La Gourmandine Mt. Lebanon — Restaurant in Mt. Lebanon

I have been a customer of La Gourmandine for several years, first in Lawrenceville and more recently in Mount Lebanon. I was, until recently, of the opinion that this French bakery was outstanding, just as good as the patisseries in France. The most authentically French in Pittsburgh, comparing for example with Marc LeChatellier in Millvale. Recently, however, I have been disappointed by a few things. First, I was disappointed to find out that two of my favorite items, the "chaussons aux pommes" and the "feuilletés aux pommes" were no longer being made. Upon inquiry, I was told by the management that it was too time consuming. Well, if it takes longer to make, charge more for them. I was then told that full size "tarte aux pommes" would be available for Thanksgiving. So today, November 25, 2020, I got up early to go and buy one of those. What a surprise!! I expected a real French "tarte aux pommes". Instead I got a rustic looking thing with very ordinary crust and a bunch of apple slices that tasted like too much lemon juice had been applied to them to prevent them from oxidizing. $21 something for it. There could have been a layer of custard at the bottom to counteract the acidity of the lemon. But there was none. I am not saying it was bad. It was eatable. But , it was not a "tarte aux pommes". I have had American apple pies that were better. Fortunately, on the same visit, I bought an "abricotine" and a "panier framboise". Those were very good, as usual. The other thing that is a little off-putting is the relatively new practice of an "almost request" for tips at the cash register. No other store that I know of asks customers if they want to leave a tip for being handed their purchases, except of course restaurants, but that's an entirely different kind of business. If you want your employees to have a higher income, pay them more, and raise your prices if necessary. Please, don't become too americanized, i.e., business efficiency at the expense of...

I’ve been a loyal customer of La Gourmandine for over a year, frequently visiting their Butler St location, but my recent experience at this store left me deeply disappointed.

On the morning of February 4th, I purchased some pastries and only later realized that I had been overcharged for an extra croissant. I only asked two and got two. Within an hour of getting home, I called the store, and after checking, they acknowledged the mistake and agreed to issue a refund—without any apology for the inconvenience they caused.

Two days later, on February 6th, I checked my credit card transactions and saw that no refund had been processed. I called again and was nice all the time. After one employee picked up, another took over and asked me bunch of questions. Then she told me they would refund $3. When I pointed out that the actual amount was $3.95, their tone immediately turned impatient, as if I was being unreasonable for expecting the correct refund. I don’t understand—why should I pay for a mistake that wasn’t mine? They curtly said, “Fine, $3.95,” and hung up without any courtesy, making me feel like I was being unreasonable. I never expected to feel this disappointed in a bakery I once loved. It’s like I was the one causing all the...

I have been coming to this bakery for a year and the old staff were always so kind. Recently I went in and they had young girls working who don’t care and then an old blonde hag who is miserable and mean. I asked for a quiche heated they made me wait for 15 mins and handed me a slice. I asked her four times to confirm that I wanted a whole quiche but being an incompetent worker she failed to take a simple order. Which is why she’s failing in life. Then the “owner” gave me attitude which is beyond me. I am a business owner and a healthcare provider and would never treat anyone the way I was treated. The French are jerks and this was confirmation. The owner. Not a good owner to treat a long standing customer like this. I won’t be ever going back and will never have a nice thing to say about that place again. Oh and your customer who left gratuity def looked like she was your award winning customer if you know what I mean. Good job sending her to the hospital I’ll be sure to take extra...