Swung by on a weekday afternoon, got a slice of banana bread and raspberry muffin. Both were very mediocre, and I was so surprised that the small slice of banana bread (probably .5 inch x 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch was almost $5 post-tax. It wasn't that great, had an odd consistency. The raspberry muffin was a bit better, but it lacked flavor, had an odd consistency too - think there's too much egg in it? Very pricey for the quality.
James H.
So disappointing. Only had croissant for purchase no other pastries remember when they first opened so many more options.
Shyana212
I had a terrible experience last morning when I went for pastries and coffee with friends visiting from England. The lady behind the counter was unfriendly and made us feel uncomfortable when we asked if we could have oat milk in our coffee. This is not the first time I have had unfriendly service here so while paying I let the lady know that the pastries were great but that the service was consistently unfriendly and unwelcoming. Her response to me and my friend was a stern, “well then don’t come back.” I was shocked at her response and asked to see the manager. She told me that she was the owner which was even more shocking. I choose never to leave negative feedback. On restaurants. This time I feel different because I have never experienced anything like this in a restaurant before. My friend, a pastry chef from London-Manchester was horrified and commented that pastries are to be baked and served with happiness and love. This was sadly far from that. No surprise this will be my last visit here. I have a choice of so many wonderful customer oriented bakeries in Boston including a local James Beard winning pastry chef in the neighbourhood.
odali sanhueza
I am a regular customer as I live on the same street. Today I went to buy macarons and canelé. While the food is great the customer experience was awful. When I entered the store the person behind the counter shouted at me “only 3 customers”. Then when it was my turn she took my order but was very rude. I told to the person who was behind the cashier to tell her colleague to be polite. The other person heard me and said “I don’t care” and when I told her directly: “this is a customer service job you need to be polite” she replied “we sell everything every day so I don’t need to be polite”. I was shocked. I am French, I am used to people being rude but at this level in Boston I was very surprised. To be fair, the canelé and macarons are very good so congrats to the pâtissier and it’s a pity that the service is so rude.
Tess S.
A bit over priced but good quality pastries, will come back to try drinks next time. The scone was great!
Bernard S.
Absolutely perfect. The canales were perfection. Pan au chocolat was one of the lightest and crispest I've ever eaten. Macaron good too, though less standout. Strongly recommend. If you are going to arrive later in the day, you may want to call to make sure they haven't sold out yet.
Allie S.
I was looking for a dessert shop in the South End and Cafe Madeleine fit the bill. I ordered a cannele and chocolate chip cookie to-go as there is no indoor seating. The cannele I tried right away and it was delicious. The cookie I kept for later in the day and while nothing unique, it was nicely thin yet chewy. They were already out of many things by noon so I would love to try different desserts on my next visit.
TJ N.
Was in the middle of a long walk and while meandering through the South End I came upon this James Beard winner just by chance. Even though it was after 2PM I peeked in, and though it looked closed from the outside, low and behold I spied a few remaining pastries. Everything that was left looked awesome. I nabbed a few luscious gems. The tiny walnut loaf (fantastic), the canelle (phenomenal), the chocolate chip cookie (above average). If this shop were in Ft Worth I'd be a very regular customer.
Georgia Thomas
DELICIOUS PASTRIES!! OMG the pastries are incredible! The cookies & croissants OMG. They can run out later in the morning especially on the weekends, so make sure to get their earlier rather than later. But well worth the price!! I recommend bringing them home to warm them up for a few seconds too!
Rachel Carducci
Used to really love going here, but have had several terrible interactions with Andrew, one of the employees. Most recently my husband ordered a coffee with splash of cream, and what he was given was basically a cup of milk. When my husband asked if Andrew could remake the coffee, with no milk, he replied “no, because he would be giving it away for free”. Andrew has tainted our experience and we won’t be stopping in anymore. Plenty of other great bakeries in the South End, including Render, which is a block away, with much nicer staff.
I've been living in the south end for six years and Cafe Madeline historically has always been great. The pastries are delicious and usually worth the wait in line. However, over the last there months my interactions with the barista/cashier who's name is Andrew have been unpleasant. Oftentimes Andrew is the only visible employee working and thus serves as the face of the business. On my most recent visit Andrew made a cold brew for me of which he put too much cream in it. When I asked him to just swap it out for another one he refused. He said he makes these drinks all the time and this is what a iced coffee with a light splash of cream was supposed to look like. When I asked why he couldn't just make another one perhaps this time with no cream, he replied that "He would be giving something to me for free." On another visit Andrew refused to let my pregnant wife and 2 year old child use the restroom. We ended up walking right down the street to Render who happily let them use the bathroom. It sad because I want to be a strong supporter of what use to be an amazing small business but things have gone downhill as of late.
Leah Klein
Delicious French pastries. We especially love the croissants and canelés.
Will Mercer
Ordered ham and cheese croissant and blueberry muffin, both were ok at best. The croissant was cold and did not even offer to warm them, the muffin lacked flavor and most of it clung to the wrapper.Friendliness and hospitality is not their specialty either. Could not even get a smile or a hello.Very disappointing, would not visit or recommend ever.
JJ D.
Atmosphere: Cafe Madeleine is a cute bakery on the corner of Columbus Ave and Greenwich Park. The inside is small and clean! Service: The person who helped us at the counter was kind, patient, and quick to make our coffee. Food: We ordered a house blend coffee, pain au chocolat, and almond croissant. The coffee was hot and fresh. The pain au chocolat was buttery and flaky and had the perfect amount of sweetness coming from the chocolate in the center. We especially loved the almond croissant! The distinct almond taste wasn't too overpowering and went well with the rest of the sweet croissant. Overall: Cafe Madeleine is a great place to stop by in the morning to grab some fresh pastries. What's holding us back from giving Cafe Madeleine a 5 star review is that when we went on a Wednesday at around 9am, the display case was nearly wiped out, so there wasn't a great variety of pastries. We wouldn't recommend getting your hopes too high in terms of pastry selection since it may not be consistent throughout the day.
Julia W.
Best croissants in Boston! Get there early if you want the pain au chocolat, but all the pastries are delicious.
Swung by on a weekday afternoon, got a slice of banana bread and raspberry muffin. Both were very mediocre, and I was so surprised that the small slice of banana bread (probably .5 inch x 1.5 inch x 1.5 inch was almost $5 post-tax. It wasn't that great, had an odd consistency. The raspberry muffin was a bit better, but it lacked flavor, had an odd consistency too - think there's too much egg in it? Very pricey for the quality.
So disappointing. Only had croissant for purchase no other pastries remember when they first opened so many more options.
I had a terrible experience last morning when I went for pastries and coffee with friends visiting from England. The lady behind the counter was unfriendly and made us feel uncomfortable when we asked if we could have oat milk in our coffee. This is not the first time I have had unfriendly service here so while paying I let the lady know that the pastries were great but that the service was consistently unfriendly and unwelcoming. Her response to me and my friend was a stern, “well then don’t come back.” I was shocked at her response and asked to see the manager. She told me that she was the owner which was even more shocking. I choose never to leave negative feedback. On restaurants. This time I feel different because I have never experienced anything like this in a restaurant before. My friend, a pastry chef from London-Manchester was horrified and commented that pastries are to be baked and served with happiness and love. This was sadly far from that. No surprise this will be my last visit here. I have a choice of so many wonderful customer oriented bakeries in Boston including a local James Beard winning pastry chef in the neighbourhood.
I am a regular customer as I live on the same street. Today I went to buy macarons and canelé. While the food is great the customer experience was awful. When I entered the store the person behind the counter shouted at me “only 3 customers”. Then when it was my turn she took my order but was very rude. I told to the person who was behind the cashier to tell her colleague to be polite. The other person heard me and said “I don’t care” and when I told her directly: “this is a customer service job you need to be polite” she replied “we sell everything every day so I don’t need to be polite”. I was shocked. I am French, I am used to people being rude but at this level in Boston I was very surprised. To be fair, the canelé and macarons are very good so congrats to the pâtissier and it’s a pity that the service is so rude.
A bit over priced but good quality pastries, will come back to try drinks next time. The scone was great!
Absolutely perfect. The canales were perfection. Pan au chocolat was one of the lightest and crispest I've ever eaten. Macaron good too, though less standout. Strongly recommend. If you are going to arrive later in the day, you may want to call to make sure they haven't sold out yet.
I was looking for a dessert shop in the South End and Cafe Madeleine fit the bill. I ordered a cannele and chocolate chip cookie to-go as there is no indoor seating. The cannele I tried right away and it was delicious. The cookie I kept for later in the day and while nothing unique, it was nicely thin yet chewy. They were already out of many things by noon so I would love to try different desserts on my next visit.
Was in the middle of a long walk and while meandering through the South End I came upon this James Beard winner just by chance. Even though it was after 2PM I peeked in, and though it looked closed from the outside, low and behold I spied a few remaining pastries. Everything that was left looked awesome. I nabbed a few luscious gems. The tiny walnut loaf (fantastic), the canelle (phenomenal), the chocolate chip cookie (above average). If this shop were in Ft Worth I'd be a very regular customer.
DELICIOUS PASTRIES!! OMG the pastries are incredible! The cookies & croissants OMG. They can run out later in the morning especially on the weekends, so make sure to get their earlier rather than later. But well worth the price!! I recommend bringing them home to warm them up for a few seconds too!
Used to really love going here, but have had several terrible interactions with Andrew, one of the employees. Most recently my husband ordered a coffee with splash of cream, and what he was given was basically a cup of milk. When my husband asked if Andrew could remake the coffee, with no milk, he replied “no, because he would be giving it away for free”. Andrew has tainted our experience and we won’t be stopping in anymore. Plenty of other great bakeries in the South End, including Render, which is a block away, with much nicer staff.
Restaurantji Recommends
I've been living in the south end for six years and Cafe Madeline historically has always been great. The pastries are delicious and usually worth the wait in line. However, over the last there months my interactions with the barista/cashier who's name is Andrew have been unpleasant. Oftentimes Andrew is the only visible employee working and thus serves as the face of the business. On my most recent visit Andrew made a cold brew for me of which he put too much cream in it. When I asked him to just swap it out for another one he refused. He said he makes these drinks all the time and this is what a iced coffee with a light splash of cream was supposed to look like. When I asked why he couldn't just make another one perhaps this time with no cream, he replied that "He would be giving something to me for free." On another visit Andrew refused to let my pregnant wife and 2 year old child use the restroom. We ended up walking right down the street to Render who happily let them use the bathroom. It sad because I want to be a strong supporter of what use to be an amazing small business but things have gone downhill as of late.
Delicious French pastries. We especially love the croissants and canelés.
Ordered ham and cheese croissant and blueberry muffin, both were ok at best. The croissant was cold and did not even offer to warm them, the muffin lacked flavor and most of it clung to the wrapper.Friendliness and hospitality is not their specialty either. Could not even get a smile or a hello.Very disappointing, would not visit or recommend ever.
Atmosphere: Cafe Madeleine is a cute bakery on the corner of Columbus Ave and Greenwich Park. The inside is small and clean! Service: The person who helped us at the counter was kind, patient, and quick to make our coffee. Food: We ordered a house blend coffee, pain au chocolat, and almond croissant. The coffee was hot and fresh. The pain au chocolat was buttery and flaky and had the perfect amount of sweetness coming from the chocolate in the center. We especially loved the almond croissant! The distinct almond taste wasn't too overpowering and went well with the rest of the sweet croissant. Overall: Cafe Madeleine is a great place to stop by in the morning to grab some fresh pastries. What's holding us back from giving Cafe Madeleine a 5 star review is that when we went on a Wednesday at around 9am, the display case was nearly wiped out, so there wasn't a great variety of pastries. We wouldn't recommend getting your hopes too high in terms of pastry selection since it may not be consistent throughout the day.
Best croissants in Boston! Get there early if you want the pain au chocolat, but all the pastries are delicious.