Patisserie Florentine
10 South Dean Street
Englewood, New Jersey 07631
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It makes me happy to find a place that I enjoy going to, gladly recommend and eager to schlep with me to anyone I can, anytime I can.
My first bite at this place was at a croissant. That by itself is enough to get one addicted to this place. But by far it wasn’t my last bite, nor it is the only thing that will keep you coming.
The baked goods and the food – I get an uncontrollable grin on my face when I’m there. Chef Tomer provides us with a mix of french, Israeli and originality that hits the senses in a perfect way – and makes me smile with joy. There are really so many good things there, and I’m yet to try something that wasn’t excellent. Here’s a sample:
The croissant – so perfect, baked in a few batches during the day to assure freshness (really!) and on such a different class than these industrial crescents you get around here pretending to be a croissant and leaving that terrible margarine feel on your tongue. This one is a perfect croissant au beurre and has nothing ordinaire ’bout it. You’ll fall in love.
Lava cake. Well, just try it. ‘nough said.
Omelet – choose your two fillings, and enjoy a great omelet with generous surroundings – an excellent bun, Israeli salad, herbal butter, jam, feta – a beautiful tasty dish.
Almond croissant – covered with almond, filled with the real thing, rich in almonds, butter and sugar (not the almond extract flavored gunk you get in other places), as perfect as you can get.
Waffles – well, actually to be accurate it is “Liège Style Waffle” – my daughter couldn’t stop smiling while “working” on these. I risked my life and asked for a bite, and I got the same smile she had. So good. No really. So good!
Coffee. In a word, excellent.
The staff – young, pleasant, smiling and attending staff, including the chef’s wife Amy, all making it a relaxing and enjoyable experience.
The place and décor – pretty small, cute European style cafe’ setup, perfect for what it is, with a baker’s prep table at the far end where some of the baked goods are being worked on.
To sum up, as you can understand, I’m sold. The place opened just a couple of months ago, but the chefs and staff are providing a place that serves baked goods that will proudly compete with any top notch bakery not only in the US, but pretty much anywhere include France. Excellent food, welcoming staff and in a pleasant environment.
My predication? They’ll need a bigger place soon.
Opine Away rating of Patisserie Florentine:
Rating index: 0 – Don’t bother. “-“ – irrelevant. 1 to 10, 10 is best. Price $ to $$$$ (* changed from 5 $ range to match Yelp.)
| Style of visit | Food | Décor | Atmosphere | Price |
| Family | 8 | – | 8 | $$ |
| Friends | 10 | 10 | 10 | $$ |
| Out of towners | 10 | 10 | 10 | $$ |
| Unmarried | 10 | 10 | 10 | $$ |
| In and out | – | – | – | – |
The reason for the lower family rating – the staff is extremely friendly to kids, but I do not believe it is great for the average family with young kids (i.e. they will not serve chicken fingers with ketchup).
L.