Farine Bakery & Café — Restaurant in Bellevue

Alright -- let's jump into another one.

Been coming to this place and the Redmond spot for about 5-6 months. So this is not a hit-and-run review. I order the same thing (mostly) and the food quality + service time is fairly consistent. Furthermore, there are not many breakfast spots in the region when I do not feel like making breakfast. I say the atmosphere is a little off as it is entangled with the service and the spacing needs improvement. I usually order to go so, shrugs.

Why the service is sub-par and my review so low:

Over the holidays, there was no notice made that the days after Christmas the shop would be closed, yet the bakers were still onsite. When I asked through the window, what time the shop was opening, the baker (balding, hefty, about 6'2") waived me off like lint. He could have easily opened the door and said this instead of having me mime only to get waived off. I am a fairly regular customer, but have no expectation that the clerks would remember my name. Something that is somewhat unprofessional or rude (depending on your flavor of perception) is when the clerk asks: 'What was your name again?'. If you do not remember, ask like it is the first time. This has happened about 3-times for 3-different persons, leading me to believe these clerks are trained to say this. On 2/1 one of the clerks, best described as --- a girl with a tattoo that says 'Enough' with a receding hairline + tied back hair, blu-ish eyes, and decorative (X23) claws + rings decided it was critical to reprimand me (perhaps a poorly placed joke) for turning the pastry labels over so I could identify the item and make a quick purchase. Her and her similarly appearing co-worker (one with very BOLD, unblinking eyes) were so engrossed in some conversation, that I did not want to disturb them and took matters into my own hands having been ignored as I stood there (benign, I thought). Immediately, she took notice and said: 'I guess you are on payroll'. Which I would have taken in stride, but the snideness and poor inflection did not really suggest a joke but rather that infamous affective aggression the folks in this region are infected with. Warning posted, myself or any other random stranger might not allow people like her to get away with underhanded, misplaced micro-aggressions. There is this kinda tallish, pony-tailed female with a sorta Eastern European settler vibe who works on the coffee machines in Bellevue, WA. Not sure, but I have stood and watched how she treats MOST guest including myself. She makes the drinks and calls out a name, then places the drink on the counter without making any sort of eye contact or farewell, completely robotic and generic. Like it takes two second to literally say: 'Enjoy, have a nice day'. But instead she opts to simply call out the name and quickly place the drink with no warmth or humanity OR basic order confirmation. All this said, it is funny, that once I saw the tall, bespectacled, Belgian/French owner who struck up a conversation with me about running/marathons when I was waiting for my order. That day, several store clerks, some of whom I have had unfortunate interactions with (i.e., Claws, Crazy Eyes, Robot Kitchen, Tom Segura Dos, Sour Patch, Dirt Stache), perked up and acted extra friendly and nice when he was on-site. Some even went out of their way to make sure I got my order, said hello, etc. Pleasantries that maybe about 30% of the staff extend in regular circumstances. The pretense (albeit grating) was a spectacle to behold. And again, it might be that there is poor candidate stock for the server roles in the region, the company is not getting direct feedback about these people, or they simply cannot put effort into ensuring that clerks are kind, personable, and professional. Maybe a tall...

If I could afford to eat this every, single day - I would :) I am beyond stoked for Olivier and team for launching their 2nd location in Bellevue. Been a fan from day one at their original Redmond spot & was thrilled to know they opened in a much bigger space in Bellevue. I have been to this new location about a dozen times since they opened and their quality is consistent every, single time! Quality ingredients, fresh, made to order hot menu items, delicious coffee and baked goods. The prices are the same as Redmond, too (what a relief as we all know Bellevue rent is PRICEY!).

Olivier, Charmaine and team had a good 15+ customer queue at 10:30am on a Friday. Although it was a good 10 mins wait in line, the coffee and food came out QUICK and they were hustling like pros! Olivier made sure to greet his customers and walk around the entire cafe to check-in on everyone - what a personal touch that makes a world of a difference! Congratulations to your team! I wish the Farine Ohana continued success!!!

+PROS+ Food, quality, service, freshness, ample seating inside, blasting heaters outside, lots of natural lighting, free 2 hour parking in basement

-CONS- Nothing!

Pro Tips *Seating is first come, first served. Divide and conquer if you can and find a table to sit at first while someone else puts in your order.

If you go there during peak hours - please bring patience. There will be a line because EVERYONE loves Farine!

Looking for a quiet spot to sit for hours and hours and sip on your coffee? Well, sorry, but I recommend finding another spot. Ages young and old are welcome here (so many cute kiddos in strollers or toddlers so Mamas can get their caffeine fix!) so please know this before you arrive. It is also quite loud indoors, so if you are sensitive to that - something to keep in mind as you may or may not be able to tolerate a loud...

Met my friend and her boy for brunch! First visit for all of us. As always, I was running late. As I rolled up, I saw the line😬. Parked easy and looked for them in line but they'd found a table right up front. Which gave me a little sigh of relief. However, I didn't know the process that I was gonna get in line for all of us. So, when I got inside, I MUST SAY, QUITE QUICKLY, she joined me for our order. Lemme tell ya, when I saw the pastries I knew I must have all of them! But narrowed it down to 2 lemon meringue tarts, a gluten free brownie, and 2 cranberry apple tarts. Oh and the very last Palmieri!! (To share at home of course😁)

I both my friend and I ordered the eggs Benedict. I also had a Carmel latte and orange juice. Her 7 year old ordered the following: farine basket, AND the farine breakfast with scrambled eggs🤣🤣🤣. Needless to say, they had a lot of food to take home!!!

The food was outstanding! Everything was cooked perfectly and with very obvious high-quality ingredients! The jams that came with the basket were unreal! So fresh and delicious! All of the breads were absolutely fresh and delightful! Even my latte was better than any other. Seriously!

For as busy as they were and as full as the space was, the staff were totally relaxed and friendly. I'm not sure if the very tall fella is the owner or manager, but he was great in keeping the line moving and encouraging folks to stand up under the eaves where there were heaters. At one point stopped to check on us to make sure we were all good.

I didn't give a 5 only due to the fact that we did have to line up outside. I am disabled so that was uncomfortable for sure. But again, if you are patient and kind, you will absolutely not be disappointed!!

I live in S Everett, so it was a little drive but I definitely...