C’est La Vie Baking Company

3^rd & Final Chance. Had blueberry Danish w/​cheese & blueberry falling out soggy bottom; other pastry too unremarkable to mention. 2 previous visits yielded sandwiches on old, dried-​out bread. FYI, coffee is free because Starbuck’s lease includes prohibition against competition selling coffee.

This is the most underrated bakery in town! It is a gem of a place, and I’m glad to have a place like this in San Antonio. Every pastry I’ve tried is very good. I come here quite often and every baked good I’ve tried is consistently well made every time. I love their mixed berry and vanilla danish, and their croissants are buttery and flaky. My husband who is very critical of pastries, loves all of their baked goods, especially their scones! The plus side is that they offer free coffee… The staff and owners are friendly and unpretentious unlike some of the bakeries in town. This is a business run by a family who makes quality products. The prices are also reasonable compared to other bakeries. There are couches and tables for those who want to stay and hang out, but again, it’s just a very casual and homely place and doesn’t try too hard to be trendy. Try this place and see for yourself! There’s a good chance you too will fall in love!

Cheese danish and cinnamon rolls are to die for. Plus you get free coffee when you order. Take that Starbucks. Honestly why go to Starbucks when you can have local fresh bakes pastries and free cup of coffee at C’eat la Vie.

I went to this bakery after I had seen the reviews But it was disappointed because there were some flies on the bakery it was very dirty and messy

Love this place. I always go there on Saturday mornings to get a box of croissants. There is a good selection of croissant flavors both sweet and savory. They are fresh, soft, fluffy and tasty. The staff are friendly and helpful. If you choose to sit down, have a cup of coffee and eat your pastry, you will find the atmosphere relaxing and neighborly. The only regret to me is that it does not serve decaf coffee. I asked, but was told no we don’t serve decaf here. I am not sure why.

i love love love french pastries. so naturally, when i heard about c’est la vie, i couldn’t wait to try it out! unfortunately, i’ve visited twice now and have been underwhelmed both times.
there’s a decent selection of baked goods, including sweet and savory choices. i’ve tried the chocolate-​filled croissant and the chocolate almond bear claw ($ 3.19 each). i also tried their tomato and mozzarella danish at white elephant coffee co. everything was just okayy– closer to grocery store bakery status. i’m sure the croissants are freshly made each morning, but they tasted stale both times. the filling was good but sparse and unevenly distributed. but i love the free coffee that they offer! and both times i visited, it was pretty quiet so you could get some work done if need be.
however when i was there today during my lunch break today, 20 minutes in, the internet started acting funky. at first i thought it was just my computer being weird, but i checked a speedtest and it was under 1.5 mbps. uhh what. nothing would load, not even my google calendar, and i couldn’t send out any emails. i tried to disconnect and reconnect, but no luck. as i was trying to figure out the internet situation, there was a sudden, overwhelming, heavy smell of deep fryer oil. like a pore-​permeating wall of it hit me, to the point where i had to hold my breath, pack up my stuff, and run out of there before it soaked up into my clothes. no idea what that was all about, but it wasn’t just me because the lady next to me who was enjoying her sandwich definitely looked up and over to the kitchen when it happened too. too bad she was midway through lunch and probably couldn’t run out of there.
i don’t know, part of me wants to give c’est la vie another chance. i love small local businesses and i think they have a great concept and some interesting-​sounding menu items that i’d still like to try (blueberry ginger croissant!)… but the croissants themselves have just been subpar for the price. so i don’t know, guess we’ll see!

I grew up in NY and one thing I really miss is good bread from a bakery. Especially in certain areas, there are dozens of fantastic bakeries that are not turning out lattes or croissants or sandwiches with fancy cheeses and spreads — they are making delicious bread and lots of it.
I don’t go to bakeries to eat or drink coffee or socialize. I go to buy bread. And I rarely go because these kinds of utilitarian bakeries just don’t seem to exist in most cities. Long story short, the bread I’ve purchased here has been solid. Very good. Yeah. .it costs 5 bucks a loaf so let’s not get carried away here, lol…but good bread is good bread.
I’m not the best business person, but if this was my business, I would focus on making lots of good bread for reasonable prices. Branch out and get restaurants to start serving it and stores to sell it, etc. I feel like the current location is kind of limiting in terms of having the kind of shop where people stop in for a pastry and some coffee — there is 0 foot-​traffic in the area and it’s in a strip mall 4 doors down from a Starbucks — they don’t have much to work with in terms of ambiance or an outside seating area and I guess they are prevented from selling coffee drinks, anyway, because of some agreement with Starbucks.

Omg !!! I think i died & went to heaven. Lol What is better than danish, croissants, scones & pastries? I looooove all of it. Not to mention its in Castle Hills. It is very convienent. The coffee is great., nice place to meet friends for a treat. So glad i found this place.

This is such a sweet like bakery shop. I had a sandwich and a cup of tomato soup and it was delicious. I’m so happy I found this place.

I got a ham egg and cheese on French White, wife got ham and cheese on croissant. Very good food and good price. Excellent atmosphere! Worth the trip!

My boyfriend and I went here this morning for breakfast and had a lovely experience.
The employees were friendly and gave us great recommendations on their available pastries.
In addition, we also ordered one of the breakfast sandwiches.
The free coffee was good quality and the atmosphere of the café was roomy and inviting. Our food came out quickly and was very delicious. The croissants were ridiculously flaky and light!
I don’t live near Castle Hills but whenever I’m in the area I’d definitely hit this place up again.

A little neighborhood bakery that has a small menu consisting of breads, croissants, Danishes and scones. They also have a lunch menu (served all day) with sandwiches and soups.
There are 2 small tables outside and decent seating inside. I came on a Saturday morning with my friend and her dog before we hit the park. I ordered 2 croissants (pecan and almond) and a bear claw. My friend got a French onion soup. Our server was very friendly, giving me advice on what she thought tasted best and patiently waited while I poured over the display case.
I really enjoyed my bear claw. It was flaky but moist and the flavors were totally spot on. I only wish I got it heated. My friend also liked her French onion soup. The best part about this place is the free coffee though. Not your average cheapo coffee but actually very good, hot coffee. For free! There were cute mugs but we opted for to go cups. How nice that they had that available for customers? I enjoyed sitting outside with my friend and her dog, saying hi to each person that walked by. This location is quaint and extremely neighborly. I am looking forward to my next visit to try the scones and cookies.

This is such a quaint bakery and coffee shop in the Castle Hills area! I decided to have a quick meeting here and make it a lunch meeting and I was simply blown away by this unique little joint. All of the bread is freshly made here and you’re able to see them making it in the back.
Be weary their baked goods WILL sell out so if you show up around the late afteroon like I did (more like a big dummy) they selection will be limited but do not let this deter you. Their sandwiches were divine and scrumptious. I really enjoyed the BYOS (build your own sandwich) alongside their set sandwich menu.
The bread was so soft and airy I was falling in love at first bite. If you aren’t in the mood for a sandwich you can also grab soup, desserts, chips, and more!
For those of us who are wifi diggers this place offers complimentary wifi with purchase. The sitting situation is very comfy and I enjoyed the witty board on the side.

I just went here for the first time and I loved it!
Here’s what I got:
— chocolate croissant: so good! First off, all of the plain croissant they use for all the flavors are so good! They don’t have that horrid «crust» that so many subpar croissants in this town seem to have. They are buttery, flaky, and all things that they should be. There’s some chocolate inside which was lovely! Nice and dark, too! ;)
— chocolate/​almond: I wasn’t suspecting any almond extract in it but once it hit me I was pleasently surprised! I LOVE almond flavor and the sliced almonds on top still had their snap! Amazing!
— ham/​cheese/​jalapeño: one of my favorites… they didn’t skimp on the cheese or ham ;)
— tomato/​mozz danish: this one is also one of my favorites… I wish there was more pesto but the flavor was wonderful!
— free coffee: can’t go wrong! It was lovely.
The young man serving us was so nice! I really love the atmosphere of the place – it feels so homey! It was very welcoming.
Overall, I really loved my trip. I lived in Europe (Switzerland, specifically) for a couple years and enjoyed SO many lovely, buttery pasteries. I never would have thought that anything would come close to those but these certainly do. It is certainly worth a try!
*Note: I visited their website and they actualyl had some items in the case I did not see on the website. It was a nice surprise but do know that their website is not all-​inclusive.

Was in the castle hills area looking for a bakery snack and ran across great reviews for this place.
Always for the little guy in a Goliath battle (aka starbuck’s) so decided to give it a try
Had a lemon blueberry scone that was just about the BEST scone I’ve ever had! OMGosh! So tender, so moist — but the PERFECT scone consistency and loaded with blueberry with just enough lemon to refresh! m
Service was SO friendly! And FREE coffee! What more do you need!
I’ll have to go back and try one of the filled croissants — they have savory and sweet — pear cranberry caught my eye.

You have to understand: C’est La Vie is a bakery that just happens to have free coffee, not a coffee shop that just happens to sell pastries. Big difference! Come in and check out the cases of baked goods, then help yourself to a complimentary cup– they even have flavored syrups.
Treat selection includes sweet and savory options, but the croissants are a highlight– the spinach and pesto version is wonderful, they also have a philly cheesesteak version that could serve as your lunch. Fruit pastries and Danishes are beautiful and light, not sugar-​laden calorie-​bombs.
Service is young and polite, plenty of comfortable indoor seating. There are a couple of pet-​friendly outdoor tables (and a lot of dog-​walkers in this neighborhood). Check the racks to the left of the store for additional baking and gift items for sale.

First and foremost in an area seemingly overrun with places to have a cup of coffee this place is just freaking amazing.
If you didn’t look around or ask a question or two it would just be the average coffee shop with good coffee and great pastries, I didn’t get a chance to try anything else on the menu however I do look very much look forward to going back and trying some of the menu items as they smelled delicious.
Now let me explain what sets this place miles apart from the corporate establishments in the area.
So I intended only to order coffee, guess what the smiling young man who turned out to be the owner said it’s free. WTF free? So I ask again? Thinking it’s a computer issue or something, he proceeds to tell me the awesome folks at America’s largest coffee establishment located in the same shopping center sent him a bunch of nice letters explaining he can’t sell coffee near them. Guess what, he gives it away for free as a result and with such a genuine smile I wanted to spend all my money immediately.
So once I decided on an awesome fresh baked pastry I figured I would just tip super generously.
Nope, the credit card receipts get totaled out so now opportunity to tip? Again I ask WTF, again a genuine smile and a wave.
Holy shit, this is what people should thrive to be in business, and we as consumers should beat a path to any business that operates in such a fashion.
I can’t say enough about the positive experience I had here. They offer communal coffee mugs so that you don’t need to use paper cups unless it’s actually to go.
I am so pleased to write this review, and so pleased to meet people that recognize that in business you sometimes encounter mountains of unexpected obstacles, this man and whom I believe to be his father also behind the counter are not their to get rich off you vente machiato idiots, they are there to serve, and it’s very much evident.
Keep fighting the good fight brother.

I love this place more and more. Phenomenonal carbs! I’ve tried (and loved) the blueberry lemon scone (so tender), the croissants (so flaky!), the white sandwich bread (so soft and kid approved), the pecan croissant (so perfectly balanced), the ciabatta (so crusty and yeasty) and the roasted tomato soup.
Ambiance is unpretentious and rather plain. Friendly staff. Free hot beverages — fantastic coffee.

Nothing’s changed except the coffee is now free, and I’m finally aware of the fact they have loose leaf tea for those so inclined.
The food is still just as great, and as always community friendly.
:)

This place loses points for something beyond their control — Starbucks. Yep, Starbucks. According to the staff, they are not allowed to serve anything other than hot coffee from those pump-​action thermos containers because Starbucks has some type of exclusive domain for the caffeine racket in the neighborhood. So, in order to get their business license C’est La Vie had to agree to not sell coffee drinks. They can’t even sell a tea bag and hot water! I like Starbucks but sometimes these big businesses grind my gears!
What C’est La Vie lacks in the coffee department they make up for in the pastry department. This place hits it out of the park. They bake up fresh croissants in both savory and sweet varieties as well as various Danish. I tried the honey pecan croissant and it was quite tasty. The outside was nice and flaky as a croissant should be but the inside had a nice tug and chew to it. They also make a variety of croissant sandwiches.
Another BIG bonus for C’est La Vie is that they have not one, but two soft leather sofas. One is a full-​sized sofa that seats three comfortably and the other is a two seat love sofa. One other thing to mention is the free WiFi despite it running on the slow side of the spectrum. If you’re in the mood for some good pastries and savory sandwiches, stop by C’est La Vie.