LA PRINCIERE FRENCH BAKERY PATISSERIE CAFE — Restaurant in Thousand Oaks

A bit hit and miss, so feel like this is more of a 3.5star kind of place, but rounding up because I like that it's locally owned.

The Good: Regular croissant: expensive but very good -- flaky, you could taste the rich butter. Definitely the best thing they make. Raspberry muffin: not overly sweet, crumble topping was crisp, buttery and delicious. Would definitely come back for both of these and/or try the blueberry muffin.

The Not as Good: Chocolate Croissant: after the regular croissant, we were disappointed with the chocolate croissant. Didn't seem like it was the same dough -- it was kind of stale and didn't have the same buttery flavor as the regular one. Plus there was only 1 stick of chocolate and it tasted a little chalky. Service: Service was where they need improvement. We ordered 3 pastries and a coffee. We got the pastries but then waited and waited and waited for the coffee to show up. Finally, we went asked about it, the guy claimed they were "making it right now." Well, there were only 2 people working - the guy we asked who was standing around not doing anything and our original cashier woman who was unsteadily moving bread loaves from the back of the shop to the front of the shop -- so who exactly was making it right now for us? A quick apology that they had forgotten would have gone over a lot better.

Other stuff: Sunday morning at 10:30 at they were sold out of a lot of stuff (only 1 piece of quiche left, no beignets, no almond tarte). Bathroom was out of order. No one cleans the tables.

Overall, I'd say, it's worth going for a regular croissant and a muffin, but just take it to go because the rest of the...

I’m saddened to see some of these reviews… like the “under cooked croissant”. They are never undercooked. They have a very generously sized filling, the almond paste. It does make the inside very soft but it’s suppose to be that way when you use enough almond paste. I frequent this shop… and if you know your French pastries, you know that these are the real deal!!! Definitely not Americanized like all the other so called French bakeries. The owner is French as well. She even flys in the butter from France to make it authentic. For all of you that have given so-so or bad reviews, you do not know what you are talking about, This is a true French bakery and I give it 5 stars!! Regarding the service… it’s tough to find help these days. I know the owner had tried very hard to find done helping hands. She can’t do it all herself and she certainly has put in more than an effort. She puts in her blood, sweat and tears to accommodate all of us, while she is short handed. I love this bakery so much, I drive 45 min...

What a wonderful little pâtisserie/boulangerie! I have been to La Princière several times and am delighted at each visit. The place is simple on the outside but, once you open the door, it is bright & welcoming. The display case is, well, tempting... I often want to over-order because the pastries look so good. I usually go for the sourdough loaf and end up buying several pastries, as well. Ahlam is so passionate about her creations! I enjoy listening to her describe what goes into her baked goods. She is so kind and talented. Even though I am sure it's stressful at times, it's awesome to see someone doing what they love. Also, Neff who works at the counter, is kind and helpful. He has great customer service skills. If you have not already, give this place {the bread!} a try. Support local...