Almondine Bakery

Pâtisseries are still absolutely excellent. They unfortunately closed their location in Park Slope (after Sandy).
We now go to their location in Dumbo. Service is great, very wide selection and fantastic location

It’s closed.

Very good iced coffee (tastes cold brewed but I’m not sure)
Good Eclairs (my French friend likes them because they have chocolate filling instead of the cream ones you find in Dunkin Donuts or something — says that’s the authentic French way)
Almond Croissants are delicious (though they taste a little healthy/​whole-​wheat-​y, which I can’t complain about as it’s generally a decadent rich treat anyways).
Just wish service was a little faster (even when no one is in there) — but that maybe a Park Slope thing in general :)

Cheapest macarons you’ll find in NY. Not a compromise on quality either. Their fruit flavored ones are my favorites. They don’t have a LOT of flavors, but enough to make a variety box of 6.
Service is not the greatest though. They’re not rude, but it almost borders on it. They’re definitely not friendly, and there was a time when there was no one there while I waited for 10 – 15 minutes. So don’t expect a friendly face when you go in.
However, their coffee is the strongest that I’ve had in the area, and when I need a jolt, I go to Almondine. They have freshly baked bread, which I haven’t tried yet, but it seems to get good reviews. Their pastries look amazing, but I’m still trying to work my way through Colson’s menu.
The 4 stars is mainly for their macarons. Gotta try those.

Amazing chocolate almond croissant and pretty smoothe coffee. The selections of items are small but so far its pretty good.
Its a very cute and quaint place that you can sit and work in but there’s no wifi. Its also hard to spot this place with the exception of the standing chalk sign by the sidewalk out front to lure you in to try the pastries

Almondine was founded in Dumbo by a pastry chef from Le Bernardin, who was recruited by Jacques Torres to occupy the space across the street from his eponymous chocolate shop. They expanded to Park Slope a few years ago, occupying a cursed spot just off 7^th Ave.
Cursed no more. Almondine makes pristine French cakes, tarts, eclairs, and other sweets that would cost you $ 8-​$ 9 at a restaurant, for half the price. Both chocolate and fruit fans will find something to love. Many of them are also mini works of art, something you cannot do at home without spending a lot of time (let alone being a talented baker). They also have macarons and rochers as well if you want something a little smaller and simpler. Great in the store, and also as an assorted dessert plate at home for a group.
For breakfast, they have a wide range of breakfast pastries — almond croissants and pain au chocolat are the best in Park Slope. And the baguettes are also amazing — buttery, crunchy exterior, tender interior.
On weekends, you can also get pretzel bread — it looks nothing like a pretzel in shape, but has the pretzel color, texture and flavor. Look for it on top of the cake case. Bring it home, slice it up, and serve it alongside coarse grain brown mustard. Makes my 6-year-old’s eyes light up.
The Valrhona hot chocolate is rich and satisfying.
The coffee is good, but the coffee drinks are average or less as compared to others in the area like Café De Luxe or Grumpy’s. And the service is a bit Gallic, so don’t expect lots of smiles and warmth.
But if you like French pastries, you can do no better!

Best Almond Croissant I’ve ever had!
So dense and just the right amount of sweetness!
Crispy edges, buttery crust. Heavenly!
I tried Chocolate Croissant as well. Best chocolate croissant in Park Slope!
Liked that the chocolate was not too sweet.
Cashier maintained a dead expression on her face and she seemed impatient, but as for the food, it was very satisfying.

This place is a godsend when you want to sit and have a quiet cup of coffee before heading off to your next place. The coffee cups are small but it only costs $ 1.60. The treats are of course as delicious as you’d expect — all fresh and tasty. What I like best is that its not crowded — I hope they stay in business!
The baguettes are on the small side like the coffee, but that didn’t bother me. I’m only an occasional consumer of pastries and croissants, and I never find fault with any of them ever, as long as they’re fresh — and these are.
For me, the energy of a place, the vibes, are just as important as the chow, if not more so. So that’s why my 5 stars — because it’s a place I love going into.

Stopped by to purchase fresh bread and pastry for a dinner I had planned. Got a french country loaf and baguette on Saturday that wass still pillowy soft days later (that’s fresh!)
Also purchased a variety of confections, the home made Rochers, raspberry madelines, a slice of pumpkin pie, crème brûlée, the almondine and the chocolate mousse. Decadent, fantastic deliciousness. My only complaint is that this is a CASH ONLY bakery so hit the ATM before bringing your goodies home… and the owner could use a little extra help taking orders when a gaggle of customers enters the bakery. She seemed overwhelmed dealing with multiple orders and mutliple customers by herself, but still remained polite and I will definitely return. The Rochers are bananas!

I love Almondine’s baguettes. They never run out in the evening, so it’s always reliable. They’re pretty small, though, which makes $ 2.75 seem pricey.
Aside from the bread, I’m not a huge fan. If you want good pastries, I’d walk a block down to Colson Patisserie which makes great viennoiseries.
But back to Almondine– their brioche was good. Very sticky, but good.
Unfortunately, their almond croissant, which everyone seems to love, was also sticky and soft, and I was not a fan. I was expecting a flaky, crisp outer layer like all croissants should have, and this was disappointing. The almond paste had a strange artificial taste, and there was too much of it too.
Sadly, it can get worse. The cupcake tasted like a pound cake, which was fine, but the vanilla frosting was too thick and had absorbed the taste of mint from peppermint candy placed on top. For some reason, it was a terrible combination which, no joke, reminded me of a fish tank.
Their layered strawberry cake was okay, but the cream in the middle was too thick and hard. They should’ve made one more layer of cake instead of just piling on the cream.

Dark chocolate filled croissants and the hot chocolate are the 2 reasons I come here. And possibly the macaroons (on a good day).
This place is tucked away under stairs near the 7^th ave. train stop below Flipsters. I walked by it so many times until I finally spotted it.
Don’t study here, it’s not study friendly. In fact, sometimes the staff isn’t very friendly anyway.

Food crawl stop #4
Ordered a plain croissant.
Flaky as hell, which is good.
But I like my croissants to have that…“pull” factor.
You know, when you take a bite, the dough on the inside kinda tugs behind and is chewy and stringy?
No, this croissant was all crunch.
Very cute little shop with lots of seating.
But the 2 girls behind the counter were as cold as today’s frigid temperature.
Not one smile or any sign of friendliness.
We could’ve gone to hell for all they cared.
You know what?
YOU can go to hell!
*sticks tongue out!*

I was told to swing by here for one reason: the croissants. And I was not disappointed. The almond croissant was perfectly baked, with a slightly burnt feeling without being overly brown, not too sweet, and the perfect texture. The plain croissant was light, airy and delicious, with just the right amount of butter baked into it. I like the baked goods at Café Regular, but this is my new go-​to place. (The muffins look great too, though I’m not sure I’m ready to break away from Blue Sky Bakery for these.)
The coffee was very good, strong without being too acidic. My fiancé also bought some macaroons, which looked just like those we got in Paris earlier this year.
That said, what kept me back from five stars was the vibe, at least so far. The space is way too big for what they’ve created, with only one garbage can right near the front (none near the coffee bar), and the walls are bare. Doesn’t feel like somewhere you can hole up for a while, which is too bad, as the food warrants it. I also agree with some other reviewers that service can be stepped up a notch.

Plain croissant and café Americano — $ 4.15
The croissant was not too airy, definitely better than most bakeries.
The coffee wasn’t very impressive. It is a very nice bakery to have around.

French macarons available here. I came in for that. They were dry, flaky, and really not good. perhaps they’ll be better for some other dessert choice but I’m not interested.

I found out about this place after I heard some thing about a «Macaroon Day» back some time in March. So I started reading the reviews and read that the almond croissant is awesome. So after reading it, I said, I must try this croissant. In my mind, I thought it was a croissant with almond paste baked inside. (if you hadnt had almond paste before, its the same what they use for almond macaroons, which had this nice flavor to it)
So, today I finally said I was going to try this croissant. I got off the 7^th Ave (F train) and was looking for this place. Now I agree with Jerome Espinosa B., this place was hidden, I was about to give up looking for this place. I walked pass by this lady who was sitting on the bench like 3 times… I know she saw me and thought I was lost… LOL.
So I finally found this place and I thought it was small. I thought they would have more of a selection of baked goods but it was mostly to the left of the register. I got there around maybe 2pm and I ordered the almond croissant. There was only one left, which was fine, I was going to get my brother one as well, but I guess I’ll just share this with him.
SO…when I bit into it, it was GOOD. It was exactly as I imagined, with the almond paste in the middle. It would have been great with a cup of coffee, but eating it alone was good. I kind of wished I didnt split it with my brother, but hey I’m trying to be nice here. LOL So I will definitely be going back and try the other items they have. Hopefully I’ll get there earlier so I can snatch me a few more croissants…
**edit…WOW, was the croissant that good that I forgot to mention that I also bought a baguette. Ever since going to Paris, I’ve been wanting a good freshly baked baguette (like how they have it in Paris). This baguette was good, nice and crusty outside and soft on the inside. I would get it again IF I dont find another place with a good baguette.

Star off for not cleaning the table before I sat down, while I was there, or after I left. If I was supposed to dispose of my disposables myself I didn’t see a garbage can. And it made me a little sad to eat great food and drink great coffee out of disposables. Meh.
As for food though, the quiche I had was so yumm, ranks as some of the best I’ve had. Great but smallish cappuccino. The complimentary macaron I got for Macaron Day was downright amazing, like a little cloud of black currant flavor. On my way out I grabbed a baguette too since they seemed to be flying off the shelf, I did not regret my decision.
So I am a fan and will be back because it was just so laid back on a Sunday afternoon, the doors swung open to let in the first springtime sunshine, and all the baked goods looked tasty.

OK so if Zana is the large coffee bakery than Almondine is my fresh OJ place. They have the best fresh squeezed OJ I have ever tasted. I have no idea where they get there oranges. The coffee is good, when I am not getting a Large coffee I get a Double Cappuccino and they make a good one. It is a little more expensive than ZANA but better (even though they do not put sugar in my coffee). There croissants are good. Baked in Brooklyn Heights (or Dumbo) and brought to Park Slope so it is normally very fresh.
When the place opened I wandered in to check it out and they gave me a free french baguette. It was amazing. My biggest problem with Almondine is that they do not open till 8am, and I have normally left for work.

I was so excited to learn that Almondine was opening up a second bakery shop, steps away from my apartment. Their jam-​filled beignets at their DUMBO location blew my mind. This is a top-​notch bakery.
So far I’ve tasted a few other things. Twice I’ve had one of their raisin bran muffins (with tax $ 2.15) and they are so thoughtfully executed. Not only do they have raisins, they also have chopped dates, dried apricots and golden raisins inside, with a few whole oats sprinkled on top.
Their multi-​grain bread has flax seeds and even better, poppy seeds in the dough itself. Fresh on the day it is crusty and crispy on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside. For $ 4.75 you are not going to get a nicer loaf of bread anywhere I know of. Wow.
I haven’t tried much else (although their chocolate chip cookie samples on the counter are always outstanding– chewy and decadent) and I’m sure whatever else you get here will be great. I’d like to try their quiches… those do look appealing.
My one complaint is the atmosphere inside is a bit austere. I like the exposed brick and the fireplace, but they could use some music perhaps, and some art on the walls to cozy the place up, to make it a place you’d want to linger at, not just grab your pastry and go.
Bön chance et Bön Appetit!

Almondine finally opened SLOPE SIDE with all the usual suspects. Gorgeous breads and sublime classic pastries make this subway friendly outpost very welcomed in the hood.
LARGE space with P. S. deriguer exposed brick. lots of seating and two bathrooms in the rear.
A new pastry not seen at the other store is a RASPBERRY BEIGNET which with it’s darkly baked exterior and sweet raspberry interior was simply delish.