Patisserie Valerie

I am here again at this lovely café cum cake shop in deans gate manchester on such a bad day as well but needs must and all of that I had an appointment on st johns street so I had to venture to this neck of the woods as they say ,
Called for lunch and had bangers and mash it was very nice it was a two courses for £9.95 p I had a dessert after cream brulle, both of which I enjoyed just right for a day such as it was snow /​rain ‚
It was not as busy today even for a Friday, the weather may have played a part
I always like it here and always buy a couple of their cakes to take home :-)
Ever so nice if your into cake ‚
The café sits on a corner looking over at kendals department store with water stones next door of which I also visited today ‚
If I maybe so bold I reckon it would be even better if they had a change of crockery and furniture looking a bit faded now like all businesses its a struggle to make it worthwhile, things being tight etc ‚
Well my opinion such as it is but still a reasonable place for lunch enjoy

Patisserie Valerie is on Deansgate, Manchester city centre. When you enter this unit is very small but it does have seating downstairs. It is table service which is pleasant experience. There are that many cakes to choose from that they have a menu with pictures to try and make deciding it a lot easier. You can get some to take away and they occasionally have special offers available.

Before actually visiting, I thought this was a sure 5 star place for me, pastries, cakes, coffee and good people watching facilities (should be a Unilocal check-​in question) however in fair comparison to other similar venues I’ve been to it’s a 4 for now.
Nonetheless, I am still a big fan of this place and thoroughly enjoyed my Flat White and Chocolate Cup Cake. The Cup Cake was incredible, so soft and sweet and just the right amount of frosting. I’m not sure if they are made fresh or bought in, I didn’t get chance to ask, but really I don’t care as it really was heaven.
A swift visit on this occasion but it has a really cosy vibe to it, so I imagine I’ll be visiting frequently in the winter months!

I went here on Sunday for breakfast. I was expecting good things but unfortunately was disappointed.
I love coffee and cakes and so this place seemed like the ideal venue for a Sunday chill. Unfortunately however the place was very busy and noisy and this clearly impacted on the service and quality.
We waited for quite a long time to be able to order, which wouldn’t have bothered me but when the food came it was not particularly great. We ordered coffee, croissant, fruit and yoghurt. The yoghurt was really expensive for what it was — literally yoghurt. The fruit was okay, as was the coffee. The waiter brought the croissant, which was supposed to be hot, and it was just cold and stale. I informed him of this, politely, after taking a bite. He apologised profusely and took it away. Moments later he brought the same pastry back, still with the bite taken out of it, warmed up well but still stale. I was really surprised at this and didn’t bother to mention it as it would have ruined the morning — hassle of complaining etc.
I think that this could potentially have been a great experience however it was kind of ruined. I don’t think I would return in a hurry. I can honestly say that the croissants at Lidl are better!
Maybe I tried the wrong thing, perhaps the cakes are better!

I stop quite often in patisserie valerie to get take away lunch as they have a nice selection of sandwiches and desserts and provide a good alternative to the usual Café Nero, Upper Crust or others!
for the 1^st time I sat in their manchester place to get a hot chocolate and try the chocolate waffle (loads of chocolate I know)! they were ok, nothing amazing really.
Not sure I will go again as for the same price there are a number of other cafes in Manchester that do a much better job!
I might still stop for my favourite pecan tart take away though :)

I feel this place is mere average… Everything on display looks good and very tempting but I wouldn’t waste time headin here over more local private tea/​patisserie/​cake cafes!
After dining out one night we weren’t fussed by the desserts offered in the restaurant so we wanted somewhere for something sweet… Struggling to find something open in the evening to satisfy our sweettooth, we settled for here! After sampling the ice cream and the waffles I have to say I was left saddened that I’d wasted this huge calorie intake!
Still a newbie in manchester this is the only place in city centre I know of to satisfy late evening cake cravings… So if anyone can suggest a better alternative I’m eager to hear your suggetions! :)

The cake are excellent and this is the only reason that brings me here.
The service is very poor. The staff work very slowly.
Most of all, I didn’t like that people arrived after myself were not respecting the queue and the staff doing nothing. They were just seated before people arrived before them!

My favorite cake store! But the bread is Not as brilliant as the cake. Good service though they are always busy.

After running a number of errands and doing a bit of window shopping, Mr. Snarky had mentioned that he could do with something to drink. I suggested that we find a café and take a break. As we were wandering through different streets and looking in shop windows, we found ourselves looking into the window of Patisserie Valerie. Of course all we saw were the beautiful cakes and tarts in the window and believe Mr. Snarky said, «This is happening.»
I am sure that I have been into a Patisserie Valerie, but if I am being completely honest it was clearly not very memorable. It was busy, but there were tables available. The sign said to wait and they would seat us, but the staff were moving a bit slow so we waited. However, we didn’t use our waiting time wisely as we should have been scoping out the desserts in the window to help us make decisions later.
Our waitress was quite patient when she had to come back a couple times because we were having trouble making decisions. They should bring the little menu that has pictures of the cakes/​tarts to begin with as that might have saved her a trip. I can’t tell you how many times we changed our minds, but eventually we settled on two cups (pots) of tea, a strawberry ice cream sundae, and a slice of the chocolate gateaux.
The place started to get really busy and quite loud as we waited. To be honest, I felt like we waited quite a long time for our tea. In fact, throughout our visit, the service seemed to be quite slow. While we weren’t in a hurry, by the end of it, when we were ready to pay, we were just a bit frustrated for all the waiting we were doing. I love the wood boards with the single pot of tea and cup. I always think that I want one, but I don’t use tea pots at home and it wouldn’t really go with my tea pot collection. Anyway, as lovely as they are, they take up quite a bit of space on the small tables. Even less room when there are two of them on the table!
Eventually our desserts came over and when I saw the size of the ice cream sundae, I said, «What did you do?!» We certainly wouldn’t be ready for dinner any time soon. It was massive and already some of the whipped cream was starting to slide down the sides of the glass. My cake certainly looked gorgeous, however, it was quite as chocolate-​y as I was hoping. It was also a bit dry, so it was a bit disappointing. However, the best bit of the cake was actually the profiterole that was on top covered with a mix of white chocolate and milk chocolate. Mr. Snarky enjoyed his sundae much more than I enjoyed my cake.
It was ok for having a break between our shopping and errands, but after awhile it felt a bit crowded and the noise made it difficult to have a chat. Service was friendly, but quite slow. I think if we find ourselves in this situation again, we’ll try some different cafes before considering a return here.

Patisserie Valerie manages to pull off that typical European café look and feel really well, despite being situated just off Deansgate.
The cake menu isn’t as big as I’d imagined but there were a few different options jumping out at me, which is always a good thing. I opted for a slice of the triple chocolate gateaux, which was HUGE. There was no need for an evening meal after I’d demolished that bad boy.
I wouldn’t say this place is cheap though. For two slices of cake and two coffees, you’re talking around £12−15, which I think is a little bit ridiculous. If the cake was served on 24 carat gold plates by French midgets in loin cloths, then I’d agree with the prices but until then, I’ll make my own cake and eat it.

cold food
bad service
wanted to have brunch, ended up having cold lunch
wanted to get some dessert but it took so long it wasn’t worth it
This Valerie’s is nothing like the superior branches in London

I love their chocolate gateaux and cappuccino!
I agree with the other reviews that the service here isn’t great at all.
I have the feeling some of their staff hate working there and treat the guests without a smile.
4* for the awesome cakes.
2* for the bad service.
I won’t eat here again but I will order some gateaux and cakes if I had my family visiting me in MCR.

My sweet tooth has subsided over the years, but there’s something about the glorious displays outside of Patisserie Valerie that really get my mouth watering.
Wanting to take some treats to a friend’s house to say happy wedding/​new kittens (now that’s something Hallmark don’t make cards for…) my friend and I headed to PV post-​work.
We spent a fairly long time simply eyeing up all the goodies in the window, but opted for 2 vanilla slices, a chocolate éclair and vanilla cupcake.
Now, service here has never struck me as ‘good’ — the takeaway counter is, naturally, rarely manned as everyone’s working the floor. This has always meant us hanging around awkwardly until someone realises we’re there.
Presentation in the boxes and taste are both good, but I’m not rushing back purely based on the fact it feels a bit clinical inside and not very friendly.

Every time I walk past deans gate, I can’t help but droool over the gorgeous looking cakes displayed in the Patisserie Valerie window. I feel like a kid who wants to buy everything that is on display and eat it all up in a day — Yes that is how much I love cakes, tarts or just anything sweet (No wonder I need to run to the Dentist more often than regular).
The berry tart is like heaven and the lemon cheesecake… ohh I am scared to even get to that because I will not be able to control my craving. The ‘Strawberry Mouse Cake’ is just what you need when you are feeling low (or not!) and the gorgeous croissants are perrrfeect with a hot bowl of soup! You can buy 4 cakes for 10 pounds, but that only applies for take away customers (woohooo).
I have been here before for coffee on a weekend, but don’t make the same mistake because it is extremely busy during that time of the
week. But if you decide to go anyway then don’t expect the best service as the staff there are crazy busy.
Verdict: Gorgeous, Delicious and Busy are the three words I am going to use… definitely going back again! Hell yeah!

Walked passed Patisserie Valerie many times and often had a look at the cakes in the window display. Even though I don’t have a sweet tooth, they do look very nice.
Went today for first time, with my Mum. When we arrived there were no free tables upstairs so was asked if OK to sit downstairs — no problem. It said «plenty of seats» downstairs — not really what I would call ‘plenty’. It had a different atmosphere downstairs but difficult I suppose when its basically a basement — we were sat right by the kitchen. Well done to the waiters/​waitresses for walking down the steep-​ish stairs!
The table we sat at was uneven and we asked the waiter for something — he got a napkin which fixed the problem. Once we sat down, they took our order pretty quickly.
We ordered chocolate éclair and a strawberry gateaux — both already made and on display. Also, ordered a pot of tea and a latte. Not really the most complicated order. Expected them to just grab the cakes, put teabag/​leaves in pot. Latte may have taken longer but get everything in 5 minutes. We waited about 15 minutes. Bit long really! Maybe complaining about nothing — being fussy???
The cakes were nice enough but nothing special. The tea was fine although the filter must have had some holes in it big enough to let bit of tealeaves through into the tea. No major issue though. Wasn’t going to complain and make one with bits of tealeaves floating in the tea.
The teapot itself had a big chip on the spout! They could do with throwing it out.
Prices — pot of tea is £2.75. The latte was £2.80. Sounds alright. The chocolate éclair was £3.35 (cheaper if takeaway). Gateaux was £3.95.

I’ve yet to try a cake in Pat Val, but on a rainy day scuttling along Deansgate with my stupidly large golf umbrella (I admit it, Manchester, I’ve caved — you’re too bloody rainy for my collection of hats sometimes), seeing a sign promising free WiFi and a warm welcome was enough to have me believing I’d found the drizzly equivalent of an oasis in the desert.
The WiFi worked a treat, and unfortunately my poorly tum isn’t quite ready for the desserts themselves because man they looked exciting. So I’m judging it on its overall ambience, pot o’ English breakfast, and prices. Wow, those prices. They’re relying on a lot of House of Fraser customers to pop across, because… £8 for a sandwich?! £4.05 for a smoothie??? Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by the likes of three quid flatbread wonder Sparkles and cake-​wise Sugar Junction over the last year, but this felt a little steep even for this sweet-​tooth and butty aficionado. Criminy.
But! They do make a lovely pot of tea, and it came in a giant pot, easily enough for three or four cups, with a tray containing all the requisites, although it will cost you the best part of £3. But a quid a cup when you put it like that, not too shabby. They brew Illy coffee which is always a plus for me too. The table I was sat on was right next to a plug socket, which they’d kindly pointed out when I started asking about the (passwordless — yay) WiFi as soon as I sat down. I didn’t have my charger, but I’ll know for next time. However, that particular table is situated on a very uneven bit of floor which will result in everything on it wobbling around as if atop a large blancmange every time a member of staff goes past… something they did apologise for though.
From what I can tell it’s the cakes pushing Unilocalers over the edge as Pat Val goes, so I’ll be sure to get one down my gob upon my next visit, even if it is something of a wallet worrier. Hey, if it’s worth it, it’s worth it, so it seems!

For this part of my review of Patisserie Valerie I shall only be commenting on the ‘take away’ treats, rather than focusing on the ‘dining in’ experience!
Anyone that knows this brand or indeed this store will know that they tantalise passers by with their French fancies adorning a window dressing like a dream inspired pastry wonderland! At the weekend I was one of those passers by who, after having my nose pressed against the glass for sometime, deciding what to choose, though to forget the calorie content and indulge myself.
I’m a huge fan of Almond Croissants, normally I’m actually quite happy with the ones I can get from Tesco, (there is no snobbery about me there), however these ones at Patisserie Valerie are much bigger and at the time I was hungry and in the frame of mind that it must also mean better! — I also decided to opt for the Coffee éclair, as they too had been seductively eyeing my from their sugary pedestal.
Ok stepped through the door, promptly greeted by a member of staff who wanted to see if I’d like a table, «no thanks just a take way for me» a said… good start I thought. Walk up to the counter to be met by a friendly young guy that’s waiting to take my order — ok, I’m thinking — the service is going well so far as I ask for the croissant and éclair.
Whilst I’m waiting another member of staff comes barging up to the counter where I am, granted I am stood in front of the till but didn’t appear to be in anyone’s way at the time, without saying ‘excuse me’, she muscles her way past so she can plonk something on the till and chat to her friend more easily (felt a bit like I was invisible, despite throwing out an impromtu frown, so they lose a point here).
Anyway I managed to restrain myself from trying the goodies till I got home — the Almond Croissant, which whilst it was large was also burnt on top and was much more like a bread in its consistency, to much to be considered a croissant.
There were hardly any almonds sprinkled on top and the almond paste which is supposed to be spread throughout inside, appeared to be a snot like dribble towards one corner. This meant that I felt like I was eating something like a slightly almond bread roll, which tasted a little bit like a croissant! (probably not how its described on the menu) — it gives me no pleasure to say that the Tesco model was way more superior, I’m not being overly harsh here, but their take away charge is twice the price as Tesco and yet it was less than half as good!
As for the Coffee éclair, this was very good, actually I would say it was bordering excellent! The choux pastry was just right, the coffee flavour was there but was not over powering the cream — it also was not overfilled and retained its structure well when eating and did not comically squish out the sides with every bite or flop everywhere like a soggy hotdog bun, so much kudos here!
I’m looking forward to dining in and sampling the menu a little more, I just hope not everything here is style over substance… otherwise an enjoyable experience!

Patisserie Valerie is a mini-​chain, but thankfully retains the feel of an independent. As a counterpart to William’s review, I haven’t actually eaten/​drunk in here. However, I did buy a cake from here — there’s a huge selection you can order (in an order book complete with photos), but this was last minute, so we picked one from the selection available in the window, around £20 I believe.
So, pretty pricy for a cake. Thankfully, it was well worth it. With a fence of chocolate finger things, and plenty of fresh fruit on top of a light chocolatey interior, it tasted nice and fresh.
It also lasted for days, which was lucky as it was almost ridiculously filling: they claimed it was 6 portions; we easily got 10 (and I think more). Suddenly that seems pretty good value.
If you need a decent cake, in a hurry or not, this seems like a good place.

As I walked along Deansgate, splashes of familiar colour in the window of Patisserie Valerie caught my eye: Nothing shouts ‘continental bakery’ like a tart topped with six whole strawberries — or twenty raspberries — or a ‘fruit tart’ featuring slivers of fig, kiwi, strawberry and apricot — all these three tarts are £3.40 to go. I ended up with an almond croissant to go — very nice, and good value at £1.55 for quite a substantial pastry.
The rest of the menu is made up of more desserts — ice cream, milk shakes, smoothies — plus continental breakfasts, savouries and sandwiches.
Takeaway or stay and be soothed by the ambience and service of this reassuringly ‘old school’ posh tearoom.
San Carlo Cicchetti across the road would make an interesting point of comparison.

Overpriced patisserie/​café just off Deansgate opposite Kendals there’s something wrong in the world when a pot of tea and a Danish comes in at over a fiver, and they charge nearly £2 for a couple of pieces of toast! In its defence, it’s very well turned out and the bread and pastries they sell look fresh and tasty, but the staff didn’t seem particularly interested in serving us that quickly, and if you’re paying that much, I think that’s the least you should expect. I’m not sure I’d go there again