La Vie Sucree Patisserie

I came here on a recent Sunday afternoon as I was craving something sweet in the form of a pastry (or two…). So I dragged someone to accompany me, and we visited this small dessert shop. There are a couple assigned parking spots for it out front, but there is also an adjoining parking garage. We walked in and were quickly greeted by a younger girl. To our left, there were 3^rd party pre-​boxed/​wrapped goodies like fancy chocolates. The packaging of basically everything was bright, shiny, and pretty. These are definitely good for gifting, for birthdays or housewarmings. There were nice trays of desserts as well. To our right, there was a long glass case filled with tiny sweets, many reminiscent of the Mediterranean or Middle Eastern region. I saw many items with pistachios or other nuts, and there were others with chocolate or caramel. Towards the back, there were a couple of refrigerators with various pastries and holiday macarons and petit fours (on sale-​buy one, get one free).
We were spending our time looking at the various sweets in the case. There were signs with names of each one which was good, but sometimes it was hard to figure out which one was what. There were so many to choose from that we ended up picking a few based on looks rather than ingredients. Anyway, we got probably 8 sweets from there, one large perishable pastry, and two smaller perishable pastries. The total came out to be around $ 13.
Overall, we thought everything was A-​OK. Nothing stood out to us as being delicious, and while sometimes I appreciate non-​sugary desserts, these ones were too undersweet. We got a pistachio log which was boring, and the raspberry-​filled cookie was severely bland and tasteless. The caramel cluster was the best but not worth going back for. On the pastry side, the chocolate one wasn’t bad but not sweet enough. The mini éclair had no flavor. The mini caramel square was the best, but again, I’m not compelled to go back for it.
The girl working there was sweet enough, but she awkwardly stood at the main counter and stared at us as we decided what to get. She didn’t ask if we needed help or suggest anything or make any conversation. It was a little uncomfortable considering the shop is so quiet to begin with. To have someone stare at you as you’re looking at stuff without any interaction is odd.
Also, it’s interesting to me that this store seems very protective of their inventory. The store closes earlier in the day, so typically I only see it with its shades in the window. If you walk by, it seems very closed off. Furthermore, there are no tables/​chairs to sit, so everything is take away only. Lastly, there is no coffee or drinks available here, so go to Peet’s next door.
Bottom line: the sweets here are underwhelming. The shop has decent pre-​wrapped gift ideas, but nothing really sets this store apart.

Lovely little shop. Beautifully crafted sweets unlike I have seen before. My husband frequently purchases them for me then proceeds to eat most of them!;)
I only wish they would serve a nice Arabic tea with cardamom or something as a customer offering… for free in nice Arab tea carafes. Just sayin’.
After purchasing my sweets which were reasonably priced for such delectables I had to go next door to Peets coffee to have something warm to drink to accompany it.
Very pretty boxes and party trays which can be designed to your liking with little advanced notice.
4 stars because as an event planner I told the employee I was taking pictures to send a client for a 300 person gathering. After I took the picture she hung up her phone and explained that the owner was okay with me taking pictures. Does she not know that in this day and age of Unilocaling she should have just smiled and offered me a sample to GET my business and ensure a great review? And a window display if pictures are taken from outside is considered ‘in the public’s domain’ and I don’t have to ask her or theniwner’s permission to snaps pic. Just sayin’

What a precious find right next to Tyson’s! I was in the mood to find the most exotic chocolate treats in the area and Unilocal showed me La Vie Sucrée. Love the owners who patiently explained the different chocolates and pastries. Items here have European and middle eastern flare. If you ask nicely they’d offer tastings — moments of heavenliness. Will workout so I can visit again.

I ran across this little gem by accident when I was walking back to the Tyson’s Corner metro. Never seen anything like it, they sell tiny cookies that look like works of art but explode with flavor in your mouth. They really look too good to eat! The guy behind the counter was super friendly and gave me samples while explaining what everything was made from. I’m definitely coming back to buy boxes as gifts once the holiday season ramps up.

Awesome…
The owner explained all of the types of desserts to us. We sampled several and then bought an amazing assortment of cookies and desserts that won the hearts of everyone at our after hour coffee event.
Recommend this place to anyone that wants something that tastes amazing with every bite.
Be prepared to have your tastebuds explode.

I stop by when I need some sweet treats that are somewhat healthy (hey, it’s way better than cinnabon), small/​easy to eat, and not painfully sweet. The pastries here are bite-​sized and beautiful; they’re also delicacies that may be hard to find in your neighborhood grocery store as they are recipes from the Middle East; though they now also serve macarons as well.
The ingredients are natural; dates, figs, and nuts and the textures offer up the perfect bite– flaky, full-​bodied, smoothly sweet, and nutty. If you order the desserts behind the glass counter, it’s pay-​by-​the-​pound; sometimes I buy a handful of desserts and the total comes out to $ 5 or under. I’ve always had pleasant experiences when I’m there– the employees are super nice and helpful.

The employees only greet you if you’re white. If you’re of any other ethnicity, don’t come. I walked in with my sisters & the woman working stared blankly at us. A white woman walked in shortly after & the employee greeted her as if they were family. I thought maybe she didn’t notice us, so I smiled at her but again I only got a mug face. She was not happy to help us at all. On top of everything, their desserts don’t even look that great, definitely not worth what they’re priced at. We went to Paul across the street to get our macarons, which was a great decision. Looking for great moderately priced desserts & friendly service? Go to Paul y’all.

Great selection of patisseries and sweet treats. Cakes and macaron seems to come from Poupon. Good quality and very friendly!

I was very pleased with my experience at la vie sucree.
The staff and owner very entertaining, extremely helpful and friendly.
I’ve tried handmade tiny cakes and stuffed dates. Both were delicious!
I highly recommend this place!

Nice selection of sweets imported from different parts of the world. The store and service was definitely a plus and the place is very well kept. Reasonable price considering the quality of most of the products you’re getting.
(Make sure you try the Turkish Delights.)

Elegant store with a lot of choices. I loved the handmade cookies specially the Nocochi beside the dried fruits they are so delicious. Great place in Tysons area.

Stale and overpriced