L’Opera Patisserie

This is hands-​down my fave place for high tea and French pastries! In the past few years, I’ve been to L’Opera on many occasions. The ambience is lovely even though the space is quite small.
Their high tea sets are absolutely divine and have a great balance of savoury vs. sweet items. I love this because many other places tend to have more sweet than savoury items in their high tea sets. The menu items rotate from time to time (I believe seasonally), so I’ve tried at least 3 different variations of their high tea menu so far. Every single time, I am blown away by the quality of ingredients, exquisite taste, and beautiful presentation of each menu item! The tea selection menu stays the same all year round, but there are more than a dozen different teas to choose from, so I never get bored of that!
Aside from high tea, I’ve also been here randomly just for coffee, tea and pastries. Their macarons are a little on the small side but what they lack in size, they make up for in flavour & taste! Their cakes are amazing too — beautiful to look at, and delightful to eat. My favourite cake (that I always get) is the Diva cake.
Their savoury pastries are brilliant too. I love the butter croissant, but I must say my favourite of all favourites here is the duck mushroom pastry! It is a pot pie, filled with duck meat and creamy, gooey mushroom gravy! Love, love, love it!
Highly recommend this place to anyone who loves French pastries and good tea!

I took my parents for a treat and they make the best croisants and macaroons! The right amount of everything. Only drawback was the location and the size of the store, too small

My favourite croissant place! Luckily, I got 3 today. Flaky outside and soft & buttery inside. Taste so good! The only thing that I have to pick on is the shape. How come it’s not in a crescent shape any more this time? It’s more like a conch shape today.

These macarons were sized pretty well for the $ 2 charge. Overall they were quite chewy and the apart from the Irish Cream and Orange Flambé were full of their prescribed flavours. My favourites were the Matcha and Rose Raspberry flavours. The Matcha and Rose Raspberry were bitter and sour respectively mixed in with the soft sweetness of a macaron. The Orange Flambé had a distinct orange taste to it, but I didn’t taste much of the torched part of the flambé (flambé meaning fire had been set to the treat). The Irish Cream likewise more cream than alcohol. The Almond had its traditional nutty taste as did the coffee with a beany taste. Overall I think most flavours are tasty and the macarons are well-​made despite which flavour you’ll choose. I’d prefer most of these macarons to those found at Faubourg.
Another cool thing is how much detail goes into the packaging. Here in our macaron box we found a note with instructions on how to take care of our takeout delicacies. Now that’s meticulous.

cakes range from $ 5 ~ $ 7, decent selection every time
It is rather small, sometimes there is no seating.
I have to mention that it smells really good as you walk in …

While both deliciously sinful (and sinfully delicious), I prefer their double baked almond croissant just a tad more than Thomas Haas’. And probably like one of many, I’ve had TH’s straight from the oven.
The almond croissants at Thomas Haas are more creamy and rather difficult or messy to eat with just a pair of hands alone. It’s also harder to finish an entire one by myself due to how rich it is. L’opera’s, on the other hand, is more airy and crunchy in comparison and the layer shatters as I take a bite.
Though both versions are REALLY good, if they each have a focus, TH’s would be the creaminess of filling contrasted with the crunch of the croissant, and L’opera’s would be the number of layers accentuated with almond paste.
If value is measured according to my level of enjoyment, then they are both worth the 4.50 price tag… occasionally. :p
Not exactly a fan of macarons, I’ll definitely be back to try out their cakes.

L’Opéra Pâtisserie in Richmond is one of the dessert places that serve amazing French pastries. I’ve made a few trips to L’Opera and every visit was satisfying. Amazing desserts, friendly staff and adorable, cute interiors!
Ordered some lattes to have desserts with. I loved their Matcha Latte but J said his Café Latte was just average.
When we arrived, we didn’t have many options because a lot of desserts were sold out already. I got a New York New York ($ 6.5) which is basically a fluffy version of the New York cheesecake. The texture wasn’t as dense as a typical NY cheesecake, but it still had its unique rich flavour.
The Madame Chou Choux ($ 6.2) is a cream puff within a cream puff! The outer puff was filled with fresh lychee and cream while the inner puff was filled with raspberry cream. I don’t know how long it was sitting there, but the inner puff was a bit soggy. The cream still tasted good.
Chestnut Cream Cheese Danish ($ 4) had flaky, soft layers, and filled with rich chestnut cream cheese.
I loved their Mille Crêpe Cake but J preferred the cake without the pasty cream on top. We were still glad that none of their desserts was overwhelmingly sweet.
Banana Mille Feiulle ($ 5.8) is a puff shell filled with cream and banana, topped with crumbles and a piece of chocolate. It was crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. It was hard not to make a mess while eating, but its amazing taste was truly worth it.
I also got some macarons back home, which tasted amazingly good. I might come back for their afternoon tea :) I will update when I do revisit!
PROS
+ Really tasty French desserts
+ Carefully crafted
+ Adorable interiors
+ Offer high tea upon reservation
+ Friendly staff
CONS
— Limited seating
— Small tables
RATING
Food 4.0÷5.0
Ambience 4.0÷5.0
Service 4.5÷5.0
Price $-$$
Address 153‑5951 Minoru Boulevard, Richmond
Phone number 604−270−2919
Hours of Operation
Wednesday to Sunday: 9am-​6pm
Monday to Tuesday: Closed

Take out macaron and chocolate croissant this time. Both of them are yummy! I was a bit late (around 7pm) to the store so there are only few macaron left. I chose the l’opera special and dark chocolate. Both flavor are very nice. I’d like to go back earlier next time to try more flavor.

Very cute shop that’s literally located next to the Marriott hotel. We came late in the day, close to closing so there weren’t many selections left. A little pricey but the experience is definitely worthed to try.

I’ve been wanting to come here for the longest time and I finally did today (spontaneously)!! I came here with my girlfriend to celebrate her birthday and to specifically try their macarons because we both heard great things about this place. Apparently, it’s the best macarons place in Richmond. Now, a lot of people have never heard of L’Opera as it is a hidden gem. First of, the interior design is lovely! It is Victorian royal looking space with chandeliers and orchids. I can tell that the owner put a lot of thoughts into designing it. I would certainly give this place interior design ⁵⁄₅. Besides that, the customer service was great. The one girl who worked today was super friendly. Service is ⁵⁄₅. Finally, let’s talk about their desserts — presentation is absolutely amazing! I didn’t get to try their pastries and cakes, but it looks really good. I did try their macarons and it was really good! The only thing I didn’t like is that the macarons are small. I didn’t give L’Opera a 5 because I think it’s expensive and the price is way too high for its location. Also, their high tea is $ 43/​person, which is higher than other places in downtown. Would I come back? Yes! I need to try their tea, coffee, croissants and cake. Also, L’opera is the perfect place for quality girlfriends date or to celebrate birthday with your close friends. The place is girly so I can only imagine most their customers are ladies.

I found out about L’opera a few months ago through Unilocal.Since then I’ve only been twice despite the fact that I love this patisserie.
The tea selection is lovely. On my second visit I shared two pots of tea — the Romeo et Juliet and the Carmen. The Romeo et Juliet is a green tea flavored with rose and cherries; it’s light and fragrant and a great light option. The Carmen just felt like a normal black tea.
As for food, I’ve tried desserts and pastries and of course the macarons. Obviously I’ve spent too much here. The desserts I’ve tried include the banana mille feuille, a fruit tart — the name escapes me and the madame chou choux. They are pricier than the average dessert but are so delicious. They play with texture and flavor so well. I would opt for more complex ones than the fruit tart for example, just because you are paying that much more.
I’ve tried a couple savory pastries — the puff pastry is incredible. Its crisp and light and airy which is in my opinion the way croissants should be. The ham and cheese croissant is amazing, from the quality of the ham to how they warm it just perfectly for you. Incredible.
While the macarons are small, the flavor selection is unique and delicious. The amaretto, black sesame and earl grey were among the favorites.
In short, this place is fantastic and worth every cent. Go for a treat any time, you won’t regret it.

Too French for me:)
My friend read good reviews on this place, so I thought I’d try it with her. The décor is cool, however this place might be too boutique-​y for me. They have definitely done a really good job, definitely worth a try:)

I recommend parking in the Marriott hotel parking lot and walking the 2 minutes to the bakery, as it’s on the street front and offers no private parking.
Have not sat down here for tea, but I stopped by to pick up some macarons as a gift. I was lucky as I arrived about 30 mins. before closing and still had a fairly good selection of macarons to choose from.
The interior of the place is beautiful — very classy and posh, reminiscent of a cute French café. They keep all their baked goods in a small case at the front, and also sell some small treats such as marshmallows and loose-​leaf tea on the counter.
The girl who served me was fairly friendly but seemed mildly annoyed because I had questions regarding the sets in which I could buy macarons (6 piece, 12 piece, individual etc.). She wasn’t rude, though, so I understood as it was the end of the day and she seemed pretty tired.
Macarons are $ 2/​piece and I chose 6 in the following flavours: passion fruit, raspberry rose, Opera special, hazelnut praline, black sesame, and orange jasmine. They were packaged in a pretty pink box and wrapped very nicely with a card included with instructions on how to keep them fresh. I only got to try a bite of the Opera special as the macarons were a gift, but it was delicious. The chocolate flavour in both the cookie and the filling was rich and strong and the macaron was perfectly chewy but firm on the outside. Will definitely be stopping by again for more macarons and tea in the future!

For those of you who have had the privilege of trying the Lady M Mille Crêpe, you will be somewhat disappointed but the one they serve here. I gave them 3 stars because the girls working there are quite friendly & most helpful. However, I found the Mille Crêpe a little too doughy and dense. I’m searching and still chasing the light and fluffy Lady M version here in town, stumbled upon this bakery on Instagram and thought I’d give it a try. Props for making a carrying the cake, but fell short on delivering quality. Paid $ 60 for a 10′ cake. It was worth the try but in the end disappointed.

Phew at least I no longer need to drive out to Thomas Haas for Almond Croissants if I have that craving in Richmond no more.
I am quite impressed by 1) the size, 2) the layers of crunchiness 3) the amount of sweet almond feeling and 4) the chewier centre. However it is priced at $ 4.50 and it is still not as good as Thomas Haas.
I’ve also tried some of its delicate small standalone desserts like the raspberry Napoleon thingy, chocolate hazelnut thingy, and dome-​looking cake thingy so sorry I forgot the names. But honestly, they are not as good as the higher end shops but priced on par.
The macarons are delicate and yummy and they have a softer airy bite as compared to say Thierry.
Regardless at least Richmond has a decent dessert place to reach for.
Cheerio!

3 star service
2 star communication
4 star food quality
The good has been said a lot in other reviews… Totally not the kind of place you’d expect in central Richmond. Very good quality pastries and presentation. I’m amazed the owner is self-​taught! The macaroons are delicious — lovely texture and density… The L’Opera special is a chocolate and espresso combo that is amazing. Loved the almond croissant as well. The passionfruit dessert was so-​so… I would pass on it next time — the shell felt too firm for the soft filling and I would have liked it more tart.
I agree with the comments about the tables being way too close together… Definitely not good for a private conversation!
My main complaint is the inconsistent info from staff/​spotty service. My friend and I planned on having high tea here. She called the day before and booked for noon. She then got a call back saying it starts at 1 pm, so she called back confirming for 2 people at 1 pm.
We then arrive as planned. The 2 young folks that day ha no record of her booking and said that tea doesn’t start until 2 pm and that we needed to book 24 hours in advance! Duh — that’s what we did but apparently there are some major communication issues. No apology for the inconvenience.
We then order a la carte and are told we can sit anywhere other than the one with a yea setting. We grab the other table for 2 and chat, then partway through we are interrupted, saying we need to leave by a certain time because of a reservation.
I want to rate this place higher but customer service is huge for me and it was lacking on my first visit there.

Amazing pastries and desserts. Comparable to the high-​end bakeries in downtown!
First of all, L’opera is very expensive. Even though it’s tucked away in the middle of nowhere in Richmond, their prices are around the same or even higher than of the several high-​end bakeries/​cafes in downtown (such as Thierry, Bel Café, etc) For example, their danish is nearly $ 4 while something similar at Thierry is around $ 3 which is quite surprising.
Anyways, everything here is handmade from scratch in their kitchen and created in small batches. The shop is very small but you can tell that the owners spent a lot of time on the décor. Their croissants are seriously the BEST in Greater Vancouver, with the double almond croissant being my absolute favourite. (The organic chocolate one comes closely behind in second place)
The cakes are very decadent and delicious but are very expensive (most $ 6.20-$ 6.80) while their macarons are very good as well (but also expensive because they’re very tiny but still $ 2.00). Everything that I’ve tried at L’opera was amazing and the only downside is that they close very early! (around 6pm?)
Mini update: I just had their ham & cheese croissant and it was seriously the best savoury pastry that I’ve ever had! (albeit, I’ve never been to France, the birthplace of the croissant) but my friend who has been several times also said that L’Opera’s croissants are on par with the ones that you can get at fancy French bakeries in Paris!

I came here ’cause someone posted a picture on the May 20^th front page edition of Unilocal.I am a high tea wh) re, therefore, I had to hit this up.
Truthfully I came for the ambiance which succeeded in getting me out of my depression this week.
The place is small only 10 seats but the décor as mentioned before is amazing. Such detail. It makes you feel as though you’re in a café in paris.
The ham and cheese croissants are made with the really good ham.
I was thrown off by the clear edible adhesive that they just to ensure that the tart did not slide, however, they need to think of something else to use. I had strings of this stuff on my fork that felt as though I was battle a glue gun.
The customer service was awesome.
They do high tea, however, you need to give them 24 hours notice.

Some of the sexiest places in Paris is their Pastisserie. While the Eiffel Tower is dreamy, and day dreaming an escape to the winding cobblestone street in one of the city’s oldest big white church hill crest at Basilica of Sacre-​Coeur is romantic; or the being lost next to a Foreign Sexy Accent at the Musee du Louvre is charming — still musing over Pierre Herme modern confections, techniques and flavors is slightly more satisfying. L’Opera Patisserie Richmond tugs some of those emotions unbeknown in Richmond (of all places).
L’Opera Patisserie is tucked away on Minuro Blvd beside Hilton Hotel. Parking is in the back and it is in the most inconvenient location. I hate the fact of paying parking in Richmond alone, let alone fighting for a space amongst suitcases. The gorgeous gold foiled wallpaper, fireplace and chandeliers is romantic albeit very small. We took the window seat squished behind a group of Asian ladies of leisure. First day of my manicure and it is already chipped, I secretly wonder how these women keep it so pristine. The tomboy side of me will never understand.
L’Opera — a blend of chocolate, citrus and vanilla. Tea is rich and not watered down.
Raspberry Charlotte — raspberry topped with a heavy cream filling infused with rose. The taste is subtle but it is very fragrant. Ladyfingers are soft with a light crunch. The tartness of the berries is perfect to balance some of the sweetness.
Cheesecake — this cheesecake is very light without the heaviness of cream cheese. The heavy proportion of whipped cream to cheese makes it dangerously easier to finish. But let’s not kid ourselves thinking we can skip that extra run between afternoon tea dinner.
Afternoon Tea set are $ 39 pp and requires advance reservations. L’Opera is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. I’m looking forward to my next Marie Antoinette moment over Banan Mille Feiulle.

Who would have thought, one of the small shops that I never walk by would serve up such delicious double baked almond croissants?
After hearing many good things, we decided to give them a try. Parking is in the back inside the hotel’s parking lot, there’s designated spots for L’Opera.
The shop is small and cute, with seating for about 10. The air is filled with a buttery scent. It was quite full when we arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and many tables were enjoying high tea. There’s a good selection of baked good and desserts. We decided on a double baked almond croissant as well as a chocolate croissant.
The rumors were true; the almond croissant was light and flaky, while having a perfectly crisp exterior. It wasn’t overly sweet either. Think of all the croissant sandwiches I can make!
I’m glad I discovered this pastry shop, but the fact that it’s about ten minutes from my house poses a test of self control.