Art of Bread

After spending a summer in Paris, I love finding authentic French cafes around the area. I had a little bit of time to zip out of work for some dinner and stumbled across Art of Bread on Unilocal.I was quickly greeted and after ordering at the counter, my «Narberth» sandwich was ready within a few minutes. While the name doesn’t sound French, it certainly tasted it. As I ate at a corner table, I was able to relax and read, just as I did in my favorite city. On my way out the door, near closing time, the woman behind the counter (owner, maybe?) sent me with a doggy bag of fresh rolls on the house. Art of Bread is a French getaway with a Narberth-​neighborly attitude. I will certainly be back soon!

The morning staff guys are super nice. I went in for a croissant and an iced latte and it was super yums! The cookies are also very chewy and delicious! Minus one star for the shortage of selections. Most of the shelves and cases were empty.

I love the food here and have never had a problem. Honestly the only issue was that I showed up with my toddler when they opened this morning and they told me to come back in a half hour because nothing was made yet. I went here because it was more on my way to daycare than Petit Mitron but I ended up going there anyway because I didn’t have 30 minutes to wait for Art of Bread. I saw two other people also turn around and go elsewhere when they were told there were no pastries/​bread. Not good to turn away business and I probably won’t try back in the AM.

We stopped in here for a light breakfast yesterday. The croissants were pretty good, but Le Peitit Mitron is definitely better. I really did enjoy my quiche, but I was expecting more. The coffee was also just OK, so overall I think the art of bread is OK, but underwhelming.

Great bakery with lots of options and it is not too bad on the wallet. I ordered a bunch of sweets like the cinnamon roll and cookies. My absolute fav was the berry macaroon. It was huge and gooey and sweet with a touch of tartness. divine, I highly recommend.

Stopped in here for a light lunch as I had an appointment nearby. I love the croissants here and was willing to give the place another go. I wish I could give them four stars but I can’t. I had been to Perrier’s other two places and this place never measured up to the Perrier reputation.
The bread here is fabulous. We got the soup — very good broccoli cauliflower and a roast beef sandwich on ciabatta. The beef was tender and rare with cole slaw and horse radish. The soup came in one of those brown crocks and the sandwich on a grocery store paper plate. We placed our order at the counter and they items were brought to us. Later we ordered a danish (Apple vanilla) and a chocolate almond croissant. The Danish was a bit skimpy on filling but the croissant was sweet and full of almond filling and chocolate. We ordered two coffees as well and were called to the counter to retrieve them.
Service is pleasant but not fabulous. They bring you things while other things are self– serve. Pastry choices are no longer what you see in the posted pictures. There are only two typical height tables, the rest are high tops so it’s not that appealing if you have small kids with you or the elderly. There are a couple of tables outside.
I was not happy to see the person making sandwiches going outside to pet a customer’s dog.

Great little bakery. All the treats I snagged were well worth stopping in for especially the ice coffee. Definitely give it a try, you won’t be disappointed.

Definitely not a high end or french quality bakery. If you want the real deal, try out Elegance Bakery with two locations. This place has some nice selections but does not even close to live up to Elegance. I bought an apple cake loaf — there were two apples in the entire thing, it was super dry and she charged me $ 12 for it. Not what I was hoping for.

I’m not sure this is still ‘by’ Georges Perrier, but whoever continues to run this boulangerie – travail bien fait monsieur! A fabulous place to pop in and grab decadent little desserts when hosting a get-​together, or loaves of fresh french bread. The quiche is always excellent, and the samurai sandwich was exceptionally delicious last time I was there! The croissants, and other morning pastries, were beautiful and delicious. It’d be hard to improve on something so stirringly perfect!

Not bad. I got lunch here a few times. Their lunch boxes are a good deal. Today I got the tuna sandwich which was an open face sandwich smothered in gruyère cheese and tomato, came with a small salad and 2 cookies, not bad for $ 9! Lady at the counter was funny and very pleasant, would def. go back again. I have yet to try their actual deserts, since they are a bit out of my price range, but they looked amazing!

When charging $ 3 for a chocolate croissant at least ask if I’d liked it warmed up! It’s 10 °F outside!
No napkins either!
C’mon!

Probably some of the best made bread on the Main Line. This bread is best when eaten hot out of the oven, but holds up well over a day or two reheated. Several different types of Baguettes and loves of bread, such as whole wheat, sesame, sourdough, all crisp and Delicious. Have tried some of the pastries and croissants which were good but a little pricey. Will be a regular for the bread.

The bar is set quite high when you add Georges Perrier’s name (and price tags) to something, and this does not get over that bar.
High points:
Brunch is a decent deal, as you get a croissant with cheese and ham, a sweet pastry and some (usually crappy) fruit for around $ 9.
Their desserts are quite tasty and they have a good selection
Low points:
The price. If you want to charge Perrier prices you have to do something better than just average. Apart from their brunch, everything feels overpriced 15−25%. Pastries and desserts either have to be larger or of higher quality to justify the price.
It might be just be me, but I find it annoying that the pastries are piled up unlabeled, and since many have fillings, I feel kinda awkward asking the staff to explain to me for the 5 – 7 pastries they have are.
That reminds me, the staff — having vacant teenagers as staff does not encourage me to spend.
Summary:
Hit up the Narberth patisserie or the Cheese shop, both by Narberth Septa station. The prices are the same but the quality and service so much better.

First time there and I have to say I was disappointed. Cute small place that was a bit of a bear to park at. My disappointment came from the variety. There was none. The pictures gave the impression of large cases with many varied desserts. In reality there were 2 smaller cases that were mostly empty and items looked like they had been there a while. The racks of bread were just racks with about 7loaves of 4 different varieties. I was there fairly early on a Saturday so this was a real shock. Disappointed.

It smells just like a boulangerie should and the display of breads, pastries and desserts is the same you’d see on a little market street in France. However, both of the two times Ive visited to buy almond croissants, they were over baked. The croissants were much too brown and crunchy the first day and, on tge second, so overdone they were burned at the ends. As I write this, I can taste the char. These batches should have been dumped in the trash. Perrier’s toque would have exploded off his head had he seen this.

Food: 4
Décor: 3
Ambiance: 3
Service: 3.5
Value: 2.5
It was George Perrier, so you knew it was going to be an experience. The location and atmosphere are strange, but the coffee and pastries are top notch.

When Georges Perrier stepped away from Le Bec Fin he did completely leave the food industry. Instead he opened up a boulangerie/​café in the heart of the Main Line that delivers fresh baguettes, decadent pastries, intriguing sandwiches, and Illy coffee. I had the chance to finally make it down for a quick lunch today and it definitely channeled fond memories of my the time I spent indulging upon the boulangeries of Paris.
Upon walking in I was instantly tantalized by the numerous pastries of the day that sat in a row that tempted me to order and eat every single one of them! But while I could have just have easily gone for the rich looking raspberry and dark chocolate cake that my friend picked up, I had to go with the one that touted pears and sea salted caramel in a vanilla cake; which says a lot since pears are something that I normally avoid with a passion. But the bitterness of the pear paired nicely with the sweetness of the caramel, sponginess of the cake, and sea salt; and especially went well with my coffee.
With quiches, tartines, hot sandwiches, and just about every kind of bread and euro inspired pastry that you could possibly imagine ordering would of proved to be no easy task. But upon good recommendation the Croque Madame with ham, melted gruyère and goat cheese, caramelized onions, and a gooey sunnyside sitting on top of an open faced sourdough was the only thing on my mind. And it was as incredible as it sounds, especially since it came with a salad with a creamy Parmesan dressing and a brownie for good measure.
By the end of my lunch I was pleasantly stuffed, and already plan to come back when I’m looking for a breakfast pastry, quiche, or flan tart on the go. But it also does double over as one of the only feasible coffeehouse options in the area with its inviting décor, awesome croissants, and plentiful amount of Illy flowing.

I tasted many breads and deserts in a lot of bakeries but the ones at the Art of Bread are the best.
Prices are high but the experience of eating real bread is «magnifique».
Agreed that staff is untrained and the manager has a snobbish attitude.

Quiche Loraine is awesome here cheese Danish too, pricey but worth it, you will never eat at Panera for their quiche again after trying this place. Do it!
Quiche Loraine is awesome here cheese Danish too, pricey but worth it, you will never eat at Panera for their quiche again after trying this place. Do it!

Ya know it’s a good piece of bread if the crusts can cut up the roof of your mouth. This happens when you are in a bread frenzy, the insides are so soft and the outsides are so hard, mistakes get made. The baguettes and croissants are totally top notch. They make pretty good sandwiches and soups. The junior staff are pleasant. But don’t worry the managers still have the abruptness that let’s you know it’s a real French bakery. I like my baguette to be delivered with a rude attitude. That’s how you know it’s legit. his is the place in the Main Line for fresh bread.

Someone left a ton of bread — lots of loaves and rolls — out at work and labeled it «Help yourself. From The Art of Bread in Narberth.» By the end of the day I had helped myself to a whole loaf of a seeded multigrain and various rolls of different flavors. I sliced it all up and put them in the freezer. It was all great in our toaster oven. My wife and I always looked forward to getting it out of the freezer. I’ve never been there but after this experience I would stop in for more if I’m in Narberth.

Disclaimer: I’m a bakery snob and have made my own puff pastry, croissants and, yes, even bagels. But, no, I’ve never been to France.
I would urge those posting less than stellar reviews to re-​visit The Art of Bread. They have definitely experienced some growing pains since their opening and, frankly, I would attribute a large part of that to finding qualified staff out here in the ‘burbs where even the public schools are filled with entitled brats. I’ve seen some of the same service issues in many of the businesses out this way.
That said, I’m at Art of Bread on a weekly basis. For their tartines, particularly the Croque Monsieur, for their croissants, for their breads and marvelous deserts. Their ham and cheese croissant is wonderful as is their Napoleon.
Reviews are clearly mixed, so give it a whirl and form your own opinion. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.