La Bête À Pain draws a broadly mixed picture, with breads and pastries frequently praised for freshness and flavor while service and value are questioned. Reviewers love the croissants, breakfast sandwiches, avocado toast, and canelé, yet many note slow, unfriendly service, long waits, and mood swings tied to staff. Several comments mention price increases and smaller portions since a baker change, suggesting better value elsewhere despite occasional high quality. Temperature and timing issues also show up, from interiors that feel too hot to coffee that can be cold or under heated, and lunch service starting late or missteps like a soup order. Ambience is described as pleasant and lively at times, though efficiency and consistency can be hit or miss. Overall, La Bête À Pain remains a notable bakery cafe for its core pastries and breads, appealing to those with time to spare and a willingness to sample a range of items, while some encounters warn to temper expectations about speed and consistency.
I ordered the avocado toast, croissants, muffins & 3 breads. The avocado toast was maybe the best I have had (5 stars). The muffins & bread were good (4 stars). I have not tasted the croissant yet but if they are anything like fleury's, they will be great.
Dec 21, 2025
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The food is great, baked goods top notch.
But the lack of efficiency in the staff there is astounding. I was there picking up coffee & croissant & waited 30min, & just watching them operate, sigh. Don't go there if you're in a rush, but do go if you have time to kill & the patience.
Best thing about this place used to be their delicious croissants but unfortunately lately they are almost always out of croissants before noon on weekends, & if you're lucky enough to make it before they run out, you need to wait minimum 20-25 minutes to pay since the cashiers are overloaded & very slow. Would suggest management plan better for busy weekends.
This is the kind of cafe & bakery experience we were looking for when we came to Montreal. I can't say enough about how delicious & fresh my mortadella sandwich tasted. It reminded me of some of the best Italian grocery store sandwiches I've had. We came twice during our trip. We enjoyed the food & the croissants so much to start our day.
Aug 10, 2025
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My friends travel far & wide - & the best part? Catching up over brunch in Montreal, swapping stories between bites of smoked salmon croissant & sips of iced latte. ✈?🥐💬
just went by this morning at 8am
found out only once there, their kitchen doesn't open until 9am
a bit strange for a bakery place
ended up just grabbing a coffee & a croissant
Pretty bad service. Ordered pastries. Get coffee after 5min. Then wait another 10min for someone to put a croissant on a plate to bring to you. I could also see it waiting on the counter for 10min before I went to ask. The girl behind the counter can literally plate it for you as you request it. What a bad system. Employees look unhappy & stressed.
Croissant lacked cooking time in my opinion. It was barely browned on top & lacked the crunchy I'd be looking for. Tasted good otherwise but texture was not there for me.
Very good atmosphere to get coffee/brunch with an old friend to catch up.
I would come back to try their sandwiches & other pastries.
May 27, 2025
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Was looking forward to their fig bread. Not sure why they added rosemary to it as it doesn't go well with the fig & in fact overpowers it. Was disappointing as we make sure to drop by whenever we are in Montreal. Anise & fig or fig alone would have been better.
Our friends had the croissant ham & cheese sandwich as well as the lemon meringue. They said those were good.
I got the almond croissant & cinnamon roll & they were both, dry, dense & way too sweet. I might have gone there on a bad day bad time (evening) but was pretty disappointed anyway. Didn't receive a good service either but wouldn't blame them, it was in the evening.
Delicious homemade apple caramel syrup. Delicious pastries, but not much space to sit. Price very reasonable. 35$ for 3 pastries, 2 flavored lattes & 15% tip. Paris brest: 9.3/10, a bit too rich & sweet but so delicious. Almond croissant: 8.2/10, buttery, flakey & not too sweet. Very good, but perhaps missing a tad something or maybe I just like them a little sweeter. Would definitely recommend. Cinnamon roll: 6.8/10. It's alright, it is beautiful & big, but not enough moisture to my taste. If you like a drier not too sweet roll, this might be great for you. Next time I need to try the grilled cheese, the tiramisu, the croissant & chocolate roll.
This is a mediocre bakery with nice atmosphere. Breakfast sandwich was good but other than that it was difficult to find one special item. Croissants were OK but no where close to Automne Boulangerie. Coffee (Americano) was one of the worst I had for years. Overall not impressed with La Bete a Pain.
Nov 11, 2024
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You start your day here & you're destined for great things... OMG everything the bakery pumps out is SPECTACULAR ❤️ ⭐️Croissant au Jambón Hammy flakey heaven with a bechamel that tucks everything into your taste buds! ⭐️Sandwich Dejeuner (Egg Sammy) Eggs so light, cheese is yummy, smoked meat hits the right notes 🎶 & fresh tomato brings it home. ...then there is the case of baked goods as you walk in. Good luck not selecting "one of everything"🤤 10/10 will be back!
cute little spot! the brioche canelle was really nice & soft, the sweetness was not too over done which was nice but i felt that it was lacking a bit of a stronger cinnamon taste. the almond croissant was also really nice. would go again!
Leur croissant & chocolatine se rapprochent selon moi le plus de ceux que l'on retrouve en France! Un lieu très agréable que je recommande vivement pour votre petit déjeuner ou lunch!
Nous y allons régulièrement & j'ai l'impression que la qualité a baissé... Croissant & chocolatine aux amandes où on sent clairement qui ne datent pas du jour (normal jusque là), mais voire vraiment plusieurs jours... 🙄 Café pas terrible ce jour, & service toujours étrange (nourriture servie avant les boissons). Dommage !
