Lafayette French Pastry Bakers

Here’s an article on the eviction.
Changing to two stars, not that it matters.

Giving this place 1 star is a compliment. I just wanted coffee and I saw the guy puttin a cup in the microwave. So I asked if it was instant coffee and he denies it, tries to say its something else. Then immediately he realizes I was about to walk away and he starts to defend the instant coffee and says «trust me, you’ll like it. I’ve been doing this a long time»
I figure wtf I just want that coffee fix and I decided to try a pastry too. The damn coffee tasted like shit, as if he had some special method to make sanka taste like drip coffee (there was a drip machine in the store but he says this method is better). I then took a bite of the pastry, which was actually good at first but then I realized it was actually old and stale.
Whatever, I should’ve known better by the sloppy way the store is kept. I wonder how that place got an A rating

The owner appears to have eaten one too many lead paint chips.
I feel terrible for his sweet, ancient mother who still works behind the counter
with her troll son. His «negro cookies» were just the tip of his large, pathetic iceberg.
He is unbalanced, obnoxious and always looking for a fight — from racist comments to right wing nut bag comments that make the Westboro Baptist Church look sane.
But nothing can cover up the fact that his pastries are complete crap.
Sad little cookies, indeed.
As much as I go out of my way daily to support local shops, I won’t ever go back here. I’ve given him so many chances to change my mind and up his game.
He doesn’t get that no one cares about or wants to hear his stupid opinions or hateful screed. And he never will.
Patisserie Claude is a much better option.

This place is run by a mother-​son team and it looks like it would have amazing, delicious pastries. But it doesn’t. Prices are high and food is ok.
I have refused to eat here since a run-​in with the very outgoing son. He hangs outside the store on the sidewalk, where he struck up conversation with me. Using very graphic language, he listed some horrible things he wanted to do to a group of nearby cyclists riding down 6^th Avenue. Who talks this way to strangers?
I’ve refused to eat here on principle since hearing these statements. I was unaware of the accusations of racism before 10 minutes ago, but it seems fitting.

I really loved my almond croissant; well done is how I like it. Also the almond horn was good, too.

This place may have the worst croissants I’ve ever tasted in my life. How can they taste worse than the mass-​produced, pre-​wrapped ones sold at supermarkets? Greasy, soggy, nothing delicate or flaky about them — simply terrible. I don’t like to give out one or two stars to small businesses, mom-​and-​pop type shops. But when things are this bad, I also feel like not doing so would be misleading people. «Eek! Methinks not» represents exactly how I feel about this place — hence, one star.
If you want great croissants — go to Ceci Cela or Patisserie Claude. Not here.
EDITED:
OK, I read other reviews. I’m not gonna comment on his politics, not my business. But I gotta say I love that the owner can’t even spell «mille-​feuille» correctly («millie fluere» is what he wrote) and this is right after he writes «as I have been to Paris» — hilarious! Obviously he doesn’t speak any French. It’s in his response to Kate Z’s review, BTW.

How is this place still open? I dropped in yesterday to see what they had. I was surprised to see burnt items out on trays. Who is going to buy a burnt cookie?
I asked how much a brownie was: $ 3.85
Forget it. I can get cheaper and better-​looking baked goods elsewhere.

I went here with a French friend and we both agreed, nothing about this place is French. You don’t have to be French to see that. You don’t even need to have visited France to see that. It’s a drab American bakery with mediocre pastries.
I hate judging from appearance, but everything just looks old, stale, and (snoot alert!) like it somehow doesn’t belong in this neighborhood. My opinion didn’t change after tasting their pastries either. Their palmier ($ 2.50), instead of being crisp and flaky, was doughy like a dense dinner roll.
I was going to give this place 2 stars because despite the quality of the pastries, the old lady was really patient, nice, and trying so hard to be a good salesperson while I decided which of the not-​so-​appetizing pastries to buy (I was really hungry for a pastry and just couldn’t wait any longer). She kindly described many of the pastries to me unlike some other shops that ignore you til you wave money in their faces. That said, back at home, I found out about their racist cookie fiasco and decided to downgrade to 1 star. I will not stand mediocre pastries from a racist shop.
(In case you hadn’t heard of the issue:
)

This is the home of the DRUNKEN NEGRO cookie, for those who don’t know!!! Don’t be fooled by what looks like harmless pastries in the window. This place is RACIST.
On top of that, their pastries are AVERAGE!!! I haven’t been here since before I heard about these «cookies», but their cupcakes are terrible. Save your money and go to a bakery that appreciates its customers.

I checked this place out with a co-​worker. It looked like an old school NYC bakery but not as polished. The cookies in the case were just thrown in, not really arranged and the cases weren’t lit at all so it wasn’t the best looking place. The Macaroons looked a little burned and were sort of thrown in there any old way, still stuck to the paper.
Upon sampling the goods, the cupcake turned out to be a little dry, probably held over from the weekend. The cookies were nothing special.
Only after the guy behind the counter said something that struck me as a little off, did I think to myself ‘wait a minute, is this THAT bakery?‘
I checked my blackberry and sho nuff’ it was.
Drat! Its one thing to have so so baked goods but its a whole ‘nother to have offensive public views AND so so baked goods.
Owner’s views aside, this place is just so so, keep walking and you’ll find better.

I love this bakery! Get over the cookie thing for crying out loud. The food is wonderful, the people are so freindly.

Cheesecake, black and white cookies, French macarons: these are a few of my favorite things. I was delighted to receive a box containing all three on Christmas Day when I expected nothing more than a bagel.
Unfortunately that’s where my delight ended. Every single one was atrocious. I mean, throw in the garbage, can’t stand another bite, B-​A-​D! And anyone who knows me knows that I am not the kind of person who tosses out baked goods!
The black and white cookie was more rocklike than cakelike in texture.
The macarons tasted as though they’d been soaked in cloying almond liqueur.
Hoping against hope for a respite from these repugnant flavors and textures, I stuck my spoon into the cheesecake. Its consistency was a bit like toast and it was overly imbued with nutmeg.
Considering how excessively every item was flavored, it’s as if the taste buds of the bakers here were somehow dimmed or otherwise compromised.
I once judged an amateur baking contest; even the most dissatisfying entry was better than anything I sampled from Lafayette French Pastry.

okay, so here’s the deal — i went to this bakery without knowing anything about the racist cookie (check out this link to see what i’m talking about
) or what had taken place, so when i walked by the bakery i decided to stop in.
upon entering i was immediately thrilled with the wide variety of choices and purchased several cookies and pastries — all of which were quite good.
after purchasing my baked goods, i overheard a reporter from a local NYC newspaper interviewing the owner and his mother — and the reporter filled me in on all the controversy.
when i got home i saw images and read articles about the racist cookie and was quite shocked and disappointed that someone would do that.
i certainly understand why everyone is so upset, me included, which is why this place gets 1 star and i won’t be going back like many other NYCers.

I’m all about supporting mom and pop businesses, which this one is a good (bad, really) example of. I will pay a slight premium to, say, get the same loaf of bread from an independent bakery instead of Food Emporium.
So I gave this place a fair chance, shopped a couple times. All three things I’ve tried tasted horrible.
Furthermore, the guy gives you the same guilt trip every time about how he’s losing business to corporate giants. I’m like, dude, how did you EVER keep anyone coming back long before Food Emporium was around the corner, if you simply don’t know how to bake?
You know what, I guess the guilt trip MUST be working on some people. That’s the only explanation I can think of why this guy is still in business.
P. S. The place looks like it’s been there forever, too. Fucking blows my mind…

Don’t go here. The pastries are not even that good. And the fact that this place is RACIST should be enough of a reason not to even patronize this business. Stay away

Not so good. This used to be a great place for celebrities, NY Elite and many other locals who loved to eat there. Unfortunately the owner or manager made a huge miscalculation by spewing his views and trying to defend them by trying to hide behind the first amendment.
While the food is great, the service is very good and the prices are reasonable I can no longer support this establishment. Stay away from this place. We are all entitled to our opinion. But when we push it on to others then we are setting a dangerous precedent.

Nothing special in the pastry department. There are many better places in the area (i.e. Patisserie Claude). And I will never go here again, due to the «Drunken Negro Cookies.» He’s free to express his opinion, but I’m also free to express mine by not patronizing his business. As liberal as the West Village is, I’ll be surprised if this bakery last for another year.

The pastries are of low quality, and more importantly the service/​personality of the owner are the type of crass, classless and rude people I would not like to give my business to.
Only an ignorant southern bell would think their cookies are «funny» and not offensive.
Do not come here… There are other bakeries that have the all around great atmosphere, wonderful service and delicious pastries that are attractive to pastry lovers!

Chowhound’s usually a braintrust of opinions on where to find anything food related. I have black and white cookie needs and since I was visiting New York I wanted those needs met. Someone on Chowhound unfortunately suggested this place.
Their black and white was dried out, with the «cookie» part no longer spongey like it should be. The frosting was hard. Basically we could tell looking at it that it wasn’t going to be good, but since it was recommended to us and we’d just walked a couple miles to get it we went ahead. Big mistake.
There’s no seating here (which sucks) so we went a few doors down to a big open playground that was hosting a retail market and sat down on a bench and ate our sad little cookie.

Totally agree with the first review, I just happened to be walking by and was drawn in. Great tasting pastries are a rarity these days This place has a large variety, while I only had the napoleon, it was devine.
Definitely give them a try, you will not be disappointed.