Mortensen's Danish Bakery — Restaurant in Solvang

35 Year Customer but Im Probably Calling it Quits

I have been a customer for 35 years. My valley family even longer. I moved and hadnt had my goodie fix in a few years. I brought my child to have the first cookie from a real Danish bakery. The bakery remodeled and removed most of the seating, since they dont bother with table service anymore. The staff also doesnt wear uniforms due to that. The interior doesnt look like Solvang. Its unremarkable. It looks like any tourist interior bakery. Not dirty just meh. There used to be a sign stating they use butter, sugar, whole eggs, etc so expect the price to reflect the ingredients. I didnt see the sign. The prices now are high as Solvang itself has turned into an EXTREME tourist trap, to its detriment. I implore these businesses to return to the roots of Solvang heritage but thats another review. Mortensens is still family owned, but they dont do any baking. Thats shameful because the food is not the same. I hate to say it, but the cookies were stale. For the first time ever, I was appalled. The buttercream was fine, the marzipan was not. The bakers are skimping on buttercream in the cookies. Just enough to hold it together, but not the filling it should be. Orange flavoring is being over added. The marzipan in the Napoleon hats wasnt fresh and barely a traditional amount. It tasted off. The danish donut was dried out flakey but the buttercream and raspberry were delicious. While not fond of pistachio squares the flavor was still ok but the apricot layer was gooey. They stopped making some cookies we preferred so that was disappointing. Cookies are about $3 each while danishes go higher, especially if you get a kringle. I went into all the other bakeries in town and they have lost their pride and "baker's glamour" in what they make, how they present, and customer service. So very sad what has happened to this valley gem. If you want to try Solvang, do try Mortensens if you choose a bakery in town. They are clean and certainly different. Please be aware that the town, the businesses, the restaurants, and bakeries have become a shell of themselves and are just seemingly going through the motions at this point. My multigenerational business and visits have...

I wanted to love this place. I had such high hopes. I saw a YouTube review that said it was the "best", so it was our 1st stop in Solvang. It's a super cute, quaint old school bakery, which I love. My 1st job was at a bakery so I have a lot of love for the mom and pop bakerkies. The line was long but it went fast, which was awesome. It's a small place so it gets packed fast. We got an eclair and a cream cheese Danish. I was weary of the Danish immediately because it wasn't browned at all. It didn't have the appearance of a good, flaky crust but I was open to trying it. It was good at best but it was 'meh'. I had a bite and that was more than enough. Moving on to the eclair....it was sooooo sweet!! I love chocolate but it was way too sugary. One bite, and I was done. Over all, it was just so so. Cool to try, but won't go back. Maybe I just tried the wrong thing.

Lastly, the flow of the place could be better thought out. They don't give you napkins and you have to walk through the crowded place back to where you started to get them. Just...

I've always wanted to stop by Solvang because of the joyful atmosphere it brings. I was supposed to go to Olsen's Danish Bakery but I was 5 minutes too late before they closed the doors. The next bakery on the Yelp list was Mortensen's down the street.

Line was long but went by rather quickly. I enjoyed how festive it looked inside for the holidays. Not sure what it is like outside or holidays. I'll admit, I don't eat European pastries often but I do love pastries enough to order a whole box full. I picked up a variety of danishes and other pastries but they were a bit sweet for my liking.

I kept seeing people recommend pistachio squares so I got 6. Boy was it a mistake. I must be out of the loop but there was no hint of pistachio anywhere. It was neon green and all I can taste was almond extract.

WARNING: If you're allergic to nuts (especially almonds), you may have to skip out on here all together. Every pastry I had...