The owner was so sweet helping me pick out a pastry, I told her I was picky and she immediately gave me suggestions. She gave detailed explanations on what was in things so I would be confident that I would like my dessert. I got a sweet brioche bun with raspberry compote (not jam!) and a pastry cream/whipped cream mixed filling. I am not exaggerating when I say it literally brought me to tears, it was the best dessert I have ever eaten. I went back today to get another dessert, and the owner was so sweet again and so excited that I had liked it. The entire experience is so worth it, amazing customer service and indescribable desserts.
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Alert: there will be a healthy dash of food snobbery in this review :)
While the bakery is perfectly better-than-decent (and the location and inside atmosphere great), I was left with the feeling that it could have done much to up their game. Possibly this is mainly considering that it is considered a French styled bakery and one's expectations might be unrealistically inflated.
While the offerings (sandwiches, quiches, pastries, cookies, breads, etc) are perfectly fine, they seem very much entrenched in American bakery mode more than French-style. By that I mean that the cookies are thick and heavy and chewey, more for college boys and lumberjacks than anything flaky, light and delicate that would grace any 'rue' in Frnace :)
The sandwhich bread similarly feels thick and doughy like more typical American fare than anything thinner and something that won't be visible around the midriff the next day. And the sandwiches are fine but for their price and size feel like even just one added creative ingredient would elevate them from the everyday/everywhere category to something with some more style and uniqueness and semblence of pseudo-French (red wine jelly, dijon mustard, lavender mustard, truffle aioli, red onion jelly, a French cheese...).
Belleville leaves the impression of aiming to cater to everyone without alienating anyone by seeming too fancy (like Chef's Corner might to some, but even there it's not exactly French-style). And in doing so relegates itself in some middlezone that's fine but leaving a feeling of, oh it could be so much more!
That said, no single review should ever be assumed to encompass the entirety of a place, and their menu changes constantly, so on any given day the experience might differ.
Food: 3
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 4
