Gracious Bakery — Restaurant in New Orleans

This review based on service only. Just had a bad experience at the Prytania location because of a rude employee working at 9:30 am on Saturday, September 20. We were 3 friends meeting up after not being together for a while. One friend was already there and had purchased a coffee and was at a table by the window. The other friend, one of the kindest and most respectful people you could hope to meet, got there before me and went to the restroom. She came back to the table to ask me what I wanted. The employee came over to our table from across the cafe to complain about this friend using the restroom without being a customer. I explained that we just arrived, that we were customers and were going to order. The same friend came back from the counter and said she was also reprimanded for incorrect queue etiquette. Not sure exactly what happened there but we decided that none of us needed to be treated so rudely and that we’d go elsewhere. I spoke to the employee before leaving to politely explain how disappointed I was about this treatment as I’d been excited to bring my friends to this cafe where I’d had a pleasant experience several times before. The employee said in a loud voice across the cafe as we were going out the door “she just came in to use the restroom,” which was not true. Not only did her rudeness result in losing our business, but I’m making sure to tell anyone else who might consider this cafe about the rude service, including the many ladies from an exercise class who frequent this cafe. There are several other options in the area that would welcome...

Go for the baked goods, not the coffee.

The galette king cake is maybe the best "traditional" French variant in town of the traditional New Orleans king cake - a flaky almond filled cloud, not the dense sugary New Orleans variety. Okay, no, as a follow-up to the original review, it's a very close third best galette in town. It's the French Galette des Rois, but don't ask the help if this is a "traditional" king cake. They'll say no. I suppose it's a question of what the word "traditional" means, but I chalked it up to a lack of training and an ability to upsell the goods.

But the coffee? I saw mocha listed on the menu board, which inspired in my imagination the fragrant espresso-driven rich chocolate version produced by French Truck coffee shops. Instead, bad watery American coffee with a squirt of chocolate and barely a tablespoon of milk. Undrinkable, really. I left convinced that I should never again buy coffee from a place that doesn't specialize in coffee.

Stick to the...

I had a terrible experience, and will never patronize this bakery again. I traveled to New Orleans from DC to celebrate my birthday, and had only one request-for my sister to order the brown sugar pecan cake. The cake was beautifully decorated, but was dry, had a brittle texture, and was essentially tasteless. And the cake tasted like it wasn’t freshly made. My family had to get another dessert to salvage my birthday celebration. I messaged the owner, who thought it was a good idea to ‘stand behind the quality of their product’ instead of acknowledging and rectifying my disappointing customer experience. In times like these, businesses should not take for granted their loyal customers, and this business truly missed an opportunity to maintain a loyal customer. I returned the barely touched cake back to the bakery, and Hannah was truly ‘gracious’ and was far more accommodating than...