Pierre & Michel Authentic French Bakery — Restaurant in Somerville

Very long overdue review! A bit of background, but if it's 4.5 I'll round it to 5 if I have spoken to the owners regarding their ideology and their approach. I had went quite a few months ago. They are becoming more of a chain due to their popularity as they now have four locations! Nonetheless, the owner was there for quite some time to provide assistance to make sure the store was on it's feet. More on that later! I went to their original location with a European Friend that had more experience on these.

TLDR: (4.5/5) The store is gorgeous. There is a variety of seats to choose from and it offers a very spacious lounge area. Moreover a ton of sweets and savory options that have some of the best presentation you'll see in several towns over! The taste of them are very unique as you can imagine it's a bakery focused on Authentic French Baking. It can be a hit or miss depending on what you get. Almond Croissant though is an absolute killer. I never had anything like it and would recommend if you love a sweet almond dessert! This location is a sure visit at least once for locals and travelers that get to see decor, vibes, and baked goods you would to struggle to find even in New York!

Food (4/5): The Almond Croissant is a MUST in my opinion if you love sweet goods. I never had anything like it and it's delicious. Almond explosion of flavor that just leaves you satisfied. The Creme Brulee is nice as they torch it right there. Big points because as my friend says, it's very hard to get it outside of a restaurant dessert menu. Pretty standard Creme Brulee The Croissant wasn't mind-blowing but it was a good one. Buttery with good flakiness. The Paris Brest is one of their more popular pastries apparently. I liked it a lot because I love cream. It was decadent. A little on the harder side to eat but it was great. I gave it 4/5 because often times the presentation is easy 5/5, but the taste doesn't match what you would expect. That can be a hit or a miss for some people. There is a lot of variety to go through so I'm sure there will an item you might love.

Service (5/5) (Temporary Review): The service was fantastic! It became a bit busy towards the later end of the afternoon, but they were cordial and attentive. This section is a bit hard because the owner was there there. The owner is a lovely person to speak to if you ever have the chance or if there is down time in the store. Service could go either way after they leave to manage the other new location that is about to come out. So it is subject to change, however, if the owner is there then you are in good hands.

Decor and Ambiance (4.5/5): The store on the outside is easy to miss, but once you step inside it is simply gorgeous. A minimalistic take with plenty of open space. The different seating options provide the customers with a myriad of ways to personalize their experience. It's unique and memorable. I only ever sat by the couch and it's comfy. The .5 reduction is because some people might prefer consistency or it could be too big. There is quite some distance from the door to the bakery itself.

Drinks (Cannot Review): I didn't get any drinks at the time so I can't say much.

Overall (4.5/5) One of the premier bakeries I have ever been to. It stands on it's own with the presentation and unique variety of pastries that are often times hard to find in one location. It's a must see if you are a local, traveler, or baking connoisseur. I speak for the sweets. They are fantastic but for the savory options and drinks. I will have to come back and try them myself. I have tried some other pastries at their other location. Please check out my review there! The recipe should be same.

Worries: More stores means that it might be harder to check for quality and more streamlined efficiency could drop the quality. So far, it seems like it's done well though.

Good luck on...

This place is a great addition to Somerville and I’m very happy that it has found its place here. There is much to say about this place, good and less good, no real bad.

I met the owner and her daughter early on, they were lovely. I wish them great success. I know they have at least on more store maybe more, I hope they have the bandwidth to keep the Somerville store at the top of it’s game.

The staff has always been pleasant enough. They aren’t overly welcoming but they are sufficiently pleasant.

Coffee is good though not very theatrical. They have a machine that just makes all the different types of coffee.

The pastries are for the most part very good. I don’t believe they make everything in house but I’ve never had anything that wasn’t tasty. I wish they focused more on the less decadent however, more madeleines, canelés, financiers, etc.

A few critiques…

Stylistically, I find the cafe is a little disjointed. The multi color barn wood on the walls was a miss. If they changed that to a solid color or a beautiful wall paper it would transform the place completely. Unfortunately the tables look like marble but aren’t real marble, while I fully understand the reasoning behind that, it does cheapen the experience a bit. The chandeliers look like they would be more at home in a saloon than in a French cafe. Sorry but true.

One of the biggest misses in my opinion is that they don’t do a baked ham and cheese croissant. They cut a butter croissant and add ham and cheese. I got one for my son, it was clumsy and ok at best. They also don’t really sell bread, HUGE miss. They have some baguettes but wouldn’t it be lovely to be able to buy warm French bread in Somerville.

I write all this not to hurt the cafe because I do go there quite often and like it very much. I think that they could go from a good cafe/pastry shop to a great cafe/pastry shop in just a few steps.

I wish P&M nothing but...

My husband told me about this place that they have very different kind of desserts and i should try. on the weekend we stopped by, me and my daughter were standing in the line and there were 2 ladies who were helping with coffee and orders. First off, we stood for over 10 mins. there was a guy behind us who was regular i believe so one of the server said "welcome back Paul". by the time it was our turn to take order, the woman who was at the register started to make orders and warming up the food for people who were before us. Totally understandable. they are short staffed. BUT not even a eye contact, no hi hello, no saying, please give me a min and i will be with you. She was very rude and arrogant. kept going back and forth right in front of us but no acknowledgement. She did say, Hi Paul to the guy behind. Thats when i lost it and walked out with my daughter.

Doesn't matter how good the pastries or cakes are, i can't take rude service. where they don't acknowledge people waiting in line or say i will be with you in few mins, let me serve some food.

Update: I think you are missing the point. i understand you re short staffed and might not able to service everyone right away. But acknowledge the people standing in line and can say, i will be right with you. if someone is just ignoring and moving around like you are invisible. That's rude. You have frequent customer, no problem, he sees you everyday and understand the situation better than someone who is coming to the shop for the first time. you can check the...