Maison Bertaux

The cakes are pretty good, the street view incredible for people watching (if you can grab a table in there) and everything is reasonably priced. It’s a little slice of quirky Paris without having to go further than Soho.
Hidden downstairs is a sweet little boutique selling a neat range of clothes for those a little more fashion adventurous. The staff are always friendly and happy to help, too. The only reason it’s 3 stars is just due to how busy it gets, you have to really get there at the right time or it’s overflowing with so many tourists and shopping bags, it’s a little difficult to move around (or sometimes get into your seat) without bumping into someone.

This could have been a great place.
It’s a nice tea room, the ground floor is lovely, the cakes look nice and the old man at the counter is kind.
So what’s wrong with it?
Well… everything that «looks» nice is actually not. I mean the cakes are mediocre at best, some are better than other but in general they are low quality. And some of them are definitely old and stale.
Teas are good however, and the general feeling you get from this place is good. It’s a pity. I really hope they are going to improve the general level of their cakes, I do wait for it!

This place has a great old world feel to it, grab a table outside on a nice day and slowly enjoy a pot of tea and snack.

Mason Bertaux is an astonishing thing of beauty. Something that is becoming sadly only to rare in the changing face of Soho these days. Incredible patisseries, great tasting French coffee, authentic surrounds that haven’t changed in thirty years or more. Michelle the owner is still serving every day with her wonderful mix of warm, gentle smiles and blustery curtness, something you have to either forgive or see as endearing (for me it’s totally the latter as she is lovely when you get to know her). Yes the prices are a little high, but the quality is excellent, the surrounds unique and in this day of sterile super eateries, a complete gem. You are in Soho after all!

We met a dear friend here for some early evening hot tea and we were simply not disappointed! It was delicious British tea and the atmosphere was just perfect. We had a table right outside the door and we were frequently checked by the waiter during the two hours we were there. Recommend! Maison Bertaux!!!

I been to this place a few times and the person taking the orders always seems too busy to care about you even if you are the only person in the store and in some cases quite rude.
I wouldn’t recommend the coffee especially if you are looking for an espresso based drink as they don’t have an espresso machine or the hot chocolate which is a bit watery. But the tea selection is always good.
The cakes always look very nice but taste wise most of them are nothing special apart from a few exceptions and they don’t seem to find an issue at serving things that they had for a few days — stale. Considering the price you have to pay for them I would only buy one if the other patisseries in the area are closed.
If you can get over the unpleasant experience of ordering & paying this place can be quite good. Plus the late hours and attractive location make up for some of the bad.
I final word of caution is that the owner doesn’t seem to care that much about the hygiene of the place so most days the toilets & sink area tend to be very dirty.

Go there and get a take away lemon cake slice. It’s awesome; the best I ever had. I ate it there with an éclair which is average. The place is not very clean based on my standard and it is quite pricy.

Had cheese cake and eclairs. Their cheese cake is so good so fluffy, I wanna back and try again. Eclairs are just fine, the chocolate glaze tasted like cheap syrup. Also they really need to deal the toilet, the room smells like you sit in the restroom having your food.

I like to enjoy teas in historical place, but this famous tea room really needs a refurbishment and better toilet management.
When we visited, the wall paints of the back staircase are falling off, looks unfinished and dirty. My friends went to toilets and complained the awful smell. I really hate good restaurant with smelly toilets, what is the point to ruin my good memory of food with strong awful smell of the toilets after meal.
Nevertheless, I will recommend to try the teas here, their fresh mint tea and mango tea are nice. Their cakes are just so so, the cheese cake is on the lighter texture, so it is good refreshments after a dinner.
But after discovering the toilets and have a look of their kitchen sink area, I was just not sure of their hygiene.
Don’t get me wrong, I loves streetfood, and all strange places. But as their cake is so so, so I can’t overcome the toilet issues.
Hope the owner can spend some money to refurbish this venue, keep the historical feeling but just make it look cleaner and more organised, I am sure this place can shine again like before.

This is what London is about — old, historic spots, serving high quality goods. I actually meant to come to the pub next door, which is meant to be another said spot, but was just so tempted by the casual diners seated outside and the beautiful cakes in the window.
Enter the shop, place your order, and then find a seat where a server will bring you your tea and cakes, or whatever have you. Service is friendly and the cakes are huge and delicious.
I love the charm, and appreciated not being rushed out even though it is a very popular spot for locals and tourists alike.

This place gives me faith that humanity has a chance after all. That we aren’t doomed to Starbucks ourselves out of existence. That uniqueness, oddities and eccentric beauty are still valued.
Because, how in this day and age of chain-​restaurant vanilla Soho can this bizarre, belligerent place still exist? I ***king love it.
On the lookout for dessert, we eschewed Patisserie Valerie and it’s chainy cakes to pop into this other French patisserie. As soon as I walked in the door, I knew I wasn’t in Kansas anymore*. First of all, I was greeted by this older man, who looked a bit disgruntled. The place was full of little tables and, as my mother would say, a lot of tatty crap. I echo the other reviewers, this is like your granny’s tea room. If your granny was a hoarder, who decided to open a cake shop.
I picked out a cake from the window, the one with the most cream, natch! And left my sister to pick out the other. She dithered and dithered until I suspected the old man was going to slap her around the head.
We eventually got our cakes and a charming young French man delivered the coffees**. As we ate, I took in the pink bunting, random fairy lights, the piano and all the other random assortment of stuff and thought ‘yeah, this is weird and I dig it’. My sister is a crap cake picker and had ordered this dry cherry almond thing that looked vile.
This place is so strange that if it was in east London, I would wonder if it wasn’t some kind of hipster live art show. ALL THE STARS! Go there and give them money, if only to keep this crazy place alive.
* A bit like being in an episode of ‘Goodnight Sweetheart’, what do you mean you haven’t seen it?
** Like a scene from ‘Open All Hours’… what, you haven’t seen that either. Sigh.

Found this place having been taken here by a work colleague when I worked in the area some years ago and loved it on site of the delicious treats in the window.
Like a child in a sweetshop, all the delightful desserts, cakes patisseries that are on display, you are spoilt for choice. At first I was a little displeased with the environment but once seated and taking in the environment, the people around you and the staff, you get to love it.
The staff are a little eccentric, I think I was told that the owners used to be actresses in the Theatre. I don’t know if that is true but some days when you are there, you certainly see/​hear some entertaining things with the staff.
Drinks are basic but then you don’t come here to drink. You come here to eat things that you shouldn’t really but oh you will just as treat and to people watch.
There have been many nights out here when the restaurant dessert menus has not been up to scratch that I have ended up here to satisfy my sweet tooth. Also great for lunchtime treat.
I like this place and yes, can be a little over priced but hey, had made delights made on location in a venue which is oozing in personality. Gets my vote.

I like their late hours. It’s hard to find dessert places after dinner if you happen to have dinner after 8.
I had some variation of cheesecake. it wasn’t particularly memorable, but (I think) it was decent.
Not a fan of the space upstairs. It feels like it hasn’t been renovated for many decades, and it doesn’t have much character to it. It was also a bit crowded. What I could not stand was that the door to toilet was kept open the entire time. Having your dessert with a toilet in view is not exactly appetizing. I was simply too disturbed to remember anything about my cake.

Such a cute dessert and tea place! The window is full of amazing cakes and treats! Its super cute and funky inside and the outside seating is lovely. We had a chocolate ball of cake covered in chocolate (not sure the name) but it was AMAZING! with a nice tea and coffee! Perfect break spot.

I stopped into Maison Bertaux on a Saturday morning a few back, for a pastry and a coffee. Given the definitive French-​ness of the place, I was certain I would have that lovely experience I’ve so enjoyed whenever I go to Paris: pastry breakfast with coffee, the one time that I find Parisians palatable.
It was nice enough, though nothing too fancy. We were out on the street, but unfortunately didn’t have a great view of any people watching (too early on a Saturday? Can’t blame Maison Bertaux for that!). Our food was good, though not super fresh, and in fact not all of the people in my group finished their food and drinks.
It’s a quaint spot on Dean Street though, if you’re looking for a breakfast. I imagine when the street is busy and the sun is shining, it’s quite a lovely experience. Maybe I’ll head back.

Did you know that Maison means House in French? That is a fact for you.

The place has some cakes that are ok and seem to be homemade, but overall it feels a bit touristy. It has only a few tables and there are always people waiting for you to leave. The interior has also seen already some better days, a renovation is needed some time. It seems there hasn’t been anything invested in years. Windows are not properly closing and tables and chairs look like they have been thrown out by somebody else… There are better options in the area!

Really cute little tea shop in soho, had the pear tart and a pot of tea came to seven pounds. So slighlty on the expensive side but well worth the visit.
As I walked in it was like stepping back in time greeted by and old lady it seemed like your granny’s tea room. Immediately felt at home and on best behaviour she just that effect. lol
Would only come back if I were with a friend from out of town.

Very eclectic French pastry shop with a huge selection of delicious sweets. We stopped for afternoon tea and pastries and loved the place. Going upstairs we had the pleasure of putting up with an ongoing philosophy discussion between a pair of wornout Englishmen with nothing else to do for the afternoon than fill the room with their redundant wordiness. It was entertaining.
Décor is interesting but quite worn. The sweets were delicious.

If you didn’t know about this little gem of a bakery you’d never find it on your own.
It’s in an odd location, a few seedy shops surround it but don’t let that stop you.
The hostess was quick to greet us and and explain what was freshly made that day. We ordered a slice of cheese cake and some sorbet and took a seat in their cozy seatting area next door. Holy portion size batman! I couldn’t even finish my sorbet. I also didn’t want to give up the cheesecake that was suppose to be for my husband :)
The barista guy was super cute and polite. If we were in the area, I’d stop by again :)

Ein Kleinod mitten in Soho! Ganz leckeres französisches Frühstück in dem für mich tollsten Teil Londons. Mein erster Besuch war 1994!

Miam miam quel régal! La maison à tout d’une boulangerie à l’ancienne: jolie vitrine, épaisse tranches de gâteaux et de quiches, décoration un peu vieillotte. La terrasse est minuscule, tout comme l’intérieur. On y retrouve des sexagénaires qui prennent le thé aussi bien que des jeunes. J’ai testé le crumble aux pommes (£3.30): un régal! Il était bien croustillant. J’ai même cru détecter quelques zestes de citron et des raisins secs dans la recette. Cette adresse fait la différence!