Really confused why the pastries are getting such high praise here. I had the mango croissant and it was quite possibly the most bland croissant I've ever had. It doesn't taste like they are using real butter or quality ingredients. I gave 2 stars for the latte I ordered, which was fine. If you love pastry, I would skip this place. Or maybe just get something else instead of the mango croissant. read more

WhatCoffee - Don't be fooled - it wasn't good :/ - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

New snazzy sweet cafe in old town Santa Clara. Across the street from Franklin Mall is a new cafe that just opened a few months ago as of the writing of this review. The bakery in the back provides a tasty array of pastries. The churro donuts stuffed with dolce de leche were particularly scrumptious looking. Ah, the siren song of simple sweet snacks to accompany my coffee. Love that gastronomical tune. Oh, the service is excellent. I'd like to highlight one barista who made my coffee. Her coffee and enthusiasm was epic. Highly recommend this spot. Shop local! read more

WhatCoffee - Inside - orchids and churro donuts ! - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Great coffee! Terrible cleaning products! Excellent coffee and snacks, with high quality croissants, breads and cakes. However they insist on using the most powerful, foul-smelling antiseptic cleaning products around 4pm every day, which destroys the ambience, as well as my nasal cavities and taste buds. PLEASE stop using these potent chemicals - they are endocrine disrupters and make people sterile, as well as a whole host of other nasty side effects. Use non-perfumed, biological cleaning products only. read more

Honestly the cutest corner cafe. It's nice to have a nice spot to grab a coffee, but also get food if you don't feel like going to a busy restaurant. There's actually more seating than I expected inside, it looks a lot smaller outside than inside. I ordered the tiramisu latte and it was delicious. It had just the right amount of sweetness. I also ordered an almond croissant and it was very flaky, which I enjoyed. All of the other pastries were so cute and looked delicious. There are a lot of options. The staff were super friendly and greeted me when I came in. They called out for ,e to pick up, but brought my pastry to the table which was nice. read more

Bumping their rating to 4 stars because I've been to their brick and mortar a few times now (in Santa Clara), ever since they stopped coming to Creekside Farmers Market on Fridays. Their pastries are still quite pricey, but the quality is definitely there. And I think they must have started putting some sort of glaze under the custard cream in their fruit and custard topped tart, because it no longer gets soggy as quickly. And it still definitely tastes delicious! read more

Whatcoffee had a stand at the Castro Night Market and I was immediately drawn to the spread of beautiful pastries! The service was great! The guy working the stand answered all my questions and was patient. I got the pistachio croissant and it was fantastic!! I loved the fresh pistachio crumbled on top, and how it didn't taste like the fake flavoring. The croissant had amazing lamination, super flaky and the pistachio was the perfect addition. I have to visit when I come down to Santa Clara. Totally worth it!! read more

First off, I want to mention how comfortable the chairs are here. Really nice and cushioned! Service was very friendly and speedy. Bathroom was really clean too. Get the pistachio croissant. It's slightly sweet and has little rose petals on top. I will be back for another! read more

WhatCoffee - Pistachio croissants - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Amazing, relaxed ambiance. Good wifi and outlets along the walls if you're looking to study, although it got busy around 11. I got a hot ube latte and wasn't looking for a huge drink, so they made it smaller no problem which also reflected in the price. I also forgot to get less sweet (I really don't like super sweet drinks) but it was perfect! Coffee was delicious and ube flavor came through without overpowering sweetness. I came in first thing in the morning, and even then everyone was so nice!! I went with my friend whose birthday is soon, and they had a really cool birthday candle!! We split the Monroe, which was a good amount of food. Especially thanks to Yusra who brought out that awesome candle and was so super nice with our drink orders. read more

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11/16/24 - Omg this place was just as I expected! Super great for working, studying, or even applying jobs like I was doing! I accidentally took the drink of someone who ordered same drink as me and the staff were so nice about it! Sorry again to that person ! They were also mindful about how I was lactose intolerant too ! Would definitely come back for pastries and drinks! Thanks again to the amazing staff! Update: I just noticed too late that they accidentally forgot to add one of the donuts I bought into my order, but otherwise great service and amazing staff! read more

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Ordered their matcha tiramisu from a pop-up event in the city and was a bit disappointed. The dessert itself was okay. The matcha flavor was very light. I pretty much only tasted coffee. It costed $13 which is a bit steep for what I got for it. I'm not sure if they were heavily marked up or was charged in error but I will not be ordering again nor going out of my way for it. read more

5/5 Stars WhatCoffee may have just opened in October, but they're already doing 2 things right: having Elliott on their team and offering a great variety of breakfast items and pastries. We walked in around 8:30 AM, and Elliott was holding it down as barista, cashier, and front-of-house staff - all on his own. He managed everything smoothly, taking orders, preparing drinks, and talking up the pastries and food options with ease. I had the pistachio croissant with a cafe mocha, both were fantastic. The croissant was perfectly flaky, and the mocha hit the spot. My breakfast partner enjoyed the croque monsieur and a latte. The croque monsieur was savory, warm, and delicious, with its buttery croissant base being just as flaky. The café itself is a great spot to work - clean, well-lit, and welcoming, with a nice atmosphere that makes it easy to settle in. WhatCoffee is off to a strong start, and I'll definitely be back for more. Big shout-out to Elliott for keeping everything running smoothly and making us feel right at home! read more

WhatCoffee - wall art! - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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The pastries here are so beautiful. We tried two different pastries, a pistachio cream croissant and another pastry filled with fresh fruit. Both were good, I really liked the pastry with the fresh fruit and the cream that came with it. The pistachio croissant was fine, wish it had stronger pistachio flavor. read more

WhatCoffee - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Nice coffee place with lots of beautiful pastry options! They also serve breakfast. Located in downtown san jose. They have outdoor seating available. The indoor seating options are plenty and its a nice vibe for remote work as well. Their oat milk mocha (hot) is pretty good. A bit on the pricey end though with addition of oatmilk. Definitely worth trying though! read more

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Yummy pastries! Tried several of their desserts and was pleasantly surprised by a few. * Almond croissant: 7.5/10 - classic, flaky, and buttery. * Cheesecakes: Lilikoi, strawberry, blueberry - 6.6/10. All good, but the sauce-to-cheesecake ratio was a bit off, so they felt a little heavy. Not mind-blowing on their own. * Chocolate roll: 7.8/10 - surprisingly flavorful! Looked simple but tasted like a rich chocolate cake, kind of like Paris Baguette. Definitely a standout. * Avocado mousse cake: 7.3/10 - yummy, many layers, though not super flavorful. * Strawberry layered mousse cake: Didn't try yet. I didn't try the brunch menu, mostly just the pastries/desserts. Service was great and fast! I would recommend. read more

Love coffee shops/cafes. Downtown Santa Clara. Spacious high ceilings and brightly lit up inside with natural light & huge windows. Not cheap. Beautiful French desserts and pastries on display. Delicious breakfast sandwiches too. Good food presentations. What's there not to love about sit down cafes on a quiet corner of the block? Toss own trash and return plates/cups/utensils. There's a few public street parking in front or circle around. Staffs looked experienced. Good hiring. Newer staffs still need training. I think the place deserves some holiday tips/money. Loved the comfortable & spacious high ceilings/feelings inside. Good music playing in background to keep the Friday mood going. There were a few people working from laptops inside, but not crowded at all. Stress free atmosphere on weekdays. Delicious breakfast croissant with small side green salad on my plate. I thought it came with fruits like in Yelp photos too, but it didn't. 20 oz. cold cup coconut latte with oat milk was perfect in taste. Love visiting these type cafes. No long lines, but foods can take awhile to come out. Helpful staffs. Only thing I disliked were noticeably lots of stains on forks & knives from far right front counter. They can definitely do a much better job washing them in future. Overall, food/beverage tastes great and environment is cozy/pleasant. Good friendly customer service too. Outdoor yellow patio area is a bonus if you like sunny moments outside. Walkable area. read more

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I liked: Raspberry Donut These were ok: Hot Pumpkin Spice Latte The San Francisco I suspect the pastries overall are better than the sandwiches since mine wasn't very substantial. The location is convenient and the wait staff are nice. The interior is well lit. Tough for me to give high marks when Starbucks is the golden standard and the drinks and food are better there. read more

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Sleeper alert! A welcome surprise from most of the other cafes in South Bay, especially if you're looking to be an espresso snob like me :) A couple of things stand out: 1. The pastries are made on site and I (think) these are made the same day. I had a pain au chocolat which was AWESOME in terms of both flavor and texture. Unlike a lot of other places which make their croissants and sell them days after (or just make them poorly), this pain had an excellent flaky, crunch on the outside with a delicious buttery + chocolate interior. A+ here. 2. Espresso was awesome! I was delightfully impressed and surprised when the cashier asked me how my cappuccino was. Maybe my caffeine addiction has an odor? Bonus points for tinkering on the espresso pulls that day, friend! Oh, and the place is sparkly clean and spacious. Highly recommend this spot! What a sleeper. read more

WhatCoffee - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I tried the cappuccino and matcha (both hot). I recommend the matcha, skip the syrup (which is an extra $1) and opt for the sugar packets (free). The total was $17.88 for 2 drinks. Is this the new normal for the bay area now :( Lots of outdoor patio seating which is great when the interior is busy. read more

WhatCoffee - drink art - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

I was excited to try this new spot but unfortunately was let down. We got iced matcha lattes and a nitro cold brew. They didn't have the regular cold brew and only had the nitro cold brew. I also tried the almond croissant. I asked to get the croissant warmed up which made it completely soggy and flimsy, so maybe that was my own bad but I didn't get to experience the flakiness. Unfortunately I was not a fan of my matcha latte. This is usually my go-to drink at coffee shops, so I've had my fair share of quality matcha lattes and this one completely missed the mark. It tasted like 98% milk and 2% matcha, and the 2% matcha I could taste did not taste authentic at all and did not have good flavor. The drink was also lacking the typical smoothness that a good matcha latte has, and I almost could not drink it. I tried some of the nitro cold brew as well and it was not that great. I'm not one to give low ratings but the combination of the steep prices ($7.50 for the matcha latte) and poor quality of the food/drinks made the experience not worth it for me personally. read more

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3.5 STARS Spreading that buttah love... And love handles. A new bakery just opened in Santa Clara which is something to be excited about especially if you love buttery croissants and live in the area. Cuz we're close to fluffy season. WhatCoffee & Bakery soft opened on 9/20/24 and will have a grand opening on 10/5/24. Open for takeout and dine-in. Dog-friendly outdoor seating. M E N U Coffee, tea, and non-caffeinated drinks (hot chocolate, lemonade, etc). Dairy alternatives +$1. Housebaked pastries and cakes (excluding the regular croissant, no savories ATM). Brunch to come. F O O D * Regular Croissant ($4.50): https://tinyurl.com/5f5dayhv Good rise, shatteringly crispy exterior with incredibly buttery layers. I'm a phat ass that loves butter but even for me, it was too greasy/sat heavy after two bites. * Pistachio Cream Croissant ($5.99): https://tinyurl.com/bdna5r98 Dry and dense, and not what I expected. The cream was more of a pistachio paste. I think a whipped pistachio cream would have helped lighten the croissant. * Banana Cream Donut ($4.50): https://tinyurl.com/4rtuajkp Soft and fluffy donut but more cream filling please. There was approximately a 75/25 ratio of dough to banana cream filling. S E R V I C E Friendly, upbeat staff. They're brand new so working on the kinks. My friend's drink took awhile and I had to follow-up because it got lost somewhere in the orders. A M B I A N C E Bright, modern, and minimalist space with about 10 tables inside and 7 tables outdoors (some shaded). P A R K I N G Easy street parking (across from Franklin Square). Suggestions / Room for Improvement: - For drink orders, provide a # to customers. - Offer soluble sugar option for cold drinks (only sugar in the raw was available) - Bags and some boxes were too narrow so pastries partially sat on its side and/or were stacked on top of each other. Sad to see pretty pastries get messed up. =( Overall, 3 stars for the pastries ATM (I think Juniper in the city has ruined croissants for me) but WhatCoffee is brand new so plenty of potential. With the lack of pâtisseries in Santa Clara and for the soft opening, adding .5 stars and rounding up. read more

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I recently spotted WhatCoffee on Yelp's Hot & New list and couldn't wait to give this place a try. Finally a new coffee shop in the area! I visited WhatCoffee around 4:15pm on a Sunday. I appreciated how it had its own designated parking area in addition to nearby street parking. The place closes at 5pm, but the shop was surprisingly packed with nearly every table occupied. Overall customer service was great. The staff member at the register was very friendly and helpful. First thing that caught my eye was the display case of French-style pastries and cakes. Now THIS was my type of bakery. I got the vanilla hazelnut mousse cake to-go, which was fine. The mousse texture was a lot more spongy than I'm used to, but the flavors were all there. I especially liked the hazelnut butter in the center, which was smooth and creamy. That being said, I'd come back to try other things off the menu like their donuts, croissants, and savory items (sandwiches and salads). I ordered a coconut iced latte, and I thought it was fantastic. The drink was $7, but the size of the drink actually matched the value of the coffee. The size of the drink was comparatively to that of a sbux venti, for example... unlike another local coffee shop who charges nearly $7 for a specialty latte that's in a 12oz cup. Just saying. The coconut flavor was prominent, but the coffee was bold too. I got a good balance of flavors and sweetness in every sip. read more

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Came here for opening weekend after seeing it on social media. It was pretty busy on a Saturday morning since there's the nearby Santa Clara farmer's market next door on Saturdays. I grabbed a mango croissant and a nitro cold brew with a splash of milk. The mango croissant was great and filled with mango cream and still flaky despite being a filled croissant. The cream was delicious without being too sweet The nitro cold brew was nice and light. There's plenty of seating inside and outside (shaded under a patio) which is great! I can definitely see myself coming often. Can't wait to try some of their other pastries as well as their coming brunch menu. read more

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Fresh pastries is always the best. I like when coffee shop make their own pastries in house. It was fresh. There are many pastries options and good selection of breakfast/brunch items. Love the variety of the croissants. The coffee is also good. The worker is friendly and love the espresso machine. The interior is nice and clean with a lot of light from outside. It is also a good place to work and have coffee. read more

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Bright dining room with relaxed but elegant atmosphere. Had their new breakfast sandwich which had scrambled eggs, bacon, avocado, greens, pickled onions in a soft bun. Was just ok. The dressing they use had a very strong lemony and very salty flavor which overpowered the other ingredients. I don't know if the bacon was supposed to be crispy or meant to be soggy. Bacon looked like it was microwaved vs grilled which was also quite salty. Scrambled egg was soft and fluffy which was good. I also don't know what dressing came with the salad but it was so salty I could not eat it. The doughnuts were like malasadas. I had the raspberry and the strawberry. The doughnuts were pretty soft and not too greasy. Filled with flavored cream. Both cream were very mildly flavored. The Raspberry was slightly better than the strawberry because it had a sweet glaze on top which added more flavor. Very pricey at almost $6 each. Could have used more of the filling. Staff were nice and ready to help and greet you as you walk in. They have both indoor and outdoor seating area. read more

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Tried these at our local farmers market and I'm so glad I did! The chocolate banana croissant and the almond croissant were both amazing. Hope to see them back again soon! read more

No more donuts? Phone is always busy. I asked why? They said they don't know. Customer service is pretty good though.

Good study spot right next to a restaurant plaza so that you can order lunch/dinner after studying. Order: - Coconut Matcha: it was a water based coconut flavored matcha drink. It was pretty refreshing and tasted just like coconut water. I will hope to try a different menu item next time. read more

WhatCoffee - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Tried this new coffee spot on National Coffee Day, and I was a bit disappointed. Upon entering you get a good waft of buttery baked goodness, but then the presentation was a bit messy, with baked goods on its side, still on the baking pans in the display cases, inconsistent presentation on baked goods, etc. Some of the baked goods didn't have labels, so I asked an employee what certain items were, and there was hesitation in their response. And there were 2 rows of a mango cube cake, but only some of them had mango garnishes on top, where the majority didn't, highlighting the lack of detail in their items. And when asked what the differences were, I was told that they were the same item. I personally dont drink coffee, so I got the butterfly pea lemonade, and there was no complaints there. My boyfriend got a nitro cold brew because they did not have the regular nitro cold brew available, and he said it was the strongest americano he had had, and that it was missing the essential elements of an actual nitro cold brew. The prices listed for the nitro cold brew was also incorrect on their menu, and it was actually $0.45 cheaper than listed. I also noticed that the bag of matcha on the counter was from Costco, and not a more authentic matcha that you may be able to get at other coffee shops in the area. Maybe this coffee shop was a bit disoriented because it was a soft opening, but it's an average coffee shop in Santa Clara. There is a parking garage behind the coffee shop/building, which is convenient. read more

WhatCoffee - Butterfly pea lemonade - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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I love this cafe! Reasons below: - they have delicious bread pudding. I have tried pistachio and almond/choco variations there. They mix it up so a different creation may be available. - they serve hot coffee in a mug if you ordered for there - great study spot or hang out spot - plenty of seating - reliable WiFi / read more

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Whatcoffee? Whatever--dumb name. This place looks chill, though. It's on the same block as another disappointing institution called Milyar Cafe. You've got a whole block of crap there in Santa Clara, and I'll tell ya why! Stopped in here because the aforementioned spot looked horrid (don't worry, I left a review), so I dove into this place for a croissant. They've got a beautiful kitchen in the back, and the server let me know they make everything in-house (great!!!). He was super nice. I ordered an almond croissant. Sorry I did. Took the forearm-sized little dough ball with me on the way to the farmer's market. Shoved my five fingers into the sack, grabbed the funny-looking pastry, and tossed it into my mouth hole. I wish I could say I was transported to a flower-laden park along the Champs-Élysées, but instead I thought I had taken a bite out of a senior citizen's urine-soaked, ultra-absorbent pad. You see, the baked good was unbaked. Wet. Completely raw. $9.02 with tip. Paying Big Sur prices without even getting the eye candy. Will not be back. Cannot recommend. Gross. Yucky. Stopped eating for the day. Yay read more

WhatCoffee - Raw, wet, moist almond croissant - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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Ordered a fruit cheesecake tart and a latte and it came out to $18 for both, which was totally not worth it and justifiable ONLY if they were amazingly delicious (they were not). The latte was watery and lacked a coffee taste. The fruit cheesecake tart was tiny, fruit was not fresh, and mediocre for a $10 pastry. I felt completely ripped off coming here. One thing that is nice is the ambiance of the seating indoors. It is a nice place to sit down, socialize, and work, but the coffee and pastries need some work. Came here on a Saturday afternoon and it was not too busy. They only had one person working (he was on the register and making drinks) so the drinks and pastries took a while to come out. There is only street parking, so parking may be an issue if it is busy and the cafe is near Santa Clara University. This place needs improvement and has potential if they can improve the quality of pastries and drinks. read more

WhatCoffee - $9.99 Fruit Cheesecake Tart. Fruit was not fresh and did not taste like it was worth $9.99. - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

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One of the best cappuccino in town . The croissants are flaky and perfect. You can sit in the café or enjoy the patio ! We had at first chosen from the breakfast menu , but only their pastries were available on that morning. read more

This place rocks. Took my team out to an offsite adventure in Santa Clara and started with breakfast at WhatCoffee. We took over two tables to sit down together and work through... work for a couple of hours there as we enjoyed breakfast, coffee, and tea. Staff was SUPER-friendly and accommodating. I ordered the Croque Monsieur - I hadn't had one since I visited Paris a while back and it took me back. I enjoyed it very much! I also got a hot green tea. I was hoping they'd have a Jasmine or something, but my only option was a bit minty which I am generally not a fan of, but I liked sipping tea out a real mug there, so I appreciated the experience, if anything. My team and I really enjoyed our experience here and I'd love to come back. read more

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Coffee isn't that good. I got the tiramisu latte, very watery and no flavor. Staff is very nice though

We had been wanting to try the coffee from this place for so long and are soo glad that we did!! We got the ube and tiramisu lattes, both of which were absolutely excellent. I could have done with a little stronger ube flavor, but overall the flavor of the coffee was amazing, toasted, and smooth, not burnt or bitter. The tiramisu latte blew us away though, it was absolutely fantastic, perfectly sweet, and had just great flavor and texture. We also decided to try a banana chocolate croissant after speaking with the staff and that absolutely blew us away. Probably one of the best croissants we've had in the Bay Area, the pastry was laminated perfectly, was flaky, and crunchy and the butter tasted like good quality. We want to try more flavors! The service was in general top notch, and this will absolutely be on our list of go-to coffee shops/bakeries. read more

I came here waited for a while for them to come to take my order then the person brings out drink and random people are grabbing other people's drinks someone came in ordered them immediately went and grabbed my drink cause she thought it was hers then my breakfast sandwich came out and someone else grabbed it the cook goes to them while the plate is in there table and tells them that's not there she grabs it and tried to bring it to us I stated I don't want it I want it remade because someone else grabbed the food and touched it they took the food to the back and then not even 3 minutes later she comes back out and says we remade it for you the eggs are cold to the touch and the plate looked exactly how it was they just poured some more cheese on it and bring it out as if I'm stupid and don't know this is really disrespectful they will treat you like you a stupid person because of there mistakes never coming back again. read more

WhatCoffee - Breakfast plate - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

It's a cute little shop with friendly workers. The space has a handful of tables to work during the day. The tiramisu latte was delicious but I would ask for it less sweet next time. The matcha was a strong matcha flavor and wasn't very creamy so if you're a matcha lover you would like! read more

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Clean environment, nice lighting and employees were super nice. They had wifi for us :) This was a little small but it's a nice place to hang out/talk to your friends. I only tried their Tirimisu Latte and the Breakfast Croissant sandwich, which I thought was yummy. Gave us a fork and a knife for our sandwiches, least for those who bought a sandwich or croissant. I'll have to try the other flavors next time. My friends and I stayed a little past closing time but the workers never made rush to leave. Only thing, which they're not at fault, is that there's not alot of parking, just street parking. Overall I quite like this place read more

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A nice coffee shop with a relaxed atmosphere and enough seating. Love going here to study, work, or just to sit and read. The staff are very friendly and the drinks are great as well. I really like the croissants, and the drinks are always solid. read more

WhatCoffee - Latte and Almond Croissant - Cafes Near Me - Santa Clara, California

Amazing bakery!! I tried them out at the Foster City farmers market and the guy behind the stand had amazing customer service. They were about to close up and he wasn't rushing me and described their pastries with a very welcoming attitude. Thank you so much. The croissants were all so delicious!! I highly recommend! You won't be disappointed! read more