When it comes to classic French pastries, Belle Pastry is the best in the Seattle area. The best. The pastry chef -- Jean-Claude Ferre -- was voted as the best croissant baker out of 600 students when he attended Ecole Ferrandi in Paris. See here: http://o.seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/pacificnw/2014766936_pacificptaste24.html Their sweet pastries are perfectly fine, but you can get comparable-tasting ones elsewhere, though rarely quite as beautifully executed. The one exception to this was the raspberry mille-feuille, with fresh whipped cream on top. The combination of the creaminess from the slightly sweet fresh cream, the buttery savoriness of the layered pastry, the tartness and sweetness of the fresh raspberries, and just enough sugar to remind one that this is a dessert, makes this a surprisingly complex and delicious pastry. But the croissants. Oh, those croissants. Start with their basic croissants, along with an Americano. It is not sweet, but light and buttery in flavor. Delicately crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, it opened my eyes to just how wonderful a croissant could be. Once you've grounded yourself in what a classic croissant should be, move onto my absolute favorite, their chocolate croissants, which simply have a little knob of semi-sweet chocolate in the middle. It is enlightening, but one must come early because they sell out of their chocolate croissants. I've also had their baguette sandwiches, with ham and cheese. They are good and evocative of, but not quite the same as, what I'd had at Parisian boulangeries. Finally, they sell these little treats by the counter, including little boxes of house-made fruit jellies cut into bite-size squares -- in a combination of apple, strawberry, and apricot. Try them. They are addictive. The staff are always friendly and helpful. The space is tight, so if you can't find a seat, but the weather's nice, take the food and coffee to the nearby Downtown Park and have a delightful Parisian treat . . . in Bellevue, of all places. read more

I tried a couple things. The napoleon was just ok, and even though the bruleed sugar top was creative, it made the cutting and eating process pretty difficult. The fruit mousse thing or whatever it was-it consisted of a white mousse like substance that reminded me of yoplait whips, and was dotted with pieces of canned peach-or that's what it seemed like to me. It was also extremely mediocre. I actually started with their chocolate chip shortbread cookie which I ordered because it looked so gorgeous and glossy in the display case. At first, I was like meh, this cookie is dry and crumbly and blah. But THEN, I ate it with my latte (which I think came out of a machine =/), and it became the highlight of my visit here. It was pretty much the perfect cookie to go with coffee and now I can say with confidence that I would go here just to pick up some of those and bring with me to a different coffee shop. To be fair, my bakery of choice at the moment is Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle which makes pretty much any bakery pale in comparison. And that is probably why my star rating is so harsh. Getting to the end here, I feel kind of bad about giving it two stars, but I don't know, the pastries I ordered were extremely disappointing, and in a large city with so many other places to go, I just wouldn't waste my time with a second visit here. So harsh :( read more

Yay, I am a fan! I went and ate the Ham and Cheese Croissant (thanks, Angela K!) and it was delish, as was the pear caramel treat shown in Jen L's pics, and it was moist where it should be and crisp where that counted and all in all, really good. My chai tea was also quite good but nothing I'd remember later, however, having a fun little place to hang out and chat -for oh, 3 hours I think it was- without being bothered by staff/patrons was priceless. read more

Not very impressed with this cafe as I was comparing it to The French Bakery here also in Bellevue. They had a limited selection of bakery items when we arrived in the afternoon and mostly had just cake items to choose from. The Napolean cake I ordered wasn't bad, but it wasn't as good as I've had at other places. The place is located in Old Bellevue which has small restaurants and shops on one main street. The cafe had a good atmosphere with old wood furnishings and bright lighting with large windows around. read more

Modern clean and white interior. There's lot of seating inside, therefore, used the time to work on my zine and read some comic books. I had a latte and a layered fruit cake (slice). Prices were compatible to most bakeries. Customer service was good. read more

Why do I do this to myself? I bookmark a place and then wait YEARS to go there. And it was fantastic! I probably missed out on a couple dozen delicious croissants over the years. My boyfriend and I stopped in here for breakfast one morning when we had errands to run in downtown Bellevue and were tired of all our usual haunts. I got a crossaint, he got a ham & cheese crossaint and we shared two of their macarons(pistachio & strawberry). Everything we tried was delicious. I loved my cappucino as well. It's just Cafe d' Arte beans, but they really do make a delicious espresso drink. I will definitely be back soon to grab some of their desserts, and I am sure we will be back for breakfast soon, hopefully we can snag one of the tables outside overlooking old Bellevue on Main street. read more

Belle Pastry is a Pottery Barn catalog bakery. Interesting items are mass produced, overpriced, and sitting on the tables of the bourgeoisie. Calculated quaint imperfections that make OC housewives quiver are omitted in this case however; there is nothing endearing about a flawed attempt at French pastry. I love a good Mille-feuille, or Napoleon in the case of Belle Pastry, and nothing puts me off more than a soggy, flavorless example. Bollocks! Flavor is reserved. I hoped for delicate a second bite in, but I sadly report that flavor was left on the bakery floor and never made it in to the pastry. Belle Pastry would have better uses for their puff pastry making sponges. I suspect a lack of life in the pastry is due to the lack of love here. There is no love for the product, no love for the pastry, no love period. Someone had the idea to put a patisserie in the heart of old Bellevue for profit not passion. When love is missing from the Culinary Arts it is palatable. read more

We might have come during an off-time, but unfortunately wasn't very impressed by this place. Upon walking in I noticed that they were completely slammed. This was really the only place that was open in the area due to it being Easter Sunday. Now, I definitely understood this and am totally willing to give a free pass to any poorer than normal service etc. So, as expected we waited in line to check out the nice looking things on the menu. After awkwardly progressing in line without one person saying hello to us, we were greeted by someone who looked like they'd rather be somewhere else. We gave them our order of two chicken salad sandwiches on croissants. After paying we weren't told anything after that. ("Please wait aside," "We'll call your name when it's ready", etc.) Trying to find a place to sit was welcomed with dirty tables. Luckily, we found a spot outside and it was a sunny day. Upon the delivery of two chicken salad croissant sandwiches, I turn to walk to my table to find out that I grabbed someone else's sandwiches. I politely handed them their sandwiches and wished at this point they had a more efficient system for calling out orders. Then the next set of sandwiches came out, after looking around a couple times I realized they were mine. The chicken salad mix had a very good flavor, but unfortunately we both wished there was more of it (the filling). We realized that we had a lot of croissant (which was good), but the proportion was off. Anyway, I'm sure this place is better on days where they aren't slammed. Unfortunately we came at the wrong time. read more

I've always loved coming to this hidden treasure in Bellevue. However, today I came in with a couple friends to experience nothing of a charming visit. First, they seemed to be out of everything. This seems to be the trend the past two times I've come in. The Asian long-haired girl behind the counter demanded to know our orders, even before we got a chance to look around. We said we needed a moment, she rolled her eyes. Finally I was up and asked for a short double Americano. She seemed confused about the order and asked for the size. I explained again, and she started yelling to tell me that they don't offer that. Clearly I had been confused and didn't need an employee to yell at me for a quick explanation. I asked her to stop yelling at me. She fired back with another snobby comment, leaving me absolutely stunned. Your pastries are delicious but I will not be coming back. Be warned; management here clearly doesn't value customer service. Last time I checked, verbally attacking your customers is not a way to keep them. read more

Great place for a range of pastries and desserts on Main Street. The staff are always friendly and helpful. Must check it out!!!

Don't come here!!!~ then I wouldn't have to worry about all of my favorite pastries selling out by the time I got here every Saturday morning! :-) Try the croissants... light, flaky, crispy goodness ... The real croissants. If you know quality, then come here. Raspberry cream cheese is my favorite, then the napoleons... They also make cakes, but you must pre-order 2-3 days in advance but it's my go-to place for birthdays and celebrations. Mmmmmm.... read more

The staff was very rude to me and my family. They first told us they were out of sandwich material but once we ordered and sat down they put two racks of sandwiches in the display case. My mom went over and asked if they were sandwiches and she said yes but there for tomorrow. Five minutes later she sold one right in front of us to a couple sitting there. Wtf!! read more

Just wanting to update my review since they moved into the bigger space in Bellevue. After frequenting this bakery for so many years, I have to say the new Location just doesn't have the charm of the last. They should have invested in properly outfitting and decorating this larger space. The previous location furniture does not fill out this space and it looks just downright tacky, down to the lighting fixtures and wall paint color. The past 5 times I have been in this new location, I noted that the shelves look half stocked and frankly the food just doesn't look as appetizing anymore. This used to be a weekly stop for me but it hasn't been now for at least 8-10 months. read more

This place is terrible.. just.. avoid.. if... possibleeeeeee of course the problem is.. it's not possible. :( it's freaking ridiculously good.. it's so good you really have to AVOID IF POSSIBLE!! ;) I love everything these guys make.. if you're in the mood for pasty/dessert.. and you can handle the sugar/calories.. just go.. read more

Alright... The pastries are good. Some pieces don't taste fully homemade, like the crust for the tarts. The prices seem a little high for the quality. The filled croissants are good, like the ham and cheese or the almond. I also really like the sugar coated brioche bites. One day I was given a free macaron for National Macaron Day and it was meh. It definitely tasted like it was old, the macaron was much chewier than it should have been. I'd give Belle Pastry another star if it weren't for the fact that their baguettes are truly aweful. Bread is my favorite food and I lived in Paris for a few months so I know a good baguette. While I was skipping with joy to buy a fresh local baguette on one of my first visits I was extremely let down to find that their baguettes are dry, airy, and taste like bland paper. I sure hope they don't make them themselves because it really does taste like they buy them from Safeway and then let them sit out for a few days. Maybe I got a bad one. Maybe I'm a little bread obsessed. Either way, I haven't gone back nearly as often for their pastries because they let me down. If you're looking for France-quality pastries, this isn't your spot. read more

I specifically went here for their macarons. I was having one of those days where I needed to have one and I happened to be at the mall around the corner. They have a separate case just for these pastries (probably because they are immensely popular!) I was happy to find that I was attended to right away even though there were several people in front of me! I guess I was an express order. I got a few flavors: apricot, vanilla, green tea, pistachio, lavender, and chocolate chip mint. I was barely out the door before I was biting into one of them. The outside shell was a bit too hard for my liking. They made a large crunching noise if that helps you visualize. Anyway, I found that a bit odd. The best flavor and most true to its description was definitely green tea. Maybe this is why there was only one left! Regardless, I noticed they had a wide array of pastries/cakes to choose from and if I'm ever back in the area I will try a couple out..and just for convenience sake will probably also eat their macarons again. read more

So same stuff as before with the new location. Did not notice a drop in quality or service. So nothing to complain about there. I will say the old location felt a lot more cozy and "old Bellevue" which I loved. But these are the times, property values go up, big condos come in and everything needs to move into the bottom floors of these huge condo/apt towers. The place is clean and I feel has more seating. They also have better parking (I think). That situation could change as the apartments get filled though. Either way, still love Belle Pastry. read more

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I really wanted Macaroons, the French macaroons thing on my birthday, so I went with a bunch of friends. SOLD OUT!!?!?! I had the coconut type macaroon instead, it was decent, not what I was looking for though. My friends got some pastries, those look pretty awesome too. It's a neat environment in Old Bellevue though. I can see myself walking around that area on a sunny day, and going in for a cup on latte and a small pastry. I would feel very sophisticated and bourgeois, so I need to try it one of these days. At any rate, my awesome friend got me some macaroons yesterday from there (I guess they have some in stock now), but it was kind of dry and too sweet. Not what I was hoping for, which is probably why it's 4 stars instead of 5. But definitely worth a visit. (Can't judge coffee, they all taste the same to me. My latte was alright, and if you eat there, it's decorated and has flower design. How neat!) read more

Not one pastry is bad. They have great coffee and chocolates that are hand made by the owner himself. And now they have their wine license. So you can have an afternoon snack of eclairs and champagne. They also have a small selection of sandwiches (egg salad rocks) and home made daily soups, not to mention the ham and cheese croissants. This place is not to be passed buy! read more

The quality of their pastries is top-notch with no skimping on the butter and cream. Their espresso is the real-deal, rich, balanced and packed with flavor. Their staff are friendly and efficient. A great place to start your morning. read more

Whenever on the Eastside in the morning and looking for a "small" breakfast, I love going to this place. It's quaint and has an ABSOLUTELY great pastry selection.. My fav, the Ham and Cheese Croissant (always seem to go fast) Seconds to that would be their Palmiers and fruit tarts... YUM... For those who drink coffee, lattes, etc.. They offer this as well. They have a great little sitting area if you want to take some time to enjoy. The staff has always been pleasant, even when they are running to take care of everyone... Only downside to this place is on the weekends, they seem to be packed with sometimes long lines... Although the line seems to go fast.. ;) read more

We had a gingerbread cookie, pear tart and lemon bar. The crust on the lemon bar and tart was tough and over cooked. We just ate the top of both pastries because you couldn't bite into the crust. The gingerbread cookie was good. Our biggest complaint was the service, there was no line and it took about 7 minutes for anyone to acknowledge our presence. We were told someone would be with us and then we waited another 10 minutes before someone took our order. There were a couple other people in the cafe enjoying their food but we were the only ones waiting at the counter to order. There's definitely the attitude of we are inconveniencing the staff by being there. read more

I am so sad! Belle Pasty has lost all its charm and customer service. I used to go to this pastry shop often when it was across the street in its old location. When they moved a lot of quality was lost. I love the new space but not for them. I feel like the old space was almost a part of their brand, and now they have lost that. They are just another pasty shop in a new modern building. And they can't even fill up the space, so I am not sure why they moved. Also, they lost a lot of the original staff when they moved and the new staff just isn't cutting it. It seems as though the customer service walked out the door with the old staff. I used to walk in and feel welcome and cared for. Now I just feel like another customer there to help pay their check. Today I ordered some pastries and got a mocha. I have always been a big fan of their Danish's and I love their coffee. But when I walked out and took a sip of my mocha I was very disappointed. The temperature of the drink was a 'luke warm' at best and more bitter than usual. Then, when I got back to my office and opened my bag, I find the gal got half my order wrong! Since when is a sticky bun/cinnamon roll even close to a peach danish? I am so disappointed!!! I want the old Belle Pastry back. Other things I have noted: an increase in prices. The pastry's are good, but not that good. And, if you are going to buy a bigger space and in turn get a bigger display case, then you need to make enough food to fill that display case. It looks slightly sad when you walk in and only a quarter of the display case has anything in it. And then you look around and see like 3 people. Obviously the lack of food isn't due to popularity. I used to love this pastry shop and recommend it to everyone, but I think those days have passed. I have faith in you Belle Pastry! You can get back to what you were! Just need to train the staff a little better on customer service. read more

I'm feeling nice. But the almond croissant also blew my mind. How can it be crispy, flakey, and moist all at the same delicious time? So worth the $3.25 and cramped seating. read more

I'm a fan of the Bellevue Belle Pastry (and was actually surprised to find that there were other Belle Pastry shops outside of Bellevue with a name that's so perfect for this city!). It's one of those shops that if I lived within walking distance I can totally see myself walking there every morning for a hot drink and a deliciously flaky croissant. For now, though, I only make it on lazy weekends... but it really makes for a wonderful start to the day! I haven't tried many of their offerings, but everything looks good... and everything I've had has been good too! They have specialty items here too including Pannetone around Christmastime (as well as other offerings) and I've even seen what has to be about a foot and a half tall chocolate Eiffel towers (and smaller ones too) -- perfect for a special romantic surprise for any traditional romantic! There are lots of breads and pastries, as well as cakes and sandwiches too. Depending on when you arrive, it can be rather busy in the shop, but I've never been unable to find a seat to enjoy my yummy treats! read more

Consistent friendly service. The staff are courteous and attentive. Pastries are of course delicious. I think they can bake seasonal items more, that brings some change and bring customers back for surprised items. Somehow their coffee machine sometimes overheats milk, I am not sure this is because of the machine or settings. Parking might be challenging especially during weekends. read more

I have been here several times since it opened. All I can say is it has gone down hill. I ordered a slice of kings cake, a raspberry croissant and an iced latte. Kings cake: It was ok, very sweet, large slice so you get your money's worth. Raspberry croissant: Not good. It was more like, a hollow, dry, over baked and hard, mildly buttery croissant with a smudge of jam on one side. I say smudge because it was almost not there at all. As if someone had some jam on their finger and wiped it off on the edge of the dough, to clean off their finger rather than using a towel. Terrible. Iced latte: Horrible. They used crushed ice which does not lend itself well to coffee drinks (too icy and watery). It was more milk than anything. It was as if they stirred milk with a spoon that had very briefly been in some old coffee. It was coffee essence, not a double shot 8 oz latte. The bakery itself is hot, and smells like dishwasher and old coffee. Not like a bakery or coffee place. It is kind of chaotic, and it gave me a sort of rushed, omg get me out of here feeling, not a' look at our beautiful pastries and sit down to enjoy your food' kind of feeling. read more

Came here last weekend when it was sunny. My friends & I were on the way to walk around the park and decided we needed coffee. I keep hearing/reading about this place so I was excited that my friend suggested that we'd stop here. I am a sucker for almond croissants so I ordered that and it was SO delicious. Ths baked croissant is baked twice and filled with almond paste. In addition to the croissant, I ordered a soy latte. The latte was alright... so the winner was the pastry. I want to try their other goodies next time, and hopefully sit down. The service was good too. The ladies were very sweet even though it was busy. I definitely will try to come here more often. read more

Belle pastry's former location was cute and quaint. A little too quaint, a little too busy. Yet, their pastries, coffee, and macaroons were too good and I put up with a craziness. Now, they moved down the block, in Old Bellevue, into a bigger location. It is still busy, especially on weekend mornings, so get there early. Parking is hit, or miss, but I can normally find a place within a couple blocks. I am a new fan of: their savory quiches and strawberry cake slices. read more

Love this bakery. Great choices of pastries. I LOVE how it's not super sweet. Service is quick and everyone is very polite.

I was already eyeing this place as my friend and I were dining at Monsoon just across the street. Honestly, it felt like we couldn't eat fast enough. By the time we had finally cleaned our plates, I was already dragging her out the door, recklessly dodging street traffic at our mutual peril, and diving headfirst into this bakery. I should consider myself lucky that Belle's proved well-worth endangering our lives, otherwise I suspect she would not have let me walk away all limbs intact and accounted for. Establishments like this make me seriously entertain the thought of relocating to Bellevue. This is the kind of bakery I want to spend hours in, suitable for every romantic (and the not-so-romantic) scenario(s) I could possibly conjure: chatting with the girls, people-watching, studying for finals, coming in with the boyfriend and (albeit cheesily) spoonfeeding each other dessert, then later demanding the poor man to run down and grab me my damn croissant and morning coffee at some bleary-eyed hour on my crankier days. My only struggle here is that I couldn't possibly decide what to eat! Being my first time, I spent the usual 15 minutes or so simply gawking at the cases, running up and down the aisle making obnoxious squeals of delight, going picture-crazy paparazzi-style with my cell, and pestering the poor barista with endless questions. She was blessedly patient and affectionately good-natured, helping me at long last finalize my (lack of) decision to her acclaimed personal favorite, the Le Croqueline. Le conclusion? I would kiss that sweet sweet girl if I could. My friend had the Strawberry Cake and the Eclair; I'm generally not a fan of cream-filled pastries, so neither were exactly my cup of tea, but I could certainly savor the loving effort spent into each one. Pastries may be short of nutritious, but I feel considerably guilt-free seeing how light and fresh everything consistently tasted. Time for another New Years resolution: sample everything on their menu at least once! read more

Tried the apple slippers, aka apple turnover, chocolate chip shortbread cookie, and pear tart. The pear tart was the best of all three. Nice buttery crust and slight tart filling. The apple slippers would have been great but I found it to be more air than apple after biting into it. The cookie tasted better the next day. The glaze on it did not add or detract from the cookie. The bakery ran out of most things at least an hour before closing. If you are going to be open, you should at least have some product to sell... read more

Meh....that best describes my experience here. At 830am the case was already 1/2 empty with nothing more to put in inside insight. I bot a belle kiss ($2 pc of ameretto chocolate that was nothing to write home about - they forgot to put it in my bag so I had to go back) , an almond croissant (didn't like - i'll stick with the French Bakery) , madelaines (tasted dry) , slice of strawberry cake (good except for the weird chocolate on the bottom, and 4 meringues (sad to say the best thing). Plus they were priced on the high side - the total was $18. Won't be going back - hubby and kids weren't impressed.............. read more

My kids and I tried a couple things.. nothing really wowed me, but my kids surprisingly ate everything... that never happens.. so a good place for kids. Macaroons were cheap too $1.65 each. read more

Good baked goods, but terrible coffee and rude service. When they put the wrong flavoring in my drink, the barista asked, "Are you sure you want it remade?" Then commented, "Well I guess I won't charge you for another one." Are you serious Belle Pastry?? read more

Coffee and pastries are ok - service is painfully slow. I keep asking myself why I come here. I guess it's just too convenient. Maybe this will be my last time - read more

Very disappointed. I ordered a chocolate mousse cake for my daughter's birthday. When I picked it up, it had candy cane designs on it which should have alerted me to the fact that it was not fresh. The chocolate sponge was dry and stale. The mousse was fine but it could not offset the flat, styrofoam taste of the sponge. Annoyed that I paid $50 for a leftover cake dug out of the back of the freezer. read more

I stopped by today for the first time to give it a try.. wasn't to happy with their service/energy. There was still 30 mins before they closed.. the lady was pretty much rushing us to order so she can start cleaning to close the cafe. She told us with an attitude that they didn't have much left. The mocha I ordered was half way full. I also heard the lady after we ordered telling her co-worker with an attitude that she was done with the day. She wanted to close right after we left. Not a great first impression. Maybe I'll be back to give it a second try... read more

Belle Pastry is pretty much the only reason I go over to the oldtimey part of Bellevue. Yeah, it's cute and all, and I have dreams about the apricot croissants once in a while, but I'm going to be a stickler about authenticity and ambiance here and say it's a little bit mediocre on that front. The space and design remind me of the entry room to some tacky yuppie home, and the seating just wasn't comfortable. I love to be a cafe camper, and unfortunately I couldn't stay at Belle very long without feeling vaguely uncomfortable. I was not impressed with the coffee either. But, did I mention their apricot croissants? Buy them, eat them, have love affairs with them. read more

I'm writing this review in the hopes that the owner reconsiders their product. My husband and I travel globally. One of our favorite pastries is the opera cake. Recently I ordered an opera cake to take to a dinner party. I haven't purchased at Belle Pastry, so I ordered an extra piece of cake to taste before going to the occasion. The opera cake was inedible. Poor flavor, poor texture, too sugary, not enough chocolate, I really cannot describe how bad it was. Without saying anything, I had my husband taste it. He said it was the worst cake he has ever had. We threw away the cake ($40) and bought something somewhere else. I suggest you contact Toll House in Los Gatos for their recipe. I will never go back. read more