Nouvé Bakery — Restaurant in Lexington

New French bakery in Lexington offering incredible savory croissants and escargots with a Japanese twist.

Took a visit this past Sunday to see what all the hype is about. Arriving five minutes before opening, I was fortunate to get in as soon as they unlocked the doors. The line quickly grew, but the wait time didn't seem to exceed 15 minutes. However, one downside of arriving early was that some pastry options were not yet available as they were still setting up the display.

I usually skip the Pain aux Raisins (or Escargots) at French bakeries, but Nouve's intriguing flavor varieties—Miso Scallion and Pistachio—caught my eye, and I decided to try both. They made me completely reevaluate my preference for Escargots. Both were incredible, but the Miso Scallion version blew me away. Although it lacked the "crunch" found in croissants, its soft yet chewy Japanese milk bread interior paired divinely with the umami-rich miso scallion glaze.

Another one of my favorites was the Sausage Croissant. Much like the Miso Escargot, it featured a good blend of sweet and savory flavors, a common trait in Asian pastries. However, some of their other croissant varieties, such as the Coffee Croissant, didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Among the savory French pastries I've tried in the Greater Boston Area, Nouve Bakery stands out as the best. While their selection isn't vast, the quality of their pastries is exceptional—so much so that I'm willing to drive an hour just to get them again.Highly recommend giving them a try if you’re into...

Treated differently, due to race, which made me very uncomfortable. Can’t believe it happens in Massachusetts. Sunday morning, I am an Asian and stood in the line after a white man and followed by a white father and his son - after the white man in front of me ordered, they skipped me and directly took the order for the white father and his son. Totally three group of costumers in the store, I don’t think it is difficult to remember who comes in first, even the white man in front me said “they shouldn’t let this happen. What I feel is group of people were granted privilege due to the race.

Reply to Alex Alex, I don’t want to give your staff hard time, but since you have the camera records, you could pull out just for training propose. Two factors which are not true: 1, First of all it is not peak hours, total three groups of customers 4 head counts. 2, I didn’t have interactions to the person in front of me or people following me, I don’t think I looked being associated with any of them. One detail which is important - before taking order from people after me, there was a moment of pause and confusion from your staff, but unfortunately that moment was not used for corrections. it makes me feel it is ok to serve the white people first then come back to me. That’s the most stinging part. Since you are Asian, hope you could feel the subtle nuance here. And even we don’t talk about race, first come first serve is still a critical protocol to run the...

A few friends and I recently stopped by Nouvé Bakery, a small grab-and-go spot with a pretty quick-moving line and a solid variety of baked goods. It’s definitely a convenient option for when you’re in a rush, but there were a few things worth mentioning.

The croissants were decent, though I found them a bit on the salty side, which might just be a personal preference. They offer loaves of shokupan for $12.99, but honestly, I think I’ll stick with places like Japonaise or Tous le Jours for that kind of bread—just seems like better value. They do have espresso, lattes, and teas, though it’s not their main focus, so the selection is pretty limited.

One thing that stood out was the service. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t great either. We had a bit of a weird experience when a customer asked about one of the croissants at the window, and instead of getting a quick answer, the staff just pointed to the cards on the shelf. The tone made it feel like they didn’t really want to be bothered, which was a little off-putting.

Prices are definitely on the higher end, which makes sense for a specialty bakery, but I’m not sure it’s worth the price tag for what’s offered. That said, it’s a nice addition to the neighborhood, and I’d be open to going back to try the rotating varieties. It’s not at the top of my list, but I’d recommend checking it out at least once to see if...