Honore Artisan Bakery

Yes, the chocolate almond croissant is tasty… but half the size, more expensive and not as tender as the chocolate almond croissants I’ve had in Paris. Obviously most people can’t fly out to Paris whenever the craving for a croissant hits, so these will do in a pinch.

I will say this: the customer service was very friendly and attentive when I visited. However the pastries I tried were overall just «eh». The Ballard Honey Cheesecake was very good but I also tried the much-​raved-​about Kouign Amann and the Canelle. The KA was decent, but not much to write home about; kind of a hard, carmelized croissant. The Canelle was completely burnt on the outside. The inside is alright, but the overall taste is burnt because of the outer crust. Idk maybe it’s just not my thing. I paid almost $ 14 for these and it’s pretty steep given that they’re small and just okay — not amazing.

Great bakery in a fantastic slice of the neighborhood. Coffee and sweet ass patties await. Walkable and never too long a wait no matter the day.

Get up early and wait in line for the most light, crispy, decadent croissants you can find (especially the ham and gruyère ones).. . plus many other delectable tasty treats coming right out of the oven.
The coffee is okay. It’s really a tiny walk-​in to go space worth the effort.

Customer service leaves something to be desired– I worked in a bakery. I know how little people tip, if at all. When I do, I at least expect a «thanks!» Or «have a nice day!» Oh well.
I suppose the quality of the goods makes Honore feel like they can forego the niceties.
The chocolate mousse caramel, banana, salted peanut tart and dark chocolate tarts are so good. I bought them this morning for a coworker’s birthday and they are so rich we were able to split them among six people– a taste of each flavor– and left satisfied.
I also picked up a baguette for myself that I ended up feeling guilty I spent $ 5 on, but it was so crusty on the outside and melt-​in-​your-​mouth on the inside I suppose the splurge was worth it.

The pastry are great and the macrons are the best in Seattle. I give it four stars only because because the coffee is just okay.

This place is 7 blocks from me and I don’t come nearly enough. Don’t remember the name but an amazing caramelized croissant (with sea salt!) which was beyond epic.

Franz Gilbertson’s French pastry accolade (issued by the French Government) has much to do with his hands down, best bakery in Seattle status. Their pastries are light and fluffy just the right level of sweet (traditionally European, not overly sweet Americanized). Coffee is superb. Macrons are a delight. Space is small, rustic, relaxing and hip without being busily pretentious and/​or over designed. Do yourself a favor grab one of the few available adirondack chairs, a croissant, a coffee, relax and watch the soccer-​mom-​driven Volvos pass by.

Kouign Amann. Yup. It is amazing. It really is. Just get it. Looking forward to trying more things but from what I’ve tried, Kouign is where its at.
That being said, Salted Caramel Chocolate torte, gooooood, BUT a little chewy for me, I think this would be better with a softer caramel… It was hard to cut and bite into. I’m far from an expert in torting though…
Macarons, great. Lovely consistency, not too sweet.
Wish they had a slightly larger selection.

*** In Short ***
Kouign amann. Try it.
*** In Depth ***
I lived in Ballard for two years, and in all that time, I never managed to make it to Honore, despite many half-​hearted attempts to do so. Since we were getting brunch right across the street though, I couldn’t resist finally stopping in and getting a pre-​meal snack.
Not wanting to overdo it, I stuck with the highly recommended kouign amann, for which I have no previous experience to compare it against. As a standalone pastry though, it’s quite delicious: buttery, flaky, slightly sweet, and just a tough of salt to balance things out. And I imagine it’s infinitely better after being toasted slightly in a toaster oven!
***Accessibility Info***
Venue — Not much in the way of tabling, with some high top counters by the window, and nothing else aside from some chairs outside. The bakery itself is pretty accessible otherwise, with most (if not all) items in the display cases being eye level or lower, sitting down.
Bathroom — Didn’t try them, and not sure they had any public ones anyway.

Very cute and quaint place for great pastries and coffee. I came here specifically to try their Kougin Amann cuz I had heard rave reviews and it totally was. It’s like eating a extra crispy sweet croissant :). I meant to try their macaroons too but I forgot! It was looking a rainbow of desserts! So oh darn I will have to make another trip. Those chocolate almond croissants are also gonna be a must try! Another bakery win for Seattle! Another one checked off my list ;)

I had the BEST vanilla éclair of my life here, holy cow. My friend’s Apple tart was crazy good too, but that éclair was the best pastry I’ve had in Seattle.
Anytime I go back to the fat hen for brunch, I’ll be stopping here first for coffee and a pastry during my 45+ min wait to be seated across the street.

This is perhaps one of my favorite cafes/​bakeries in the area. It’s conveniently located a few blocks away from Un Bien (the new Paseo’s), so you can get some coffee or treats before or after you eat from Un Bien.
I haven’t tried their coffee, so I can only comment on their amazing pastries. The honey cheese cake has a nice touch of honey flavor, is soft, and is not overly sweet. The macaroons are also good to try out (pistachio being my favorite so far), but other flavors are just as good. The lemon menringue tart is awesome for those of you looking for a sweet and sour pastry.
My only gripe about this place, like many other cafes, is that the seat space is small. It’s best to order take out and not expect this café to be a place for book reading or studying.

Pros:
Such a darling little bakery! I love the atmosphere and their seasonal danishes are amazing! The macarons are very good, too.
Cons: Their coffee is AWFUL. I would rather have Starbucks. Every time I regret getting it, but how do you do a pastry without coffee? The croissants are always burnt, so I stick with the other pastries.

The best type of neighborhood place, the kind you wish was walking distance from you. The type of place you rationalize you’re better off not having next to you because you would gain 20 pounds if you could walk there.
if you’ve not been here, one thing to note: there’s not a lot of room in here. This is not a sit down & spread out type spot.
From their wood ovens, things I love: Kouign Amann. Pain au Chocolat, Huckleberry tart, Ham and cheese croissant.
So good! Coffee is also excellent.
Nicest counter people. A little Seattle neighborhood gem.

Just finished eating six of their macarons. Really enjoyed them! They were a bit pricey at nearly 2 dollars a pop for the small size, but they really are delicious.
Of the ones I tried I really recommend vanilla bean (with truffle oil!), salted caramel, and the lavender.
The ones I liked a bit less were pistachio (usually my favourite macaron flavour but this fell a bit short), espresso (same as pistachio), and chocolate passion fruit (rather tart).
Definitely would try the other stuff out in this place next time I’m in the area!

A gem of a place. Loved their kouign amann… To die for. tastes like a salted caramel puff pastry. Layers of burnt sugar.
Also ordered a pain au chocolate. More praise for this delicious crispy puffy buttery pastry to the reviews.
Don’t Forget to ask for a punch card if you order drinks!

5 stars for the quality of pastries, –1 star for the limited selection. I came here around 10AM on a Sunday morning, hoping to get my hands on the famous kouign amann and macarons, but they were sold out for the day. Instead, I chose the onion gruyère thyme pastry, apple turnover and a baguette. The onion gruyère pastry was melt-​in-​your-​mouth delicious, but warning… do not eat in the car! You will get crumbs everywhere! The outside was similar to that of a croissant and it was filled with the perfect amount of caramelized onions and cheese. I gave the apple turnover to my dad, who really enjoyed it. As for the baguette, it was halfway gone before I even got home. The outside was crispy and the inside perfectly soft and chewy.
Space is extremely limited inside, but there are a couple of tables/​chairs outside. There was quite a line, but it moved fairly quickly. I didn’t think anyone working was particularly friendly, but they weren’t rude either. It seemed like the woman helping me was judging me by my attempt at the French pastry names… sorry, my bad!

5 stars for the famous kouign amann and 4 stars for the ham/​cheese croissant and no stars for not having their macarons out at 8 am :(I was super craving macarons this morning and was bummed I wanted to try their chili chocolate and white truffle something that I’ve seen in pictures.
Anyways, the bakery itself is pretty hidden deep within the Phinney Ridge neighborhood. It’s TINY so I wasn’t surprised to see a line forming out the door. They really need to widen their seating area because they only have the bar seats by the window, the benches outside, and the tables in the back (but really who’s gonna sit back there when it’s like 50 degrees and gloomy out everyday in seattle) I realized their kitchen behind the counter is HUGE! they have so much space back there why not use some of that for more butts to happily sit down in your bakery instead of being forced to eat their croissants in their car where the flakes get everywhere! cough cough.
The kouign amann reminded me of what a cronut would look and taste like lol it’s like the fancy french version though. But it’s probably my new favorite thing right now. It had a sweet/​syrupy film on the outside and when you bite down YUM there was a mixture of sweet and salty (i think there was a little salt they add on the top) and the inside was chewy and soft. so good i was depressed when i ate it all so fast.
I also felt like something savory so got the ham/​cheese croissant and thought it was just good! I think mine was a little overcooked on the outside so it was crunchier than I wanted it to be but the inside was the best part! Salty ham, cheese, and the inside of the croissant dough was way more smooth and agreeable with my teeth than the outside!
I’d come back only for the kouign amann and a second shot at those yummy looking macarons!

This adorable little gem is conveniently located just about next to the Pantry at Delancey (which I happen to frequent), so it’s super convenient to stop in for coffee and maybe a treat before heading into a class at the Pantry.
My standard soy vanilla latte is always delicious there and I’m a huge fan of the macarons, but honestly, who isn’t? At $ 2 each I usually get 4 and my boyfriend and I split them all. The last ones we tried were: chocolate orange, salted caramel, caramel coconut and something else I can’t remember. The coconut caramel was by far the best one — if you like coconut and you like caramel, you’ll love it!
Minus one star because every time I’ve ever been here they’ve been out of their mythical butter croissants. From other Unilocalers, I see that they allegedly exist, but at this point they’re the unicorn of baked goods in my book.

Honore is such a hidden gem tucked away in a small Seattle neighborhood. Parking is super easy to find. I think I got really lucky the day I came because there was no line! It was during the day on a weekday when USA was playing in the World Cup, which I think played a huge part in my luck. So my review will not be able to attest to the long lines. However, I will say that the distance from the door to the counter is very short so it’s easy for the line to go out the door with just 3 – 4 people waiting in line. So don’t be fooled, its not as bad as it may seem and the staff are definitely very quick and efficient.
Another thing my review won’t be able to attest to are the macarons. I know, how dare I come into a french bakery and not order macarons. To be honest, it’s because I splurged on everything else. Sorry, not sorry!
Ham and Cheese Croissant: Oh. My. Goodness. This is delicious! It was flaky on the outside, chewy on the inside, buttery, and cheesey. The only thing that would have made it slightly better was if it was warm.
Chocolate Almond Croissant: Again, another perfect croissant. The perfect balance of sweet and buttery. It has a flaky outside and a soft, chewy center. I heated this one up and the melted chocolate was perfect!
Strawberry Danish: I usually stay away from danishes because I always end up disappointed. There is always more breading than filling and I feel shorted. This was not the case at Honore however. Almost every bite I was able to taste the flaky pastry along with the sweet filing. You can really taste the sweet strawberries and they’re not mushy like a lot of fruit pastries are. It isn’t too sweet either and is perfect for breakfast.
Quiche Lorraine: This quiche is packed with flavor! It’s creamy and cheesey. The crust is tender and buttery. It was so tasty and even better warm! I wish I had the whole quiche rather than just a slice. A great savory option!
The bakery seems small, but there is seating in the back. They also have nice wooden lawn chairs outside in front of the bakery. There are also bar stools at the window to sit on.
It’s very difficult to come in here and decide on what to get. I wanted to get everything. I will be back to try more goodies along with the macarons!

En un café busco: café fuerte, un buen pan y un buen sillón o silla.
En Honoré encontré los dos primeros, pero no pude comprobar lo último pues quien me llevó al lugar (presumiéndome los mejores croissants), no me dejó probar la sentada.
El lugar es pequeño, tiene una terraza agradable. El pan es sencillamente el paraíso, así que requiero repetir para poder saber si cumple con mis tres condiciones el lugar.
Se los dejaré saber.