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

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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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

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

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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Cou Cou Rachou desserts and breakfast pastries are great. I wish they were open every day of the week! I have a hard time getting there since they're closed frequently but when I do come in it's quite the treat. I would recommend their chocolate desserts and the breakfast pastry bread thing with an egg in it (can't remember what it was called)! So amazing and truly how it looked didn't do justice to the amazing flavor. I also love their outdoor seating area for a nice sunny day. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - dessert! - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Oh my gosh--Cou Cou Rachou is absolutely amazing. We ordered the: - Strawberry Danish (I think) - Ham & Cheese Croissant - Quiche - Miso Chocolate Chip Cookie - Chai Latte - Iced Coffee The texture and taste of everything was great! The only item I didn't enjoy as much was my Chai Latte, but it wasn't bad. The service and ambience are perfect. The presentation of all the pastries is also so aesthetic; I love the flowers at all of the tables. Don't hesitate to purchase their English Muffins to take home. They freeze well and taste so good with eggs. If you like your muffins on the chewier side, you'll love theirs! read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

I. LOVE. BAKERIES. And this one is no exception. WOW. I was amazed on their set-up. I truly felt like I was in a small European town, sipping on a latte and enjoying all the European endeavors. Also, I appreciated the visibility of their bakers doing their ~thing~. I am a baker myself (an amateur but you know!) so I loved seeing the dough in action :) Definitely excited to return and beeline straight here again:) Recommendations: Everything. The Cardamom braid. The cookies. The puff pastry. The hot cocoa. Literally everything. read more

What a cute French bakery! I had a difficult time deciding what I want and ultimately decided on a cannelle and an almond croissant. They were both incredible! Next time I want to eat it right away on their terrace with some coffee and pretend I'm in Paris. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

One of our favorite spots in Cville! We have been visiting since Cou Cou Rachou first opened and always stop by when we want a sweet treat. They have a great variety of pastries and breads. We've tried a lot of their menu and always gravitate towards items with seasonal ingredients. There's also a beautiful outdoor seating area, always filled with fresh flowers. Try the english muffins. You won't regret it! read more

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I have had a great experience at this bakery every time! I have gone in a couple of times for their pastries - to be honest, I'm not someone who craves pastries, but I do enjoy eating both their savory and sweet options. My only order that I don't recommend was the sweet potato quiche which was a bit plain. Yet where I truly think this bakery shines is their cakes! My first order with them was a custom birthday cake. I was in contact with an employee who was very receptive and happy to accommodate certain requests, making the planning of the cake very easy. My experience only went uphill when I received the cake - this was one of my favorite cakes that I have ever eaten. It was moist and favorable, but not too sweet. The decorations also were also exactly as I had described. I decided to order another cake for another event. At this point, they didn't allow custom order, so I ordered one of their cake specials. Once again, this experience did not disappoint. I didn't know what to expect when I picked up the cake since I didn't design it, but I think it was decorated beautifully. It also tasted delicious, even though it was a different flavor from last time. I truly love and recommend ordering cakes from this bakery! read more

Cou Cou Rachou - a birthday cake in a box - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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They have croissants so good you will question whether life itself is worth it when you are not eating Cou Cou croissants. That's really a warning more than anything. read more

This has become my Thursday/Friday prework stop for what I promise you are the most deliciousx decadent and fresh pastries around. The shop is so cute and it's fun to watch the bakery team in action. The merch is ADORBS and the service is always on par. If you find yourself nearby be sure to snag a cardamom braid, croissants, and some hot tea! read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Delicious pastries every time! Everything that I have tried has been great. I am vegetarian and I appreciate that they always have a vegetarian quiche. It's always one of my favorite things to get! I've also enjoyed the ginger cookie, the French onion croissant, and the cardamom braid! Definitely ask them to heat up the pastries if you enjoy that read more

Cou Cou Rachou - French onion croissant - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

The pastries were, as always, very delicious today. However, my delightful Sunday brunch was ruined by a rude, tall female staff. There aren't many French bakery options in this neighborhood, so I will return, but I feel quite bitter about it read more

Great staff, ambiance, and the food (especially the banana chocolate chip muffin) is fantastic!! Love the Thursday morning run club read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

What a gem! I was not sure what I was expecting but I absolutely loved the vibes here. There was a great selection of French pastries that all looked amazing, and had a complete cafe menu with all your caffeine and alcohol needs. I was also surprised to see they had soft serve (which I will most definitely try once it gets warmer!). Staff was very friendly and the service was quick and prompt. They do not have a lot of space, but more than most bakeries. There was a small indoor section (2-3 tables), and then a covered patios with tables and couches to work and sit at. They also had a lot of outdoor space which was nice if you wanted to bring your pets! Additionally, I really appreciate that parking was very easy. I got the onion croissant with Gruyère cheese--super flavorful and the pastry itself was crunchy and flakey. I also tried the tiramisu beignet which is a weekend special? Meh I thought it was alright. Too much of the sugar coating and the filling was not very flavorful. But the other offerings looked great and I cannot wait to be back to try it! read more

Great as always! Almond chocolate croissant was my favorite, super crispy, crunchy and flavorful. Ambiance inside is always very relaxed for 8am in the morning! read more

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Cute ambience, quiche and onion croissant were delicious but they didn't Warm them enough so were cold, and they forgot to serve us one item which we didn't realize until we left which was a miss. Staff was a little lacking in attention to detail and hospitality read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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Fantastic, Flaky Pastries The only place in town that has a CHANCE at rivaling Maribette's, Cou Cou Rachou is simply marvelous. With French-styled pastries and cute, outdoor seating, every aspect of the pastries is exactly how you'd want it to be created. The outside of the pastries are soft and flaky. The inside is buttery, and, no matter which pastry you bought, the flavors are perfect. Even though this location was bustling with business, I placed my order and received my pastries in under 10 minutes. Do yourself a favor and go here as soon as you can! read more

the food was amazing, everyone working was so kind. there was a short line but it moved quickly and I was able to find somewhere to sit within moments. My latte was one of the best I've had and I loved the atmosphere of the whole place. read more

Ok I've officially found my new favorite bakery in Charlottesville. If you're looking for a high end pastry shop that cranks out some QUALITY baked goods this is the spot. The croissants are the best in town, and there is truly some tough competition. Everything is freshly made, and truly worth the price point. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Croissant suisse - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Bonjour! Visited on a rainy day in December at 2pm seeking comfort in a flaky pastry. The neon "Cou Cou Rachou" lights out front invite you to come in to explore the various sweets and pastries available for the day. Make sure to visit early as they're open 7-sold out Thurs-Sun. I loved being able to see the bustling energy of the bakers behind the counter doing their thing. It was very difficult to choose from their pastries but we decided to try their pain au chocolat as well as the quiche. I've had better pain au chocolats in my life. I felt like the croissant to chocolate ratio was off because I felt like there was too little chocolate inside compared to how large my croissant was. I also thought my croissant was drier than preferred. The quiche was well executed and tasty. Would come back to enjoy the ambiance again and try one of their specials next time. read more

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Unique coffee and bakery spot in that it's best of both worlds in good coffee but also authentic and locally made baked goods. Would love to see a few more options on the "savory" side, but that's just a suggestion. read more

I love this little bakery so much!! My son and I stopped in last week to get some pastries for his birthday (he does not eat cake!) My favorite there is the Pear & Apple Butter Tart, so we got a couple of those and also a Tropical Rice Pudding. Both are astoundingly good and I had planned to take pictures of both of them. Unfortunately, in all the excitement and anticipation of eating them, we forgot. It was only after we had enjoyed them that I realized, "Oh man, I forgot pictures AGAIN"! Service there is always friendly and efficient, and oh the smell!! Fresh coffee, fragrant herbs and exotic spices. Try the Cardamom braid. It's delicious, too, but go early for the best choices, because items sell out quickly!! read more

Service was quick and the staff were friendly. I had the french onion pastry and if you like savory pastries this one is delicious. My partner had the lemon curd one which was not overly sweet and had a nice balance of flavors. I requested them to be warmed up which I recommend. Come early because they quickly run out of items. read more

I'm not sure I would have even noticed the place driving by, but I'm glad I found the name online. The ordering area was small but the line moved quickly. The only thing I didn't like was having to sort of go back and forth between the pastry case and the cashier when ordering, but that's hardly a big deal. We still managed to pick up way more pastries than necessary and enjoyed them all! read more

Way too pretentious presentation of breakfast. It's too much gruyere and too much salt and onions. It's coo coo poo

It's quality European pastry and good coffee. Pricey but good service. The outdoor patio is nice if you can get a spot under shade/umbrella. read more

Best bakery in town with the most unique selection of pasteries that seems to vary all the time. The addition of the outside patio (with heaters, yay) is fantastic. This is a comfortable, friendly place that clearly is the product of a lot of passion and talent. Delicious, you should go. read more

**Notice, if your kids ever ate food or crumbs off of one of their tables, you may want to get them tested for lead. I had a very unpleasant experience with the owner and will not go back here again. I was eating a pastry on their porch when I noticed the vintage table I was at was covered in chipping lead paint. This is a low table. Little kids probably eat crumbs off the table all the time and could be ingesting lead paint chips. I politely let the owner know and she was very dismissive of my concern. She said she was pretty sure it wasn't lead paint since she had gotten it from a friend. I asked if either she or the friend had ever had it tested and she wasn't sure. Given the serious health hazards of serving food on a table with chipping lead paint, I would have expected more concern. I went to the hardware store next door and picked up a lead paint test kid. Sure enough, the cute vintage table was covered in chipping lead paint. I politely let the owner know. She got mad at me in a weird defensive way and said there was nothing they could do about it right then. I said I thought they should take the table out of the dining area before anyone accidentally ingested one of the paint chips. She refused. It wasn't until I threatened to call the police and health department did she get her staff to carry the table out to the driveway. I'm sure they didn't intentionally serve their food on a table with chipping lead paint. But I would have expected a very different reaction to a customer raising a health and safety issue than the one I got. Instead of gratitude for alerting them to an important issue, the owner was dismissive, defensive and hostile. The pastries might be sweet but the people are not. read more

Wonderful. They use high quality ingredients and it shows. The boxes are quite lovely as wells. We will gladly return

Absolutely love all the different types of bakeries from here! I've tried a variety of their croissants, cookies and loaves of breads and I'm never disappointed. The only thing that I didn't particularly like thus far was this whole wheat bread that I got but probably personal taste; the bread itself was crispy on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. Expect queues out the door on weekend mornings. read more

Amazing selections of classic french pastries. Kind and courteous staff. Lots of extra little unexpected goodies such as grapefruit and tropical fruit marmalades. Super busy on a Saturday morning, but worth the wait in line. The almond croissant was large, buttery and flaky. The quiche is the most creamiest and butter one I've tasted, just delicious!! One tip, make sure to request it warmed up, if staying to enjoy on the patio. read more

This place is seriously amazing. There are very few places in Charlottesville to get very good food, but this is one of them. Every menu item is delicious and well-crafted and the service is wonderful! My one tiny tiny complaint is that often the pastries are not heated up all the way which can take away from the experience a little bit. It's not great to bite into a half-hot half-cold pastry. Other than that, no notes! read more

Best croissant I've ever had, it was a let down though because coffee was so bad! I'd try it again to see if maybe it was just a new person making coffee but will definitely be going for croissant! read more

I haven't tried a wide variety of their stuff, but the canele was probably the best I've ever had. I've been disappointed with that particular pastry at other bakeries in the past, so it's become my measure for quality. Theirs sets the standard. I will be thinking on this for a very long time. I don't know how they got the shell so crisp and crunchy, but it's tempted me to go buy the rest of the caneles. read more

I still think about Cou Cou Rachou often. The baked goods are so fresh and yummy. I loved it so much, I went back for seconds and bought sweatshirt! read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

Cute, quaint, beignets are good, but only sold on the weekend. They take pride in their food.

I went Saturday and the pastries were really good. The cafe itself had very little seating that were outdoors with a covering on top, so we didn't get wet. I got the French onion soup croissant and it was really good. Definitely recommend if you like savory pastries. The caneles were ok. They were a bit citrus-y which caught me off guard. read more

Cou Cou Rachou - Strawberry Croissant, French onion soup croissant, canele, quiche - Bakeries Near Me - Charlottesville, Virginia

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