Satisfy your Sweet Tooth

Comptoirs De France is hands down my favorite new bakery.

I’m a little upset with myself for not discovering this place sooner!  With six locations around Beijing, I’ve always noticed it and wanted to try it, but until yesterday, I had yet to experience the awesomeness that I now know is Comptoirs De France.

Once I stepped inside, I immediately got myself acquainted by ordering a cup of terrific hot chocolate and a rich mini Chocolate Tartlet. I left with two loaves of bread and an assortment of ten different kinds of mini bite-sized pastries (RMB 7 for each).

More than just a French bakery with chocolates, it is a delightful cafe with an assortment of treats from loaves of fresh bread, perfect croissants, sweet tarts, macaroons, ice cream, they even sell chocolate Eiffel Towers for heaven’s sake.

Review of Comptoirs De France: 6 locations – East Lake Villas, China Central, Ritan Park, Lido, Riviera Plaza & Europlaza.I visited: East Lake Club, 35 Dongzhimenwai Dajie 东直门外大街号东湖俱乐部, Tel: 6461-1525

Best Part:

• Chocolate Tarts, Chocolate Eclaires, Chocolate Crossaints, Hot Chocolate, and I hear their Chocolate Fondue is brilliant.
• It’s really quite unfair that I would limit this bakery to their perfected chocolates.  I really ought to give them due credit for their freshly baked breads, other non-chocolate pastries (lemon tarts and strawberry cheesecake tarts also come highly recommended), as well as their savory sandwiches, salads and soups.
• Very well managed, personable, and professional.  Quality you can count on AND they have wi-fi.
• They cater, custom-design wedding cakes (yes, I did ask), and they always do something special during the holidays (i.e., Giant Chocolate Santas during Christmas and Giant Chocolate Hearts during Valentine’s Day)
• After 7:30pm, all pastries are buy-one-get-one-free.
• They deliver with a minimum order of RMB 75.

Comments:

• Even with six locations, there is not one close enough to me to visit on a daily visit.  Plans are in the making to move somewhere in Sanlitun and Chaoyang Park West Gate.
• Until then, despite the distance, I plan on becoming a regular. They can count on that.

Rating: (on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being best)

• Food: 9
• Atmosphere: 7
• Service: 7
• Overall Experience: 9