Patisserie Valerie

I went there in the afternoon for cake and coffee. Prices are on higher end, but the experience was worth of it. I truly enjoyed one of their Gateaus.
The place was pretty busy, but service was very good and friendly.

Make sure you are hungry. Portions are large.
We’d been in the UK for over a week and had not yet indulged in any French pastry. I’ve no idea for what we were waiting.
Patisserie Valerie gets you at «hello». You see the window displays and cannot stop yourself from saying «which of you lovelies will I devour today?» Everything looks fresh and way to calorie heavy. It’s worth it.
The chocolate cake, which my husband had, was beyond delicious. I’m not fond of chocolate, yet found myself wanting more of this delectable creation. It was creamy, with a full body, yet wasn’t heavy in any way. I chose the strawberry gâteau. It was so light that it was almost a mousse with layers of such tender cake that we were surprised that it could even stand. The strawberries on top were huge and so ripe and tender. The crème and layered strawberries inside made it difficult for me to share with my love. Since turnabout is fair play, I let him eat as much as he wanted.
If you find yourself in London and happen by one of these «vacations within a vacation», do yourself a favor and stop in. Order anything you see with a cup of coffee or cappuccino (divine), and you will find yourself whisked away to dessert heaven.

I had high expectations here… The pastries were good but not great and a bit too sweet. The staff was polite but a bit snooty (especially considered to other establishments in the area). I’d try another one sometime but this one was not quite what I hoped.

I bought a blueberry muffin this morning from the Queensway branch. It was frozen inside. I took it back and got a refund. I asked the manager why it was frozen, since they supposedly serve «fresh baked goods». Her answer was that it might have «gotten cold in the truck on the way over». This as London enjoys 15 degree weather. Horrible overpriced muck, stay away.

I come here on the weekends sometimes when I’m looking for a nice plate of eggs, toast, and orange juice. Kind of resentful that it costs more than £10 for these, but I can’t complain too loudly because it’s my own darn fault for not making something as basic as eggs and toast myself…
Fresh squeezed orange juice here is amazing, amazing. Scrambled eggs a bit runny, so I avoid that now. I like runny eggs, but not runny scrambled eggs. Nothing especially interesting about the interior, but it’s nice enough and bright with natural sunlight.

I went to this patisserie yesterday after wanting to for quite a while. I had a piece of double chocolate cake, which was 2.75. I think that’s a bit pricey for cake, but it was a pretty substantial piece, and it was quite good actually. It also had a profiterole on top: D Although that part wasn’t great. The staff were very friendly, which I appreciated. I decided to pick up their flyer with all their cakes you can order, and wow! They have so many, and they all look delicious! My roommate and I are definitely coming back here.

Patisserie Valerie is a branch of the Soho legend. Many a time have I stopped for a quick snack or to purchase a celebratory cake at the original shop when I’ve been in central London.
Sadly, the standards at this shop aren’t as good. Or certainly not as good as maybe my rose tinted classes have the cakes and pastries at the original Soho bakery. Perhaps it’s also because places like Paul and Le Pain Quotidien have challenged the pre-​eminence of Patisserie Valerie with great quality pastries and cakes
I hope that Patisserie Valerie won’t rest on their laurels and rely on their name, history and rose tinted glasses to keep customers coming back. Their socks need drastic pulling up.