Paris Baguette — Restaurant in Lynnwood

TLDR: Definitely felt the "opening week mayhem" vibes that popular franchises usually face, so it's understandable things aren't as smooth early on especially as the staff are still getting into the groove of things. Jury's still out for whether they can compete with 85C in the long run. Hoping the wrinkles get ironed out soon.

With that said, it finally opened! Felt like I was staring at the sign for ages. The system's pretty similar to 85C I'd say - the "grab what you want from display cases -- ring up front".

To summarize the "what was nice" vs "what could be improved":

THE GOOD: Interior vibes/aesthetic. Cute sitting areas. Clean Friendly staff (even with the crowds and stress) Coffee tastes pretty good (though they got my order wrong, explained later) Some interesting pastry options that I haven't seen at 85C (mochi donuts, for instance)

WEAKER POINTS: Space feels a bit tight; not as much room as 85C in the pastry display area and especially pickup/register area. There's often people waiting for drinks or other things that the staff have to grab for you, but not much room to stand without accidentally blocking people around the register. No tongs provided at the pastry displays, just some small cuts of parchment paper that can be easy to miss for first time visitors. I wouldn't trust people to consistently use these to take things from the displays, because people more often than not are uh, gross, to put it lightly lol. I saw some people grab items with their bare hands... doesn't seem like the most hygienic approach. The Alderwood 85C did this at first as well then eventually changed to having each pastry pre-wrapped in plastic bags, which helped mitigate the ick factor. Price: Yeeeah as some have pointed out, things tended to be pricier compared to 85C. From the selection I saw and the pastries I grabbed, I'm a bit hesitant to say the price reflects the taste/quality and makes me feel like I got my money's worth. Hopefully my opinion changes in subsequent visits. Coffee consistency: Got 2 drinks - a large hot latte and large iced Nutella latte which is apparently a special seasonal flavor. The hot latte definitely felt and looked underfilled. The iced Nutella latte got rung up as a hazelnut latte. I asked the cashier about this, who said the hazelnut latte IS the Nutella latte. I noticed later while waiting that they're actually 2 separate menu items and I was charged the amount for a hazelnut latte (the Nutella one is priced a bit higher). BUT to be fair to the cashier, Nutella is pretty much hazelnut + chocolate, so I think it's an easy mixup to make. And the hazelnut latte ended up tasting pretty good anyhow so, happy accident I guess? Will definitely try to get the actual nutella latte next time though, still curious how it tastes. Checkout speed: From my memory, the Alderwood 85C had the same issue near opening where the checkout process took a very, very long time because they had to punch in each item individually, so it relies a lot on their memory and ability to quickly ID what each thing is. Issue is that people seem to use the provided boxes rather than the trays to collect their items, so the cashiers have to spend time shifting things around to see things on the bottom or covered by larger items. I think using the trays would be quicker since it'd spread everything out in one view, and then box things at the counter...

This business is still in the first few months of being in business, so there is room for improvement.

Despite the name, I feel like it's an Asian bakery leaning into French/Parisian inspiration. You'll find a selection of laminated (e.g. croissant) pastries, often with pastry cream, chocolate, or fruit; custard-based tarts; savory breads; donuts (e.g. cronut, rice donut, mochi); and cake slices.

I was pleasantly surprised to find sesame puffs here, they're pretty rare even among Asian bakeries. I was excited, but on eating one I found it a little dry and crusty. When I do find this item in the other Asian bakeries, they're sold as a wrapped or sealed pastry (it helps keep them soft). As a suggestion, I think these puffs taste better if they were sold/displayed in a similar manner.

In addition to the puffs, I bought an egg salad sandwich; hazelnut coffee; a mini croissant with pastry cream and fruit; apple pastry; and tiramisu. My friends bought tea and pastries as well.

I think the sandwich bread (like shokupan) is excellent and I would buy the loaves if they were available.

The croissant pastries were good dessert bites, but if I were to judge the quality based on the croissant dough alone it's hard to beat some of the other French bakeries in the area that make their own croissant dough from scratch. With that in mind, I don't know if this bakery makes their own dough. I'm just saying it lacks a little bit of that yeasty character I've come to expect from great croissants.

Even so, I'd still buy the croissant desserts because it's still a good dessert item. I also appreciate the fact that this bakery offers items like pineapple danish, peanut butter crumb bread, pastel de nata, and other seasonal items that are a little different than, say, your typical bakery chain.

As for the service and atmosphere, I can see myself coming here for little coffee dates and meetings. But I think there are several little things that could be improved.

For example, during my visit there was discarded wax paper all over the area where you pick out your pastries. There is no means of disposing the wax paper before you go to checkout. Which means you're just hanging on to your trash until you find a table. Also, most of the dispensers for wax paper were out, so most folks were resorting to the large pieces of wax paper to pick out pastries.

If trash is a problem, maybe individual tongs would be better? I can understand that there are pros/cons to using wax paper vs. tongs, but if the former is going to continue to be the means of picking out pastries, please provide a means for disposing the paper.

Another example for an area of improvement would be the checkout area. The staff members were courteous and attentive to me. They brought out my hazelnut coffee (pretty delicious) to my table, but for some reason they didn't do the same for my friends. I think this might partly be due to the fact that the pick-up area is also a cashier station? It might be more efficient to create a separate pick-up area. Otherwise, it feels like you're walking into someone's transaction if you're just there to pick up your drink.

In conclusion, I can see myself coming here more often, but there is definitely room for...

Majority of the pastries have been fantastic! The mochi donuts are a bit on the soggy and greasy side though so I'll pass on those going forward. Service from the team have been great. Each person is attentive and pleasant. The interior is clean and tidy for the most part, although some tables are really close to another.

Warning, incoming rant. Main reason for the less than stellar review has to be for the lack of reinforcing hygiene standards. Even with the gloves provided people are just reaching in the case and touching pastries left and right. No control over this.

Also, on our most recent visit we observed a couple waltz right in with their big white fluffy samoyed (if you're reading this, screw you btw for being a disrespectful owner and that dog deserves better). Thankfully we got our food before they came in but the most pathetic attempt at telling them to leave was made. MOD should've been more assertive and asked them to have the dog wait outside. Note, I said COUPLE. So one of these morons could've waited outside. Instead you now have a dog notorious for shedding walking around with cases that open and food exposed. I have severe allergies and I can only imagine others that share that or are even terrified of them, being uncomfortable having a dog inside an eating establishment.

We always take a risk with eating out because nothing is 100% clean. Duh. But there should be some standards especially after getting through a pandemic. Notice how 85 still has their stuff prewrapped even though the restrictions have been lifted. Also, you might want to check your cases. People either don't close them all the way or they get stuck.

Edit: to respond to the managers/owners responding I already did send in my review and recommendations to your contactus email.

Edit 2: happy to see a "no pets allowed" sign. Sad that it has to be spelled out for some people but signs exist for a reason I suppose. Updated rating to what it should...