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Categories: Bakeries, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: BallardWed-Sun. 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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Heavenly in every way. Except, let's be honest, the inevitable line that forms from the counter and creeps outside the doorway, and the accompanying demand for limited tables, but I deem those things marks of its quality.
Every pastry I've had here is flaky-French perfection. The lattes are silky and served in big mugs.
I love that, while you're in there, you can see the bakers using some delightful contraption to manhandle the croissant dough. I love that when I approached this area before exiting the bakery, my belly full of buttery sweetness, the baker didn't think I was strange for confirming whether that slight spiciness I detected in my plum danish was, indeed, cardamom.
I love that I felt palpable excitement when one of the bakers put out not just one, but two, fresh-out-of-the-oven quiches when I was only two line-standers away from the register.
Because Besalu is. that. good.
DDDDvine. I am always on the hunt for the best french food/bakeries in Seattle and here's another one. Seattle food scene getting cooler by the second. Honore vs Cafe Besalu? gosh... a tuffy.... Heres the low down: Both are amazing, Besalu is lively, more room/seating and has a nice ambiance. The Almond Croissant and Pain Au Chocolate are light, airy and soft. Perfect really, I felt i could eat a few easy.... Honore is more crisp, dense, 1 pastry and im done, richer and more complex. All depends on your mood...
The service was so friendly, not fake or over the top... pretty cashier with a sweet smile doesnt hurt either. Coffee was decent and i have to give an "ehhh" for the Cardamom Pretzel... not for me, a little strong on the spice. But the croissants? I loved every bite... I did notice most of the patrons ordered the Quiches and they looked really good. Geez, people sure know a good bakery when they seen one... Its packed for a reason.
My ongoing quest for deliciously flaky pastries led me to Cafe Besalu one morning, several weeks back. Thinking it was a bit past normal breakfast time (around 930), I wasn't expecting the line to be as long as it was, which led to a rather anxiety-filled wait as the time until my next bus into work continued to close in. When I finally reached the counter, I hastily ordered a pain au chocolat without looking at anything else, took two bites, which I enjoyed ever so quickly, and stuffed the rest away as I rushed off back down to Market. Getting into work, I decide to give it quick toast, which of course makes flaky pastries infinitely better.
Having gone to Le Panier since then, I'd have to say that Besalu's pain au chocolat comes in just a bit behind, being smaller and less generous with the chocolate filling. And like Panier, it also rings up at a bit of a premium at $2.85 per. But hey, at least I can get inside. Next time around I'll have to give the rest of their goods some proper attention.
5 star ginger biscuits.
have a pretzel and a coffee...you won't be disappointed!
I just don't get to go to Cafe Besalu enough. Once I get to the front of the line (usually long), I pick something with fresh fruit, and it's always worth the wait. Bliss. The cafe smells great and has an excellent vibe. I'd love it if they were open everyday.
Excellent. Stand out? Cardamom pretzel. Get two.
If they ditched the Papyrus font in their name, they'd get 6 stars.
I love a good French pastry, but when in the states, such indulgences were, until recently, reserved for trips to Tartine when in San Francisco. That was until I relented and went to Besalu. Some news about me: I will not get a house cleaner because I know I'll love it and will never turn back. I don't buy Egyptian Cotton, even on sale, because I'll get addicted. I believe that if you feed a squirrel an apple you have just killed him because he will never eat anything but. This is why I never went to Besalu.
Until I did.
And it was divine.
Substantial, flaky croissant. Yum, pain au chocolat. Interesting, fascinating, ginger cookie! And all-day variety for the days when I resist the butter croissant in favor of something that won't leave me hungry in an hour like quiche.
(My only knock is that they do a horrible job of brewing what is otherwise fabulously roasted coffee. Maybe this changes from time to time?)
Long line, huh? Either this place is really good, or it's really, really tiny.
Turns out that, although small, it's not really really tiny. It's also not really good. It's way over the top good.
I've had the plain croissant. This is not so much a plain item as it is an OMFG croissant. (Butter!) It's The One. Mr. Right. I got engaged to this croissant on the first date.
A nectarine danish almost had me cheating on Mr. Croissant.
Then came the ginger biscuit. Now I'm ready for a 4-way.
With the friendly service, the location close to home, and the almost too-good-to-be-true baked goods, I can see Cafe Besalu and me running off to live happily ever after. (This is legal in Utah, isn't it?)
Arrived int he early afternoon on Sunday. Only a few people in line when we got there.
Oh the pastries, yes, the pastries. We shared the Plum Danish (Which had there croissant dough as the base and one of the most delightful treats I have had in a long time) and the peach tart, which the peaches were flavourful and not over sugared and the crust was buttery and crumbly).
Service was friendly even though by the time we finally sat down to eat, the line was getting long. I could see how this place could easily turn into a mad house in a matter of minutes. But if you are able to get there and happen to catch a short line, please go here and treat yourself :)
Irreprochable pâte feuilleté.
Consistency.
An excellent macchiato.
Professionalism. Absence of pretense, despite abovementioned merits.
This place has it right, and I applaud the owner/chef for his/her hard work and talent.
Admit it. The summer's over. But guess what sweater weather means? More pastries! Yes, it's true, because you need to protect your body with a thin layer of pastry dough to ward off any threat of hypothermia. Not every Yelp review can win you the badge of *First to review*. I realize that I'm review #150 extolling the virtues of Besalu's pain au chocolat...but mon dieu! It's a thing of beauty.
Here's where I toot my own horn and talk about how I studied abroad in France and sampled beaucoup de pain au chocolats...and the French paradox worked for me because I somehow lost weight while living there! But lucky you, Ballard, you don't have to cross the pond for honest-to-goodness goodness. Bleary-eyed and mildly hung over, there's nothing better than waiting in Besalu's line, absorbing the soft white light emanating from the pastry case, and ruminating on the miraculous when flour, butter, salt, and sugar combine.
The staff is sweet as tarte de pommes and there's even some outdoor seating if you remembered your scarf and hat.
Food- 4 stars
Service- (-2 stars)
Rating=1 stars
After spending $11 for a modest breakfast, I sat down in a mostly empty Besalu. The big rush came when the quiches came out and the place was packed. I was finished in 15 minutes and wanted to finish a paper on my laptop. After 5 minutes, was asked to leave since they were so busy. What? I guess you should eat slower here???
Other visits have been a typical wait of 10-20 minutes on weekends. Maybe they should service coffee separately from those just wanting pastries? How about a ticket to get a table, it's truly ridiculous waits...
I don't even drink coffee but this place is fantastic. The Chai Latte that they make is absolutely wonderful and the pastries that are made on site are ridiculously wonderful.
If you are looking for somewhere to go for a light snack and/or a wonderful hot beverage then I very highly recommend that you stop in.
It can get rather busy at time and there may be a bit of a wait, but the people in line are always very friendly and willing to engage in a good conversation. Of course the wait is more then worth it!
One of the best bakeries I've ever been to! Definitely my favorite one in Seattle.
Croissants are perfect-- crispy on top, but moist and buttery inside... The strawberry rhubarb tart is heavenly, and the fruit danishes (especially blueberry) are AMAZING.
The long lines won't bother you once you experience the awesomeness that is Besalu!
It must be gratifying to be the baker man at Cafe Besalu.
He works there, rolling pastry just behind the display case of his heavenly handiwork, where he can watch the patrons melt , just like his buttery croissants in your mouth.
He always has a very satisfied smile on his face, that says: "You like that, baby? Who's your daddy?"
I go for the perfect, flaky pain au chocolate, but I can never get away without taking something else to go. He always has a danish with seasonal fruit that is to die for. This isn't some sickening sweet mushy pastry with fruit jelly, honey. This is flaky on the outside, soft and just chewy on the inside and fresh fruit, with just enough glaze to bring out the natural sweetness of the ingredients...whooo...
I need a cigarette.
After getting back in town at about 6:30 a.m. I figure.... what now? I have plans in a few hours.... can't really go back to sleep..... what to do, what to do?? Duh, EAT! Perfect time to try out Cafe Besalu, which I've heard such good things about! I even figured, hey, it's so early I bet this famed bakery won't have a line. Yeah, I was wrong about the whole line thing. It was practically out the door by the time I arrived. Who is up at this hour on a Saturday? Y'all are crazy.
Despite there only being about 6 people ahead of me in line, the wait was ridiculous. The staff was incredibly slow and the patrons even slower. I feel like if you've been waiting in line for 10+ minutes, drooling over the pastry case you might have an idea of what you want. I know I did, and after nearly 20 minutes of waiting I knew I wanted: An onion/gruyere pastry, a pain au chocolat and an orange brioche. To go, please. On the drive home they filled my car up with the aroma of flaky pastry and butter! It was amazing.
When I finally got home I split each pastry in half..... such willpower, as I really just wanted to scarf them all down. Out of all the pastries the Orange Brioche looked the best, so I took a bite..... ICK! The pastry was kind of gummy and chewy and the glaze was sickly sweet. Gross. I had low expectations of the following pastries, but DANG! The others were so good. Both were incredibly buttery and flaky and while the Pain au Chocolat could have used about 3x more chocolate, it was delicious. The Onion and Gruyere was cheesy, well-seasoned and full of onion flavor and best of all was still warm from being so freshly made!
The flawless, light, crispy texture and the buttery taste made the Pain au Chocolat and the Onion and Gruyere pastries exceed my expectations, but I was pretty disappointed in the maybe three drops of chocolate in the Pain au Chocolat and incredibly disappointed in the chewy, processed-tasting orange brioche. Add in slow employees that created an insanely long wait for a relatively short line and I wasn't a happy camper. I did enjoy the pastries enough to come back though, they're some of the best I've had outside of France.
Really the best croissant I've ever had outside Paris (and even beat most of the ones I've had in Paris). My other faves are their quiches (out after 10am on weekends) and the "Gruyere and Onion tart". I take every out of town guest here for the remarkable culinary experience.
My only complaint is that they won't raise their prices. I'd happily pay twice as much if it meant I only had to wait half as long for all that deliciousness. I've told them so but alas, no luck. In fairness, the line moves pretty quickly and they're super efficient, so I should just enjoy the deal while it lasts.
Eat a ham and swiss pastry as they take them out of the oven.
That feeling you have. That is the feeling religious people have when they become totally aware of their god. Crazy.
The lines are long. They close early. I think they are also one of those businesses that find almost any reason to close. I hate that. But the coffee and pastries. I may fight and die for those.
I am not a croissant eater, by any means. The last croissant I ate was in a small town, on my last day in Italy almost two years ago, That just shows you how often I have them, but recently I woke up with a craving for a croissant that just couldn't be killed without that delicious, buttery, flaky baked treat. So I headed to Cafe Besalu.
The line was out the door on a Thursday morning about 10:00, but it moved relatively quickly. I eyed the case of baked goodies and spied a good variety of treats from cookies to pastries, at a fairly decent price. I snagged up a tall vanilla latte, which ended up being relatively mediocre, but not too bad, a croissant for myself, and one for my boss. The girl at the counter offered strawberry jam to go with them, and I took her up on it, just to try it out. I'm glad I did, the jam really hit the spot, and the croissant was perfectly flaky, buttery and delicious.
The inside of the cafe is reminiscent of a cafe in France, or at least it seems like it's trying to be. It's almost like an Americanized version of a french cafe, that actually doesn't do that poor of a job pulling off the look and atmosphere. The girl at the counter, and the gentleman who made my coffee were both very pleasant and helped up Cafe Besalu's star count by at least one star.
I can't say that I will be a regular here (who's tummy can afford those calories?) but I will definitely make a bee-line here next time that croissant craving comes rolling in, which may be sooner than later now that I've tried one from here!
So good- I love everything here but my favorite is the cardamon pretzel (but the quiches are luscious and the savory tarts flakey and delish). So hard not to order at least 3 different things because everything looks and tastes so great. There's always a line so don't be off-put- it's worth it.
I will never forget the first time I had their dark chocolate croissant. Mind you, I had probably not touched a croissant since 7th grade french class. To me, there was no point in eating half bread half butter. WELL, that bite made me a changed woman. The warm, crispy yet soft on the inside with a euphoric dark chocolate secret hidden inside was a-mazing!!! I have tried other high end bakeries to see if theirs would taste as good,...not even close.
I had another life changing food moment here when I ordered a quiche the other day from them. I wanted a dk choc croissant but was trying to get something for breakfast that had some protein to it. I believe i had the smoked salmon fennel quiche...I had to tap the baker and tell him that because of them, I now love quiche.
This place is a must, it has crazy lines and people don't readily share tables but it's still a must.
MOST DELECTABLE, FANTASTIC, WONDERFUL PASTRIES EVER!
*Delicious sweet and savory tarts and quiches
*Cheese and fruit brioche and danishes
*Cinnamon and hazelnuts twists
*Shortbread cookies, biscuits
*Homemade jam to top the pastries (just say YES)
*Tasty coffee, espresso, and chai
I LOVE: the croissants. They are fantastic. Golden, astonishingly light, with crispy defined layers of flaky pastry. They pull apart easily and the buttery goodness just melts in your mouth. I was in AWE and then SOME. They also have *chocolate* croissants!
I always order several items to go so I can enjoy them throughout the week, but they never quite make them home no matter how full I already am. Oops. Maybe I have to change strategies and stash them in my trunk so I can't get to them while driving ;)
Street parking only, the cafe is small, bu cozy with limited seating, and there's always a crowd on weekend mornings. I'd recommend getting there on the earlier side to make sure they don't run out of anything. GO!!! You will thank me later :)
Just finished up at Ballard Locks, tummy is getting a grumbly, so what do I do?
YELP IT!
Cafe Besalu came up as having some tastiliciously awesome pastries and they were right! We ordered a savory (onion gruyere pastry) and a sweet (apricot tart) and they were sooooo good. Add in a couple flavored lattes and I'm a happy camper.
Excellent Pastries. I am not a fan of that type of food, but gave Cafe Besalu a try with a friend who lives in Ballard.
Happy I did. Long line and wait, was a downside (4 stars for that), but it was quickly forgotten once we were able to sit and try the excellent treats.
Will definitely go back... give them a try!!!
What can I say that no one else has said yet?
Well, "I hate Cafe Besalu!!!" I guess...
But that would be a lie, because I love it. Just like everyone else.
Doesn't hurt to say it again, though.
PS: The spinach & caramelized onion quiche is my favorite.
Most amazing croissants ever. I love that the owner is behind the counters making treats every morning. It's just an adorable and delicious experience.
Everyone talks about their awesome pastries. I don't have anything to add that people haven't already said a million times - they are fantasticly flaky and moist - go now and try a croissant there.
What this review is all about is their service. I've been there a few times now and each time the baristas and the cashiers are always so nice. They seem so sincere and the place just has such a great relaxed, casual atmosphere. Places like Cafe Vivace w/ their 'Soup Nazi' style baristas should stop by Besalu to see how to treat their customers. I also love that the bakery doesn't feel pretentious at all. It's a great place to spend a Sunday morning.
Another favorite...for some reason I just love looking at the Besalu postcard taped to the back of the espresso machine.
Yum, yum, yum. I love Cafe Besalu. It is my favorite place to go to catch up with a friend or spend some indulgent time journalling for an hour or so.
The gruyere/carmelized onion pastry, almond schnecken, and quiches are my favorites. The lattes are also fantastic.
It can get crazy crowded but that is because it is crazy good and any wait is absolutely worth it.
Incredible Incredible Incredible pastries
I had a pan au chocolat and a crossient with homemade apricot jam. It was fresh and the texture was perfect. My coffee was very nice too.
I award Cafe Besalu 5 stars for the culinery mastery and doing a public service to the western United States, which is why you go there in the first place.
On that note, aside from eating, reading, working, studying, etc. I was a little dismayed at the fact they close at 3 pm and they do not have wifi, but hey, that's what Starbucks is for I guess :)
This place is a very cool Ballard coffee shop that I'd driven by a million times. Right next door to a nice little bakery (Tall Grass Bakery), Cafe Besalu had an impressive assortment of freshly made pastries that all look delicious. The baker was whipping them up as they went out the door on a busy Saturday afternoon. I must keep coming back here because I want to try each & every one of those pastries. The service was friendly and I'd recommend this place to others over a place like Starbucks or Tully's any day!
My lovely man has a Sunday motto:
"Cafe Besalu and then The Ballard Market--an ideal way to spend Sundays with La Chica."
I'm a little less romantic when it comes to breakfast time, because I'm one of those who, upon waking up in the morning, gets the "knock-knock, feed me!" from her stomach.
That said, this means that every time we get to Besalu, I'm literally wrestling with my gastronomic muscle. It gets really dramatic when I breathe in the buttery aroma that welcomes you into Besalu. Little, delicious torture, it comes to tickle me in the belly. My "inner-self" then roars in painful pleasure.
"What can I get for you guys?"
"One cheese brioche, one soy latte and a bottle of puff pastry perfume, please. Oh, and that bottle is to go."
The Dude is a man of rituals so he sticks to his Americano and a plain croissant and, occasionally, he falls for the Apple Danish. Me, "Miss Arr-arr-gimme-pastries", stay faithful to the mission of trying a different item every Sunday.
So far, the Leek Quiche, Cheese Brioche, Apple Danish, Almond Croissant and the Ham and Cheese Danish have made my heart glow. They help me make peace with my precious, demanding stomach.
The Pain Au Chocolate is a personal favorite...it is the one that makes me go mmmmm. A word of advice: always say yes to the homemade jams. They are dollops of delight!
Savoring pastries and coffee around some first-time daters (proximity makes you overhear very interesting conversations), families, lone readers, dog owners and some times, with great friends, is the utmost pleasing Sunday morning experience.
Chilean poet Pablo Neruda said, on his poem "Ode to Salt", these words:
"Dust of the sea, in you
the tongue receives a kiss
from ocean night..."
I would say (no plagiarism intended):
"Besalu, in your patisserie,
the tongue receives a kiss
from butter and croissants..."
Overall: A cafe full of character, with a small but decent selection of pastries
I've bookmarked Cafe Besalu, like forever! S. and I managed to make it in on a Thursday morning.
On arriving, the place looked disorganized, but had character. There were no lines (or very small ones consisting of 2-3 people) and there's limited seating. The display of pastries was small, but appetizing. The pastries on the whole were still larger than the European sized counterparts and we had mixed reviews on the ones we tried:
Hazelnut twist - dry and didn't taste of hazelnuts. It somewhat represented a brioche in consistency, but did not have the sweet and buttery softness (1/5)
Plum Danish - very tasty! It was fruity, flaky and more-ishly good! (4/5)
Leek and goats cheese quiche - very good! Pastry was light, filling was creamy, delicious and flavorful. (5/5)
Pain au chocolat - wasn't buttery as I'd hoped. It was soft and tender inside but the amount of chocolate filling was so small, that if you blinked you'd miss it. (2/5)
Apple Danish - quite good. Fruity, flaky and not overly sweet. (3.5/5)
Pear and Almond tart - pastry was good, but it was overly sweet (2.5/5)
As we sat there for a while chatting over our pastries, we smelt the delicious aroma of roasting almonds and cheese (from the quiches) emanating from their back kitchen - yum!
This is a nice little place to sit and chat over a coffee and a croissant, but it's too much of a hassle for me to visit Ballard to get my French-style pastry fix. I'm afraid that Bakery Nouveau still gets my patronage.
Ballard has a wealth of cafes and coffee shops that can serve you your cuppa joe. Cafe Besalu stands apart from the rest in three respects. It's away from the Market Street noise but not too far away. The coffee is served with a smile. And, in one word, croissants.
A bad croissant is a sad, lifeless lump of greasy dough. A good croissant is light, flaky, buttery and makes you say, "Thanks croissant, that's just what I needed!" Besalu serves a good croissant, and it comes with an apricot preserve that perfectly complemented its' buttery bite.
I love you Besalu!
Great coffee and bakery bliss prior to treasure hunting at Ballard boutiques was the perfect start to a pretty terrific day.
It was a Girl's Day Out and thanks to you Besalu, we all started out pretty dang satisfied. I had the pear gallete (buttery + flaky = yum) AND an almond twist (ditto). I tasted my friend's quiche and started to think about when I could come back for a slice all my own. My bff from France gave it her Tres Bien pour Besalu, so we knew it wasn't just because we Americans don't know our baked goods. It's really is that good.
Note to my new true love Besalu - As a general rule, I don't line up. But for you, Besalu I will stand in line in the street on a chilly morning awaiting my turn to order some bakery bliss and a warm cup of joe.
OK, if you want some seriuosly good pastries, come here! We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the ham and cheese croissants, and their cookies are delish. The only time I ever go is on my way to my hairdresser and my husband always puts in his order with me before I leave. By the way, their coffee is pretty good too!
The quintessential Seattle coffee & pastry joint (as per this Southern Californian). This place is amazing. The freshest-of-fresh pastries, and the tastiest of all coffees, Cafe Besalu really is a Seattle gem.
After gorging ourselves at Trophy Cupcakes, my sister (the local) and I were looking for a good chaser. I jumped on Yelp Mobile and found Cafe Besalu. I am SO GLAD we went. I've never been to a cafe in SoCal that actually makes the pastries in-house, and where the barista/cashier (yes, the same person) makes your drink for you even before you pay. Genius!
Great place to people watch. Seattle has such a variety of people, which is so refreshing, coming from a land of conformity (Orange County, ever heard of it?).
Thank you, Cafe Besalu, for the awesome coffee experience. Cheers!
I think the line-causing delay is just a business ploy. The longer you're in line, the more you inhale the heavenly smell that welcomes you when you walk in the door of Cafe Besalu. It's the light, buttery scent of temptation.
I had a hard time deciding between the croissants, quiches and other pastries. They were all posing in the bakery case, competing for my attention. Sweet or savory? Flaky or eggy? In the end I chose an apple pastry, which was delicately flaky with a light shellacking of sweetness.
They serve lighthouse coffee, and my cappo was delish. But coffee was secondary to the whole experience. Besalu is all about the butter...
4.5 Simply amazing bakery. Being a newbie to this bakery, i asked the
barista if you had to choose the one pastry to have before you died
which would it be? He chose some ginger cookie type pastry. I not a fan of ginger, it was very mmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tall Grass and Besalu are great compliments to each other, breads and pastries, super mmmmm!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
Absolutely delicious pastries and quiche! I am so glad I moved within walking distance. The pastry is flaky and perfect. Some of the best croissants I've had outside of France and quiche I could happily eat every day for the rest of my life (er...if that weren't a recipe for a heart attack). Great for Sunday morning coffee and paper!
Grab and go healthy breakfast
Neighborhood: Belltown
Free delivery in Seattle
Neighborhood: Wallingford
Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Coffee & Tea
Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Bakeries
Neighborhood: Ballard
Category: Coffee & Tea
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