La Gourmandine Bakery & Pastry Shop

Even though I’ve given this place a five — and I went here since day one — I don’t go as often anymore, though I mean to go back. The main thing I’ve noticed is the quality of La Torte has gone down and that was a colossal loaf when the place was a little closer to newly opened. Having been to places like the Buttercooky in New York, this is only a fraction of the whole enchilada.

I went a little crazy last week when I stopped in. I had only ever eaten what my husband would pick up from here– usually their almond croissants. This was my first time actually stopping in in person and… I just had to have it all.
I got a chocolate croissant (so flaky that it got all over my jacket when I ate it on my ride home), a basic loaf of bread for dinner, one of their giant macaron and raspberry sandwiches, an apple thing and an apricot thing. Even with all that, it came to around $ 13. For the quality, I think the price is pretty fair. Everything was amazing, but the apricot pastry really stood out to me– mostly because I hadn’t had anything like it before. It had a delicious layer of pastry custard with a big ol’ apricot half plopped in the middle. The macaron was just as delicious as it looked. I only seem to ever see this kind in pictures on Unilocal– the pastry crème with raspberries. I’d love to see other varieties with other fruits, but they do have a selection of the typical, normal-​sized macarons.
I do have an unpopular opinion about their almond croissants, however. They are TOO loaded with their delicious, gooey almond filling for my taste. They are very sticky and don’t really have must flakiness– just too rich for me.
Be sure to get there early in the morning to be sure you can get what you want– like all good bakeries, they only make as much as they know they’ll sell.

MMM. I can’t say enough good things about La Gourmandine. I love everything I’ve ever had from them
quiche
almond croissant
ham and cheese with bechamel croissant.
and a dozen or so desserts.
Every single one — delicious

This bakery is a gem in Lawrenceville. Every time I walk across the 46^th st. I can’t help but come in and buy some pastries. I’ve tried almost all of their pastries + savory sandwiches. Good selection of pastries everyday. The early you get the more options you’ll have to choose from.

Best bakery on Pittsburgh I’ve been to so far. Not the cheapest but well worth the price! About $ 3 – 4 per small dessert, and $ 16 – 22 for the larger cakes. They also have a variety of sandwiches made with baguette bread ($ 4 – 6), and 3 quiches daily ($ 4 – 6) plus some savory pastries if you’re looking for more of a breakfast/​lunch. They have seasonal soups as well.
Be prepared to wait in line for at least 10 – 20 minutes if you’re coming on the weekend. Also, there is not a lot of seating inside the small store, only 2 tables, so more of a to-​go place.
My favorite is the lemon tart, but I’ve never had a bad experience sampling anything here. I tend to stay away the chocolate desserts, they are too sweet for me. Selection changes each season so there is always something new to try!

This review is based on a single chocolate éclair that I devoured from my friend’s hands when he picked me up in Oakland during my Pittsburgh trip last month. We were supposed to share the éclair that he bought but I guess I wasn’t thinking much about the «sharing is caring» rule after the first bite. Best tasting éclair I have ever had!
I wish they were opened later. 4:30pm is a bit early to close but I’m from NYC. I would have loved to had the chance to visit this bakery that afternoon/​early evening!
He still calls me a fatass to this day. Guilty!

While everyth

We came here on a French bakery trip.
We had the big pink macaron w/​raspberries and cream. It was. AMAZING.
They. Have. SOUP! Must be for fall season.
It was a chicken orzo tomato basil soup and a piece of baguette came with it
(It was delicious highly recommended)
Marquis — milk chocolate shell, crème brûlée and chocolate mousse and pastry puff in middle. This was very good, texture was great. The milk chocolate she’ll was alittle sweet tho
Tarte de citron — very good! Perfect balance of meringue and lemon
Overall, the feel and taste is close to Paris, but not quite. But I approve

I still love La Gourmandine, but I feel that the overall quality and consistency of their bread is not as great as it used to be. The pastries are all still pretty delicious, for the most part. As for the bread, I’m not sure if it’s just because I’ve now been spoiled by better baguettes (see: Five Points Artisan Bakeshop) and other amazing bread (see: Bread & Salt) or if the quality has actually declined. I still occasionally get baguettes and sandwiches here because they’re conveniently located in my neighborhood, but they just don’t move me like it feels like they once did.
The service is very friendly and competent; I love all the folks who work here. It’s great that they have seasonal pastries, too. Always a fun treat! Get here early on Saturday and Sunday mornings, as the line sometimes goes out the door by 9am or so!

While checking out the area for an upcoming event I stumbled upon the first location of La Gourmandine. I had no trouble parking and was pleasantly surprised to find it open on a Sunday morning.
I went in and like its sister shop over in Mt Lebanon, the layout is virtually the same. They are noted for their flaky almond pastries which I have had before. That alone is my number one recommendation! However, since I have had it twice I decided to try something different. So I asked the lady about some of the new items they had. One was called Clafoutis which is made out of bread pudding and stuffed with cherries. The other was lime Bavarian cream with raspberry. I ordered both since they told me I could store the Clafoutis in my refrigerator for one day.
They served my lime Bavarian cream on an actual plate with a fork. They also have a few tables where you can sit and eat. Again, they offer sandwiches as well as coffee or tea. You can also order cakes or pastries in advance. The staff was very helpful and explained everything to me.
That new lime Bavarian cream was delicious and not overly filling which was perfect for me! I plan on eating the Clafoutis later but I’m sure since they recommended it to me, I know I won’t be disappointed. When I had finished eating my dessert I placed it to the left of the cash register which I was told was fine so they could take it away.
This place is easy to miss while you are driving down Butler St but again the place fills up very quickly since it is a popular place for sandwiches and French pastries.
I did ask if they were planning to add any other locations at the moment and was told they aren’t. Either way if you visit this location or the one in Mt. Lebanon you will get exceptional service and some of the best Parisian desserts you can imagine.

With La Gourmandine, you get all the deliciousness of French pastries without all the hassle of attempting to speak French. This is a bakery that was recently featured in the NYTimes’ 36 Hours in Pittsburgh video, and I think it was worth the shoutout!
+ Just the right amount of variety, from savory quiches to sweet tarts to buttery croissants.
+ The staff were quite friendly.
+/​-​Both times I’ve gone (once around noon, once in afternoon), there’s been a decent crowd. Speaks to the good food here!
+/​-​Oof. I’ve insisted on trying pastries I’d never tried before, and unfortunately those happen to be all the ones involving cream. It’s good cream, but still, a few bites is enough for me.
On my last visit, I got the Paris-​Brest and the Choux a la Crème, which was a huge mistake because both involve COPIOUS amounts of cream. It’s basically impossible to eat both in one day. I also got a Marquise, which is like a giant fancy layered candy bar! Be still my clogging heart.
Today I had the Delice de Pistache and the Croissant Aux Amandes, for $ 6.60 total. The pistachio cream was surprisingly refreshing, at a good level of sweetness. The croissant was the winner though. It had such a nice buttery flaky interior, yet a crisply sweet glazed almond outside. PERFECTION.
I took my treats to the park across the street, and subsequently food coma-​ed for a little bit. I am impressed the French manage to stay so svelte with bakeries like this in their country. Ugh.

Amazing bakery for French pastries. Pains au chocolat, chaussons aux pommes, macarons… tous est délicieux et authentique!!! Il faut y aller!

Butter butter everywhere! I selected six pastry in lieu of a traditional bakery cake for a birthday celebration. All were terrific. «Must try-​s» are the Paris Brest and the almond croissant. Choux à la Crème and the Chocolate cakes — either hazelnut or yellow cake — were heavenly. Avoid the simple vanilla custard — while it is good, it is not as outstanding as most other goodies.