L'Anse French Café & Croissanterie — Restaurant in Port Lincoln

I came to visit this charming, well reviewed patisserie in Port Lincoln after hearing the Adelady girls claim that they made the best croissants in SA. This was a huge call and being a chef and self confessed french pastry fiend, I knew I had to check it out.

My senses were delighted as soon as I walked in - L’ Anse is a beautiful place. Newly done up, with lovely modern textures and soothing patterns in wood and stone, they have managed to create a calm, relaxing and welcoming vibe.

I have a thing for French Hot Chocolates so I ordered one along with a Chocolate Croissant to start with, followed by a delicious breakfast of mushrooms and poached eggs. A short while later, it arrived. My hot chocolate looked so good - a lovely amount of chocolate on top, making it look invitingly yum and when I took a small spoon of chocolatey foam and tasted it, I swooned - it was absolutely fantastic. Creamy, smooth and such a gorgeous chocolatey taste - not too sweet but unbelievably moreish. I picked up my chocolate croissant and took a small bite from the corner and oh my god - the crunch…..the layers of buttery goodness, the FLAVOUR - I closed my eyes and chewed slowly. This was a food moment to savour. Such spectacular pastry. A crunchy and crisp outer shell, hiding a meltingly soft interior. The pastry had a golden nuttiness that was so darn tasty. I took another bite - it just got better and better. I took a mouthful of my hot chocolate and wanted to weep - this was the best pastry I had ever tasted! More memorable than anything I had experienced in any patisserie in Paris. This was true magnificence. I was so present in eating it and the entire experience had me gripped firmly in its grasp that I couldn’t think of anything else.

My breakfast of Wild Mushroom Benny with Potato Rosti and Hollandaise Sauce arrived next. I tasted my potato rosti. It was gorgeously crunchy, well seasoned (who can stand potato without salt?) and moist in the centre. Yes, this was absolutely delicious. I slid my knife into my poached egg next and a warm, bright yellow centre oozed out - it was perfectly cooked. I dipped the tip of my finger into the hollandaise sauce and tasted it, curious to see if this would underwhelm me as many others had before. This one however, delighted me - freshly made, it was thick and creamy, smooth in texture and tasting EXACTLY how hollandaise should taste. I loved the subtle and delicious aftertaste of vinegar, which hinted at a properly executed acid reduction in it’s initial preparation. I dipped some of my egg into the hollandaise sauce, scooped a few mushrooms onto my fork, cut off a bit of rosti and put the fork into my mouth. And there it was - a perfectly balanced explosion of flavours, all designed to give your tastebuds a dance of pleasure and joy. It was extraordinarily good. The fresh chives and raw enoki spears, brought a playful hint of freshness that was welcomed amongst the earthy richness of the garlicky mushrooms, and golden richness of the rosti. There was thought and design in this food - balance and harmony, integrity and care. The people who made this food LOVED food - you could taste it. It was a glorious thing to behold. I finished my breakfast and was happy - this truly was a gem of a place. 5 stars and consistent in all things - an incredibly rare find. I will be back....

Dear Port Lincoln, You are so lucky to have L’Anse!!!! We stayed near the beautiful L’Anse Café and Croissanterie for a few days. We COULD NOT stay away. We visited every day. Honestly, it is the kind of place we would make the effort to travel to. My only regret was not trying more of their food offerings ( and their beautiful looking ice coffees!) as the miso scrambled eggs and chipotle eggs were incredible. If we had stayed longer or we lived there, we would have tried every single pastry and item on the menu. We have mostly lived in big cities and have traveled a lot, L’Anse is world class. We were completely blown away by the quality. This husband and wife team bring a vibrant, cosmopolitan, yet friendly and cozy family vibe to their business. The atmosphere was always full of joy. Many different types of people visiting both local and international, all ages, a true community gem. We were warmly welcomed and they were always busy and always doing their best to provide a classy, yet relaxed and warm atmosphere. Bookings might help if you are more than two, but we never had to wait more than 5 min. for a table and the service was excellent. I wasn’t used to single shot standard small coffees in Australia, and as soon as I worked that out and asked for an extra shot, my coffee was perfect. The pastries are superb. I love that the pastry chefs have a window where you can watch them making their magic. I was not put off in the slightest by their prices. They are providing a superior product and experience, that quite frankly, paying a tiny bit more for, is well, well worth it! Merci...

Food exceptional. Literally the best. Would give it more stars if I could. You won't be disappointed. Food was even better than we expected considering the rave reviews. Worth considering moving to Pt Lincoln for! Loved the display selection of available croissants at the register. Noticed one was removed once stock ran out. Great idea considering it can be hard to get to the display case around the corner. We had Miso scrambled eggs (recommend), Mushroom Benedict (with Rosti to die for ... double recommend) and Suzette Pancakes (truly perfection and the epitome of taste experiences. Our highest recommendation). It might seem cruel, but the 1 star is lost for Service & atmosphere because it was TOO busy and other patrons patience were clearly being tested the morning we dined. Just not enough staff to cope with the popularity. Presumably someone was off sick that day and put the rest under the pump? Don't know. However, the staff were amicable in their handling of the pace (and sterner faces) and our food arrived quicker than we expected. To keep this business thriving it would be great to see it expand into the vacant premises next door, and perhaps have a coffee window for the multitude of local workers coming for their coffee & takeaway, which currently takes staff away from their already busy job of serving tables, which btw, need to be booked. You're taking your chances to walk in without a booking, it's that busy, and rightfully so. A meal here is an absolute must if you're a visitor. Pt Lincoln residents are blessed to have L'Anse. Please keep it...