The French Workshop

Pretty much everything I’ve tried at the French Workshop is amazing.
Seriously.
Cookies, croissants, chocolate breads, etc.
My only problem — it is just too damn pricey.
I get it, you pay a premium for premium baked goods — BUT. espeically the cookies I feel are a bit too overpriced.
Bakery is always clean and smells great. Decent amount of seating too.
If you want something nice and special or having a crappy day, definitely a great spot to visit for some uplifting sugar… lol.

It’s more like 3.5 rating. This place created a little bit of a buzz when it opened. Since I don’t live in this area anymore, it’s hard for me to try new places in Bayside. I really wanted to try so I went to French Workshop before dinner, so I know I’ll be able to eat the dessert.
The décor is quite snazzy in a French-​like way. I didn’t know what was good here or what I should get. But I just followed my nose because it smelled really good. Which I think it was chocolate, so I decided on the lava cake. My friend who has been here several times, said the chocolate cake was good. It’s like $ 5-​something.
The people behind the counter were very nice and friendly. They heat up the cake if you’re staying inside. I was a little disappointed, it wasn’t as gooey as I hoped. But the taste and texture was pretty good. Because it’s chocolate, it was very filling. I definitely needed milk afterwards.
I would come again to try some other things. You’re definitely paying more for presentation than anything else. It’s a nice place to catch up and have a sweet treat.

Recently opened in December 2015, located at 38 – 39 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11 361 is The French Workshop. Is it a bakery? Is it a pastry shop? Is it a gourmet sandwich shop? Is it a quaint French café? The French Workshop is all of those things and more.
If you have ever longed for excellent quality, pure and natural ingredients, wonderful service and an unbelievable taste of French Sandwiches, Pastries, breads, and cakes YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST try The French Workshop.
Three weeks ago I stumbled upon The French Workshop while shopping for a tuxedo for my son’s HS Prom. We had planned on stopping in and having a cup of coffee and a pastry. We could not decide which of the dozens to buy so we asked for a dozen pastries and some of the different breads that we thought we would like to try and took the boxes home. Once home the pastries did not last an hour as everyone in the house wanted to try a half or quarter piece before dinner was even served. During dinner the most requested second helping was for the breads that we purchased, specifically the twisted olive bread.
Every one of the pastries was perfectly crafted and unbelievably delicious. The best we’ve ever had (and we are pastry fanatics). Their gourmet sandwiches and breads are prepared to perfection as well.
We have since revisited The French Workshop several times and have tried every pastry, every bread, and have actually just returned home from The French Workshop Bakery about 30 minutes ago. When I got home I decided that I must write a Unilocal review while the experience was fresh in my mind.
I have reviewed many Bakeries (like Martha’s Bakery) and Pastry Shops (like Lulu’s Pastry) on Unilocal and had given them 4 or 5 stars, but must now go back and revise (lower the ratings) on all of my reviews because there are no bakeries or pastry shops that come close to the quality and the taste of The French Workshop.
At The French Workshop there are plenty of comfortable seats and large tables. The place is immaculately clean. The staff is extremely helpful and patient — it is so hard to decide on which pastry, sandwich, bread or cake because they are all so wonderful.
Stop in today, tomorrow, whenever for one of the greatest dessert experiences you will ever know.

Who would have thought there would be such a nice sophisticated café right in bayside? No longer need to go all the way to the city if you just want a nice cup of coffee with dessert with your girlfriends. They have a whole assortment of desserts in the window display from macarons, to tiramisu cakes, to eclairs, and crème brulees. They all looked heavenly to me and us 3 girls definitely ordered a little too much haha. Their sea salt caramel macaron had the best texture. We also ordered this dome shaped chocolate dessert called the Melody which was the most unique in my opinion. Overall, this was a pleasant atmosphere and lovely place to get dessert with your friends after a nice meal.

So glad I found out about this great bakery. When I walked in I was surprised of how spacious this place is. I was really excited that they have such a wide variety of pastries, tarts. .. you name it, they probably have it. Anyways, it is a bit overwhelming at first since they do not have a menu so you have to sorta walk around and see what catches your eye.
I went in twice in one day (no shame!) I first ordered two macaroons — (1) hazelnut and (2) chocolate one. The second time I went in I decided to buy a few macaroons because they were so delicious and the size is decent. So I got two coffee, two coconut, one hazelnut, and one chocolate. $ 2.50/each. I also got the Lemon Tart. I did not try it yet, but it looks really delicious. It is topped with a whip cream looking cream. .. not too sure if it is but once I try it I will update my review.
I also ordered a small House Blend coffee (I take my coffee without sweeteners). It was good, nothing spectacular about it. I do have to mention that they have a Nutella Latte both hot and iced, which I think might be really yummy for those who like sweet drinks.
The prices were reasonable, the ambience was great, and the décor was up to date. Definitely a gem that must be visited!

I believe this may be my favorite bakery/​cafes in all of Queens. It certainly is the most beautiful and classy.
I had a little more time to browse around because the young lady that was helping me told me a fresh batch of chocolate croissants would be out shortly. As I looked around she apologized for me having to wait, but I was happy to have to time to explore. She gave me a sample of the chocolate and cream croissant as well as a nutella filled cookie to help me pass the time.
I picked up some various pastries — the chocolate tart, the raspberry tart and vanilla mille-​feuille to bring to my family. Besides the items being beautiful, the packaging was down right elegant — gorgeous boxes and bag. It will make an impression if you bring anything from here on an occasion — I know mine did. My family couldn’t stop raving about it or decide what they liked best. The raspberry tart edged out the others for me.
Greek owned, with classically trained French culinary experience is a powerful combination. Get here now and experience it yourself!

Used to be a huge fan or martha’s bakery but their desserts werent as great as they used to be. I was so excited this new bakery was going to give me an option other than martha’s. The first week they opened, i was fairly disappointed at the limited selection & nothing really looked appetizing but i’m glad i stopped by for a second chance. I tried their nutella latte and it wasnt too sweet– was just perfect!
Prociuto with gruyère & walnut bread & halloumi bites (with greek cheese) is perfect with a nice cheese platter and prociutto. The olive bites were a bit too salty for my liking.
The lemon tart and fruit tarts and the tiramisu were delish! They also have a great selection of macaroons.

Perfect place to grab dessert after dinner on Bell Blvd.
There were so many selections and options to choose from. I want to eat them all!
Took me a long time to make my choice, but I went for the crème brulee and the strawberry tart, some classic desserts. The crème brulee is torched as you order it, so the top is nice and caramelized. Strawberry tart was not too sweet and the crust was perfectly baked.
Prices are averaged from $ 3 — $ 7. Staff are very helpful. Only one bathroom in the back for the entire place.
Must come back to try the others!

Wow, this is my new favorite dessert place! I’ve tried a couple of their sweet desserts and my favorites are the crème brûlée, tiramisu, and strawberry fruit tart. The chocolate cakes are too rich for me. Everything, from their décor to the gold smear on their dine-​in plates, is beautiful.

So far, I like this place. The lines could be more organized. This is the reason why I rated it only 3 stars. I was confused as to where I should order and so were a few other people. None of the workers direct you. They just wait until you figure out where to order. Kinda stupid and one of my peeves. But whatever.
Ordered a vanilla latte and it took them FOREVER to make it. Yes, I can see you making it right in front of me with those big shiny machines… but dang… It was good, though! LOL
I have yet to try their pastries. I will come back. Hopefully, I’ll have a better experience and give them a better rating.

I was asked by my hubby to pick the place I wanted to go for coffee and dessert after watching a movie on this Mother’s day. THIS was the best place that came first to my mind. A few blocks away from the theater and I’d been hearing good reviews about the place.
FANCY, FANCY FANCY but COMFY coffee and dessert place.
Once you see the display shelves with different pastries, breads, cookies inside it, you really cant make up your mind which one you will try, they are all ridiculously heavenly looking and mouth watering pieces. The marble counter top and tables added a classiness to the place. The serving tray is very elegant. The place is big in size for a patisserie. It was packed when we stopped by but my hubby managed to grab seats while i was paying in the counter.
There are two register lines, one is at the end of a display case and the other one is in the middle of the display case. You could place your order to any servers, they will get what ever you want even though it is on the other side and your order will be placed on line for register for you. Service is fast and quick. Servers are helpful.
I tried their vanilla bean crème brûlée– it has a mouth lingering taste, the best I have tried. The house blend coffee is alright, their small size cup is really small. My husband had cream bougatsa pastry– it is a flaky bread with not so sweet cream inside, matched perfectly with his cold chocolate drinks as he said. Standard pricing for each but the ambiance will make you feel all the worth.
If you order a take-​out, the dessert bag will make you smile, gift friendly.
Definitely coming back and bringing my girlfriends with me.

I heard about this bakery when it was trending on Unilocal back in December 2015 and bookmarked it right away. I was really happy that I finally got to try this place with my friends this past Saturday evening. There’s also a good amount of seats at the bakery but you have be on the look out for empty seats. It was busy that night and we managed to get seats for a group of four people.
There are bunch of desserts that I wanted to try such as the tiramisu, lava cake, macarons, raspberry tart, etc. But, I decided to get the chocolate pralina because the light blue colored glaze/​frosting on the cake caught my attention (BTW, my favorite color is blue too). It’s a light chocolate sponge cake with semi-​sweet chocolate mousse with chocolate glaze. It was very good. I also got to try my friends’ desserts too (i.e. crème brûlée cheesecake, melody cake, and craquelino cake) and they were all great as well.
I’m definitely coming back here to get my dessert fix again. :)

3.5÷5
Wanted to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom and family a day early so that it would be extra special. Instead of getting a cake from where I usually do, I decided to get something different from elsewhere. The French Workshop has been in my bookmarks for awhile, and I’ve been dying to go there ever since. My long awaited opportunity came today, so I hopped on the Q13 bus, and I was soon on my way. Upon arrival, staff are very friendly and greet you. Behind the counters, chefs decorate pastries that were fresh out of the oven. Tin boxes, chocolate candies and candy lollipops lined the wall, giving off the impression of a vintage candy store. The whole place was alive.
Uh, did today’s cloudy weather forecast the disappointment that would ensue? Do not misunderstand: service was excellent (the woman who assisted me wasn’t condescending and pleasant to talk to), but take caution when selecting a few of the baked goods here to try. Looks can be deceiving – you have been warned.
The enticing Lemon Tart that I had ordered did not live up to expectations. The crust of the Lemon Tart was dry and as hard as an over-​baked cookie. The cream topping and lemon filling tasted heavy, and I felt nauseous eating the tart. Altogether, it was just too damn sweet for me.
On the other hand, the Strawberry Fruit Tart did not disappoint. A generous layer of neatly arranged strawberries (can’t complain about that) topped the Madagascan vanilla patisserie cream filling in the tart. The same woman who helped me reassured me that the Strawberry Fruit Tart was freshly baked from the morning. The crust was hard, but the generous vanilla cream filling was tasty. Both my mother and grandmother loved it.
As I was waiting for the Strawberry Fruit Tart to be packaged, I happened upon a sample of chocolate on the counter. It was delicious, but I’ve had better. Still, I can’t wait to try out other varieties next time.
I can’t help but feel that The French Workshop could do better. The pastry chefs should experiment with the fruit tarts a little more. Simply dumping cream or glazed fruits on tarts is not gonna cut it. And please, work on those crusts! ;-;

This is a swanky looking bakery. Nice and clean. More seating space than your average bakery. And plenty of goodies for sale.
This was an after dinner spot. They’re open late, daily till 11pm. Which is nice. The staff were super nice and welcoming. Next time I’ll sit instead of taking it to go.
I bought a box of macarons. Strawberry, vanilla, coffee, and lemon. They were delicious. Even my picky daughter enjoyed them.
Also bought a piece of crème Brulee cheesecake for my son’s Birthday. It did not disappoint.
I wanted to try many more pastries but given we just ate, I just couldn’t. I also brought home two mini halumi rolls. And a roll of olive bread. Freshly made, still warm.
But my all time favorite item so far was the Mille Feuille. OMG, it was crunchy on the top and bottom. In between was a thick layer of soft cream. Custard like but not heavy. It was light and really enjoyable. Reminds me of eating toffee to. Sweet and crunchy, like the outside of the almond rochers.

This place embodies everything that’s good in the world… at least for me lol. I stopped by on a recent visit to NYC and purchased a few items for me and my family to try. Let me just say I can’t remember exactly what the bakery looks like inside because the minute I saw the magic behind the display cases, all else ceased to exist. I remember it being bright, airy, and clean and it smelled like love and goodness. Beyond that I have no idea. I guess there were tables and chairs?
My favorite item that I tried would have to be the Crunchy. All of the elements just worked so well together: the cake, the rich chocolate that covered everything, the mousses, the gianduja. It was such a beautiful experience to eat it. I was able to try the tiramisu as well, which was very good. It didn’t have much of a ladyfinger presence or maybe the ladyfingers were fully saturated with the coffee, but I did wish for more texture.
I bought my brother a raspberry tart and he hoovered it down before I could ask him to try it so I guess it was good. He said it was «poppin.» He deliberately ate it all before I could ask for some. At the store I sampled the cranberry walnut bread and since they had it fresh out of the oven I bought one for my parents. It was delicious, although I did prefer the sweet bread I sampled. Both would be good plain or maybe with a little butter or cheese.
Of course I wanted to buy every single thing in the store but I had to show some restraint, which means this place is now on my «must» list every time I’m in NYC. The young ladies who work there were so nice and helpful and welcoming. They patiently answered all of my questions. I was also very impressed with their take out presentation. The bag and little boxes look like they came from a jewelry store (see my pics).
The prices are pretty good considering how big the portions are. You’d be hard pressed to finish one of their desserts by yourself in one sitting. This is probably my favorite bakery of all time!

My friends and I went here because it looked really cute from the outside. My friend also told me that her friend recommended this place to her. We got really excited by the different variety of desserts! Unfortunately, we were just there and didn’t know where to go to order. Just stood in front of the register in the middle of the bakery while the staff just stared at us. We finally got some help and boy were they unfriendly.
The bakery itself is very nice and it was clean. We ordered the pistachio mille feuille, crème brûlée cheesecake, apple crumbled pie, white chocolate mocha and a regular coffee. I’m sorry, French Workshop! But I am NOT a fan. The cheesecake should not deserve that crème brûlée name! No cracking but it was very sticky. I was extremely disappointed with the apple crumble pie as well as the pistachio mille feuille. My taste buds were confused because my eyes tell me everything looks and will taste delicious…
As for parking, you’ll only find metered street parking. You can try and find parking in the residential area but good luck!

Walking into the French Workshop makes me feel at ease. Everything from the large windows to the marbled floors/​tables make me want to stay here forever. They have a counter where you can pick out your pastries; breads on the left and pastries on the right. Being the curious one, I had to look over everything before I made a selection (and trust me they have a lot to offer).
This is where their good customer service kicked in: I was obviously looking a bit loss and the staff offered me free bread and cookies to try. They were not samplers piece but the whole cookies that they were selling by the pound. The cookies was definitely buttery and the chocolate bread sampler was really good (bought some home to eat later that evening). We also got some pastries to share there. Here are the goodies:
The Melody: My favorite: Tasted like a giant ferrero rocher! Crunchy on the bottom and creamy up top (I think they put a mini crème brûlée inside the pastry)
Gruyère Cheese Bread: SO GOOD. We got really lucky and bought the last one they had. Huge and cheesy, soft stretchy bread. If there were more, I would have definitely gotten more home.
They had mini pastries if you didn’t want to fully indulge (for 75 cents a piece). We got the mini apple turnover and the mini cream croissants. Definitely good if you want to satisfy your sweet cravings with something not as big but these were not my favorite.
Still, I really enjoyed this place. From the ambiance to the staff, they really make you feel warm at home. You can also watch the pastry chefs hone in their skills in the back (they have an open kitchen). Would I come back here? Definitely!

A dessert spots like the French Workshop is much needed in the immediate Bell Boulevard area. Just unfortunate that it really did not meet expectations for a french bakery. The décor is beautifully designed from the marble tables to the bright, crisp lightings. Ideal spot for dates.
I was happy to find Crème Brulee here at first, however, was very disappointed. I get crème brûlée almost all the time whenever I see it on the menu, either at a restaurant or at a dessert spot, so from my experiences I believe I can make a fair judgement. Texture of the custard was inconsistent and very clumpy. Not to mention, it way too thick to be considered a custard. The excessive vanilla bean did not make it any better. Not to mention, it had a strong yolk taste. Don’t order this.
Tiramisu. I am not at all a tiramisu fan overall but I thought this dessert was okay. I liked the espresso taste but it was all the way in the bottom. It would be great if the chocolate, cinnamon, and espresso tastes are equally distributed.
I am interested in the french baguettes here which I will have to try next time.

I had to visit twice to make sure I wasn’t crazy. If the name of the place has the word French in it, shouldn’t the pastries at least taste French? Don’t get me wrong, all the pastries looked «French» but oddly, they didn’t taste very French. The other issue I found was everything was so sweet, I love me some sweets but when I eat something and my brain wants to kick me, then it is an issue. I know the owner is Greek and his family runs Artopolis in Astoria, which is hugely popular, and he was a grad of the French Culinary Institute but I didn’t really feel like these were French desserts. Also, I know Bell is a major hub for things to eat, but I found the pastries to be on the pricey side. I do, however, love the setup and the décor, it is a nice place to visit and eat in, I really liked the clean and modern vibe.
The food:
Tiramisu– Tiramisu cream from Mascarpone and espresso. To start, I know this isn’t a French dessert but I have had it in other French bakeries and I enjoyed it. So, this is one of their popular sellers and it looked great but I was not sold. The only thing I could really taste was whipped cream, coco powder and the bottom had a little smidge of espresso. The tiramisu was too sweet for me, it tasted liked flavored air and the tiramisu was topped off with white chocolate meringue that didn’t add much in terms of flavor nor texture. I was also kinda surprised the middle didn’t have a cake element or Lady Fingers, or maybe it just wasn’t noticeable because I just remember eating bite after bite of whipped cream.
Raspberry Tart– Sable biscuit, with Madagascan vanilla patisserie cream and fresh raspberries. It did look absolutely amazing but it was just OK. It was one of the prettier tarts I have had but I wasn’t crazy about their patisserie cream and I wasn’t a fan of their crust. The crust was too hard and it was dry, it didn’t leave a good mouth feel.
Crunchy– Vanilla sponge cake, white chocolate mouse, dark chocolate cream, milk and dark chocolate ganache, caramelized hazelnuts and milk chocolate glaze. This was made well, I did enjoy the flavor but it was really sweet.
Crème Brûlée– Crispy caramelized crème Brûlée cream. The sugar crust had a nice, crackly crust which was great but the custard was off and there wasn’t a lot of flavor. The big thing that bugged me was the consistency, it felt more like pudding than custard.
Mini Hazelnut Pralina Croissant– This was my fav out of the mini croissants, it had a good, crunchy outer and the flavor was nice.
Mini Apple Cinnamon Croissant– The apple and cinnamon was just OK.
Mini Cream Croissant– The custard was lacking in flavor and I didn’t like the texture of the croissant.

The French Workshop is an upscale bakery on the corner of Bell Blvd and 39^th Ave. The inside is very well done: fancy, sleek and all their desserts have a sincere artisan appeal that you don’t find in just any bakery.
I tried the crème brûlée — tasty, rich, with the perfect consistency. They serve it slightly cold here, not room temperature which was okay in my opinion. I prefer it at room temperature but nevertheless really enjoyed it. I also tried the soft bite sized chocolate chip cookie things. Forgot what they’re called but I’ll definitely be back for more next time.
Jessica A and I came late Sunday afternoon and the place was poppin. They have a decent amount of seating and we were able to grab a table to stay. Also, if you don’t finish your dessert, they will happily give you a box to take it home (including the ceramic dish that it’s baked in).
The guy taking our order was so helpful and patient while we decided. I didn’t interact with all the staff but they all seemed very pleasant and attentive. Except for the woman with the purple hair at the register… she rang us up and was so unnecessarily rude. I hope that isn’t her regular attitude because it certainly doesn’t fit in with the rest of the atmosphere.
Definitely a fan and will return next time I’m in the area. Try it.