French Memories

This place is quite far from Cambridge, but with all the good reviews, and the advertised fact that Jean-​Jacques, the baker, is from France, I’d been toying with the idea of visiting it for a while. I finally had the dreamt of occasion on President’s day.
It was a huge disappointment. The pastries are horrible. The place is dirty, and the drinks are tasteless. The customer just before me returned her chai latte. Five minutes after we entered they started bleaching the floors; it smelled terrible.
Of course it’s hard to do good French pastries (and of course it’s going to be hard to match my own French memories; I moved to the US a year and a half ago). Still, Clear Flour in Brookline does a pretty good job with croissants. This place, on the other hand, is just bad.
I can’t say anything about the bread; they had run out when I visited.

This is my favorite place to grab something yummy on the go!

I have been dreaming about French macarons since Paris and the amazing ones I’d had at Tart Sweets near where I went to school. Searched for places that sold it on South Shore and went right in. Was extremely thrown first by their appearance since they were very misshapen. Still excited and trying to rationalize, I ordered a few different flavors from the apathetic server.
For a FRENCH BAKERY and as a touchstone of French baked goods, these macarons are shockingly awful. In appearance, texture, and taste, they are in Timbuktu they are so off. Look monstrous and with no consistency like a kindergartner made them, were grainy, almost sticky, hard to chew, and all wrong, and taste was barely there, so odd, and yucky. Even those who haven’t tasted the delicate, crunch outside then melt-​in-​your-​mouth sweetness would never think these are good. They should in no NO WAY be called MACARONS.
No effort, no love, and as a French bakery you know they know better. For such a cute place and great location, so beyond disappointing. Their macaron memory must be real far in the rearview.

While visiting for a wedding, I wondered what the breakfast options would be in this quiet, charming small town of Cohasset. I was very pleasantly surprised to find this french bakery right across from the popular wedding venue Red Lion.
I stopped in for an almond croissant — there were many other tempting desserts but I was just there to pick up a bite for breakfast. The croissant seemed just a tiny bit overbaked, but the inside was still rich and dense.
Service was prompt and friendly, and there was a good amount of seating to accommodate the locals and visitors dropping in for breakfast.

A delightful little French bakery in the heart of town. Love the almond croissants. Also great chocolates, cakes and pies. Very good pre made dinners albeit a little pricey. They also make sandwiches for lunch. There are tables for 15 – 20 inside and 8 – 10 outside when weather permits. It is also adjacent to a small park that provides a place to enjoy pastry and latte. It is as much a café as a bakery. My sister in law loves their ham and cheese croissants as well.

I went here for the first time today, so I don’t know if they were having an off day or if my experience was normal. My first impression was that it was dirty. Dirty in that way where you’re wondering what the heck the food prep area must look like if this is what they show to customers. There were even weird stains on the ceiling that looked like mold.
My sandwich, chicken salad, tasted good, but it looked like the knife used on it hadn’t really been cleaned before making my sandwich because there was some cranberry sauce on the bread. Also, the sandwich was served in a wooden basket lined with wax paper, which seemed charming at first. But then I dropped some of my sandwich on the wooden part and realized that this material probably couldn’t really be cleaned ever.
That aside, the service was lackluster. I felt rushed, wasn’t given the opportunity to order drinks, and never got the almond croissant I tried to order. With all of this, plus the nausea that kicked in within an hour after leaving, I don’t think I’ll be giving it a second chance.

I was surprised at how dirty the shop was. Sure it doesn’t smell bad and there isn’t trash everywhere, but when you look at the displays, the trays look like they haven’t been washed, the windows look like they have build up both on the inside and the outside and the stations where the food is prepared doesn’t look like it’s kept very well. Sure, they might be passable enough for a health inspector, but I like to see food places put a little more effort into the presentation of the storefront. Otherwise I get concerned about how bad things are in the areas that are out of sight.
Anyway, let’s get to the food part. I had very good cookies from them. I’ve never heard of an orange cookie before and I tried a chocolate chip orange cookie. Highly recommended. I also had a white chocolate chip cookie which was very good. My co-​worker told me about their macaroons & I’m sure she said she’s had about 20 of them in all their flavors.
While I didn’t buy food from them, I noted that they sell reasonably priced sandwiches in addition to the various desserts. They also have a nice little sitting area outside and the store itself is relatively spacious.
I understand they’re probably going for a small neighborhood café concept. But you don’t need to sacrifice cleanliness for charm. Being pristine and having character are not mutually exclusive.

Whenever I go home to visit this is one of my favorite spots to veg out. For one I love their croque monsieur. It is so good and made fresh every day. The cheese melts just right and is a little piece of heavenly cheesy goodness. The pastries are delicious but I’m always a suckered for the dark chocolate tart. It is so rich and the crust is amazing. Plus the tootie fruitie is to die for. I love their croissants as well. The décor is so cute and quaint. I love the stained glass windows in front, such a cute touch. This place will always hold a special place in my heart because my father and I loved to eat here for breakfast. Since his recent passing, this place sticks as a special memory in my heart. Thank you french memories.

The only memory I have of «French memories» is how my taste buds were so pleased they didn’t know what to do with themselves.
This is a quaint little bakery that is located directly across the street from the Red Lion Inn. This bakery is the Mecca for hands down the BEST Macaroons and Napoleons I have EVER had in my LIFE.
Introduced to this gem by an ex-​boyfriend this truly was the best thing that ever came out of the relationship!
Located in Cohasset, I usually only visit this place after a wedding or if I’m down on the south shore area. (I’m a north shore gal) So it truly is a treat for me when I do get to enjoy their masterpiece pastries!
So if you happen to be in the area be sure stop in and give your taste buds a chance to experience nirvana!

The hidden gem of the south shore. French memories has the best almond croissants! A perfect stop for breakfast on your way to the beach. Service is always friendly and attentive. In the morning there is a line out the door for there blueberry muffins and fresh hot croissants.

This place is.ok.
The good:
Fresh home made breads.
Decent prices for the area.
Average portions
Great tuna :)
Awesome turkey gobbler sandwich
All their pastries are so good
Great coffee and espresso
Counter help is mostly pleasant
There’s always a table open
They have never messed up an order for me
The bad:
Butternut squash soup is chunky and looks like Chile and it’s bland and gross.
Cream of broccoli soup looks like green apple sauce and is not edible. Doesn’t have any cream in it. Just pureed broccoli.
If you get soup, try it first.
Their chocolate just plain sucks. The quality of the kind they use is definitely high end but whatever they put in it kills it. The orange ones made me spit it up. Really gross. I’m a chocolate snob though. So that’s just me.
Flies in the pastry cases. Because they always have the door open.
The ugly:
Décor is very old and mismatched. Looks like they went for a home style cozy vibe.
Their floor/​cases/​everything always looks filthy. I’m sure they clean it but it’s so old it will always look dirty. It just needs replacing.
Got an egg salad sandwich that went sour called to ask when they made it. They said yesterday. I said my sandwich is sour, girl on the phone says «ok thank you» and hangs up… didn’t ask if I wanted something else just hung up. I work in town and we always order out for lunch. FM is kind of last on our list now :(it makes me sad because I’ve always loved going there and getting tuna. But the quality of the food has plummeted in the past few years. Defiantly will try again and hopefully it will be better. I will update my review when I try it a few more times.

Consistently good pastries and croissants. Very good croque monsieur too. And a pleasant place to sit and enjoy coffee. I wish they had some less sweet and buttery options but when I’m ready for the full-​butter croissant this is it.

This place is an institution. Everything about French Memories is perfect. If I could subsist solely on their almond croissants, I would.

It’s a phenomenal bakery for all things pastry. I would mention what I think is the best option… but they go so fast that I simply cannot risk them running out even faster than they currently already do. Save your sugar and butter consumption for here– it’s such a tasty way to indulge.

I had heard this place was great through a friend and was not disappointed. Cute french bakery with reasonable prices. Staff was patient and helpful. The almond croissant was the BEST I have ever had-​better than anything I had in Paris, Nice, etc. I think I actually said «oh my God» when I took my first bite. I also tried the coconut/​pineapple tart and it was good but not great, certainly not as good as the almond croissant. I will definitely be heading back there soon!

THE BEST almond croissants in the world. Ya, I said it. Better then anything I’ve encountered in New York City (where I live) and Paris (where I travel for work). They run out early, so call in advance to put an order aside or get there EARLY!

Great French bakery. They have some cool stuff here that they don’t have at their Duxbury location, and vice versa.

Great place to meet with friends while eating some French patisseries
Just wish they had more pie the French way: fruit only

Cute place that is right at home in its location in the center of Cohasset, a stone’s throw from Cohasset Harbor.
I am more of an Atlantic Bagel person (right down the street), but my Dad and his wife LOVE this place.
As other reviewers have noted, the almond croissant rocks. Also delicious is the strawberry-​filled croissant, and the bacon, egg, cheese croissant. All of it is closer to decadent than healthy, but for a Sunday morning, post-​church treat, why not?

To get it out-​of-​the-​way, this French Memories is different from the ones in Duxbury and Sharon. Those two are owned by a former partner of this original bakery.
This one, however, is probably my favorite French bakery around and it’s definitely worth the trek. They have a variety of foods, such as breads, chocolate truffles, pâté, sandwiches, soups, and prepared meals. However, the croissants and tarts are what’s best about the bakery. The prices are excellent and lower than most places around.
The pain au chocolate is pretty nice, and so is the raisin croissant. However, the apricot (sunburn) croissant and the almond are the best. The sunburn’s flavorful and buttery at the same time. The apricot is a very nice addition to the croissant. The almond croissant has a very nice almond filling with a buttery finish outside. But in general, you can’t go wrong with any of their croissants.
I’ve had their tarts several times and they’re generally good. They’re less fancy than ones at a place like Finale but definitely more authentic. The pear and almond tart is excellent, with neither part too overpowering. The apricot tart isn’t too tart and isn’t too sweet: great balance.
The fruit tart is one of the better ones around, though it doesn’t quite have as much fruit as other bakeries. However, the pastry cream is smooth and not too sweet. And whatever fruit it does have, it fits an authentic French fruit tart (apricots, various berries, etc.). Plus the pastry shell is delicate and not soggy. Don’t go for the linzer tart though, as you should probably get that at a German/​Austrian bakery instead. There’s no almond/​hazelnut taste to this bakery’s offering of a linzer tart.
French Memories has a bit of a rustic, yet authentically French feel to it. That, the freshness, friendly service, lovely location, decent décor, and excellent prices gets a rare perfect score from me. It’s a bit far from Boston but nice to go if you’re going to a beach in the area…