The ham and cheese croissant and coffee were delicious! It's one of the best bakeries I've been to. I will be going back again.

The line is always out the door so I finally made it over early on a Friday morning. I got a strawberry croissant and a chocolate crinkle cookie. Both were really good. I saw a lot of people try their English muffins so I will be back to give it a go. The outdoor patio seating is inviting and grab spot to grab a coffee and relax. Love the concept of the open kitchen inside. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Strawberry croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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The easiest 5 stars I will write this year. I had never heard of them before, but by UVA daughter is in love and a regular. My Hoo filled me in on the behind the scenes things she has discovered making them special. So on University of Virginia Family Weekend we checked them out. I quickly learned Cou Cou is the most beloved locals coffee and pastry shop in all of Charlottesville. Furthermore, the shop is an inspiration for other businesses to model themselves after. One of the major items my daughter said that was a head turner was that the owner is not only French trained, but a local to the area. The shop is an authentic French bakery from the ingredients to their baking practices. The location lends itself to UVA students and staff since it's just off grounds. With just one visit I was star struck with the total operation. The vibe is relaxed and cheeky. Nothing pretentious about Cou Cou whatsoever, Just come as you are and be prepared for a comfortable setting in their heated outdoor patio if you eat in. The selection was surprisingly still good early afternoon on a Sunday, but obviously they were low to sold out of some items. The menu board helps guide customers. I got a Miso chocolate chip cookie and raspberry beignet. So much in the vase looked wonderful. The young staff was excellent in helping me navigate. The woman recommended a cappuccino to pair with my items, so why not. I decided to enjoy on their patio. My two baked goods were served on a plate and given to me at checkout. The price point pushes , but always willing to pay for quality. I also tipped 20%. My coffee was brought out by another one of their friendly staff. It was hard to decide where to start. The Japanese inspired Miso cookie had a sweet taste and fresh! A unique take that I really liked. The beignet was a head turner in the case and did not disappoint. The perfectly made pastry had the right amount of sugar on top and was loaded with filling. No corners were cut. My cappuccino was wonderfully balanced and a treat paired with my goodies. I witnessed staff cleaning and wiping down tables keeping the area tidy. I cannot say enough marvelous things about this tiny little bakery find in the back of a small strip. With almost no visibility the locals can find you. I wanted to make sure others can as well thus my review. Although I had no interaction with the owner I did see her working in the kitchen among her young staff. You can feel the passion for excellence, not profits. Cou Cou is a Charlottesville gem for both locals and visitors. I will be back and tell others on the UVA school board that may not know. Just a note I did request Yelp to add them to the searchable "breakfast & brunch" and "coffee & tea" categories to assist customers finding them. I see they added breakfast & brunch quickly and pending coffee & tea. read more

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An assortment of French Boulangerie items. Aka French-inspired bakery, with coffee. High quality. Not inexpensive but very popular, with a line. Friendly service and a nice atmosphere. Give it a try! read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Cou Cou Francaiserie - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I checked out Cou Cou Rachou with some friends over the weekend since we wanted a quick pastry stop before our hike, and it did not disappoint! There was a line out the door when we got there, but it moved pretty quickly. I grabbed a canelé and a cardamom braid--both were delicious. The canelé had a caramelized outside with a soft center, and the cardamom braid was super fragrant without being too sweet. The bakery itself is really cute! You can see the kitchen in the back, and the pastry case is filled with a lot of different options. The staff was friendly and answered all my questions. There isn't a ton of indoor seating, but they have a few outdoor tables. I didn't get a chance to sit and eat this time, but I'll definitely be back to try more things next time I'm in town! read more

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Hands down one of the best bakeries in Cville! Came here with my brother to enjoy some pastries on a Saturday morning. We loved the interior design with touches of color at every turn. The place was bustling yet had a very cozy vibe. Reminded me of one of my favorite spots in Georgetown! The service was speedy with us being able to get our order within minutes. My brother and I split the quiche and an English muffin. Both tasted so fresh! I also recently tried some of their fall pastries - absolutely amazing. Cannot wait to go back to Cou Cou Rachou soon :) read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The closest thing to French quality i have ever experienced. The baguette is authentic and very tasty, so are all their pastries. This is a true french bakery. Staff are friendly and it is just so beautiful and nice inside. I only wish they stayed open longer. read more

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O M G! This was the best coffee shop I've been to in sooo long! I don't have a favorite out in Virginia Beach yet... I wish I could pick this place up and place it on the ocean front! I would be an every day regular... I ordered the matcha, which was sooo smooth and delicious. So was the drip coffee! We ordered and shared the cardamom twist, miso chocolate chip cookie, ham and cheese croissant, and the mandarin & red currant almond danish. Nothing was left. The croissants and danish were so flakey, buttery, and soft--but WOW. That danish!! I ordered one to go lol! Those pastry chefs know what they're doing. They also have a lovely selection of wines, granolas, and spreads. I will be coming again. read more

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A favorite coffee-and-a-pastry spot in Charlottesville. Excellent pastries--and a wide range--from super sweet, to a perfect coffee pairing, to savory. They use fresh and seasonal ingredients, and you can be sure that everything is delicious. Coffee is on point too, and they've got a limited menu of fun seasonal drinks if you're so inclined. Staff is always super kind, and keeps customers moving if there's a slight line (common on weekends). There's only a tiny bit of inside seating; the bulk is outside, so this is a great pick if the weather is good! read more

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Great bakery option in Charlottesville. With ample outdoor and awning covered seating, it feels like you are at a cafe in France. From coffee offerings, baked goods, merchandise, and more, this spot is a must try. It's no inexpensive but you get what you pay for. Highly staffed and quick service makes this a great option for a weekend morning. read more

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Over the last two years I've spent a lot of time traveling to and from Charlottesville and each time I made it a point to go to Marie Bette as they were my absolute favorite cafe, however, cou cou rachou carried a fantastic reputation and had always been on my list of places to give a shot. I finally went and was not impressed. The almond croissant was not up to par and their iced latte was also just mediocre. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Delicious baked goods !!! Expect a wait but it is so worth it!!!! Stopped by Cou Cou Rachou for a light snack and coffee. I tried two savory pastries, a ham and cheese croissant and a savory danish (has bacon and broccoli rabe and cheese in it). Both were really good but I especially liked the savory danish. Coffee was good too, I got it with lavender syrup but wish the syrup was a bit stronger. There is limited indoor seating but a nice patio outside if you want to enjoy your food and drinks outside!! read more

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Finally tried cou cou rachou! We showed up late in their hours so we knew options would be limited but they had what we wanted anyways: a croissant and pain au chocolat, plus we got three canelés for each of the kids. We also got two drip coffees and took everything to go, but next time maybe we'll hang on the patio for a bit. everyone was friendly and i loved the way the bakery was decorated. Quality pastries are what will bring us back though: so delicious and you can tell they know what they're doing. read more

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Super cute little place that had absolutely CRAZY GOOD pastries. Cortado was bomb too Very friendly staff. They clearly know what they're doing here! read more

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It's tough for me to grade this place after coming back from Paris. I wanted to compare it as my hometown version of what I just experienced. If you're looking for authentic French tasting pastries I would definitely say they hit the mark in every aspect. It was just as good as any of the ones I experienced. That being said 2 coffees and two pastries were nearly $30 which is kind of insane to me. Not to mention I was quite disappointed by the service. Not sure if it was an off day or anything as I have had numerous co workers recommend this place and even talk about how nice some of the people were here. Cannot give it a 5 stars in good faith from my lobe experience. I may try it again but definitely not on my go to places at the moment. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Coffee - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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When they say come early, they mean it. Cou Cou is a classic French bakery that specializes in using locally sourced ingredients to make delicious bites that will transport you to the old world. I couldn't believe at 8 AM in the morning on a weekday this place was packed and orders were being served without hesitation. The COFFEE SODA has changed my life! A mix of cold brew, club soda and syrup (I chose lavender) it's perfect alternative to a nitro cold brew. It gave me a coffee buzz and the kick I needed to start my day. read more

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This bakery is quite French; I saw a lot of butter in their baking area and a lot of skinny people with French accents, bringing to mind the French Paradox (in which people who eat an awful lot of bread and butter are somehow rail thin). The selection offers many treasures, but they played a bit of a cheat code on me by having a chocolate crinkle, a cookie variety I was introduced to several decades ago while visiting a different (and long-since departed) bakery in Charlottesville close to the university. I think the sign said it was gluten free, but whatever it was, I devoured it. They had some nice savory items, and I went of one of the lighter ones, a lightly braided cheese twist. Charlottesville has a lot of cafes and bakeries, but this was more crowded than most of them the day I stopped by. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Chocolate crinkle - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Best pastries in Cville! It does get very crowded and there's usually not much place to sit but it's worth it. Last time I had a lemon pastry and the Meyer lemon latte and they were both very good. I love that the selection is seasonal. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Lemon pastry - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Cou Cou Rachou may be my favorite bakery in Charlottesville. It's got a rustic and homey feel. Most of its seating is outside and there's a large parking lot. Inside they sell wine, merch (t-shirts, hats, etc.), and other knick-knacks in addition to the pastries. A large selection of uniquely flavored pastries makes this a good place for anyone because they have a good split between sweet and savory items. Everything I've had had been delicious, no notes. read more

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This is a fantastic little bakery in Charlottesville, Virginia. They serve a wide variety of pastries, breads, drinks, and exceptional soft serve. The only downside is that their hours are very limited. I arrived around noon and they only had about 20% of their menu items left. I recommend checking their IG account for the daily menu, it will indicate at what hour items are available. While their pastries seem to be the main draw, don't sleep on their fabulous baguettes and housemade soft serve. If they have a sundae available, get it! The only lowlight was the coffee, I found it weak. Seating indoors is hot and limited. They have a nice deck with umbrellas and a decent number of tables. The ambiance isn't ideal, but you will overlook it once you taste the treats! read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Roasted peaches and vanilla bean soft serve over a miso, tahini blondie - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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There is a bakery and then there's CouCou Rachou. If you appreciate world class quality, impeccable consistency, and baking perfection, then CouCou is for you! The prices reflect the quality and talent of the team and incredible product. It's a MUST stop in Cville if you are a foodie, or anyone who appreciates real food. On par with any U.S. bakery in any major city and rivals best European bakeries we've tried. Ham & cheese croissants and almond croissants are works of art. Love the chai tea latte too - not sweetened! Just go. It's totally worth the wait and the price. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Ham & Cheese Croissant and Chai Tea Latte (and a giant bag of to go croissants!) - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Coffee & homemade syrups were SO perfect. And the sourdough English muffins were chewy with the right amount of sour. I'm so glad we bought a bag to take home! But most appreciated was the staff- they were kind and patient and helpful and had smiles and warmth... not easily found in the coffee shop culture. I wish we lived closer but I'm already planning my next trip ! read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Was recommended this place by my roommate and it is fantastic!! They have a great variety of pastries and you can't go wrong with any of them! I love the chocolate and almond croissants and the canele is delicious too! I'll definitely have to come back for the bread sometime. The service is great and everyone is super friendly as well. It's a good place to stop by with some friends and was pretty walkable for me. It's a cute little shop that's very bright and open. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I always enjoy having bakery treats from Cou Cou Rachou. On this visit, I picked up a French Onion Danish. While I really like eating this bakery's sweet pastries, their savory offerings are often even more satisfying. The onion pastry has a delightfully crunchy and bright buttery layers of crust. The taste is both light and full of earthy, onion flavor. The staff at the bakery are always friendly and upbeat. The service is quick in this quaint and cozy place, where there is some sorta outside seating. I thoroughly look forward to getting Cou Cou Rachou pastries. read more

It goes without saying that you must check out CCR if you're in the Charlottesville area. These pastries are some of the best you'll find. I was lucky enough to share with some friends so I could try a bunch. We snagged a spot on the heated patio on a Sunday morning. There was a constant stream of people coming in to order. The line moves quickly! Some of my favorites were the French onion croissant and the chocolate almond croissant. I'd certainly eat anything again, though. The butter is delicious, and surprisingly, nothing was too sweet. read more

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Five dollars for a cappuccino. Six dollars for an overcooked croissant. Ten minutes waiting in line and another ten minutes waiting for the drink. Cute place with tasty treats but you're paying extra for a faux Provençal experience. read more

Cou Cou Rachou always delivers excellence. This round, we enjoyed the meyer lemon tart, the lemon-ricotta-leak tart, and an everything-leek croissant. All were heavenly and would gladly devour again. read more

Am I in France? You can smell the butter while you're waiting in line. Cou Cou Rachou is a gorgeous bakery with a lovely covered patio that you can sit with your friends, eat pastries, and enjoy the day. Croissant and the jam was toddler approved! I would definitely come back! read more

The new best bakery in Cville! Their plain croissants are our favorite. Their signature onion croissants are also delicious. Their almond croissants have a lemony filling--definitely unique, but I prefer a more traditional filling. Definitely on the pricier side but that seems to be the trend these days. The interior and patio is so cute but it can fill up quickly. read more

This is my favourite bakery of the greater Charlottesville area. Their pastries are soo good that I can't stop eating before taking a picture (so unfortunately i don't have any. They are too good). I like how they restrict their sourdough English muffin to be 3 bag per person, so other customers coming late won't get disappointed. I also like the variety of pastry selection and their consistency of flaky layers! I can't say if this is the best of Virginia since I haven't try many from Richmond, but it is definitely good enough that worth me driving 1 hour just for it read more

Wow I am pretty impressed with this place. It was super hyped up by all my classmates. They have a seasonal/daily special which was a coconut macron when we went. We also got the creme filled beignet and a scone and 2 cookies. The cookies were to go and we warmed them up in the oven. Everything was super delicious and we thoroughly enjoyed the beignet and macaron. The line was ~20 minutes long on the weekend so be prepared to wait. This was probably the worst part of the experience. read more

Espresso forward lattes are such a lovely find! I love a cute cafe who makes their own syrups, so I thoroughly enjoyed my salted caramel iced latte on a nice summer morning. It's tiny with mighty sweet vibes inside. The open bakery and excellent customer service will have you coming back to grab a drink and a pastry. It's best to grab and go here, but there's a few seating areas inside and outside. The homemade english muffin was amazing; however, it didn't seem to hold its freshness beyond 24 hrs. Maybe freeze the pack if you buy that and warm it up when you intend to use it. I just tried one to gauge if I would commit to a half dozen. read more

I like cou cou rachou but I waited at 7 am in the morning, when they open, about 30 runners come up and they took them in the store first. I had to leave. I'm on my way to work. I was there before most of them. Not a great way to treat customers. I'm not sure I'll go back. read more

A fun witty post: "Espresso Yourself - This Place is the Whole (Butter) Package!" Stopped by while passing through Charlottesville and stumbled on this sweet little gem. It's a bakery first--with pastries that could probably win a diplomatic peace prize--but they also pull a mean espresso. The real icing on the cake? The service. Everyone is genuinely happy to be there, and it shows. The indoor space is cozy (read: tight squeeze), but the outdoor patio makes up for it--with room to stretch out and wag your tail (yep, pups are welcome too!). Feels like a local favorite, and now I see why. If you're in town, don't miss it--you might just find your new happy place. read more

Cute, cozy patio. Delicious pastries. We really enjoyed the fruit and ricotta danish (forgot actual name) although we felt it needed sweetness so we added a drop of honey. We also LOVED the caramelized onion and Gruyère cheese croissant. Miso chocolate cookie was good.. but we didn't finish it which tells you a lot. Would definitely go back to try more! We forgot to grab some English muffins... those looked amazing. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Miso chocolate chip cookie and ricotta fruit danish - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

My friend and I came here on a Saturday, and it was super busy. There is a lot of outdoor seating but very minimal indoor seating. The line was long but moved fairly quickly. Customer service was ok and could be better. We tried a few different things on the menu, but my items came to-go and hers were for an in-restaurant order, which we thought was weird since we ordered together. None of our items came heated, which was a letdown bc croissants and quiches are always better warm! I'm not sure if you have to ask for things to be heated or not, but it seems like they should ask. Despite being cold, the food items we tried had good flavor! Unfortunately, I didn't love the matcha latte, and my friend didn't like her cappuccino. I would consider trying Cou Cou Rachou again, but it's not some place I'm dying to go back to :/ read more

This is the best bakery that I've ever been to. The molasses, crinkle and chocolate chip cookies have no parallel. I've also had one of their cheesecakes gifted to me at Xmas - it was orange (not my favorite flavor but) but it was amazingly delicious. Their financiers are to die for. But the almond croissant is the best in town, hands down. It's only open Wednesday through Sunday and you must get there early. read more

GREAT Quality Food and Service only pricey... however you do get what you pay for! Place is small so at time busy with line out the door. Good Location near downtown and adequate parking. I love the staff there!!! Quality Healthy grains and quality ingredients homemade recipe for ice creams. Over all Wonderful ! read more

Came here with a friend to catch up over coffee and a pastry. The bakery smelled heavenly as soon as we walked inside. The place is super cute, and everything looks delicious. I ordered an iced coffee and ended up trying two baked goods that especially piqued my interest-- the Cardamom Braid and the Miso Chocolate Chip Cookie. It was a sunny and unusually warm December morning, so we sat and ate outside. Although the back patio faces a parking lot, it's still clean, cute, and well-decorated.   They offered to heat up both of the baked goods I ordered. The warm Cardamom Braid was tasty and complemented my coffee well. I have really high standards when it comes to cookies, and I thought that the Miso Chocolate Chip Cookie was a good and well-made cookie. The miso taste is very subtle, but it added a unique element to it that I enjoyed. I'm so glad that I tried this place, and I can't wait come back. read more

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I came here to compare pain au chocolat and their Chocolate almond croissant to their rivaling neighbor, MarieBette. I think that the chocolate almond croissant is only marginally better than MarieBette's, and their Pain au chocolate is the better than Cou Cou Rachou's. Bottom line: I tend to buy and eat 2-3 pasties per visit at each shop to do a comparison because I'm curious to see how they compare. They're both so good that it's just hard to choose one over the other. Also, both places pricing is... pricey. As you would expect being here in C'ville, but I'm not complaining. It's good stuff! The day I can find a recipe and fare well with these two contenders, is the day I'll be eating from home :) read more

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