Patisserie Melanie

The pistachio croissant is my favorite, followed by the cinnamon and cardamom bun, the butter croissant, the apricot, and finish with the chocolate. You can't go wrong. I enjoyed the cream cafe. It was the perfect accompaniment to the rich pastries. The movement in the patisserie decor is calming and it is satisfying to sit, chat, and soak up the fragrance wafting as you indulge. Love this place.

Where do great chefs come from?Chef Melanie Dunn is not a TV cook or game show participant, so she doesn't produce whiz-bang, "look what I can do," flavor-free Insta-cuisine. Chef Melanie holds the Diplôme de Pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, and she respects and builds on traditional ideas, processes and results.She's a marvelous cook, which requires training and innate ability, but muscle memory and talent will only carry a person as far as they can see. The best chefs are guided by a sense of mission, and something more: raison d'être.In chatting with Chef Melanie, I've found her to be charming, humble and sincere, and, importantly, enthusiastic about her personal purpose: through her creative efforts, to inform and educate.I assume she was so motivated before Le Cordon Bleu, through the many years she taught English at San Diego's Crawford High School. I know that now, she's in the business of suggesting that we "please try this thing you've never tasted before."I've learned a lot from Melanie Dunn, so, maybe great chefs come from Crawford's English Department.**********The original Pâtisserie Melanie was tiny, just the front of the live/work space that Chef shared with her husband, Axel Schwarz (another Crawford teacher) and their child.Happily, Pâtisserie Melanie survived the burdens that COVID-19 laid onto small businesses, and in 2023, Chef moved her operation to a larger space on 30th Street, with a kitchen full of high-end baking equipment and a dining room with seating for a dozen or so lucky diners. Any changes that occurred were good ones. The menu of baked goods has expanded a bit, and the place now offers some savory dishes, as well. Chef Melanie's is a varied menu of the usual suspects, and features some surprises, too.Croissant are there, of course; the original - all tuile-crisp and buttery - and pistachio and chocolate, too. But Chef Melanie wants you to try new things, so she makes almond and rosemary croissant, and smoked paprika & cheddar, and, when you're not looking, she'll bring out a chocolate custard roll called "pepito" that will make you regret, then rethink, your diet."And since you're exploring," she'll ask, "why not try a cannelé?" - small, custard-filled caramelized tea cakes from the Bordeaux region of France, lovely bits that are one of Chef Melanie's several unexpected masterworks.Pâtisserie Melanie offers a variety of macarons in typically Parisian fashion: floral in the springtime, spiced and dusky in the fall, and light and flavorful all year 'round.What else? Cookies and caramels, preserves and tarts, croques messieurs et mesdames, and whatever comes next.**********And finally, there's Pâtisserie Melanie's best seller, my obsession, the simple Breton butter cake called "kouign-amann."But before I discuss that KA (as I'll abbreviate the name), please allow me to present my bona fides:- I've eaten KA in 27 bakeries, in 17 cities, in 12 states.- I've eaten the best KA in America, at b. Patisserie in San Francisco. It's to my detriment that theirs was the first I ever tasted, because all others will compete for the #2 spot, forever.- I once bought two KA, to go, from Manhattan's Dominique Ansel, then shot uptown to Bouchon Bakery to compare them, side-by-side, against Thomas Keller's version. I spent $70 on Uber rides so that I could evaluate $17 worth of baked goods.*When I first read that Pâtisserie Melanie mades kouign-amann (specifically, "Kouignettes", the original kouign-amann being more like a cake than the hand-held version pioneered in the Bay Area in 2010), I rushed to Hillcrest, calling ahead to ensure the shop hadn't sold them out.I liked them then, and I've enjoyed them more as time has passed. They're butter-basted layers of slightly dense croissant, their edges palmier-like, crispy, and tenderer than I'd imagined. The rest of the bite is chewy, like good Italian bread.Each mouthful is a treat, as flavors mix and meld: yeast, caramel and dairy; a wisp of cardamom; pleasant hints of cinnamon and salt.And when I crave those flavors, Pâtisserie Melanie satisfies, and though I might still do so, I no longer need to visit San Francisco for a top-quality kouign-amann.**********b. Patisserie: https://www.yelp.com/biz/b-patisserie-san-francisco-2*Dominique Ansel won by a mile: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dominique-ansel-bakery-new-york?hrid=6rZALIHNkL-JJNFpWci7OABouchon Bakery: https://www.yelp.com/biz/bouchon-bakery-and-cafe-new-york-2?hrid=MwuB

I've been here at both breakfast and dinner time! The pastries are always great and perfectly flaky and buttery! The pastries are a bit expensive but you can taste that the ingredients are all high quality.For dinner they give a complimentary starter. I forgot what it was called but it was really good and had mushrooms in it. I had the boeuf bourguignon and it was hearty and delicious. I ordered the Lychee Rose Martini and it was perfectly refreshing, light, and tasty.

This bakery is a gem! Everything here is really delicious. I stumbled across this place looking for canelés and kouign amanns, and boy did they deliver. The kouign amann is perfect with a good caramelized outside and buttery texture inside. They had a cinnamon and cardamom and original flavors on my visit and both were really good.The canelés had the right crispy texture outside but I did find the insides a little too custardy even after it cooled. Might have just been an off day for these because everything else was pretty spot on for it. Their croissants were all buttery and flakey and came in a variety of flavors too. Service is fast and friendly and there os inside seating. Bring sunglasses because it can get really bright inside. If you're a French pastry enthusiast, do give Patisserie Melanke a try!

The pastries are fantastic! Buttery, fresh and addicting (and pricey). Don't miss the kouign amann, especially early in the am when they may still be warm. For a savory item, I especially like the jambon and cheese. The only draw back for the bakery, is the size/price. This review is si strickly for the baked goods. Sadly, I have not been as impressed with the other items,:coffees, hot chocolate, quiche. Because of that I have not tried their dinners. I am grateful the bakery is here, within walking distance, and such a treat. I didn't think anyone could compete with Wayfarer in Bird Rock, but they are neck and neck in quality, but PM is accessible and Bird Rock is too much of a drive to be a regular stop for me.

To pay over $16 for a "seasonal vegetable quiche" - but it was the size of my palm with a couple tiny strands of asparagus. That's it. I could taste some cheese on a couple bites but it's definitely not the seasonal vegetables, cheeses, and herbs like the menu describes. Quite bland in my opinion. The $6 pistachio croissant was a better option although quite airy it was tasty.

The ambience is tres chic, and perfect for a light brunch with girlfriends. The decor is modern, spacious, bright, pleasant. Iced lattes were delicious, and I very much enjoyed the Kouign-amann pastry straight out the oven and will definitely come back for that! Also was eyeing the croqueMadame someone got at another table and like that it come with a salad - will have to come back for that, too. I got a whole box of pastries to. Ring back to my family. Was a bit disappointed that the ham and cheese croissant only had a hint of ham and cheese in it, but otherwise the rest were decent. Was I transported back to my time in Paris? No. But perhaps I need to go back and try other things.

Delicious pastries, cute atmosphere, and friendly service! We came to Patisserie Melanie on a Saturday morning around 10:30am and there were plenty of pastries available. We decided to order the Kouginette, Jambon and Gruyere Croissant, and the Raspberry Rose Croissant. Most of the pastries varied in price from $5.50 - $6.50 each. Don't sleep on the Kouginette and the Jambon and Gruyere Croissant! Both were delicious and I loved how flaky yet buttery the dough was. The Kouginette was my absolute favorite with its sugary and crisp exterior. I just wish it were a bit bigger in size as it was fairly small and left me wanting more of its deliciousness. The entire staff was so friendly and helpful which only made for an even better experience. I loved how cute and clean the inside was too. If you find yourself in North Park, I would definitely recommend checking them out. There's a small parking lot in the back where we were able to snag one of of the last available spots which was great as well.

So cuuuute! I've been meaning to try this place from when I first saw their pink signage. Inside, the decor, the smells, and the vibes were so cute. I ordered a pain au chocolat an hour before closing and they still had a good variety of pastries to choose from. They also had an array of drinks that would be perfect to sit and enjoy in the restaurant. Service on the pastry was quick being that they were all on the display. The space is well kept and super lovely.

The hot chocolate is delightful - it truly is like drinking a chocolate bar. The pastries are also superb and clearly high quality. There is plenty of seating inside and all of the food comes out on these gorgeous plates that we spent the majority of the time researching to buy our own. My only complaint is that eating inside is unpleasant due to how much the space carries sound. I think they would benefit from some additional furnishings to dampen the echoes.