Bonaparte Breads
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
9 Reviews for Bonaparte Breads
I LOVE this bakery!
Bonaparte Breads has it all: great location overlooking the water in Fell's Point, quick and friendly service, and excellent food! I love coming here for their brunch/lunch specials, which comes with three things: a slice of quiche or half a sandwich, a side salad, and a dessert for (if I remember correctly) $12.95. I definitely second Prachi P's review in that all bets are off in trying to be health conscious here...and yes everything is "gastronomically appealing." You pretty much can't go wrong, no matter what you order here.
French pastries and coffee hooray!! The raspberry filled chocolate covered tortes are the best. But lately someone always buys them up before I get there! Bonaparte's is located on a pier by the water. There is a fair amount of seating inside but you may have to wait if it is busy.
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I've always driven by Bonaparte saying "I need to try it," and then forget about when I'm at home. Well, today, j and I decided to go to Kawasaki. However, it was closed, and that brought us to Bonaparte. We arrived for lunch, and was immediately surprised as we opened the door. It was larger than we expected, and its decor felt warm and inviting. The best part about the dining area - other than the opulent clock that greets you as you walk in - are the chairs!!! Their burgundy leather chairs usually belonging in a lawyer's office were super comfy!! Restaurants, take note! Comfortable seating is always an added plus when dining out.
So why only 3 stars? Well, this being my first review, I don't want to start dishing out 4-5 stars so liberally. Also, I'm basing it off of what I had there, which was the lunch special, and I thought it was good, but not great.
First, the "very good":
- For $13, you get a choice between a cold or hot sandwich or a quiche (comes with salad and potato chips), as well as a drink (tea and coffee only get one refill) and a dessert/pastry. I thought that was a good deal, especially since it was a whole sandwich and not a half. I ended up pretty satisfied afterwards, and I was pretty hungry going in.
- Both sandwiches we ordered (hot ham and cheese, hot smoked salmon) came on good bread. The smoked salmon was served on what looked like Texas toast but was very light, so that it didn't overwhelm the smoke salmon as much as I thought it would. The bread that the ham sandwich was on was nice and toasted as well. Not sure what kind of bread it was, but it was put on a panini grill and came out just right.
- The desserts, a slice of flan (egg custard cake) and trobezzione(sp?) (Bavarian creme filed with fresh fruit (mandarin oranges) between two slice of Brioche bread) were very good!!! The Bavarian creme was especially tasty, whipped up to be fluffy and light, yet not flavorless and bland. the brioche bread that it was between complemented the creme very well! You didn't taste just bread, but got both flavors and textures in your mouth, which was great. The little pieces of mandarin oranges in the creme were subtle in flavor, yet it's presence was there. Just the right amount of sweetness for me.The flan was also pretty good. I don't know too much about flan, but it wasn't overly sweet, which again suited my tastes.
- The portions were nice, and the coffee came in quite a large cup, which made up for the refill limit. Also, they served it with hot steamed milk instead of cream, which I thought was unique.
And now, just the "good"
- The sandwiches, while good, weren't spectacular. They did their job. Both were tasty, and I was satisfied with it, but it did not blow me away in taste. I thought it was interesting how they added tomato and lettuce to the ham and cheese sandwich and grilled it all under the panini press. It gets the lettuce soggy and warm, and that just doesn't feel right in your mouth. It also seemed as if the salad and chips were hastily added as sides to finish the dish, and the salad was your run-of-the-mill iceberg lettuce garden salad with Italian dressing.
- I was expecting a little more out of the coffee. Nice portion, but was not as robust as I'd hoped. And the tea was not freshly brewed; I saw them take it out of a store bought jug. Perhaps a little nit picky, but just writing what I saw.
- We sat by the door, and while that wasn't a big deal, since their outdoor seating was not completely set up, the tables and chairs were place alongside the main entrance. So we had a good view of plastic chairs and tables. Perhaps they could've found a better place to store it?
Well, that is about it. I was thinking about bumping up my rating to 3.5 stars, but that is not an option. The desserts and breads are obviously the strong point, as the other reviews mention, and rightly so. In fact, if I'd simply eaten their pastries, this would've been a 4 star review. But we went to eat lunch, and while a good value, and overall satisfying, I didn't think it was great. Their lunch items are secondary to the baked goods. And that is fine, since it isn't their focus.
The whole experience was good, with parts being very good, but good + very good does not equal great. So 3 stars it is!
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Three words. Pain au chocolat. MMMMMM. Reminds me of Paris in that succulent bite of crusty croissant shell and rich chocolate filling. Oh, two more words. Almond croissant.
A taste of France never hurt anybody. Especially this francophile with a penchant for waterfront views.
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The BEST bakery in Baltimore. Just thinking about it makes me salivate. I feel like a Pavlovian dog, only the words "Bonaparte Pastry" replace the bell cue. The bakery produces the most delectable treats... normally I'm a health food freak but their food is SO gastronomically appealing that it doesn't matter. Their location in Fell's Point is also wonderful. It's lovely to just get a chocolate croissant and hang out on the waterfront.
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Fantastic French bakery! There is no better baguette anywhere in the Baltimore/DC area. Great for a leisurely breakfast of coffee and pastries, with large comfy library style chairs to relax in with a newspaper or good book. Also some interesting people watching on the weekends, although occasionally you'll get the tourist crowd from the nearby ferry docking.
This is the best bakery that I know of in Baltimore. The bread, croissants and desserts are all delicious, and it's a really nice place to go for breakfast or lunch. The staff have also always been very friendly. I can't think of a single negative thing to say about Bonaparte Breads.
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a little french bakery by kawasaki and less crowded inner harbor. my other fav. sweet spot in baltimore. good view of fells point and the harbor. on good day u can jst relex in the sun watching people go by or sip coffee and satisfy ur sweet desire. dont go if u fear sweet or weight gain. but do come if u dont mind indulging urself in some of sweetiest offering the charm city has to offer.
fyi, i dont like sugary sweet but something that is sweet yet you dont really notice sweet. does it make sense?
anywaz, go eat live go again. it is located in a better pretty part of baltimore, fells point.
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Yummy french bread and pastries. A bit pricey.
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