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User Reviews and comments on Le Comptoir de Celestin From: A.Smith on May-25-2003 Le Comptoir makes by far the best croissants Toronto has to offer. This is one bakery where croissants are made with actual butter, and the pate feuilletee is made on the premise. What a difference! Macaroons in all flavours and colour, silky smooth crunchy tops and delectable fillings. Even better than those we've sampled in France! Bread doughs are well matured to develop maximum flavour. Cakes have left us addicted... Definitely not the Toronto standard. Celestin is our family's favourite pastry shop. Since we discovered it last winter we have tried all their offerings and have never been disappointed. Last week I tried the passionfruit torte. It had a layer of meringue with a thin crispy crust, underneath which was a frothy, semi-liquid underlayer. Below that was the cool, custardy passionfruit resting on the pastry base. The attention to detail and sensitive presentation elevate these treats to creations made by obvious masters of their craft. Amazing pastries and cake. Out of this world croissant and pain au chocolat. Awful service and too much attitude. Too bad! Amazing service, amazing food. The best of Toronto in everything! From: Laura on Feb-26-2005 Excellent pastries, particularly the pain au chocolat, although the top was slightly burnt. Service was pleasant and cheerful. From: didier on Mar-03-2005 The croissant were burnt , the pastries especially their macarons old and flavourless,do they really care?... From: Jacqueline on Mar-13-2005 Wonderful croissants (especially chocolate) & amazing mult-grain bread - BUT BEWARE - It's Sunday morning at 10:00am as we are writing this and all that is available is raison danishes. Unfortunately, the limited supply of goods, snotty and condescending attitude have tarnished our experience on many occasions. Too bad they have lost us as a customer - we will never recommend them again. P.S. If you are ordering more than 2 croissants, they expect you to call ahead and place an order. From: lisa on Apr-02-2005 I came on few occasions to the shop, although i had no problem with the service ,the quality of the deserts left me somewhat perplex, i agree with their macarons that were much better in the earlier days, the bread and croissant are always good if you arrive early enough , i miss the choice and consistance, bring back the pastries!!! From: Marc on Apr-07-2005 Amazing service, best croissants in town and best Macaroons in North America. We are there twice a week and we can never get enough. From: Marc on Apr-07-2005 Amazing service, best croissants in town and best Macaroons in North America. We are there twice a week and we can never get enough. From: Lisa on Apr-09-2005 we wen't back and did not regret it, the 7 grains bread is amazing and the croissant the best in town ! From: Ronna on Apr-11-2005 The croissants are exquisite. Rode my bike all the way form the east end for their crisp crust and tender interior. Beautifully well done. A lovely destination. From: Timon on Jun-04-2005 I've tried quite a few things at Celestin. The pain au chocolat, the charlotte and the multigrain bread are truly amazing. I find the staff is always approachable, informative and ready to make a suitable recommendation. Celestin does not have the range of products found at Rahier's, but it certainly stands out in terms of quality...and the chic interior is simply icing on the cake! I'm a regular. From: Mike on Jul-21-2005 Best pastry shop in Town, the viennoiserie are out of this world and the apricot bourdaloue simply my favourite tart. But why are they selling Jewllery when the place is so busy. From: Susan on Aug-03-2005 Best viennoise and pastries in the city, excellent service....And when it's not to busy...The jewelry is quite an addition to the shop!!! From: Monica on Nov-07-2005 Tried their croissants, they're really good, but the service is unbelievable. Each time I was there, I felt as it was a burden for them to serve me, definetely will not be back. Since the new place opened up the street, the fine foods boutique, Personal Natural Foods I won't go anywhere else. They have great stuff, excellent Portuguese coffee, they make a great cappuccino, they also have meals and Dufflet pastries, plus fine goods. Most important the couple who own the place, Mike and Vera are super nice, service is everything to me. Great gift baskets and gourmet gifts for christmas and I was just told they're having a sit down area in a couple of weeks. From: La Croissantrice on Nov-09-2005 With respect to the comments regarding service, I must say that I have never experienced bad, snooty or rude behaviour from whomever served me. I live in the neighbourhood and for the past little while I have make a point of trying to get my bread from Celestin. The pain au chocolat, croissants, 7 grain bread, boule, pistachio tarte and the baguettes are simply divine. I might also add that I have tried croissants in many other patisseries in Toronto, Quebec, France and Belgium and Celestin has some of the best. Try the pain au chocolat as soon as they come out of the oven if you can, you'll be amazed. Sometimes when I'm walking my dog in the morning I venture there only to find a que bright and early at 7:30 on weekdays and 8:30 on Sunday. To those who complained about the lack of variety, this is only because Celestin sells out early even though they make repeated batches. If you really wanted more selection, you could have made an effort to get there earlier. Also, I was really happy to see that they have the little anison candies at Celestin. I had only ever seen them in France before and I was glad that I could replenish my little tin container without having to fly or ship them in. The classic ones are really good, but I would also reccommend the rose flavoured ones. From: Monica on Feb-27-2006 Regardless if you show up at 8 am or 4 pm, the service is the same...only one lady is nice there, aside from her everyone seems to be hating life. From: hank on Mar-23-2006 went for a lunch the past week with clients whats up? HAD A WAITER WHO STOOD AND LISTEND TO OUR CONVERSATION FORGOT WHAT WE ORDERED FOR DESSERT SO HE KEPT BRINGING THEM ALL OUT FROM THE BAKERY ONE BY ONE . BUT IN DEFENCE OF OUR WAITER HE HAD NO HELP AT ALL. WHERE WAS THE BAGUETTE NATZI ? From: in love on Mar-23-2006 whats the name of that beautiful person working behind the counter at my newly discovered bakery find ? if that,s what eating sweets does for you bring them on. From: Julie on Mar-25-2006 Absolutely amazing pastries and deserts but can we get serve buy someone who doesn't talk so much and is more efficient. Regardless the best place in town for a sweet treat. From: Marielle on Jun-01-2006 Every time I've been there I've had friendly service. I love the croissants; the breads are divine - especially the baguettes and the seven grain bread....and yes, line up early, go out before breakfast to buy your goodies on the weekend, that's when they're best! I'm surprised so many people are complaining about the service; and I've seen about three or four people with beautiful smiles in there on different days. (I guess it's easier to write something when you have something to complain about that when all is wonderful!) From: fed up on Jun-19-2006 Iwill no longer put up with the rudeness from the little french guy who should never be allowed to serve the loyal following of this up scale wonderfull bakery. please tell me if anyone else has had an episode with this so called manager? and do the owners know how he treats the loyal following as well as his staff? From: Frank on Jun-19-2006 the other day spilt hot coffee on myself because of ill fitting coffee tops went back in to draw his attention to the tops thinking he may not be aware of the problem and was rudely dismissed. Will go back to Tim,s and leave the great desserts behind as long as he remains. From: dissapointed on Jun-20-2006 the best french bakery in the city the worst manager ever From: julie on Jun-28-2006 went back in the morning to get the best croissant in the city but unfortunetly the same woman was serving and she should not be telling her life story to every body in that wonderfull shop. From: Martine on Jul-28-2006 Great shop, beautiful deserts and great explanations from the little man behind the counter, love the fig bread and the cheese fougasse, will become a regular. From: it doesn\'t matter... on Sep-02-2006 All of you people complaining... Get a life... From: McGregor on Oct-20-2006 This is about bread and pastries not service. The service changes, like our own moods. The breads and croissants do not. They are delicious. The Pain au Chocolat is flaky, moist, flavourful, many layers, and has excellent chocolate - reminds me of the ones in Paris (that little cafe in Gare du Nord). And they have this one bread, that is squarish and very dark, and is the tastiest bread ever made, I kid you not. Bon Appetit. From: Paul on Nov-12-2006 Amazing croissants, no argument there, but probably the only place where I've ever seen the staff make derogatory (and unjustified) comments on a customer to another one -- while the first one was still in the store!! From: Mario on Feb-17-2007 I just went to Le Comptoir...for the first time. Admittedly was a bit wary after reading some of the service comments. I had a great experience and don't know what all the complainers are whining about. Go, get some (great) pastries, then get out - you're not there to get fawned over. From: Karen Spence on Feb-26-2007 We witnessed a volatile waiter berate a customer who waited an extremely long time for apparently cold cafe au lait and then had the gall to ask him for a spoon and sugar! Should this not have been on the table already. WOW! There is definitely a problem there. Perhaps he is in the wrong business because clearly the restaurant was not entirely full and it is a very small restaurant. This waiter is a very arrogant and volatile person and should NOT be working as a waiter if he intends to take out his frustrations on the customers. I do not intend to go back to celestine EVER - having seen this scene transpire - it was very disturbing, unprofessional and just plain rude. From: Kevin on Mar-11-2007 I am a daily customer of this wonder shop on Mount Pleasant and I love it, but why are the croissant over cooked or burnt almost every day and can some one tell the pasrty chef that personal hygien is not a option when you are in the shop talking to customer. From: never again on Mar-17-2007 i have been insulted for the last time by the short grey haired so called manager of this great french bakery. our the owners that stupid to have this guy working for such a fine bakery? THIS GUY MUST HAVE SOMTHING REALLY GOOD OVER THEM TO KEEP HIS JOB From: Julie for Mr. Never Again on Mar-19-2007 Best Patisserie in town and probably the busiest also on week end, o be patient and have a little bit of respect for a very hard work crew. Julie From: Mark on Apr-21-2007 I agree that the bakeries are great but the staff could be more friendly. From: Jean-Baptiste on May-29-2007 I remeber a great place to work with wonderful & talented people who work with respect for the craft. The manager is a wonderful & sweet man. From: Rohan on Aug-25-2007 I will concede the bread is excellent and their banier is amazing and one of a kind. But the condescending attitude and blank stares that the fellow gives make you want to shove a few baniers into his face. I'd begun to feel that perhaps I'm too brown-skinned for his liking. I stopped frequenting this place for that very reason. From: Mr J.Howard on Sep-10-2007 Maybe the owner should tell 'her majesty' who works in this wonderfull shop to serve the customers instead of sitting down with her friends while there is people waiting ! From: Yvonne on Sep-10-2007 Thanks to Mr. Marc for a great party last week. Great service and atmosphere for brunch. Y From: Julie on Sep-19-2007 Not only my friend bought a burnt croquenbouche 3 weeks ago but every sunday or saturday morning you have to wait for croissant and most of the time they do not have any. Invompetent kitchen and obviously bad organisation. Do they care at all ? Julie Bates. From: Suze on Oct-09-2007 What a line up of whiners. Just be quiet and eat! The pastries are to-die-for good, and the staff is sweet. I don't know why all the complaints, are we all too stressed out or what? I noticed a few croissants were too dark, I just asked for another one. The people there on Sundays are amazing. From: Christian on Nov-02-2007 "julie" who bought a croquenbouche.... I'd like to know if you know what a croquenbouche is? For it's not burnable? It's puffpastry filled with a creme. To those who complain about the 'staff'; i'd really like to know if you go in during insanely busy times and ask to be explained every single type of bread, and ask the staff what a 'croissant' is. I am a regular, and the staff is always pleasant, and though 'rochelle' does talk alot to other clients, at least she knows what she's doing and what's in the food. You whiners need to know that the food is what matters, and the food they have is AMAZING. From: jms on Nov-09-2007 Since Jules� closed, I�ve returned to C�lestin and I�m surprised by the amount of products that they have. I really like the Royal and the lemon tarts. Occasionally the staff seems to be overwhelmed by all of the busyness, but I find them to be warm, knowledgeable and professional. This past Sunday, the caf�s menu sounded very good, but it was too busy for me to get a table. I guess I�ll have to reserve next time. JMS From: Steph on Nov-26-2007 While I have to agree that the manager is a bit uppity, the rest of the staff is incredibly delightful!! This past Saturday, I went in to grab a dozen of croissants and was helped by two young dames. They guided me through the array of bread, both commenting on the breads with their personal tastes. Then they suggested cakes and croissants (apricot, almond, almond chocolate, lemon and apple turnovers), and i walked away truly happy! It is the only place that I will shop! From: Peter B. on Apr-14-2008 I went in just last Saturday, and found everything I was looking for! The bakery was stocked with yummy goodies, and I definitely got my money's worth! The staff was extremely helpful and helped me pick and choose a vast selection of patisseries! When asked if everything was made on premises, the staff looked aghast and replied a relieving "of course, sir! We make everything here, and everything fresh!". This type of response is refreshing... why would I go somewhere to buy someone else's products? All in all, a great experience, and I shall most definitely return this upcoming weekend! From: Mike W. on Jun-07-2008 Went by last week to the new larger bakery next door. Prices seem to have increased and the chocolate eclair I had wasn't that good. Service seems to have declined as well. From: Robb V on Jun-08-2008 Love the new space! And no more disgruntled manager! It's unfortunate that the city hasnt granted them their permit yet, I would have loved to sit down, but good things come to those who wait! The olive bread with sundried tomatoes was out of this world, I have never tasted a bread as delicious before. I had a REAL cappuccino with my croissant, and felt like a king. Congrats to the team on their new location and successful new venture. -Robb V Return to the Le Comptoir de Celestin page.
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