Bistro Bakery

Adorable French bistro and bakery. I instantly felt transported to Paris.
We stopped in just as they were closing to grab some dessert and couldn’t resist filling up a box with their tempting treats. Macaroons, croissants, chocolate mousse, lemon tarts –it’s all delicious. Can’t wait to go back and try out the bistro food.

Oh how I miss you Bistro Bakery. I have literally been here over 30 times! Need I say more about this place. Everything is made fresh and tastes delicious!!! It’s very small, not ideal for large groups. Very intimate, great ambience, amazing authentic french food, and refreshing drinks. I came here mostly for brunch, spinach quiche with mimosa and some desert afterwards was my usual. Their price is very reasonable as well. It’s located in a nice cozy neighborhood, beautiful to take a walk around and digest some of that carbs you just ate. I love this place and can’t express how much I miss my Saturday mornings here ever since I have moved.

Food is stunningly good — pastries, quiches, sandwiches, the works. I’m only there on the weekends (it’s not close to my work for M-​F stop-​ins) & there’s always tables available, thankfully. They have alcohol which is nice for weekend brunch. Ambiance is euro shabby chic which some people find charming & others see as euro thrift store. I’m fine with it since I’m all about the food, not whether the place looks upmarket. Service is quietly friendly but laid back, people don’t fall over themselves serving you. Bottom line we’re lucky to have a place like this in SA, I’ve lived in much larger cities that didn’t have a french bakery of this quality.

I’ve been eating at the Bistro Bakery for a while and mostly for breakfast. The eggs in croissant is one of my favorite dishes. Most of the time, the eggs are fluffy and combined with the buttery taste of the oh-​so tender croissant, this is a winning combination.
Another good choice is the quiche, though it’s been hit-​and-​miss lately. On a good day, the eggs will be fluffy making every bite light and flavorful. On a bad day, the eggs are overcooked and extremely greasy. There seems to be quite a turnover rate among the chefs, so the quality depends on the chef-​du-​jour.
The pastries are wonderful (all of them)
All things considered, the food is very good (most of the time), the pastries are excellent, and the service is acceptable-​keep in mind they are French and it takes them longer to do things. it is a bit pricey, too, but not overly so.
I hope this restaurant is a part of our neighborhood for a long time to come.

This happened a few months ago, but just now I thought to let people know. I saw a woman (who seemed like the owner) picking up a croissant that dropped on the floor. She put it right back on the shelf. That is all I can say. That is enough for me to not step back in this establishment.

Love this place for breakfast and dessert pastries. Have not tried the dinner or lunch menu. Atmosphere, food and service rock in a cool French way. Still working on pronouncing what I’m ordering as oppose to pointing.

Big news I learned today — Ciao Lavanderia across the street closed, so the Bistro Bakery is now serving the best of Ciao’s menu at their palce on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. It’s a European celebration — pizza and pasta from an Italian restaurant served in a French bistro! Truly a continental, if not a cosmopolitan place.
For breakfast and brunch, some of the absolute best coffee I’ve ever had, even the regular stuff. If you really want your mind blown, try the coffee press. These folks know what they’re doing and don’t mess around. It’s the kind of coffee I will continue to drink, even after I’m jittery and seeing double/​triple of everything — it really does taste that good.
Kolachis are huge and satisfying — served with a very tangy mustard vinagrette dressing on the side. And for an absolutely perfect way to start off the morning, try the croque madame — a grilled ham and cheese sandwich with an egg on top.
The only strange thing about it is because of the layout of the space, you have to actually walk through the kitchen to get to the bathroom. No real worries on that though — keeps the staff on their toes and you get to check on the progress of your meal.
Make sure to get something from the dessert case, and maybe a loaf of their bread too. Mmmmmm, mmmmm!

Quaint and exceptional. It’s nice to see a European café space like this in San Antonio. Since the metropolitan closed I’ve been looking for a perfectly dressed salad and quality desserts. This place kills it, and without the bad techno and narcissistic servers. (The plagiarized ‘blue dog’ paintings are a bit tacky (but i think rodrigue is bad in the first place))
I got a to-​go order for two and it was well packaged. Since I like to open pastries like presents, this was a bonus. The pecan macaroon was a precise balance of crisp and chew, the crust on the pillowy quiche held to the last bite, the croque madame was full of flavor with a yolk that ran like molasses, and the palate cleansing pistachio and grapefruit torte escaped description.
The interior is done right: chalk board menu, glass displays, naturally well lit, and nothing over the top. The help knew the products well, and wasn’t pushy. Quite a bit like you would find in the suburbs of Paris. A great place to start your day and try to have a Proust moment.
My only complaint was the espresso. I was hoping for a demitasse while i waited, but I got it in a 16 oz. styro with my order, and it was a bit on the weak side. But that’s my fault, I should have been more clear when i ordered. This place could easily be five stars on my next try.

They get five stars for one reason: macarons. I’m a macaron whore, and these are delicious. Since bistro bakery is the first place I’ve found them in SA, this place gets five stars.

This French dive has good eats – from what I’ve had. The cherry turnover pastry was flaky and definitely was fresh. The lemon custard something or other that my mother got was DEVINE, and my panini hit the spot without really blowing my mind. It’s pretty hard to mess up bread, meat and cheese.
That said, I like this place. I do. I just wish the chairs weren’t falling apart and I wish it seemed like they put some actual thought into the experience of eating there. Yes, it’s about the food. And yeah, the food is good and definitely worth the trip, but nobody likes seeing yesterday’s crumbs on the ground. And by nobody, I mean me. I don’t like it.
I didn’t try the french macarons because none of the flavors jumped out to me, but if I remember correctly, they had a raspberry, coffee, chocolate, and pistachio. Very traditional flavors and they did look lovely. French macarons are hard to find in SA, so this place deserves some credit for that.
Go to the bistro bakery, but for a casual bite with friends.

Good coffee fresh every morning. Have to say that I love the croissants with ham and cheese, but who wouldn’t? The apple turnover I had was not as sweet as the usual ones are, but was light and flaky. Delicious! I think I’ll head there right now!

I’m totally hooked on this place. It’s damn hard to find real French pastry elsewhere in San Antonio, not to mention proper bistro brunches and lunches. This place is authentic, and skilled. Well priced, every lunch plate I’ve had — and I’m working through most of ‘em — comes with a small salad with a pretty, light dressing. Croque-​monsieurs, comtoise, crepes, quiches, and a beautiful salmon-​avocado sandwich, all expertly crafted. And don’t miss the chocolate bread pudding.
It’s worth mentioning, too, that I’ve been able to swing in and grab something quick, at least after the lunch rush. I don’t like to slam a meal, but I’m appreciative of Bistro Bakery’s efficiency.

After living walking distance from this very French Jewel I finally went in and was pleasantly surprised. People are speaking french, the smell of fresh coffee, fresh bread and sugar! We were greeted with a warm smile and our order was taken and recommendations and translations offered!
I had the spinach and crab quiche and BF had a kolache. Both were served with a little mixed green salad (pesto/​oil/​vinigar dressing I think). My quiche was sublime, but I noticed that it had been microwaved and that caused a little rubbery texture. I’ve seen lots of kolache and this was the most impressive. Very flavorful sausage paired with a horsraddish mustard.
I’m sure I would have added another star had I had some of their mimosas and taken some pastries to go. Their dinner menu was so tempting along with the many other items on the breakfast menu that I know I will be back SOON!

What a great little bakery! Located off the circle in Olmos Park, this little spot is not only completely adorable, but filled to the brim with delicious delights, tempting smells, and super friendly service.
I wandered in yesterday during the epic 45 minute deluge we had here. The owner was super friendly, and didn’t mind at all that my friend and I were quite literally soaked from head to toe from our walk from the car to the front door. She even handed me a napkin to wipe off.
We perused the offerings and settled on two croissants. They were perfectly flaky, buttery, scrumptious. Also, I inadvertently ordered a croissant sandwich without realizing (I just pointed at the case and that was the magical selection placed in my hands) but thank goodness I did. It was fantastic!

I always love their nutella turnover but always crave for it in the evening. So finally I have the crave this moring and decided to go in and get my morning tea and a turnover. Come to find out that on Wednesday they open until 7 pm. YAY! For the longest time, they closed at 3 pm everyday. This is definitely a nice change.

This was my first visit to Bistro Bakery and I will go straight to the point. The beef and vegetable soup was very rustic. It had plenty of veggies and the beef was so tender that it broke apart within the soup. The salmon carpaccio was excellent. The salmon had the perfect level of saltiness. The capers, diced red onions, eggs, and dill butter added so much to the dish in their own way. The bread was crusty on the outside and airy inside. I asked the lady at the counter to choose a dessert for me and she recommended the hazelnut cream pastry, which was truly indulgent. It melted in my mouth and the coffee only made it better.
It is a bit pricey (lunch was $ 20), but you get what you pay for. Also, there is much more to this place than the food. This small bakery transported me to a different time and place. Am I really in San Antonio? Is the year 2011? The fact that you can hear the employees (who are very friendly, by the way) speaking French in the kitchen adeded to the already European atmosphere. I think I just found the place to get away from reality. And what a good feeling it is.

We stopped by to end the year at a different place than we usually go. It was an excellent choice! They accommodated my request for a veggie sandwich. My husband got the crab spinach quiche and it was fantastic. Pastries are also great! We are definitely coming back!

There should be a surgeon general’s warning on the door of the Bistro Bakery because it is definitely habit forming. Pastries and desserts are excellent any time of day, and the french toast and chocolate bread pudding may change your life.
Children will enjoy exchanging «bonjours» and «mercis» with the friendly staff. A few bistro tables are available outside which is a very nice place to enjoy a visit with friends.
Go now and go often.

Whoa! Expensive!
I felt like I needed to get an estimate on a pastry!
The food was great, but was it flown over on the Concord?! Jeeze! Call the bank to raise your credit limit before going here.
The service was slacking. I went for a morning pastry and a coffee. I waited and waited for them to get around to making a fresh batch of coffee. I was done with my pastry by the time they got around to brewing a fresh batch. I guess that means the place is authentic. The owners go around talking in French. It’s really cool that you can walk through the kitchen to see what they’re up to back there. It’s clean!

New favorite place in SA! In addition to a wide, fresh pastry selection, the bakery serves amazing quiche (the Eggplant is a must-​try) and delicious panini on house-​made bread. This cozy Olmos Park location — next to a sister-​restaurant, Bistro Vatel — is located in the building which used to house the Yarn Barn. With a self-​serve coffee bar in the corner and an open rack of fresh breads for purchase by the till, the overall feel of the restaurant is homey and comfortable.