Aura Bakery & Coffee Bar

Coffee and tea are delish. Interior is spacious. Customer service is hit and miss. The sweets are good most of the time depending on the day and time of day. Worth checking out though cuz it’s a cute place and if you’re in Kirkland.

Great bakery finally in diet own Kirkland. Fresh bakeries and nice sandwiches menu. The coffee is also one of the best I have ever tried. Very clean place and wonderful staff. Many tasty desserts too that all are made fresh Great owners too and they are always there.

This place has he best coffee I have ever had! Their macaroons are always fresh and taste amazing, if you want a good cup of coffee and are craving something sweet, this is the place to go!

This is a nice coffee shop to meet up with friends and enjoy some tasty pastries. I found the staff to be a little indifferent. I ordered a pear Danish which was really good. It was quite large. It was soft and fresh tasting. Some can be dry and flaky but not this one. I also ordered a chai tea latte which was also good. It wasn’t too sweet and had a nice flavor. I noticed that their pastry selection was a little low when I arrived around 10:30.
The interior is large, bright and clean. Again, this place is well suited for meeting friends. I didn’t notice a lot of outlets so not sure if it is a great place to try to get any work done.
Street parking can be hard to come by but across the street and behind the buildings there is a parking lot that you can park in between 9 – 5 at least on weekdays. You can then walk up a set of stairs and then just walk down the street a little ways to the crosswalk and across the street. I drove around for 16 minutes looking for a spot on the street! This lot was a convenient find.

Third time here, finally got their tiramisu before it’s sold out! Sweetness is just about right, good price and presentation!

This place has amazing selection of everything crepes sweets, salty, pastry and everything is yummy. Parking is sometimes a challenge during peak hours but it is totally worth the walk

I went to Aura’s today because it’s one of the few places open on New Years. I have been before and was satisfied with my experience. Today I got an almond croissant and am very disappointed. First the presentation of the actual croissant is sloppy. It looks like it’s a mush of food instead of in a croissant shape. I started eating it and the first couple bites were ok. The outside is a bit too crispy like it had been slightly burnt. Then I got to the middle and felt like I was eating cold uncooked doughy mush. I thought it was just that one spot so ate around it but as soon as I picked off all the over crispy outside, the interior was mushy, uncooked and not at all appetizing.
I’m not sure if Aura’s has been getting so many rave reviews that they’re now getting sloppy but if they want to maintain their good review status they need to put some effort in their pastries.
I did give Aura’s a 2 star because their coffee is really good, probably the best in town. I guess I’ll just come here for the coffee.

For food lovers…
Get ready for exotic and most incredible pastry experience.
Espresso and cappuccino will take you to Brazil, Paris, and Rome.

My friend and I went here for the first time based on the Unilocal reviews. It didn’t disappoint! There’s plenty of seating which is nice. I had the coconut cake with soy vanilla latte. They have tons of little french pastry options. Would have loved to try them all! The employees were nice, as well as, the owner. He said his chef was trained in French pastry school (forgot the name). There’s no parking lot so we parked in the lot diagonally across from them.

I have had the pleasure of trying out tons of stuff from their bakery! All amazing. Came in today and had a turkey and cheese croissant with a white chocolate mocha. The croissant was crispy on the outside and soft and buttery on the inside. While lacking a bit in cheese it satisfied my appetite while being delicious. The coffee was solid. Better than Starbucks but not the best I have had. Huge tv screen to watch the Seahawks games. Chances are they will almost always be playing them here. My one major complaint is that these guys close too early for my taste. Most of the other coffee shops close 10 – 11 on most days but somehow these guys decide to close around 7? Stay open later so I can give you my money! Also compared to lots of places the pastries here are perfectly priced. Soon the quiche will be mine!

Aura’s baristas put the art into coffee. Beautiful presentation matched by delicious tasting coffee. Pastries are also excellent, but are slightly over baked for my taste. The extra crispy croissants could be the baker’s style choice, but whatever your preference, quality is high and flavor is delicious! Servers could be far more welcoming, but Aura is highly recommended.

Aura is a cute little bakery that’s on the outskirts of Downtown Kirkland. I went to Aura for their macarons, since a friend recommended me to check out the colorful little pastries.
Inside the restaurant, it’s pretty spacious and filled with tables. On the left of when you go in you’ll see glass containers filled with delicious pastries calling out to you. I only got the macarons and they come to $ 1.75 for each 1.5−2inches in diameter worth of macarons. They are a bit pricy but they were delicious. The macarons were a pretty pastel color and were not too sweet to eat.
When i’m around next time, i’ll be sure to check out their other pastries.

I came here for the crepês and I’m glad I did. I don’t go to bakeries and coffee shops that much, but lately I’ve been going ever since my visit to Aura. I was craving for crepês one day and saw that there was a bakery/​coffee shop in Downtown Kirkland that serves it.
I ordered «The Classic» which has Nutella, Banana, and whipped cream on the side. For this plate, it’s $ 10. WHAT?! Compared to the crepê places in Seattle and one in Redmond, I could get a crepê like this for at least $ 5-​$ 6. But it was crazy that they charged it more. Despite the price, it was really good, but I’m probably not going to buy it again. I’ll definitely come back though and hopefully try their coffees, macarons, and their famous Almond croissant that everyone has been gushing about!

First most I’m a coffee snob, Aura Bakery has amazingly good coffee. It’s in my top 5 places to get coffee in the Seattle Metropolitan area. If that wasn’t enough to go there for the amazing coffee, they have amazing fresh baked French pastries. On that note this is a place that freshly bakes there pastries; mornings are your best hours to have a selection, by afternoon the case will be slim pickings.
This is a family own and ran bakery. The staff is friendly and greet you when you come in.
Can’t have a better location being on the main drag of Kirkland on 85^th and Lake Washington BLVD. They are always busy, being one of eight coffee shops in a two block radius I would choose this one.

I can see why people love this place so much. I got several pastries to go on a Sunday afternoon, and after a brief wait I had a pain as chocolate, a raspberry tart and a chocolate éclair in my grubby little hands. Yum! The croissant pastry was crispy and flaky on the inside and soft and buttery on the inside. I didn’t have the éclair but I was told that it was really good, and we split the tart. Om nom indeed.
Admittedly it was pretty pricey for what I got, and pretty loud and crowded in there, so I won’t be going there too often, but it was definitely worth it for an occasional tasty treat.
Parking can be hard to come by when it’s busy.

Mmmmmm stopped here to check it out with my friends Libbie and Amit.
Cute as a button and wonderful choices.
I’ll be back!:)

Been here twice now, once in the afternoon and once in the morning. Pastries are seriously picked through in the afternoon. In the morning, they are bringing out freshly baked bread. Pastries look serious. Go in the morning.
On the first visit, we tried the canele and the chocolate almond croissant. Canele was excellent. I don’t have much experience with this so it’s not a stretch to say it’s the best I’ve ever had. I’ve only ever had three but two of those three have now come from independent French bakeries. Third came from La Boulange, enough said. Chocolate almond croissant was nothing to write home about, sadly. We had our hopes up but it was only a little above average.
Second visit we bought a plain croissant just to try, pour over coffee and some macarons. Plain croissant was not magical but was definitely good quality. Needed more crunch on the outside and fluffiness on the inside, but very buttery. Pour over was very good although like most pour overs, a bit sour for me. I have only tried one macaron so far, but not impressed. Texture decent, but no flavor. These are cheaper than Lady Yum’s though and about the same quality.
Definitely would come back though to try other pastries/​bread.

This is long overdue but lets jump right into it.
Lets start with the coffee side of things. This is probably the best coffee you will have in the Seattle area. Carolos (the owner and main barista) really knows his stuff. The coffee shop first started off with intelligentsia coffee but now has expanded to Kuma and others. The traditional 6oz cappuccino is my go to. He usually has both an espresso blend and a single origin in his grinders, I would recommenced a single origin because of the distinction of notes, and if you have not made your calorie count for the day make that a breve drink (Made with half and half milk instead of whole).
On to the baked good. My go to for this would have to be the double baked almond croissant. Its perfectly baked and complements the coffee very well. Other favorites would be the caneles, apple strudel or regular butter croissant heated with butter and jam.
The food. If you need something more than just baked good you should order the croquet madam. This french sandwich is to die for. Its an interesting twist on a ham and cheese sandwich that includes and egg cooked into the bread. Just order one and thank me later.
Lastly I wanted to note the environment. The seating is comfortable and the tables are alright. The open kitchen concept is really cool because you see how this stuff is really made from end to end. My only complaint is I would like the place to be a bit more cozy. Also there is a fairly large television screen that I have never witnessed turned on. It seems like a waste of wall space.
I will continue to come here and recommend this place to everyone. Awesome spot, great customer service and amazing treats.

Had I written this review on my first visit, Aura would have received a five star rating. However, my second visit proved to have inconsistencies.
The first time I came here, I ordered a (toasted) turkey & cheddar croissant and a few macarons. At the time, I considered Aura to make the best croissants in all of town — flakey on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside. The thinly sliced turkey breast was covered in a sheet of melted cheddar. Out of the huge selection of macarons, I tried the passion fruit and chocolate. They were fresh, flavorful, and fairly inexpensive.
And here’s where things take a turn. Because I was so obsessed with the turkey & cheddar croissant, I just had to get it again on my second visit. Instead of the buttery croissant I previously had, the pastry was burnt and greasy. After dissecting my pastry in order to remove some of the dry turkey, I discovered that there was absolutely no cheese.
I want to love this place. I really do. But with its inconsistencies, I most likely won’t be returning. Better luck next time!

For great French pastries in Kirkland, check out Aura Bakery in downtown Kirkland. It is centrally located on Central Way at the main intersection in that area.
There are a few free parking lots nearby or there tends to be plenty of street parking on the side streets. Aura has been open since fall 2013 so it is a recent addition to the neighborhood and offers up an alternative to The French Bakery a few streets up.
The bakery is quite spacious. A good meeting place with plenty of seating and free Wi-​Fi. The selection is pretty comprehensive as they have breads, pastries, desserts and café food. They also offer coffee beverages using Intelligentsia Coffee.
I was in the area for a meeting down the road, so I stopped by Aura to grab a couple pastries beforehand. I got an apple strudel ($ 3.25) and almond croissant ($ 3.75) to go.
What struck me after paying for my baked goods was that they were so heavy! The pastries here are huge. Some French bakeries make pastries that are small but pretty, while others go for value. This place falls in the latter category. You will get your money’s worth here.
The apple strudel particularly was monstrous and filling. One of these and coffee would make for a satisfying breakfast. The almond croissant is quite good here too. It is comparable to the one at Bakery Nouveau, except you don’t need to make the trek across the water. Though if I had to compare the two, I still say Bakery Nouveau is better in terms of quality. But Aura is the best alternative for Bakery Nouveau on the Eastside.
If you are looking for French pastries and café fare in downtown Kirkland, I recommend Aura since the food and ambiance here is nice.