Black Walnut Bakery

Didn't think chocolate almond croissants could get any better, but Black Walnut Bakery's addition of banana truly makes for the perfect pastry. Aside from being bright, open and inviting on any given day of the week, Black Walnut is churning out some of the best pastries in Minneapolis. You can appreciate the care and effort that goes into each delicious treat. I've had their chocolate chip cookie as well - which is tasty - but doesn't really compete with their speciality pastries. With an almond paste that is as creamy as it is textured, a healthy serving of chocolate lacing in each bite, and the subtle sweetness of the bananas plus the nutty crunch of the shaved almonds, this is such a decadent, gooey, yet flakey masterpiece.

When heading into the Cities only occasionally these days (home is the north suburbs and I'm WFH since 2006), I make a point of visiting bakeries. I am a complete sucker for pastries. Like, really authentic European style delicacies. Imagine my delight upon entering this establishment!Crowded, yes. Intoxicating nasal delights, indeed. A feast for my hungering eyes, yaaaaaas. I spent an ungodly amount of money on their goods and I will unhesitatingly do it again. Soon. And often.

The location outside is inviting- farmhouse feel. Parking is horrible. Good luck finding street parking here and the lines are long. The interior is clean but too packed. Every table was taken with folks waiting after they'd ordered.The process for ordering is awkward, especially when it is so busy. You start off being greeted in front of the lovely display of baked treats. We ordered $90 worth of good to go and ordered something to enjoy in restaurant.Unfortunately it was so loud they didn't get the order right that we wanted all the baked items to go and enjoy the hot items and coffee in restaurant.As a result we waited about 20 minutes having to check back with the cashier twice on the order. We got a table, had to ask for a number even after paying $90 for two people. Our coffees were delivered to the table in paper cups while others around us served in nice cappuccino dishware. The server nicely asked "is that all?" Once again we said no, we ordered about $90 of food.When the food came out everything was packed to go. No utensils nothing. Ambience too loud to hear ourselves talking. The seats so close together, the family of 5 next to us had kids who spilled their hot chocolate all over the entire table, splashing everywhere.Interestingly many parents in the place seemed not to have their kids mind etiquette. Parents had the kids iPad and apps blaring with cartoons - it wasn't a nice ambiance at all. We have kids but they're mindful of their surroundings.Coffee not great. We went to coffee school just to learn how to make a good espresso. It was ok but have been to many places where the coffee is really great.Food is good but it didn't make me feel like I'd crave it again to go back. Over toasted the sandwich breads on the sandwiches we got.For a difficult place to reach, and such a noisy atmosphere- the food has to be top notch to go thru the hassle.Business needs to work on a processs to manage the crowd and parking. Also put the cashier ordering first so you know how to separate the order from here and to go.All basics of customer experience.The one dessert that was quiteMemorable is the lemon tart. Delicate crust with a velvet cream on the top. That one was worth going back for a take out.Please improve the ambiance though. Or find a way to reduce congestion and overcrowding.

A delicious treat at a cozy cafe/bakery. This place was packed on a Saturday, but the line went quickly. All the pastries looked phenomenal - especially the croissant loaf. Orders:Apple filled pastry (Apple fritter?): I actually can't remember what it's called, but it was very good. Not too sweet. Soft and flakey. Hot oat milk matcha latte: satisfying to drink and look at.Next time, I REALLY want to try the breakfast sandwiches. There were so many people ordering it - def felt like I was missing out. Next time~

A really cute spot in uptown Minneapolis. The interior is modern, chic and has 5-6 tables. I went there on a weekend afternoon and got myself some baked goods. I was hoping to get Kouign amann but they were sold out, no surprises there. The place gets busy! I tried their monkey bread which was good, the almost croissant was perfect and my favorite was the coconut pineapple cake, so rich and flavors came together. The coffee was decent and service was impeccable. They were patient with me and explained in detail about pastries. I would go back here again!

Although I live in Minneapolis, I had yet to visit Black Walnut but now I can't wait to go back. We got an assortment of pastries for breakfast and they were all delicious. I loved the ham and cheese croissant and the cream cheese croissant I got. My friends loved their choices as well. While there was a line, it seemed to move quick since they are used to being busy. There was indoor and outdoor seating options but we took ours to go since we were staying in walking distance.

Black walnut is a very nice bakery, especially for a weekend coffee and pastry. The caramel iced latte was very tasty and the white tea was great with some milk and honey.The ham and cheese sandwhich was very hamm-y, so if that is your vibe go for it! Personally it was not my favorite, but not bad. The ambiance is calm and the service is pleasant, you order at the counter and they bring your food out to you. You then busk your table and put items in bin. Nice spot just shy of the center of uptown, definitely recommend if you want a more laid back, but still aesthetically pleasing experience!

Black Walnut Bakery has a nice variety of breads, sweets, a small selection of savory cafe items, and coffees. I went later on a busy shopping day so they'd already sold out of many sweets but still had some cookies for me to try.3.5/5 Everything was solid, but nothing stood out or solicited a WOW reaction from me. The service was underwhelming, but not bad per se. The high quality of the bread was the most notable for me. My take:If you're in the neighborhood, it won't hurt to give them a try. That said, I wouldn't go out of my way and am going to be rushing back anytime soon.

Lovely modern patisserie in Uptown. Stopped by here on a Saturday morning after cycling and boy was it packed. If you want something specific, do not come here after 1130, they would have ran out. There's seating inside, but at the time we were chatting, it was very full. People would look around and just grab items to go instead of hanging out. The interior has a very light color palette. Honestly, it was a little too much for me. Like it gave a Midsommar vibe. I prefer a traditional bakery or something more whimsical, and this didn't do it for me. It's very well put together, but it lacks a certain warmth. It's still a fun place to bring a friend and chat, especially being so close like a block from lake street. In terms of the goodies, the chocolate croissant was quite nice. Flakey and buttery. The chocolate filling was a good quality. They warmed it in an oven so it came out crispy. Very nice touch. Blondie cookie: I'm not sure about this one. It was also buttery and crispy and chewy. There was a lot going on. Maybe it's the combination of flavors, or overly decadent? Not my cup of tea leading to the drink.London Fog: creamy and warm. I couldn't tell what the foam art was trying to depict, but it was an interesting touch. Not overly sweet, and let me enjoyed pain au chocolate. My rating just comes down to my personal preference. It's definitely a wonderful breakfast option for Uptown especially since it's within walking distance. If you're a resident, would definitely see why this can be a goto place.

Fabulous food!! Cute place! Friendly service! I found it a tiny bit stressful trying to decide what to order at the counter lol but it was so busy so I'd recommend looking at the menu prior but I absolutely will be returning again and again!!