Excellent place, quality breads by a native french baker. I have never found such good a replica of Parisienne breads anywhere else in Seattle. To truly appreciate the bread... keep it simple and... More

Excellent place, quality breads by a native french baker. I have never found such good a replica of Parisienne breads anywhere else in Seattle. To truly appreciate the bread... keep it simple and go french style. Ask for your sandwich to have JUST camembert and ham and nothing else. When you have bread so fine, you don't want to load up like you do at Subway with mayo mustard and all that other crap. You'll spoil the subtle flavours. Oh - and the almond brioche is outstanding. I ding it a star for ambience - it's got a sterile eastside feel to it. So load up on goodies and take your date on a picnic instead :)
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First - The lunch special is the best deal in town for the money. A big baguette sandwich (pate, tuna, camembert, turkey&swiss, etc...), one of their over the top delicious pastries and any drink... More

First - The lunch special is the best deal in town for the money. A big baguette sandwich (pate, tuna, camembert, turkey&swiss, etc...), one of their over the top delicious pastries and any drink (tart and sweet lemonade, real apple juice, americano, whatever...) and I think the price is still just over $7 with tax and tip. I used to frequently drive from Bellevue for this lunch because I was in love (with the food). Second - While in France I tried to like the pastries there but nothing topped Le Fournil.
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A croissant by any other name, would it smell as sweet? What is it about this simple pastry that makes men's hearts sing, kings abdicate their thrones... waitaminute... I think I got my allusions... More

A croissant by any other name, would it smell as sweet? What is it about this simple pastry that makes men's hearts sing, kings abdicate their thrones... waitaminute... I think I got my allusions mixed up. So where can you find the best croissants? Why in France, of course! The best breakfast one could have would have to be spent on a lazy morning in a Parisian cafe, enjoying a croissant with a cafe au lait and watching the world go by. Europe is a bit far to travel just to get a good croissant, unfortunately. So what are the best offerings that we have around here? The thing about croissants is that they are a very delicate pastry. All that layering and folding of dough and butter is a pretty labor-intensive process, and you have to be pretty diligent to roll a good croissant. This results in the quality of local croissants on offer ranging from dry and cardboard-like to rich buttery melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The two best croissant bakeries I've found so far are Cafe Besalu in Ballard and Le Fournil on Eastlake. Cafe Besalu is famous for their ginger cookies but their croissants are really good too. My favorite however, is Le Fournil, maybe because they have store parking. Go check them out!
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A work colleague has been signing the praises of this Eastlake patisserie for months, but I hadn't made the half-mile walk from the office to sample their lunch offering until today. What a... More

A work colleague has been signing the praises of this Eastlake patisserie for months, but I hadn't made the half-mile walk from the office to sample their lunch offering until today. What a revelation! First and foremost, Le Fournil is a French bakery in the most exacting sense of the phrase: they create magically light and flaky pastries, as good as anything you'll find in Paris, right in their little Eastlake shop. As an amateur baker myself, I know hard had it is to achieve the precise taste and texture of a traditional French croissant, and Le Fournil creates this and other hard-to-execute pastries with absolute perfection. If that weren't enough, Le Fournil also boasts a pleasant-if-spare eating area where they serve baguette sandwiches and other lunch treats built around their own bakery offerings. The best deal is a $6.99 lunch special, including a sandwich, drink and any one of their excellent individual pastries. If you live or work anywhere near the University Bridge, Le Fournil should be on your short list of local stops, both for their excellent baked goods, and for a quick and satisfying lunch.
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Le Fournil is an amazing little French bakery right under I-5 on the south side of the University bridge next to the Flower Lady. There is free parking in a tiny garage behind the bakery but be... More

Le Fournil is an amazing little French bakery right under I-5 on the south side of the University bridge next to the Flower Lady. There is free parking in a tiny garage behind the bakery but be careful turning into the very dark garage as near-misses are common. The bakery has an amazing selection of beautiful and yummmmmy pastries as well as breads and cakes. They also have lunch - quiche or sandwiches. In fact, they have a lunch special that is a screaming deal...a slice of quiche or a sandwich (pate is my favorite, but their tuna salad is also excellent) on a mini-baguette plus a drink (coffee, lemonade, soda, etc.) AND a pastry under $3 (or you can pay the difference for a more spendy one) for about $6.50. It's a great deal and everything is fresh and lovely.
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This bakery is owned and run by an expert from Brittany. His croissants are better than all the ones I had in France, with one exception! The desserts are as delicious to eat as they are to look at,... More

This bakery is owned and run by an expert from Brittany. His croissants are better than all the ones I had in France, with one exception! The desserts are as delicious to eat as they are to look at, and the lunches are wonderful. Very French ham and butter on a fresh baguette or even better, pate and cornichons. Try it once--you'll return often!
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Le Fournil bakery is a small, wonderful place that I walk past every day to school. The danishes are flaky and delicious, the sandwiches are creative and filling, and the service is friendly. But... More

Le Fournil bakery is a small, wonderful place that I walk past every day to school. The danishes are flaky and delicious, the sandwiches are creative and filling, and the service is friendly. But the best part about this place is the smell... just try walking by without stopping in.
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