Benjamin French Bakery Cafe

Tres bien! I brought three teens here for an afternoon snack and coffee. There was a nice selection of coffee drinks, crepes, and pasteries. They also have wine and candies. I was thinking it was a bit pricy but now that I think about it, it’s probably on par with S’bucks. I feel better about spending my money here at a local place rather than a chain.

Love walking here and having a cup of coffee and ham and cheese croissant. The atmosphere is lovely and very friendly staff.

Good. I enjoyed their croissant sandwich but the salads I’ve had there are too heavy on the cheese but that’s French for ya. Authentic. Higher than average pricing. I’ll be back to try pastries/​coffee.

Super cute place with lots of delicious options. We stopped in while passing by. I had mint tea & my friend had regular cup of coffee. Tea was delicious. Coffee was nice & strong.
They are quite limited on outdoor seating, but I side was cute too. We will definable be back for food and/​or pastries as everything we saw looked very tasty & fresh.

Perfect breakfast and lunch spot, with a delightful French menu of light fare food, including coffee and pastries.
Ham and Swiss cheese croissant with a scrambled egg was stuffing with the added protein. French baguette with smoked salmon, dill-​lemon cream, cucumber, tomato, and mixed green salad was pure as well.
Outdoor seating is available at this authentic and exclusionary scene with a foreign feel.
Favorite French family owned Orlando bakery with quality food. Bön appétit.

1. Food:
a) Omelet: Flavor was okay. The texture and the way it was made made me wonder if it was microwaved?
b) Croissant: Delicious, light and fluffy. I definitely recommend the pastries
d) Americano: Flavor was okay.
2. Décor: Cute little café in downtown Orlando
3. Price: Higher than average
4. Service: Good.

First time checking out this authentic French bakery. You will not be disappointed. The friendly lady who helped me had a French accent and I knew at that point it was going to be great.
They offer an assortment of what you’d expect from such a bakery. All manner of croissants and pastries. Coffee was alright. I had a cappuccino and the espresso tasted a bit burnt/​dull. But the almond croissant was yummy. And I had a Croque-​Madame that was pretty good.
Overall feel was authentic with a sprinkling of modernism and the slightly confused bakery décor.
If anything the pastries and sweet French women will have me coming back.

My favorite little spot in Thornton Park! Amazingly fresh (and strong!) coffee. Croissants are light and fluffy. Fruit tart is definitely worth a try but a little pricey. Great service!
Update: the Le Bordeaux is UNREAL

So after a long night of drinking scotch and smoking cigars with friends that ended at the new Red Mug Diner, I woke up in the in the afternoon and absolutely needed a cappuccino and some breakfast. I wandered around the Farmer’s Market at Lake Eola and walked up to Thorton Park. I found the Benjamin French Bakery Café and voilà, le paradis sur terre!
A display of beautiful croissants and the smell of espresso greeted my hung over body. I ordered some coffee, a vanilla croissant and a spinach and feta crêpe. They have one of those automatic orange juice machines where they put oranges in the top and they are squeezed into juice right before your eyes. Add that to the order unless you hate delicious fresh orange juice.
Sat outside and watched all the people coming and going to the farmer’s market, and listening to the music coming out of the bar across the street.
The cappuccino was just what I needed and it only got better. The croissant was perfectly flaky and not overly sweet or too buttery, in other words, not American at all, and just like the ones in Paris. The crêpe was also perfectly understated with a delicate blend of flavor. It also came with a spring mix side salad topped with slivered almonds and just a touch of balsmic vinegarette dressing. Phenomenal.
So, if you are looking for a grand slam breakfast or an egg McMuffin, stay the hell away from this place. This is an authentic French bakery café. I have been lucky enough to spend a few weeks in Paris, and I’m telling you, this is the real deal. Oh, and they even have a real live France girl working the front counter. I don’t know where they got her from, probably some place in Europe or something.

Awesome place, delicious food and deserts! I recommend the Crème Brulee and the Neopolitan Croissant.
Only problem is that the music stinks, it definitely takes away from the atmosphere. They should play some old French music or just some oldies in general.

My favorite café in Thornton Park! All the sandwiches are amazing. Try the lemonade. You won’t regret it.

Decent little corner spot in Thorton Park for a coffee or a mimosa and some quiche or breakfast pastry. Highly recommended — fresh squeezed OJ mimosa!

I am only giving this place because the iced coffee was pretty strong which is what I am always looking for. The young girl working the cashier making drinks was very short and rude. I simply asked her a question about one of the desserts and she made me feel stupid like I was bothering her! I think this place has a lot of potential if they hire the right staff. They had a lot of goodies in their case that looked good. I can’t say I’d go out of my way to come here again.

People spoke French. Spanish. A silver Eiffel Tower with rhythmic sparkling lights adorned the entrance. The pastries and desserts were displayed like colorful jewels.
How much do I like Benjamin? I walked to it every single day I was in Orlando, passing through beautiful, swan-​rich Lake Eola Park.
I sing the praises of the salmon quiche, a masterful layering of lemon and fish and creaminess and buttery crust. It was heavenly and fueled me well for a long day. The omelette also deserves high praise, it was the real deal, like your French grandmother would make.
They are quite good at baguettes and croissants, as they should be. Macarons, perfection.
You can sit in the window and watch a very interesting world go by. My favorite was the pink haired girl in a mustard yellow coat – or maybe the English lady with two, count them two, Rottweilers, who she was teaching street manners and safety with praise and treats.

My wife, daughter and I stopped in yesterday for something sweet to bring home for dessert and possibly a breakfast pastry for the morning. When we walked in, we were not greeted by the person behind the counter. We poked around for a little bit before we decided on some chocolates that were not made by the bakery. The girl behind the counter seemed irritated that we were there, but we were still customers. We decided that we would try something made at the bakery to take home and ordered 6 canels. It seemed like it was more of nuisance to have her do more work. Maybe it is true french style and her bad attitude was a true replica of the people in France, but she had no accent, so I’ll just assume she just hates her job.
To add insult to injury, we tried the canels and every one tasted burnt and dry. Now, I know that canels are supposed to have a caramelized/​brownish outside, but they should never taste burnt. I am all about supporting small business, but when the cashier is in a crappy mood and the pastries we tried were crappy, I can only hope that management takes this criticism constructively and fixes the problems. Locals support local business in Thornton Park. You lost a customer.

Came yesterday afternoon in hopes of trying a cronut. Grateful to get one of the few parking spots behind the bakery. When I got to the counter I did not see any any cronuts and asked the young lady working the counter if there were any more. Her response was a rather short and flat, «No.» I felt like I should not have even asked.
I ended up getting a vanilla croissant and eating it a few hours later. The croissant was slightly buttery and not very crispy. Filling was less than generous and had a subtle vanilla taste.
Overall, the experience was disappointing and I probably won’t come back.

FOOD
I ordered a full omelette not knowing that it would be enough food. I had ordered a chocolate croissant with my meal, which by itself can be served as a light breakfast. The chocolate croissant was flaky though I wish they served it warm (next time, next time). Because it was cold, the flavors of chocolate and butter did not really shine! There was a tiny streak of chocolate but not enough to really pay extra for it. I can honestly say I have had higher quality croissants.
The omelette was very interesting. I ordered mozzarella, ham, and spinach as fillings. It tasted fresh — just enough sodium — and all ingredients were flavorful. The texture of the omelette, though, made me wonder how it was prepared because it looked like it came out of a microwave mold. I think I may be used to runny egg omelettes.
I would love to come back and try the chocolates as well as the other pastries on display. They look magnificent.
ATMOSPHERE
I didn’t know anything about the café so I chatted with the lady at the front to find out some info. Its a family owned and operated business. They are from the south of France.
It is a very casual environment. Food is served on plastic plates. The café certainly exudes simplicity in a very chic and beautiful way… Lovely outdoor seating — perfect for warmer weather brunch. I love how close the location is to Lake Eola.
This french café is looks like a little house in Key West. Quaint!
LOCATION
Thornton Park. Lots of trees and people walking dogs. Just a beautiful neighborhood overall!
SERVICE
The lady at the front was kind. Not exceptionally warm but definitely not like what other reviews have mentioned.

4 Stars for buttery croissants, fabulous little desserts, and a chocolate bacon pastry that will be the death of me.
Love the location of Benjamin’s– right in the heart of Thornton Park with outdoor seating for ultimate brunch people/​dog watching. Parking may be hard to come by on a beautiful weekend morning, but it’ll be worth it!
I’ve had an assortment of French pastries here and have enjoyed each and every one (with no big exceptions). I adore the glitter glaze they use on the mini fruit tarts– it makes them perfect gifts with some extra sparkle!
In terms of savory, I’d recommend the spinach and feta croissant sandwich (warm). It’s messy (as croissants should be), but heavenly! Just the right amount of filling! I’ve also had the egg, ham, and cheese croissant sandwich and it wasn’t offensive at all, but somehow tasted a bit bland and just felt too heavy with the flaky pastry. I’ll be sticking to the spinach next time since it was the favorite of our group.
Overall, I’m a fan. Definitely my go-​to for French desserts (again– perfect for gifts) over some other spots that have even less parking and don’t have a comparable outdoor seating area.

In two minds about this place. Came here for coffee and to hang out with a local friend based on the other great Unilocal reviews. However for me, the coffee beans tasted burnt and had a bitter finish. The roast was obviously stronger than I expected and I wish they’d give warning as I prefer a lighter roast myself. Secondly I paid for a large cappuccino and yet top third of my coffee cup was empty — not cool.
But the ambience was really nice and laid-​back, so I might come back for the sandwiches another time. The croissant was also pretty decent and would purchase again — Just not the coffee!

Very good french bakery. Everything is top notch and nothing has been a disappointment. I always end up spending more money than I want to here though.
La Bastia is a truly hidden gem and I crave this sandwich every once and a while.