Ok, but a little disappointing. It must be difficult running a business like this and building a following. I got inspired by watching youtube to make a jambon buerre sandwich - supposedly a popular quick sandwich for Parisians. The sandwich is half a baguette with butter and French bistro ham. I tried searching all over for the French bistro ham with no luck. The only options were online sources with expensive shipping and/or expensive minimum order sizes. Somehow I stumbled upon MA-France nearby in Arlington and they sell jambon-buerre sandwiches. It's a small shop that sells sandwiches, pastries, and a small offering of French food products. Lots of pastries and baked goods like quiche, tarts, cookies, croissants, etc. The cheese offerings were very limited and basic. I can imagine that the cheeses that they sell are the same types and brands that they use for making sandwiches. For example, they sell President brand Brie - that you can also buy at Costco and market basket. Disappointing, but understandable because they can't afford to buy more variety and more expensive offerings without a big enough client base to buy those cheeses before they go bad. Getting back to the sandwich - it was half a baguette with some thick slices of butter and two pieces of French bistro ham. The bread was kind of dense and the crust was more chewy than crispy. I was disappointed that they didn't bother to spread the butter, but if they're not selling enough sandwiches then they're probably keeping the butter in the refrigerator - making it too difficult to spread. When I got home I fixed up the sandwich to my liking. Overall, the sandwich was okay, but not good enough to make me want to go back. At least I was able to solve my hunger for the jambon buerre sandwich. read more

MA-France - Slices of butter- not spread - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

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It hurts to write a break-up review. Maybe I'll get Laufey to write the song for this. This used to be one of my favorite places for croissants in the Boston area. Now it's quite underwhelming. The apricot croissant is now some smaller glorified danish that has no richness or personality. The plain croissant is quite "bready" now, whereas it used to be light and buttery. I have a sneaking suspicion that they have a different croissant supplier now. What saved this spot from a lower grade is that the pain au raisin and chausson aux pommes are passable. Also a save is that they still offer various French products, from soaps to cheeses to canned goods. I have to find a new French bakery in the area. read more

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Sunday morning visit coming in with high hopes based on Yelp composite rating and word of mouth. Staff: Borderline rude. I arrived at opening, one guy opens the door and places something outside (flag, chairs, not sure). I go in and stand at the counter. Same guy makes more trips back and forth bringing more things outside taking closer to 10 minutes than 2 minutes. Couldn't be done prior to opening? Second guy sees me pacing, waiting to order, but doesn't come out for another few minutes. This had no bearing on my perception of food quality, but it didn't exactly boost the experience. -- Kouign Amann: Pale and plain-looking, dry on the outside, faint crunch, no glazy shell. Inside, initially dry, but with some leaking juicy sweetness and a blob of what seemed to be an isolated, unmelted pat of butter. Not horrible. Not great. -- Chocolate Croissant: Another pale offering, small in size, somewhat flaky, and mostly dry. No fluffiness inside and minimal buttery flavor. The chocolate was dark and very good. Certainly better than Starbucks, but aside from the chocolate, not by much. Tables: Two tables with chairs theoretically allow dining in, but they're designated as waiting area. Neither item was warm at opening and neither impressed. In Lexington I much prefer Nouvé. read more

MA-France - Kouign Amann - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

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Yes! France in the house! It's such a treat to stop by for some yummy sandwiches and more! This nice small market/ restaurant offers many products from France. We really enjoy their sandwiches and gallettes! They always have yummy looking pastries and treats that makes you want to try all of them! I love walking around their market because they have such a great selection of items. They also serve coffee and you can either dine in or order to go! The workers are very nice and give good recommendations on what to order from their menu! read more

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One of the better plain croissants I've tried in Boston. I think I still prefer Colette's. Whereas Colette's iteration is airier and more flaky, MA-France's is denser, more butter-forward, and more chewy. You can't go wrong with the two but if you're closer to one than the other, MA-France has a worthy croissant. I finished my plain one and promptly asked my husband to grab another, whereupon he returned with both the almond and the nutella. I preferred the almond over the nutella, but really the plain croissant was the best. Also tried a bite of the ham and cheese croissant with pickles - it was a bit hard to eat with the giant chunks of ham but made for a filling and tasty post-ride snack. The guy (Kevin?) making our sandwiches was very sweet and, even though we came right before closing, took a lot of care in assembling the sandwiches. The extremely surly lady who rang me up was the one dampener of an otherwise pleasant experience, she was not friendly in the least and acted like she was doing me a favor. There's a small market on the other side, as well as three two-person tables outside and a bench. No bathroom that I could see. read more

MA-France - Ham and cheese on croissant! - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

This was our first time trying MA-France and had such a great experience! The woman that helped us gave us a full rundown of all the products that they made there and told us what food was imported from France. We ordered 2 Galettes (one was a classic French one with ham/cheese and runny egg. And the other was tomato, spinach, brie, and runny egg). So delicious! Highly recommend and the runny egg made the dish. Also got 2 macaroons to go, the raspberry heart shaped one was very yummy! All the pastries looked great so can't wait to come back! Great food, AMAZING service, outdoor seating, and right off the bike path. Thank you! read more

MA-France - Galettes - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

I have been on the hunt for good croissants and was excited to visit this establishment but came away disappointed. I purchased an almond, a chocolate almond and a chocolate croissant. Each was flaky, but lacked flavor. While both almond croissants had an abundance of slivered almonds, there was not enough almond paste in either. The chocolate croissant hardly had any chocolate in it. They all looked better then they tasted. read more

MA-France - Almond, chocolate almond, and chocolate croissants - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

Great little shop with delicious macrons. Has a small selection of French groceries. Service was great.

Just went in to eat today on Lexington Ave. Ordered lunch for 2. Wanted to use a restroom & was told no so we took the lunch to go. Just opened my Tuna sandwich - only had 3 small pieces of tuna!! All bread, mayo & lettuce!! I took 2 bites of bread with mayo and opened the sandwich, pulled off all the lettuce with a fork that I wisely took with me, I could honestly only find 3 tiny pieces of meat!! I ate them with a fork in one bite and threw away my bread, mayo & lettuce sandwich. Huge Waste!! Tuna would have been a nice addition to my $14 sandwich. Now I'm still hungry & out $14. Avoid at all costs. read more

Small bakery with glass display and small store on one side. Tried a plain and chocolatine here and it was just okay. They were not crispy nor flakey, but more chewy and dense. The chocolatine had very little chocolate inside as well. There are only a few small tables and bench outside. read more

I feel transported to France anytime I step into this little shop for their exquisite pastries. When you bite into their flaky almond croissaint you can see the ground almonds in the filling as your palate sings happy songs. Can also recommend the madeleine's that come in an assortment of flavors. The savory galette was created with much care and delicious. They also offer a variety of snacks, sauces, etc. imported from France. Popular spot with the locals, so there usually is a line that moves pretty quick. read more

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We found this place on Yelp since we were in the area. However we've been to this area before and didn't know about this place since the front of the shop looks like any other shop other than a giant French flag. But boy are we glad found this place! They had a variety of French savory and sweet bread pastries. We bought the torsade chocolat, plain croissant, chocolate croissant and chocolate beigne. Torsade chocolat-just like the one in France, has a custard and chocolate filling Plain butter croissant: generous size, buttery, soft on the inside but flaky on the outside just like the ones in France! (We had it the next day and reheated it in the oven and it still tasted great!) Chocolate almond croissant: generous amount of almond and chocolate filling throughout the croissant. I've tried quite a few places in Massachusetts and many places literally just give a small amount of filling in the center. I'd say this is the best one I've tried so far in Massachusetts. Chocolate beigne: They had three different options (berry, caramel and chocolate?). I only bought the chocolate one to try and the dough was very soft. I would have liked more chocolate filling but it was still good. It is pretty authentic in terms of typical pastries offered and the quality. I also recognized a variety of French products for sale whether it was food or toiletry. The prices are not too expensive either. I've been to places where they charge $4-6 just for a mediocre croissant. Most things we bought were around $3.5-4/5. read more

MA-France - Chocolate almond croissant - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

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Delicious pastries, excellent service, unique market goods, fantastic breads. A one stop shop for all your baked goods and patisserie needs. Grab a coffee and relax at this little slice of France. read more

THRILLED to walk into a bakery where the employees speak French -- it's rarer and rarer and having the opportunity to have a casual chat and order and sample their goods was so cozy and nostalgic. And their selection is no joke -- deep cuts from the motherland. Oasis!!! And so much more!! Savory madeleines were a first for me and the crumb was sublime. An acidic and perfectly moelleux éclair with green apple and cinnamon. And an outstanding, perfectly chewy canele. I wish we had a remotely similar bakery in Central MA, but I'm glad they are here. Between MA France, Colette, and PB Boulangerie, we are doing so well up here. read more

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Amazing food. The seating options are limited - they only have few outdoor seats. The food is absolutely amazing. We tried their sandwiches, quiche, galette and few desserts. The opera cake is amazing and everything we ate there tasted so good. The service is amazing. Lots of vegetarian options. They have multiple flavors for Madeline's and croissant. Must visit read more

If you closed your eyes and let the sounds and smells guide you as you enter this deceptively local bakery you'd think you'd somehow been transferred to France. Plan to be greeted with a boisterous "bonjour" and let the fresh breads and pastries fill your palate with so many possibilities. The baguettes ( dough comes from France) are available in plain and whole wheat. The croissants are flaky and buttery, and try the mini muffins in chocolate and / or berry. Whatever your yummy passion might be you're sure to be satisfied at Ma-France. Enjoy! read more

MA-France - Mini berry muffin under the watchful eyes of a golden doodle! - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

French feels in MA! We stopped in for lunch on a warm Friday afternoon, and it wasn't busy at all. For pastries, we got the chocolate almond croissant and the chocolatine. For cheeses, we bought a comte and a mimolette. And for lunch, we got a buckwheat galette filled with bayonne ham and emmental cheese. Oh and a baguette (because obvi). Everything we had was tres magnifique! I can't stop thinking about the incredible almond chocolate croissant - the stuff of dreams! Such a cool find where you'll be feeling French & fine in no time. read more

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One of the most authentic French boulongeries in the United States. Not an exaggeration, I've lived in NYC, Washington DC, and Seattle. While I've had excellent bread and viennoiserie no other place transported me to the whole experience of a proper French boulongerie. Not just exquisitely fresh baguettes and pastries, but the classic sandwiches, French lemonade, and even packaged biscuits! Going above and beyond there's also fabulous crepe, both sweet and savory. The famous Savon de Marseille (fine French soap!), and textiles! It's not cheap, but the ambience is the closest thing to visiting a REALLY good rural boulongerie I've ever had in the US. read more

Delicious croissants and savory crepes . It is in Lexington , so you can't expect it to be particularly cheap, macarons are $2.60 each even in quantity , but this is the modern price of quality . Nice French mini mart on the side . read more

We passed by this French bakery many times and finally decided to give it a try. It turned out to be a brilliant idea. We did not know why it took us so long to try. The bakery smelled so good the moment walking in. It was hard not to try their freshly baked croissants. We tried plain croissant, chocolate croissant, apricot croissant, raisin croissant, twisted croissant.... All looked and tasted perfect, just out of oven, super crispy and crunchy outside and puffy inside with unique buttery aroma. It was very satisfactory to have such a prefect croissant on a Saturday morning with a cup of coffee..... the price is reasonable too. They also have crepe and sandwich. We will definitely come back to try. read more

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Sandwiches on a nice chewy baguette. Try to get one freshly made not one from the cold case. Delicious macarons. Cute patio with tables for 2 read more

Absolutely delicious. I had the chicken pesto sandwich and I took home a few baguettes. It's a bit beyond my usual price range but it was a splurge I do not regret. read more

First time here and had a few of the croissants. All were very tasty. Would definitely come back again.

Amazing croissant. I tried the almond chocolate croissant. It was filled with almonds and chocolate. Perfectly flaky and layers. Tons of pastries to choose from and some savory ones as well. read more

MA-France - Menu July 2021 - French Near Me - Lexington, Massachusetts

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Love their bread and croissants. Also they have nice cheese that is from France. Crapes are the best too. read more

Everything is flown in. When I am In town I get my parents the croissants (plain, almond and chocolate). They are worth it. Last time we also got a quiche loraine - equally fantastic. If you are looking for a treat or having some people over this is a great choice. read more

Delicious but expensive for what it is. The sandwiches are really good and pastries top notch, but bang for the buck isn't a selling point.

Amazing pastries! Authentic and very delicious. Will return again was recommended by a friend.

This place is a hidden little gem right on Mass Ave in Arlington. Coffee is ok but the pastries are amazing. Consider having a look at this wonderful place. read more

Almost ten years after my original review., the place is even better. It is spacier, the variety of food is wider, and I feel I started to understand French. read more

From a French guy living nearby - don't go. This is an epitome of what French shops shouldn't be: overpriced (like 13$ for pseudo French chocolate Cote d'Or when it's 3 euros in France), not very friendly staff, the crepes are mediocre at best and they give you can-whipped cream, not even home made, for an extra 3$ or so. In short. It's French stuff but if you were to go in a touristy place of France where they'd rip you off. Give your money to local businesses nearby like the roasted granola and get your crepe experience or France experience elsewhere. read more

Cute, authentic French bakery! Went for a weekend brunch and shared a sandwich (ham+pickles on baguette - this was my first time trying cornichorns pickles and they added a nice sharp flavor), a fruits crepe (strawberry, banana, kiwi with powdered sugar - promptly made and fresh, warm, sweet without being overwhelming), and a croissant (chocolate hazelnut - flaky, buttery, and with yummy chocolate filling). Great way to start my day with such a unique and delicious meal! read more

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i went in on a saturday (3/28/2020) to pick up a fruit tart for someone. i had to call around since few places are opened amidst the covid crisis. i had called ahead to make sure they were opened and they had fruit tart. a warm welcome of "bonjour" when i came in which was nice. i bought my fruit tart and got myself an eclair. an impromptu purchase of hard candies in a nice silver circular tin can. a few hours we had the desserts. to my pleasant surprise, the eclair was chocolate filled, a bit sweet for my personal taste but i tend to like my desserts with very low sugar level. the fruit tart wasn't for me. i was told the fruit tart: -had a bit too much dough base at the bottom with too much butter hence the sogginess -there was very little custard -the fruit combination on top was not complimentary to each other -there was way too much glaze the pastries alone would have been three (3) stars. the Kubli hard candy costing above $5 expiring in four days from the date of purchase earned the place a solid one (1) star. the candy were stale. soft without flavor on the outside ... and soft because they're stale, not because they were made that way. to the store owners and managers. check your stock. what else are you selling that is about to expire? Tip: to customers, check the expiration dates. there are plenty of places fresher than this, i'm out. read more

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This is truly a hidden gem of Arlington (at least I guess it was hidden to me). I just visited Paris last year, and this bakery lives up to the authenticity and flavor of the cafes we tried. They have delicious crepes, both sweet and savory. Their bakery items are also amazing - I have tried their croissants and quiche lorraine. Both were fantastic. The gourmand is my favorite sandwich... that bacon and Comte hits the spot!!! They also sell a lot of imported items; I've only purchased the Comte cheese so far (couldn't find it anywhere else). Prices are decent - not cheap but not expensive either. Lastly, their customer service is A+. The manager is so friendly, as are all the employees. It really gives you a family-owned restaurant vibe. Great place to get takeout while we're all still in lockdown as well. read more

Nice quality selection good service Quaint French service and atmosphere Very good quality product reasonable prices Ok street parking read more

Awesome authentic French bakery. Everything is fantastic from the savory ham & cheese croissant to the crepes and pastries. Only place we go when we're craving a French breakfast or dessert. read more

Found this cute little cafe when we were looking for a breakfast place. The people who work there are super nice and friendly. There are only a few table and chairs. We got Nutella and banana crepe, one spinach cheese pastry and a cappuccino. The crepe was delicious. The spinach pastry however was heated in the microwave and resulted in a soggy crust , although the flavors were great. They also sell baked goods, breads, sweets, crackers, jar of sauces, jams etc. The cappuccino was decent. The food is a little pricey though with the pastry being $5 and crepe was $9. read more

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Probably being overly harsh because my expectations were so high and also didn't go in person so may have missed out on the whole experience in the store. Read so many good things about the pastries here in my search for the tastiest croissants in the Boston/Cambridge area so was super excited to finally try this. Picked up and tried the plain and almond croissant, the kouign-amann, both baguettes, and a coffee eclair. Maybe I just prefer a different style of croissant but the plain one was not as flaky/crispy as I like. The inside was also a little dense. I enjoyed the almond croissant and thought the almond paste was perfect -- not too sweet or overpowering. The kouign-amann was solid. Again wish it was more crisp. It had a tasty vanilla filling which I wasn't expecting. Baguettes were both very good. I preferred the artisanal one (30% whole wheat vs. all white flour). Eclair was also quite good but again not the best I have had in the area. I wish I had enjoyed this spot more and want to give it a second try. read more

Its a nice sandwich place. Thats really all i have to add. The sandwiches are simple and the ingredients are good. But the tend to be dry and provided you buy the baguette, ham and cheese, anyone can make them. read more

The service was good and the croissant was buttery and fresh. I went there for a latte and the coffee was fair and they only had whole milk