La Tropezienne Bakery Review
Nestled in the heart of East Harlem, New York, is a delightful but unlikely find, a French bakery. When I say delightful, I mean delightful. La Tropezienne Bakery is the sort of cubbyhole that you’d walk right by unless you already knew that it existed. Big mistake. Serving up classic French pastries, fresh sandwiches, and artfully decorated cakes and tarts, this place doesn’t need to brag about itself in order to impress us.
I’m serious—the first time I came here, the friend that I was with ordered a coffee and a loaf of bread. “To go?” asked the cashier, “No, sir, to stay,” was her reply, and stay we did, until she finished her loaf. This says something about the quality of baking at La Tropezienne Bakery. You don’t need anything fancy to make this place enjoyable—all you need is some bread and a face to cram it into.
This time, I went savory and got a spinach and Cheese Croissant. Warm, flaky, cheesy–everything you want your croissant to be–and stuffed with spinach to top it all off. If you’re a veggie lover like me, you’ll love this one.
If you’re in the mood for a sweet breakfast, the Apple Turnover is pure joy. It tastes like an apple pie that’s been transplanted from America to France, i.e., fancy. The crust is sugared on top to give it a nice crunch, and the apples inside are baked just long enough to be warm and gooey, but not soggy. The turnover has a nice cinnamon taste, and the apples are present but not overwhelming.
This could’ve been enough, but we just couldn’t leave without trying one of the Glazed Fruit Tarts. Besides being a thing of real beauty, this little dude was absolutely delicious. The crust was flaky, the custard was sweet and creamy, and the fruit was fresh and juicy. These tarts boast the perfect combination of sweet and sour that most fruity desserts are striving for.
La Tropezienne is open every day of the week, 6am-8pm, and is wonderful if, like me, you want delicious food that isn’t going to demolish your bank account. Step in for a quick hiatus from East Harlem city life. Hope you enjoyed this La Tropezienne Bakery Review.