La Maison Navarre

J’adore!!!
I was turned on to La Maison Navarre by a friend, and now he and I go there together all the time (completely negating my diet, but c’est la vie…) I have tried everything on the menu and had a hard time choosing a favorite. The atmosphere is great, a superb mix of classic and modern. The owners are so friendly, and their staff are extremely helpful and cheerful. I’ve lived in Portsmouth for most of my adult life, and I can say that their coffee and delicious pastries are far better than Breaking New Grounds, Popovers, and others of that ilk. I have seen places come and go downtown many times, and I have a feeling that this one is here to stay. The new crown jewel of Portsmouth!
Pro Tip: Order one of everything. Everything. You won’t be able to choose.

We’ve looked forward to trying this place for months and it did not disappoint. The Macarons are amazing! I also got some chocolate croissants and they were delicious. I wish we were closer, we would come more often! Next time I’m getting a dozen!

Visiting Portsmouth for a few days and so happy to have stumbled upon this place. The macarons looked amazing and beautifully displayed. The coffee was great as was the amazing crêpe with ham, cheese tomato and arugula! Hit the spot! Décor was very nice and staff was friendly and helpful. Will definitely be back next time we are in Portsmouth.

Out of this world chocolate croissants! Like stepping into a café in Paris. Super flaky and so buttery. Fabulous coffee too. A definite stop when in Portsmouth.

We were in town for a wedding and decided to wander downtown Portsmouth. My husband and i love french patisseries and decided to get a few things. we tried the mini eclairs, assortment of macarons, lime tart and mille feuille. They were all SO DELICIOUS. our faves were the mango macaroni, coffee éclair, tart and the mille feuille. Very authentic. We have a few places in Houston that we like but definitely nothing as good as LA Maison Navarre! I wished I had more time to sit and enjoy some coffee :(
The atmosphere was very elegant yet quaint. Highly recommend!

I hate to rate this low because I’m desperate to like a place like this, in this location… But we had the most terrible macarons and eclairs the other day. They were either old or had a ton of gelatin in the fillings, or maybe both. The shells themselves were perfect, but I can’t believe you can screw something as simple as a ganache up. To be honest, even the ‘glaze’ on the éclair was like rubber. I’ve had an okay experience there in the past besides this one. The coffee was good. The pastries during this particular trip were pretty awful, especially when you consider that you paid almost $ 2 for each of them.

This bakery/​café has been wonderful since opening this past year. The owners are friendly and amazingly helpful. They make the best croissants. It is a great place to have a coffee and read the paper. I really love the macrons. They are great to pick up as a dessert or for when you are having people over for dinner. They even make ones filled with ice cream. It is great to have a French bakery in Portsmouth!

I was so thrilled when this classic French bakery opened in our beautiful city. Everything here is authentic and delicious, but it’s the macarons that deserve the highest praise. Beautifully presented and amazingly tasty, they rival any macaron I’ve had in Paris or, for that matter, NYC or anywhere else.
This is a tough space to work in and many restaurants have failed in it. I hope La Maison Navarre does well because it truly deserves to, and is a much-​needed addition to our downtown.
If I have one criticism, it’s some of the décor. Don’t get me wrong — the build out is beautiful. But I think some of the furniture and lights are too modern and don’t fit the feel of the building or the vibe of the French bakery. I wish they had gone with more traditional marble brasserie tables and made it feel more like you were in Paris. But I’m nitpicking. Who cares what the (probably expensive) tables look like? As long as the food stays excellent, I’ll continue to go frequently!

Visited this cute little café on a weekend. My friend and I had visited Paris last year and we were feeling nostalgic for laduree macarons. We tried a couple of macarons, but it was the warm and toasty almond croissant that won me over. Right out of the oven it was flaky and buttery. Perfection!

Stumbled upon this little gem one night while waiting for the Port City Music Hall to open its doors and I’m so glad we did!
We walked in a little after 6:30pm, the pastry cases were full and so was the shop. There were quite a few people mulling over what to get, since everything looked so delicious in the cases and there were some looking at the sandwich menu boards. Quite a few tables to sit and relax and enjoy your lunch, sweets, coffee, etc.
There were several different kinds of macaroons available, we chose two each, so we could share and try different flavors. The prices were comparable to other macaroon shops we’ve been to, and the quality also. We waited until we got home (after the concert) to eat these, which I think was a bad idea because they weren’t as fresh as I had hoped, but I also feel buying them that late in the day was also a big factor in the lack of freshness.
Next time, we’ll go early morning and get them as fresh and fresh can be!

I’ve stopped in a few times to try their macaron cookies and every time the staff has been friendly. I haven’t had anything other than pasty, but it has never disappointed. I hope it does well because it could be a nice French-​style bakery for downtown Portsmouth.
The décor is modern and clean and there is plenty of seating available. Prices are average– what you would expect to pay. I hope to stop in sometime for something on their menu besides cookies.

I agree with all the positive reviews before me… The baguette sandwiches are the perfect size and so are the croissant sandwiches… My only wish is they would serve charcuterie to compliment their lovely french wine list… I would love to enjoy a bottle of their Chateauneuf-​du-​pape along with a few slices of meat or cheese.
My second visit was even better then my first visit which was only a take out

We love it here! As Portsmouth locals, it’s great to see a restaurant finally do well in this space. The owners are hardworking and clearly dedicated to the business. The salted caramel and lemon macarons along with the crepes are some of our favorites. There’s no other place like it in Portsmouth so do yourself a favor and check it out!

Très français. The proprietors are from Paris & Lyon so everything is very authentic. We went in for a wonderful, light lunch. Croque-​Monsieur (authentic with béchamel), a true Parisian sandwich, some great red wine, and some macarons to finish (passion fruit, raspberry, and pistachio). Everything was delicious! The service is friendly, the atmosphere is crisp, clean, and modern Parisian. We were early and it was quiet but soon filled and was busy the rest of the 2+ hours we were there. Pastry choices are exceptional. Next time: crêpes! (The only drawback might be the price of the $ 9 glasses of wine. A bit of a surprise for lunch.) There’s a function room — a private «cave» (cahve — French for wine cellar) — that’s good for groups. This young French couple has done a great job here.

The new jewel of Portsmouth, with bread from Annarosa. The place reminds me of the chain FRED, in Paris.
Best are the sandwiches and the Macaron

I tried the quiche spinach and it was really tasty.
The salad on the side also good
Thanks for making my day !

What an adorable local café in the adorable portsmouth! We passed by here on our way from MA to white mountains (OK fine, we took a detour to check out this town). Our takeout next door at the friendly toast is quite a wait so we decided to come in here for coffee and a croissant while we wait. Both the coffee and croissant are good. It’s a good place to chill and have a conversation as it is pretty quiet. Watching the person behind the counter making crêpe is like watching an artwork being done.
The items in the glass counter looked amazing but very sparse, like the space. The space is larger than what the place really needs right now so it looks really empty. The booth seating is bit weird but looks comfy enough.

In Portsmouth with the fam last weekend. For breakfast we wanted something fairly kid-​friendly. The Friendly Toast was the first option, however they really didn’t have their crap together and appeared like the long wait was only getting longer.
Well, their loss is a gain for La Maison Navarre, which is a mere few doors down. Excellent — really pleased that TFT had such a long wait so we discovered this place. Nice open feel to the place… frenchy bistro style, but on the modern side. There’s a nice bar that has power piped in if you need it. (Not sure why more places don’t do this…) The people are also very friendly here.
The espressos are made extremely well. We ordered the ham and cheese croissants which, though probably not healthy, were outstanding. I’ll definitely drop in here again while in Portsmouth. Mouth is watering just thinking about that croissant again!

An incredible addition to downtown…
Super friendly service, awesome atmosphere and the food is out of this world.

What a treat. Say you had a filling dinner and you stroll through Portsmouth and for some reason you are thinking wouldn’t it be nice to come across a true french patisserie. Then you look to your right and through the glass you see vibrantly colored macaroons. You found what you are looking for and it’s everything you hoped it would be. Great things baked, brewed and steeped. I think the loc is new so from a new customer I wish them luck and hope to see you again on my next stop in town.