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.
The bread is great. Pastry too. Unfortunately the mood of the staff determines the ambience a lot. Sometimes staff is very nice, other days not so much.
J'adore votre endroit, la nourriture & j'aurais mis 5 étoiles mais je suis très déçue que votre cuisine ouvre seulement à 9h pour le déjeuner. J'habite à une rue & je dois choisir un autre endroit pour le déjeuner avec mes clients ou collaborateurs. C'est vraiment dommage. C'est tard 9h pour un déjeuner d'affaires. Se serait bien de reviser le tout pour au moins 8h.
Feb 4, 2025
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The avocado on toast was good but nothing out of the ordinary & the eggs were hard boiled not soft boiled. Sadly the service was really bad. Rude baker & even ruder cashier. Plus it’s not very clear the first counter is only for takeaway orders.
Les sandwiches sont délicieux! Les potages aussi. Les cafés sont bons, mais j'avoue que j'ai goûté de meilleurs pains & pâtisseries ailleurs. J'aime bien l'endroit qui est assez discret à Griffintown, concept intéressant avec l'accès au magasin Must.
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.
Dec 24, 2024
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I've been here a handful of times since the location is convenient for me. I originally was only going here to get sourdough bread once a week but then decided to try their food & drinks. I will say, the atmosphere is cozy but depending on the time of gets very busy & hard to find a seat - good things is not everyone lingers & eventually you'll find a seat. What I ordered/Have Tried: Grilled Cheese, Italien Sandwich, Parfait au Yorgurt Grec & drink wise I always get their Vanilla Late with Almond Milk with caramle drizzle. I've tried it cold & hot & both are amazing. I feel like when you dine in, your drink portion is more & when you also dine in to eat, the presentation of the food is great! The staff if friendly & the food comes out to you pretty fast considering how busy it gets. Highly recommend & if you find yourself waiting a long time, just browse the furniture store next door to kill some time lol
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!
Very crisp, modern atmosphere to this bakery. It was very busy when I went, not a single comfortable seat available. I tried the breakfast sandwich. It was pretty tasty, I enjoyed the chunky egg in it. However at the price point I was disappointed that there was no cheese, that element was definitely missing. Service was cold.
All of the delicious baked goods are made fresh daily. It's definitely a hidden location, & one of the entrances is thru a furniture store. Dried sausage made excellent gifts for family & friends. Definitely trying their crossiant sandwiches. Kind of a smaller place with limited seating.
Nov 3, 2024
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They were great few years ago until they started changing back & forth the menu & the way they service people. For some reason the last 3 times I tried to give it another shot was a disaster. Also $5.30 for a filtered coffee? lool Food: 2/10 (meh) Service: 1/10 (Waiters are rude, late & slow) Atmosphere: 2/10
Decent bakery with lots of choices of bread & sandwiches. I had the jambon beurre, but I thought the bread was too hard, chewy. Would have preferred it to be warmed up or softer. The seating area is a bit small as well & noisy.
