Bakery Lorraine

Great spot at the Pearl! Cute atmosphere with a decent menu variety. The bakery options are divine & make it hard to choose! Honey, Earl Grey, Pumpkin Spice & Cassis Macaroons were delightful and so flavorful

I will not dissect one-by-one which pastry was good and how good. I will say that on my first-ever visit to San Antonio, in for barely two days for business, I made it a point to drop by this bakery. By French standards, the pastries were reasonably good. By American standards they were very good. The Kouign-Amann stole the show, albeit I'd have preferred it without the tartness of the lemon curd — although it was light, lovely and distinctive. I understand it as an identifier that sets apart from other bakeries. What I will commend like no other was the service. I came in, querying about some of the ingredients, for medical reasons. I was provided with an explicit list of all the ingredients in every pastry. I then went pn to order myriad goods and requested butters and jams on the side. I was given a hefty, overly generous amount. When I paid, there was an error on the bill – I was charged for three kouign-amanns rather than two. I only noticed it later when I got back to my hotel, the Emily Grand, from which I hiked over through the River Walk on this sweltering day. Before leaving the bakery, I went over to get cold water; the tank was empty and promptly refilled at my request, and a lidded-cup of ice water handed to me. When I called from the hotel some thirty minutes later and brought up the error on the receipt, it was refunded instantly and I received a confirmation email. The refund came with profuse apologies from management for the inconsequential error, apologies that were not necessary but exhibited graciousness and top-tier human relations. The next morning, when I returned to the bakery before flying out, I was greeted by management and given multiple compensatory pastries for the day before's mishap. Nothing I would have ever expected nor asked for, which in a scything, bureaucratic world left my mouth ajar. My husband also ordered a cold brew and a wonderful butter cake, while I an iced tea. Some ten minutes later, before I even had a chance to get around to the tea (for photographing food), the barrista came over to our table and profusely apologized that she had given us a hot tea rather than iced, and brought the latter with her, saying, "So sorry! Enjoy both!" I had forgotten what I ordered, and had not said so much as a word — she remembered all on her own and took initiative. Admirable and commendable. Now I fly back to Florida wishing Floridians had half the etiquette, respect, politeness, moral framework and humanity of Texans. Service at this bakery was sublime. I would give it 6 stars if I could, and will surely be back if and when I end up in San Antonio again. Food is good, vibe is awesome. Some of the best customer service I have ever witnessed in the world.

When we travel- I always try to find the best bakeries. I was really excited to try this place when I saw they offered gluten free options because our oldest has celiac disease and loves pastries but can never eat them. This bakery did not disappoint. There was about a 15 minute wait but not too long and they restocked everything while I was there! Thank goodness! We tried a little bit of everything but my favorite was the Pumpkin Choc Chip cream cheese muffin and chocolate hazelnut cookies. I wish I would have bought more lemon blueberry GF muffins because my daughter said they were the best GF pastry she’s ever had! She loved them! (Most GF options are too doughy or have an odd taste.) Thank you SO SO MUCH for having a top-notch GF option! It really made her day and she enjoyed eating…which a lot of times eating GF options are disappointing to her.

2 weeks I was forced to wait by life before I was able to get my almond croissant with coffee. I have been coming to the pearl since before all the nonsense “pay for parking” was even a thing. As a teenager, I used to come here on my bike and eat at this bakery. I absolutely love the almond croissant. 10 years later and it’s still the same quality. Sad about the amount of tourist that overrun the pearl now, but oh well, thank you city officials for bending over to the out of state “investors”.

Overall the pastries are delicious, but sometimes they don’t seem as fresh as other times. The smoked salmon croissant is delicious, and the coffee is good too. The staff are extremely friendly and courteous every time.