Pandan croissant was fantastic, but the pandan custard was a bit too eggy for my tasteread more

When I told my local Melbournian friend I was hitting up the South Melbourne Market early in the…read moremorning, she immediately recommended I grab pastries at Agathe Patisserie, and boy were they delicious! Pandan croissant and pandan flan were our favorites. They were not too sweet. The croissant was nice and flaky. Flan was so smooth... I could've eaten another one and not regret it. Definitely go early if you can because the lines do get long and you can tell with all stanchions set up in front of the bakery. It's crowded, it's loud, but it's all part of the wonderful morning market experience. There is some seating (for 6-7 people) on the side, but I wouldn't count on the bench being available all the time. I would continue exploring the public market with a pastry in hand.

In all consideration of the idea that some "hole in the walls" are great! This little place is just…read morethat! Excellent on service! All smiles! A must: Chocolate eclairs! potato pies, Lamingtons (when it's there- runs out fast) and the special menu!!! Ham crossiant and coffee deal!!! ... The nenish (spelling) tart!!! A delicious must! Added update: Aug 18th. 2016 I found that some of their best seller items are the following- -steak and mushroom pie -chicken and mushroom pie -Vanilla slices -The tortes- fruit or chocolate, but mostly chocolate -And their half size cakes I recommend their lunch specials/ reasonably priced and comes with coffee or cold drink.

Food: Found this place by chance one day when nowhere else was open, and now we're regulars. Their…read morecakes are gorgeous - we particularly love the almond friands, which I actually could eat 100 of every day, but they do pretty little jam tarts with crispy pastry and beautifully crafted desserts and biscuits too. Coffee is the only let down - it's fine, but not excellent. Atmosphere/service: There are a couple of tables inside and a few out on the street. We will often try to sit in if there is space, but it's definitely more of a takeaway bakery. Space is very limited and the few tables that are there only seat 2 people. Service is efficient and friendly, not much chit-chat, mostly due to the nature of the place, but pleasant and smiley. Would I recommend it: Yes! Their cakes are spot on. Don't go for the coffee, or fancy service, but if you want delicious, classic baked goods, this is a real hidden gem! Quality surpasses many of the flashier places on nearby Chapel Street, but you'd walk past this bakery 10 times before you even realised it was there.

I love this little shop! We don't have places like this in America. So charming and quaint. You…read morewalk in and you've been transported into a beautiful bakery. Everything is homemade and delicious. I would eat here every day if I lived here. A wonderful selection of breads, desserts, lunch items and much more! I would definitely rate this as a must stop if you are visiting or live here!

Think Fitzroy Street is nothing but bogans and backpackers? You've clearly never been to the…read moreamazing Bakery D. Chirico! Everything is made fresh in-house -- I should know because I lived upstairs and had to suffer the smells of heavenly pastry prep each night. Prepare for a long wait if you venture in on a weekend -- this local hot spot is always busy. Always. The inside seats all of about two patrons, but there are plenty of tables outdoors, rain or shine. The plain croissants are a perfect hangover cure, totally worth the crowd. Next time you're in the beach 'burb, you'll definitely want to stop by this incredible lil artisan bakery.

Omg the lobster croissant is Devine so moorish and with $8 happy hour great with a Pinot Grigio…read more Service and ambience is amazing. A must visit!

I decided to head down to South Yarra for breakfast that morning, and yeah, this place does feel a…read morelot fancier than other parts of Melbourne I've visited. In fact, this cafe actually feels very, well, Parisian, or European to be more precise, which the name honestly doesn't seem to match. It's quite fancy inside, and like a lot of these places, especially in Europe, they have table service, though unlike your typical place in Paris, it isn't cheaper to order at the counter. It's cool though.

If there's any indication to the authenticity of French Fantasies, the servers here speak French to…read moreone another. Yup, they are from France. When my husband said "Merci" to our server, she quickly asked, "Vous parlez le francais?" We were there for breakfast and luckily there was one almond croissant left when I placed my order. If they were all sold out, I would have been heart broken. Almond croissants are my favorite and I tend to like to judge a place by its almond croissants (and macarons). The croissant was not the flaky and airy type but instead was a little more dense with a generous amount of almond paste filling. There might even be a hint of almond liqueur in it. Although I'm used to airy croissants, I must say that I really like French Fantasies' interpretation of almond croissant. My husband had the minced pie which he really liked as well especially the pastry crust. Step in here for a nice breakfast and then head out for some fun shopping on Toorak Rd and Chapel St.

The ham and cheese croissants at French Fantasies are so buttery, so flaky and so oozing with…read moregruyere that my now-husband was able to convince me to move our wedding date up by A FULL YEAR without so much as a batted lash. Indeed I was so overcome with pastry ecstasy that the thought planning our cross-continental wedding in six months seemed totally feasible. Truly, though, we feel lucky that French Fantasies is a short walk from home. It's the most authentic French bakery in the area, bolstered by its native French speaking staff and commitment to the excessive butter required for this type of blissed-out baking. We come here for classics like croissants and savory crepes (the spinach and bechamel is simple and gorgeous). And for that, plus a nice cup of coffee, it's perfection.

Such a treat to have this as our local bakery, however it's worth a drive too. We're hooked on…read moretheir Multi-grain Loaf, which we buy every week, religiously. Their sweets are amazing as well. I am quite partial to their Vanilla Slice, bit they have gorgeous tarts and cakes too. The ladies are so nice too- neighborhood gem!

I used to be a regular here, stopping in for coffees, take away fruit toast on the way to work,…read morebigger breakfasts or a killer sandwich after a boozy night out. On those seedy mornings I'd find a spot inside, bury my head in a newspaper, sunglasses firmly planted on my face, and just give the staff that knowing look of "either kill me, or bring me coffee". Then, I moved and became less of a regular. I forgot how much I loved the friendly staff, the relaxed vibe and the extensive menu with plenty of options for those needing a healthy, filling and/or greasy brunch. They really cover all the bases here and now, guess what!? (You'll never guess) They're opening for dinners, offering a wide variety of pizzas and their own homemade cheeses! I have to admire them for going to the effort of bringing in their own cheesemakers and offering something a little different, though I think the menu could be a little shorter so that they could focus on nailing a smaller selection. My tip? Stick to the fresh cheeses - ricotta, scormoza and mozzerella. Oh, and don't you dare not have an Aperol Spritz.

The olive bread at Il Fornaio is known as being one of the best in town, therefore I had to try it…read more I don't like olives. Whenever I say that to myself it makes me really upset because I know that I am missing out on something that so many people around the world love. I really want to know what I am missing out on! This is why if something has olives in it and I'm told that "you have to try it", I'll try it. I still don't like olives. Nice try Il Fornaio, nice try. The over powering flavour of olives still runs strong. I had an irresistible Affogato to wash away the flavour. That was great on a beautiful spring day near the beach.

Definitely a treat to find this place open so early for the jet laggers from the US... took my kids…read moreand they absolutely enjoyed the food. How can you not love super thick toast French toast with vanilla ice cream and caramelized bananas and berries. The chocolate croissant definitely much better than the ones I have had in Bay Area. They also have an assortment of baguette with fillings which can be toasted. We tried the bacon egg and cheese and my son loved it. We will definitely come back!!!

Lovely little breakfast in a cold winter morning with lovely service and ambiance to match.read more

I should, and will, give this place points for being open when basically absolutely nothing else…read morewas, even though it happened to be a Sunday. Yeah, this isn't my favourite part of Melbourne. However, while they did do a decent coffee (yeah, I know, coffee, but it was one time), and the place did have a rather nice French feel about it - in fact it was more a pattissierie as opposed to a cafe - it was still pretty expensive - probably due to the fact that it was the only place open.

Tried a ham cheese tomato croissant here and enjoyed it. The croissant was perfectly buttery and…read moreflaky, just could have done with a little more time in the toaster to warm up the ham a little more. I liked the luxe gold and creamy feel of the place and thought the price was fair enough. There are plenty of delicious patisseries if that's your poison too.