Financier Patisserie

Caution… Dominican Woman Eating Chocolate… At all times!
So I’d been thinking long and hard about what to give up this month for Lent and I went down the list:
–High Heel Platform Shoes… nope– not in my lifetime
–Chai or Decaf Tea… Nope. I need it… Just like some people need their coffee.
–Bread… Ye.a.h… I guess I can
–Chocolate… Oh hell no!
When I’m in Grand Central, there’s one stop on my to-​do list before I hop on the Metro North heading home. Financier offers so many sweets to chose from to satisfy any palate. They carry pastries such as apple pie, apple turnovers and cheese danishes with a French flair. But what always pulls me in, is their variety of chocolate pastries. They’re all delicious, in different ways. Yet, one in particular, has my name on it and it’s their ‘Chocolate Mousse’… Tasty, delicate and strong– all at the same time.
The shop in Grand Central Terminal (as in others throughout NYC) brings to mind a true, French Café, with its hexagon, floor tiles and light yellow woodwork. (Light green and white stripes are their signature color statement). Presentation of all their baked goods are displayed so attractively, ready to be eaten.
The few times I’ve been to the Grand Central location, staff has been a little uneven. I have gotten either the nice and pleasant, or the rude and lack-​of-​customer-​skills employee. Sometimes, they’re in tip top shape, other times, they just lag a little, but it’s not horrible. They just need to tweak and check their attitudes.
While I have committed myself to still eat chocolate, and I know that in my heart of hearts I can’t stay away from it for 40 days, it is my bad habit, that I just can’t do without. And since I did not give up chocolate for Lent, Financier in Grand Central, will remain at the top of my list.

I’ve always had pleasant, albeit brief expensive experiences at FINANCIER PATISSERIE Grand Central, however today was unusually different. The young male sales clerk gave me a small bon bon, and when I asked for one for my daughter said, «Well, actually that WAS for your daughter. Not everything is about you. Not everyone is a narcissist all the time!» WHOA! What gives? Pleasant, unremarkable service, then a nasty insulting joke at a treat shop? Poor impulse control, combined with a sarcastic day? Save your desire to insult mothers in front of their kids for nowhere else, and keep this sweet shop, sweet. Not sour.

Fast friendly service! Got my order within 5 mins. Pastries are delicious and not too pricey for the location.
FYI: Candles are FREE! NO extra charge. Most places charge a dollar or .50cent so that was a plus.

2 stars because
The coffee eclairs were heavenly
Sadly, the staff was not
The eclairs were thrown in a bag with napkins.
The napkins stuck to the eclairs.
Too bad the staff did not care about their product.
I will not go back

The tiramisu, florentine and the hot chocolate were DELICIOUS! The tiramisu was soo creamy and delicious… heavenly. Four stars because service was blah… like they were bored. I would definitely go back for a tiramisu, though!

Love their pastries, don’t love the staff. =(
Boooooo!

I’m giving this place 5 stars for their excellent service. The actual store itself closes at 10 but the coffee bar closes at 9 unbeknownst to us. We walked in just a couple minutes after the bar closed and they still were nice enough to make our drinks. Great friendly service and some A+ macaroons too

The pastries are insanely beautiful and amazing
The coffee is OK, not strong enough
I love this place and the people who work there are always nice
if you are a macroon snob they are 8– out of 10 had better, but they always have them and they are good to bring somewhere cute packaging
if you are from out of town I am sure its the best you ever had
if you are from France I am sure you have had better!

Good for takeouts. My wife likes the taste, decoration and the good service.
Good that it’s on the grand central so centralized to every location.

Financier is a small NYC chain featuring Euro-​style breakfast and desert sweets. Their baked goods are the best looking and tasting in GCT, especially for the price. However, they offer only a limited selection, with few seasonal specialties, and if you want a full size cake it is best to order ahead (consult their website for details). These also sell coffee, but are strictly to go. They are especially commendable for the range of their creations that include fresh fruit, although those on a diet do best to stay away!

Choc. Pear, Walnut cake had an awful texture and tasted oddly boozy.
Transaction Amount $ 5.00
Choc. Pear, Walnut $ 5.00
Total Rewards — $ 5.00
$ 5 Birthday Gift — $ 5.00
Total Balance $ 0.00

Three words: Key Lime Pie!
Oh! And Almond Croissant. :)
Perfect portions, perfectly made, I mean– so delicious. Location is great, for me that is I grab a croissant every morning and that makes my day great. :)
Definitely recommend going here for a sweet treat.

This is more of a 3.5 rating. However I got a French macaroon and it was da bomb! Man oh man it was so good. I’ve been hearing all this hype about macaroons so when I passed this place on my way to work, I just had to grab me some.
The bad part, their expensive! Three bucks a pop for these tiny things. Look like lil Debbie crème pies so I thought the price would be similar lol
Everything in this small place is expensive but it’s a French bakery so is expect it to be otherwise I’d go to the hood spot to get me an empanada and Dominican cake.
I’d come back again after I scrap up some change.

Service was slow and staffs chatted with each other forever so there was a long line.
They don’t know how to pack the delicate cakes like mousse, so a staff put my cassis soufflé into box without wax paper ended up the mousse sticked to the box and was ruined it’s shape…
Staffs need more training at least:
Customer comes first
Do not chat
Proper packaging skill

This Financier Patisserie is located conveniently in the Grand Central Terminal Shops. I had a GREAT experience with this location and it’s staff. I ordered a Chocolate Mousse cake over the phone and the service I received was impeccable.
I called to reserve the cake two days before the event and was taken care of by a team member named Miguel. I called several times to arrange the cake order and Miguel remembered me by name. I had a promo code which he took over the phone with no issues what so ever. I came to find out that Miguel was actually the Manager of the branch. When I arrived at the bakery, Miguel had the cake all ready to go and I spent less than 2 mins in the bakery. He really made the experience efficient and satisfying.
The cake was deliciously smooth and rich. The presentation of the cake was beautiful and the cake was as good as it looked. I definitely recommend this cake to anyone that is celebrating anything. Along with the service, this restaurant is a plus !

I’m a little surprised at the average rating. I was thrilled to stumble upon this patisserie as I was passing through Grand Central Station. I was really hungry, and for me, there is never a bad time to substitute a proper meal with delicious pastries.
I was in a bit of a hurry, but my general impression was that the pastries here are well-​made, pretty, and there was a nice variety to choose from. I just picked up a pistachio éclair to go, which turned out delicious, and I did not notice any service issues while the staff rung me out. Even though there was a line, I did not have to wait too long.
As far as eclairs go, the best I’ve had was in Switzerland, and the one I had here did not surpass it. As far as pastries go, the prettiest I’ve seen were in Paris, but I think this is not bad at all for a place to quickly grab a well-​crafted pastry on the way to catch a train.

This place has been my dessert place since they took over that coffee place. I love love love Napoleon cake from Financier. First I tried their cheesecake and loved that too but one of their staff recommended Napoleon and voila! I found my match! *:) Ever since that day, I buy Napoleon every few months for special occasions. Sometimes I get the macaroons for the office but I can’t say it’s the best macaroons, but I can say it’s the best Napoleon. I don’t care he’s the ruthless war monger as Elaine from Seinfeld put it, but he came out good! *:)~ It’s the best Napoleon cake I’ve eaten so far, so if you stop by the place, get one for yourself. But don’t blame me for making you add some pounds *:p Enjoy!

Are we in a butter recession? I used to look forward to getting mini Financiers because they were buttery and moist. I saw them individually packed and thought how amazingly fresh they must be.
I haven’t eaten Financiers in a couple of years and stopped by the shop recently, only to find that these individually packed treats were dry. Even accompanied with morning coffee, the financiers are not tasty. What happened???

This location at the Grand Central Terminal is convenient for me to grab desserts or cakes here as it is near the subway and trains. Have gotten the macarons for $ 2.25 each and thought they were only okay — not enough filling.
However, I have tried many Financier Patisserie cakes for various friends’ birthdays and they were all very delicious. My favorites include the White and Black Chocolate Mousse and the Tiramisu Cake — both rich and decadent without being overly sweet. The texture of the cake is so smooth. I am a big fan of mousse cakes and have tried a lot from different bakeries back in DC. I have to say the mousse cakes at Financier Patisserie is definitely at the top of some of the best mousse cakes that I’ve had. The cakes are also more reasonably priced (~$ 40 for a 9′ cake) than other bakeries in the city.
Ordering or decorating cakes here prove to be a hassle and I have found the customer service to be slightly rude. If you want to buy a whole cake at the bakery, they will not write any additional wording on the cake — you have to inform them at least a day in advance. They only have 7′ cakes in stores — which is on the smaller side. If you want the cake in a larger size — you need to pre-​order in advance 72 hours before. They have also ran out of cakes on display in the afternoon on the weekends. This is not a good last minute option if you are looking for a meaningful cake.

I feel that the other reviews here that have said these macarons are just OK are borderline-​blasphemy. But I will say this… not all Financier macarons are created equal. The coffee and raspberry ones are way too sweet, and do not have that lovely airy balance of crispy cookie with jelly. The pistachio one is very good, and has a wonderful aromatic feel to it. But the banana and caramel macaron…
That is seriously the BEST dessert I have ever tasted. Out of this world, amazing fluffy cookie with a great flavor, plus a delicious caramel center. It really is beyond amazing tasting… and I’m usually a chocolate girl (you don’t miss it here).
I decided to shake things up one day during the summer teaching epidemiology as a summer class to high school students, and got this pineapple and coconut mini cake (I can’t remember what it was called). It really wasn’t that good — the flavor was disappointing and was extremely lacking in the coconut and pineapple department. The topping was supposed to be a flavorful glaze but it was just cakey and gelatin-​y. I was very sad that I wasted my money on it and not the banana macaron.
The coffee and iced tea are on the bitter side, so be sure to taste before putting milk and/​or sugar in your drink. I do like their coffee but am not a huge fan of their iced tea blend. But the macarons… I just can’t resist. I also love chatting with their staff — they are really pleasant and enjoyable. Highly recommend this location.