The "Konditorei tours" - Tell us about your favorite cafe, patisserie, bakery, ice cream parlor, juice bar, boba tea, etc.

[Yagisama]

Anywhere you can get tea/coffee/dessert. Focus being on what you like and not what you don't like.

I used to love taking the train to random locations with no destination in mind. Mostly in Japan and Germany, but other places as well. Until once day we took the train in Japan and got off near a forest. There was a cafe there (basically someone's home) right next to the forest and from then on the cafe (or similar) became the destination. This was ~20 years ago.

But before going into far away lands, a bit closer to home.

Saturday:
Diotima Bakehouse
Mission Viejo, CA

I love their double espresso

Mixed berry custard tart and pain au chocolat

A great mix with the espresso, bittermess from the espresso, tartness from the ...... tart, and sweetness from the other one.

Today
Paris Baguette, Paris by the way of Korea with Italian coffee.

My favorite iced Americano (Lavazza)

 

[Da Xiang]

Never eaten at a deli. But I did have an Iced Tea at a Starbucks once.

 

[Yagisama]

The watermelon juice that saved the Seoul

Summer 2025, scorching heat. The Konditorei tour continued in Seoul. So many cafes had watermelon juice on the menu. I thought it was the most ridiculous thing ever.

In the heat, nothing hit the spot better than some bingsu ("snow ice" dessert) from Sulbing. Tiramisu bingsu specially.

Wagle wagle bakeshop​

Great espresso, sesame and pistachio flavors

Paris Baguette

A cafe in Ikseon, a cafe mecca

Taegeukdang Bakery​

I must be losing my touch, or just have gotten used to Japanese bakeries, because this thing was so spicy, I couldn't eat it.

Jeongwansu Coffee House

And last but not least, when the heat became unbearable, a twosome place to the rescue.

The elixir of life, the watermelon juice. I stand chastised on the ways of this magical drink.

10 pics is the limit so that's all she wrote!

 

[Hound of Cullen]

"Muddy Waters" in Burlington, VT has been there forever. I first had coffee there back in '89, and they were well-established at that point. They have a solid, old-school hippie vibe that is all their own.

Cafe Algiers above the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge... is closed. Fucking Cambridge rents. You could get Turkish coffee there, which was rare. The regular coffee and foamed milk drinks were solid, too.

For local coffee, Flat Iron in Bellows Falls is probably the best. There's an indie roaster in town called "Rockingham Roasts" but I'm not overly-fond of their beans, so I haven't tried their Cafe.

I used to go to Stratford, Ontario to the Shakespeare Festival every year. Cafe Balzac had excellent coffee and baked goods. Turns out they're a small chain, with locations around Toronto, too.

 

[Yagisama]

"Muddy Waters" in Burlington, VT has been there forever. I first had coffee there back in '89, and they were well-established at that point. They have a solid, old-school hippie vibe that is all their own.

Cafe Algiers above the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge... is closed. Fucking Cambridge rents. You could get Turkish coffee there, which was rare. The regular coffee and foamed milk drinks were solid, too.

For local coffee, Flat Iron in Bellows Falls is probably the best. There's an indie roaster in town called "Rockingham Roasts" but I'm not overly-fond of their beans, so I haven't tried their Cafe.

I used to go to Stratford, Ontario to the Shakespeare Festival every year. Cafe Balzac had excellent coffee and baked goods. Turns out they're a small chain, with locations around Toronto, too.

Toronto, May 2024

Cafe Balzac

St. Lawrence Market​

And then, there was Tim.

 

[Daedalus213]

Ooh, fun topic.

I can wax poetic about my local places, but for a "tour" I'm going to pick Providence, Rhode Island's East Side.

Coffee Exchange on Wickenden Street is my ur-coffee shop; probably the first proper coffee shop I ever went to, and the measure of any city hipster coffee shop: the roasters behind the counter, the pierced and tattooed baristas treating you with either indifference or faint contempt, signs with proud declarations of obscure coffee origins. Right near RISD it was frequented by people who were way cooler than I ever was. Had my first matcha latte there, two decades before every Starbucks started rolling them out. The pastries were great because they came from the next stop...

Silver Star Bakery on Ives Street, in the middle of the Fox Point residential neighborhood. An old-school Portuguese bakery with the usual New England bakery staples along with pasta del nata and all other sorts of specialties. At least when I lived there, you'd get the Portuguese grandmas coming in chatting with the clerks in the mother tongue.

Heading further up the hill, you'd run into Sahara , which I only went to once or twice, but it offered both Moroccan tea and Turkish coffee and Mediterranean pastries.

Keep heading up the hill, along Hope Street down the middle of the East Side, and skip everything in the immediate Brown University/Thayer Street area. Keep going. Keep going until you're headed down hill again.

Seven Stars Bakery is a classic BoBo bakery and coffee shop: plenty of young professionals and young families. Great pastries- flaky and not too sweet. Almond croissants and raspberry-filled biscuits were my favorites, plus fresh-made bread. They also do fresh-squeezed orange and tangerine juice, and they were the first place I went to that made coffee ice cubes to put in their iced coffee so it doesn't get diluted as it melts. It's also about a ten minute walk to Swan Point cemetery, resting place of HP Lovecraft, if that's your thing.

At some point I need to do an Upper Valley coffee trail...

 

[curih]

Haven’t lived in RI is so lang that I don’t know any of those places.

I’m still exploring the options in Halifax, but so far they’re outstanding.

Bramble - Sitting here now. It’s an excellent vegan cafe. Generally, I don’t particularly care for donuts. Their donuts are AMAZING! It was coconut topped with pineapple creme filling today. The cinnamon twist and glazed the kids got were also excellent. Coffee also excellent.

Lucy’s Hydrostone Cafe - Found this last week. Pastry was excellent. The savory egg and bacon danish Coffee is good. But the fresh baked bread is what puts it on top. Walked there just for bread a few days later.

Sully and Porter’s - Also has a fantastic egg and bacon danish. Cruffins are rotating flavors and are amazing. Cranberry and brie croissant was a lovely breakfast. Really everything has been fantastic.

 

[GaitherBill]

Whenever I’m in Napa I go to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.

Best everything, ever.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Oh. I forgot. When I'm in Boston, I'll go to the North End and hit up Mike's for a cannoli or two. They hand-pipe the filling into the shell while you wait, so they remain crisp and tasty.

 

[rtrefz]

I'm not a coffee drinker, so I judge coffee shops by their pastries. I'm more of a bar person, which doesn't really fit the theme.

For Chicago, there's the map room a coffee shop/bar that's filled with old copies of National Geographic. It's a great place to rest up while exploring.

In Madison, our favorite bakery hands down is Far Breton. Incredible pastries, and you can smell the yeast when entering the shop. It always makes me smile.

 

[Jables]

By me:

Revival Coffee in Crockett, CA - little indy shop with a great outdoor seating area. Matter of fact it’s all outdoor seating.
Bondadoso Coffee & Tea Collective - another indy shop in Walnut Creek; it’s across the street from my tire shop so lots of quality time waiting there vs. the lobby of Discount Tire.

 

[BigVince]

For Chicago, there's the map room a coffee shop/bar that's filled with old copies of National Geographic. It's a great place to rest up while exploring.

Map Room is great but I've never been there during the day and i didn't know they serve coffee. Great beers though!

My go to for years when i was younger is the No Exit Cafe in Rogers Park Chicago. It's pretty hidden away for being in a large city, nestled right up against the Red Line elevated trains on a narrow cobble stone one way street that was designed with horses and carriages in mind. Sadly it is now closed but for years was the center of the artist and musician community in what was known as the Bohemian enclave of the city. It was also part art gallery showcasing local works that you could buy off the wall and live music every day of the week . They roasted there own beans and served the most delicious coffee that some how paired well with cigarettes and free form Jazz. Pastries and baked goods from the equally iconic (and also closed now) Heartland Cafe half a block down the street were served and amazingly delicious. Gives me a warm feeling just thinking about it.

 

[MadMac_5]

Oh. I forgot. When I'm in Boston, I'll go to the North End and hit up Mike's for a cannoli or two. They hand-pipe the filling into the shell while you wait, so they remain crisp and tasty.

Mike's is great, but I like to go to the Harvard Square location rather than the North End one because it's less busy. The crush of the crowd and no discernable line in the North End just completely clashed with my Canadian politeness, and if I hadn't been visiting it with a local I don't think I would have made it to the counter before they closed.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Mike's is great, but I like to go to the Harvard Square location rather than the North End one because it's less busy. The crush of the crowd and no discernable line in the North End just completely clashed with my Canadian politeness, and if I hadn't been visiting it with a local I don't think I would have made it to the counter before they closed.

I didn't know there was one in Harvard Square now. A lot has changed in the 20+ years since I lived there.

 

[BitPoet]

Our local coffee place: https://www.recreocoffee.com/ I send it out in Sekrit Santa packages every year just to spread the love.

Not so local, but amazing pasteries: https://lakonparis.com/ Absolutely amazing croissants. They come in all shapes and sizes, including cubes.

 

[UserIDAlreadyInUse]

My favourite place, believe it or not, is a roadside breakfast shop in a small village outside of Chaozhou, in Pingtung county of Taiwan. Little place, only open before noon, run by a Taiwanese guy and his mainland Chinese wife. Folding tables, plastic stools, a single grill and a toaster, and I love going there any time I'm back in Taiwan. They're lovely people, and the food's really, really good in spite of the place looking like something out of Fallout. I make it a point to eat there any time we're in the area.

 

[Cranioclast]

My go to for years when i was younger is the No Exit Cafe in Rogers Park Chicago.

I'm trying to decide if I've been there or just seen it in a movie. Was it in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon? I generally didn't get that far north in Chicago, but I got dragged around by other people a lot and didn't know where I was for the first few years. I think I went to a rave in Rogers Park once. But that might have been River Phoenix.

 

[continuum]

The "Konditorei tours" - Tell us about your favorite cafe, patisserie, bakery, ice cream parlor, juice bar, boba tea, etc.

So many croissants in the area now, many I enjoy. But Proof Bakery always comes to mind. Both regular, almond, and pain au chocolat.

Zillions of milk tea places too, but I almost always find Half and Half a good stop.

Speaking of other good bakeries for croissants, Artisanal Goods by CAR is the most recent tasty stop.

 

[anuj]

Whenever I’m in Napa I go to Bouchon Bakery in Yountville.

Best everything, ever.

This reminds me, I need to drive up and get some shortbread cookies.

 

[DemonYoshi]

I have no pictures

However, here are a few of our favorites as well as one recent discovery.

Pinwheel Cafe & Bakery in Torrance, CA. We don't get here super often, but my spouse grew up in San Pedro and has been with their hair-dresser longer than we've been together and he's in Torrance.

Great French pastries, some very fun seasonal breads (the pumpkin shaped, including stem, pumpkin bread in fall!), nice bistro food. The proprietor is very French. I do mis the Croque Royale(Croque Madame on a croissant) and potato waffles they used to have.

Bakehouse by Arcade Coffee Roasters in Riverside. This is the main place we get whole beans form my spouse's coffee. We used to come here for brunch and to pick up some pastries fairly often on Sundays, but that mostly stopped when the friend we went with passed away. Still go occasionally, and either pick up or order coffee!

Simple Simon's in Riverside. This was the other one big in our brunch rotation with the above mentioned friend. We still go here much more frequently, it is a bit more conveniently located and seating is generally better than at Arcade. Great sandwiches, great breakfast fare, great pastries and breads.

ETA: Forgot to actually add the new discovery!
Gusto Bread in Long Beach.

Spouse said the coffee was very good, and some excellent breads and pastries!

 

[FranzJoseph]

Any small street Buregdzinica in the Balkans like in Bosnia and Hercegovina. The burek pastries are to die for, and they open very, very early. That was always my favourite part of travelling there – any burek where locals frequent is guaranteed to be great.

I don't have a photo myself, so here's one from wiki:

Source: BlerimBalaj

 

[BigVince]

I'm trying to decide if I've been there or just seen it in a movie. Was it in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon? I generally didn't get that far north in Chicago, but I got dragged around by other people a lot and didn't know where I was for the first few years. I think I went to a rave in Rogers Park once. But that might have been River Phoenix.

Well shit, I've never seen or heard of this movie but i looked it up and damn if there aren't scenes filmed inside the No Exit. Going by the stills ive seen it hits a lot of the places i frequented as younger person.

Thats it and thats my table right there next to the window just behind River.
Also Mathew Perry in his first film River Phoenix, Ann Magnuson, Meredith Salenger, and Ione Skye? How did i miss this one?!?!?!

Thanks for that, I'm gonna have to track down a copy of this and give a watch!

 

[Cranioclast]

Well shit, I've never seen or heard of this movie but i looked it up and damn if there aren't scenes filmed inside the No Exit. Going by the stills ive seen it hits a lot of the places i frequented as younger person.

Thats it and thats my table right there next to the window just behind River.
Also Mathew Perry in his first film River Phoenix, Ann Magnuson, Meredith Salenger, and Ione Skye? How did i miss this one?!?!?!

Thanks for that, I'm gonna have to track down a copy of this and give a watch!

How that came out of my head, having not seen that movie in over 30 years, I have no idea. It just sounded so familiar. My first thought was So I Married an Axe Murderer, but that was in California. Poetry in a cafe in Chicago...

Anyway, my Chicago cafe was Earwax in Wicker Park. I don't know if it was any good, but it was close to many friends' apartments, so it was a common meeting spot. It was a video rental shop, too, so someone always needed to go there to return a tape, anyway. May as well have a latte.

 

[Hound of Cullen]

Oh. I forgot! King Arthur Flour has a cafe at their HQ in Norwich. The baked goods are top-notch (unsurprisingly). And you get to sit inside (or near) an octagonal timber tower that was engineered by an old coworker of mine. The wheat sheaf ornament at the base of the central post was carved by a friend of mine.

 

[Yagisama]

I have no pictures

However, here are a few of our favorites as well as one recent discovery.

Pinwheel Cafe & Bakery in Torrance, CA. We don't get here super often, but my spouse grew up in San Pedro and has been with their hair-dresser longer than we've been together and he's in Torrance.

Great French pastries, some very fun seasonal breads (the pumpkin shaped, including stem, pumpkin bread in fall!), nice bistro food. The proprietor is very French. I do mis the Croque Royale(Croque Madame on a croissant) and potato waffles they used to have.

Bakehouse by Arcade Coffee Roasters in Riverside. This is the main place we get whole beans form my spouse's coffee. We used to come here for brunch and to pick up some pastries fairly often on Sundays, but that mostly stopped when the friend we went with passed away. Still go occasionally, and either pick up or order coffee!

Simple Simon's in Riverside. This was the other one big in our brunch rotation with the above mentioned friend. We still go here much more frequently, it is a bit more conveniently located and seating is generally better than at Arcade. Great sandwiches, great breakfast fare, great pastries and breads.

ETA: Forgot to actually add the new discovery!
Gusto Bread in Long Beach.

Spouse said the coffee was very good, and some excellent breads and pastries!

I was SO close to stopping by the Pinwheel Cafe & Bakery when I was in Torrence two weekends ago! Next time!

 

[Yagisama]

Went back to my usual Paris Baguette spot

 

[continuum]

Pinwheel Cafe & Bakery in Torrance, CA. We don't get here super often, but my spouse grew up in San Pedro and has been with their hair-dresser longer than we've been together and he's in Torrance.

I've been but can't remember anything about the place. Even found the picture.

 

[Cognac]

If anyone is ever in Barcelona:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/s73jP1zuqs88s2yx6

This place is absolutely worth a visit. It has nostalgic value for me as well, but damn they make some good croissants.

 

[DemonYoshi]

I've been but can't remember anything about the place. Even found the picture.

Depending on how long ago this was, they might be bigger than they were then. Some years ago (5? 8? 10?? I have no clue...) they absorbed the business next to them too to add a lot more seating area and some more counter pastry space (and off stage space as well)

 

[Yagisama]

If anyone is ever in Barcelona:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/s73jP1zuqs88s2yx6

This place is absolutely worth a visit. It has nostalgic value for me as well, but damn they make some good croissants.

Wow this looks amazing. I'm a sucker for pretty pastry connoisseur of the aesthetics. But seriously, I've looked at train and aeroplane fares from Stuttgart to Barcelona. It's definitely on the Konditorei tour" list.

 

[Yagisama]

Today:

Cold Brew
Almond Pastry
Cream Brulee doughnut
Ham and cheese hashed potato

 

[Yagisama]

Thursday, back to Paris Baguette again

Iced Americano (4 espresso shots) + 2 shot espresso topper

Overall, the espresso at Paris Baguette is pretty good.

Conclusion: Feelin' good

 

[continuum]

Depending on how long ago this was, they might be bigger than they were then. Some years ago (5? 8? 10?? I have no clue...) they absorbed the business next to them too to add a lot more seating area and some more counter pastry space (and off stage space as well)

Genuinely no clue, must not have left enough of an impression on me when I visited to remember.

 

[Robin-3]

Local we're fortunate enough to have both the Mighty Fine Bakehouse and Mallard's Milk Bar. MFB is wonderful for croissants, scones, bread, kouign-amann, and all kinds of other baked goods, as well as coffee, sandwiches, and other things. I'm especially a fan of the scones and kouign-amann. Mallard's is ice creams and sorbets, with a rotating set of ten flavors a week (8 changing, plus vanilla and chocolate). Their sea buckthorn sorbet is perfect in the summer, and their sea salt ice cream base works really well with a lot of different flavors.

A bit further afield we have La Maison du Kouign-Amann, with a huge array of patisserie and viennoiserie. I love their canelé and their pain aux raisins, and my partner loves their mini tarts, especially lemon or anything with passionfruit. Their neighbor, Zakuska Deli, is primarily a market with some deli options but they also have really incredible napoleon.

 

[Doomlord_uk]

We have a few 'favourites' but one is in Hebden in the Yorkshire Dales, called The Old School Tearoom. They do a fantastic victoria sponge cake, with cream thicker than the sponge, which is light and fluffy and perfect. Service takes a while though. It's close to a one hour drive and worth it. The outdoor seating area is nice, and they have several wood cabins too, so you can be 'outside' but sheltered. Some good walking in the area too, and lovely driving everywhere (well, that's West Yorkshire!). In Grassington, not far away, is a secret location that does the BEST cheese on toast with bacon bits. They always have a modest selection of tasty cakes for desert too. Finally, another secret location in the dales is a little farm shop with attached cafe. Service is a bit Fawlty Towers but they do really nice grilled cheese toasties and cheesy chips (no such thing as too much cheese!) and you can sit out in a nice quiet sun-trap courtyard with views over the dales. Popular with bikers too in summer, it's always cool to see all the bikes. Sometimes there are chickens too. We have another favourite tearoom that does a great afternoon tea, and a fantastic selection of cakes and pastries but if I told you, I'd have to kill you. They have five tables.... =/

 

[Yagisama]

And now, for something completely different.

The kokushobi days - The shaved ice of life in a members only cafe

The summer of 2025 was the hottest on record for Japan. The new term to describe over 40C days is "kokushobi" which translates to something along "cruelly hot" or "brutally hot."

In recent years I've survived the brutally hot days of Japan by roaming the lands and eating kakigoori (shaved ice).

August, 2025. I threw a dart on the map and it hit Lake Kasumigaura. I would walk around the lake and look for Konditorei and other grub. Which seemed like a good idea. At the time.

After getting off the bus, we got some cold drinks from a parked car. So far, so good.

Then the walk around the lake. Which was a lot more difficult in the heat than I had imagined. After a while, we decided to walk toward the city to see what kind of sustenance we could find.

I don't remember ever feeling that hot before. There were residential areas, closed businesses, a high school, and even a driving school that we went inside so I could get away from the heat momentarily. Then we walked around the streets, until we found what looked like a cafe at this location. The problem? The sign said "members only."

The sign also said that reservations are prioritized and that reservations can't be done by phone and must be done in person.

We asked if we could come in even without membership. I was ready to pay any surcharge or membership fees. Whether I'd live or not, depended entirely on the proprietor's response.

And he said yes!

Anything with fresh fruit = luxury in Japan. So these kinds of places tend to be very expensive.

I don't know if such a similar shop can be found in any other country. The clientele seemed to be all women. Basically a "bar" for women who want to chat with a friendly but not too friendly "barkeep." One woman ordered two of the shaved ice. They seemed to be regulars.

There was also a pitcher of complementary iced oolong tea, which I completely emptied.

And that's how my life was saved in that cruel cruel Summer.*


* This being Japan, there are vending machines everywhere. Technically my life was saved outside this shop, where I got cold bottles of water from a vending machine. But the water of life being water isn't as fun as the shaved ice of life.

 

[Doomlord_uk]

Do those places often have mugicha too? Or is that more of a regional thing? I tried once, it was nasty*. But I believe it's popular with the locals

*I don't travel well, it's safe to say!

 

[timstorey1]

https://pambiche.com
Here in Portland, OR, N.E. Glisan and N.E.28th.
Great Cuban food, and an amazing dessert counter.

 

[Auguste_Fivaz]

A fond memory of a trip to Lisbon and being taken to taste the pastel de nata in a huge cafe, a veritable rabbit warren of tables and small rooms. Some great pics in the link above.

 

[Yagisama]

https://pambiche.com
Here in Portland, OR, N.E. Glisan and N.E.28th.
Great Cuban food, and an amazing dessert counter.

This is excellent because:

1. Actually a good chance for me to end up in Portland, OR
2. My kind of cuisine
3. My kind of coffee (I'd likely start with a cafe cubano with 1 or 0 spoons of sugar)
4. My kind of dessert