s worth the trip through the sea of industry, for the best croissants in town. (Probably the same one you’ve just bout for triple the price at your local café!)

My second Unilocal guided outing and unfortunately was a major disappointment. I was the first to arrive at this location and looked around to be surrounded by industrial sites, burnout lined roads and the odd wandering dog. I sincerely regretted ordering the coffees straight away as I should have just moved on. When a baker emerged from the back room and requested a co-​worker (presumably another baker) to make some coffees, that should have been a clear signal.
The coffee wasn’t too bad in the end but it was slurp and go. Zero atmosphere sitting at the basic outside chairs. The only good thing was the smell of the croissants baking. It may be cheap for bulk croissants but this is not a destination I would recommend.

Wow, what an odd little place! It is located amongst an industrial precinct in Lonsdale, and is an unexpected gem.
We originally visited here as part of the Rendezvous markets, but that has unfortunately now closed. The upside is that Crossant D’Or Bakery has now decided to open every Saturday, which is great if you’re looking for cheap pastries and coffee ;)
My favourite is the almond croissant — full size for only $ 1! That is not a typo — it’s really $ 1. We also love the tray of 12 mini croissants (6 almond and 6 chocolate) for only $ 6, and a bonus is the good coffee (not sure if they stock soy milk — I had a very good long black).
Croissant D’Or supplies cafes and the Central Markets, so is not really set up to be a stand-​alone café — this is why the produce is so cheap, and why the seating is a bit daggy.
It’s a shame the Rendezvous Markets weren’t sustainable, but I think this is because they concentrated more on the produce itself rather than the ambience … and although this sounds shallow, ambience is a very important in making these sorts of markets popular.
All in all, I think we will be frequenting Croissant D’Or quite regularly … good for my wallet, but not necessarily for my waistline ;)