The Nostalgic Bean

Adorable, cozy, and close to the ice rink. Great croissants, like so great I returned to pick up more for my husband and daughter. The staff were friendly and service was quick. So much more personal and cute than chain coffee.

What a beautiful bakery! We could smell the baked goodness from outside and couldn't wait to see the options. There are several types of croissants, cookies, tarts, macarons, quiche and so much more. The service was incredibly friendly. I would absolutely recommend this place if you are in the area.

Cutest & most delicious little cafe in all of the Eau Claire area!I ordered an americano hot and got two baked goods on the side for breakfast: a hash egg bake with cheese & a croissant! Most definitely baked with love. The employees are all friendly & the place was packed!!

I sought this place out because they were reputed to have the best pastries around, plus my husband needs good coffee to jump start his day. We parked in the small lot behind the old building. Inside we found a cozy environment made cozier by the torrential downpour that started outdoors as we entered. There are so many delicious-looking things that it made it hard to choose what to get! We went for a dulce de leche tart (a special this week), a chocolate croissant, and a knotted cinnamon bun; the latter two are visible in my picture. The tart, unfortunately, wasn't set, and became an ooey gooey mess to eat, though the flavor was great. The pastries were delectable with oodles of layers and a beautiful butter flavor. My husband liked his coffee just fine, too.

This place is wonderful. The coffee is excellent- a notch above any chains, and the pastries are amazing. Service is excellent and friendly and ambiance is light and airy. The outside patio is a great touch.

New hours. They are open on Wednesday's now, and open at 7:30 on Wednesday-Friday and 8 am on the weekend. Perfect!Still great French pastries!The checkout process is a bit simpler now with a single stop.

Wow! Just wow! If you haven't been to this place stop reading and go now! NOW! This place is amazing! Homemade flakey, buttery croissants! What else do you need! For being in Altoona this is a hidden little gem! The atmosphere is really friendly as well as a welcome feeling. Out of everything to chose from and trust me you have quite a bit to pick from, I got two croissants. One with chocolate filled and the other had ham and cheese. When I tell you that first bit was amazing so flaky and sweet buttery flavor and then you hit the chocolate and wow! The ham and cheese croissant was hands down mind blowing! The cup of coffee I got with all this amazing food was something straight out of grandma's kitchen! 10/10 I will be going back!

The bakery that we purchased was so delicious. The coffee was of high quality as well. The place was super busy.

Cute place! The ham and bachemel croissant was TO DIE FOR and the coffee and service were great too! I haven't even tried our other items yet to be sure this place is a gem! I'll likely have to make a trip hundreds of miles away home this way atleast one more time in this lifetime just for another crossaints. Until then.. thanks for the memories!

Amazing desserts that are carefully made. A beautiful space with beautiful products and the variety of macarons is awesome. Coffee is so so.