Benjamin French Bakery

Benjamin has reopened in the Thornton Park, Lake Eola Neighborhood on Washington Street. Great bread, croissants, coffee, salads.

This placed closed and was supposed to relocate on Narcoossee Rd. before Christmas 2011 but never opened and the building is up for lease again.

I keep going back for their fresh squeezed orange juice, I just can’t get enough of it! The staff is also super friendly & informative, most of the things they sell are foreign to me, and I was glad when the young girl behind the counter took the time to explain them to me. The only downside is that if you visit during the afternoon, more than likely the pastry you buy will not be fresh, but if you go in the morning, then i definitely suggest it to you.

One bad review wasn’t going to stop me from trying this place! Upon entry the young girl behind the counter asked me if I’d like to try a pastry! Well of course I would, can’t pass up a free mini pastry!
I end up buying an assortment of mini pastries, loved every one of them.
I also bought a egg an bacon kiesh. I heated that up the next day and really enjoyed it. It was loaded with bacon, (they must know my love affair with bacon).
It is a tucked away spot, their surroundings might put you off a bit. But don’t be scared. Head on in, you’ll be pleasantly surprised on how nice it is inside.
Definitely try this place out. It’s either a sit down place and you can order breakfast and lunch. Or you can just run in and pick up what you’re craving. :-)

Another little hidden French bakery! The only complaint I have about this one is it’s out-​of-​the-​way location; otherwise, I’d be here way more than is healthy.
I stopped in quickly while running errands and got a cup of freshly squeezes orange juice (just nothing like it, and so worth the price!) and a few of their mini croissants, each with a different filling (chocolate, vanilla cream, and apple). They were so good they didn’t make it home with me!

This place is a little treasure I must say. I received a helpful tip from a girlfriend to check it out if I was in the area. The bakery offerings are very authentic. I had a cappuccino and several mini croissants including apple and chocolate. They were fresh and buttery and, of course, a little flakey. I also have a few macrons to go which I also enjoyed later.
Staff was great too. I would definitely come by more often if I lived close by. I would love to try their tempting tarts!
I could see these guys as a young cousin to the Croissant Gourmet in Winter Park.

C’est Vraiment Français! This little French, family-​owned business is for real! The owners are from Bordeaux and know something about baking great French bread. The croissant are delish and next time I come back will be looking to try some of their other cakes and tarts.
The owners told me they are planning a move to Lake Nona soon, so I hope they update us with their new digs after they’ve relocated.

My husband and I were on a morning jaunt to the new shops and stores out on East Hoffner and were looking for a place to get a quick bite for breakfast. There’s not a lot out that way since everything is so new, so we weren’t sure what we’d find.
Boy, did we find something wonderful! We stumbled upon BFB completely by accident and wow am I glad we did! Just off Hoffner on Old Goldenrod Rd, BFB has every pastry imaginable, wonderful quiches, sandwiches, crepes… espressos/capuccinos…WOW. I had a ham and cheese croissant and my husband’s pastry was filled with chocolate. The cappuccinos were excellent. As if the food itself isn’t reason enough to make this your next stop for breakfast, the shop itself is ultra groovy, *very* hip and fun. The shop owners are wonderful and so nice. On our second visit I had a vegetarian quiche with broccoli, leek and onion, and my husband had the Croque Monieur, both excellent (and of course, more cappuccino).
Benjamin French Bakery is my new favorite breakfast spot.

After four failed attempts to visit this place, I finally made it for a late breakfast. I expected a few more ‘made-​to-​order’ options, but was pleasantly surprised with the variety of pastries and crêpe concoctions, which more than made up for the lack of a conventional breakfast menu.
I had the breakfast combo which included a fried egg, croissant, and coffee. I’m not a coffee drinker, but Aaron is, and he LOVES Nespresso. Big props to them for having the largest Nespresso machine I have ever seen. The fried egg was cooked perfectly, and I chose to put it inside my croissant. Delish. I also ordered the fresh squeezed OJ, which is worth a trip on its own. So gooooood.
Aaron had the Quiche Lorraine and said it was fantastic.
We paid $ 12 for everything we ordered, and I think that’s a very fair price for the quality of food they have. And it was all very filling.
Before we left, we decided to order the Kiwi tart and Napoleon to go, although Aaron couldn’t wait, and he devoured the tart right there. I had a bite, and it was one of the best I’ve tried. I waited until after dinner to get into my Napoleon, and it was well worth the wait. I’ll be back often for this special treat. It’s my fav.
They also serve a few lunch items. I’m not sure I would go for lunch as they do not seem to offer any vegetarian options, but they do look very tasty nonetheless.

So I’m going to Carnaval in 2 weeks and thought maybe I should try to cut back on the food intake. HOWEVER, my dad asked me out to breakfast and had me meet him here. So needless to say I won’t be breathing in my costume, but it was worth every calorie. You wouldn’t expect to find this gem off of Goldenrod… it is more of a winter park find. However, their loss is our gain, cause it is amazing. The décor is beautiful, inviting, chic, and comfortable. The proprietors have the most adorable french accents and plied us with samples upon walking in. I had a croque monsieur, my father had a baguette and we both brought pastries home. We ordered french cappuccinos which are dark roasted shots of espresso with a dollop of whipped cream. Absolutely divine. I like my espresso rich, dark, and full of caffeine. That’s what it delivered.
Oh and french bread baked fresh daily and it is crusty, warm, and just good olé’ comfort food. In the Caribbean big breakfasts are generally unheard of, you generally walk to your local bakery for a fresh loaf of bread or pastry with espresso. Now I see that the custom was stolen from the Europeans and as far as I am concerned its the only way to go.