BAO's PASTRY — Restaurant in Valparaiso

Second update: I came back another day when there was no line. I’m happy to say that service was much better and the desserts were great. I’m really glad they listen to customer feedback! I’ll also say that if you want to try some of the more basic pastries that don’t need the refrigeration the very pretty cakes/mousse/etc need, such as croissants, apple pastries, breads, etc, visit them at the valpo farmers market! It’s a great way to give them a try while enjoying the farmers market. I will say though that their fancy chocolate desserts, cakes, etc are really their shining stars and a visit to the bakery is worthwhile.

UPDATE: the owners left a speedy and explanative reply, which I appreciate. I totally understand being understaffed.... it’s an epidemic right now. I would suggest putting a display in their big front window with prices and what each item is, so by the time you get in the store you can order more quickly. I’d also strongly suggest packing items in boxes as items are ordered rather than setting on the counter and boxing at the end to speed things along (I used to work in a busy bakery. You just have to do this). Yes you might waste a box or two in the end but you’ll make more money if the line moves quick and people don’t decide to leave or just not make the stop. I’ll give them another try on a day they aren’t so busy. The desserts we got were tasty, but I still wouldn’t wait in such a slow line again.

I wish I could give them a good rating but I just can’t. There were only a handful of people in front of me and I waited FORTY FIVE minutes in line! Are the pastries decent? Yes. Are they pretty? Yes. Are they worth more than a 5 minute wait? Heck no!!!!! Would’ve left but my kids were dying to try the goodies. Never ever again. When we finally got in the shop, the employees did not care about the line and seemed to be slow almost on purpose. Very disappointing. If people stopped waiting perhaps they would care to be a bit more efficient. The food is already cooked, no reason for it to take more than a few moments to...

We’d heard great things about this bakery—both from word of mouth and glowing Google reviews. Unfortunately, our experience didn’t live up to the hype, and we won’t be returning.

As soon as we walked in, there was an unpleasant smell—like overripe or fermented fruit—which was off-putting. While browsing the pastry case, I asked the young woman behind the counter if the Madeleines were made fresh daily. She said she had no idea, which made me question whether they were even made in-house.

We considered the fruit and apple tarts but ultimately passed. They looked a bit tired and unappealing—not what we’re used to, especially compared to similar items we've had in Paris. Still, we tried to keep an open mind.

We ended up purchasing a raspberry and cream cheese croissant, a key lime cheesecake square, a chocolate mousse cake, and a small round chocolate-covered cake topped with a strawberry. When we asked what was inside the latter, we were told it was chocolate cake with strawberry jam between the layers.

Once home, we sampled everything—and unfortunately, it all fell flat. The croissant was extremely dry and crusty, with a filling that tasted stale and unpleasant. The key lime cheesecake had no flavor at all, according to my husband. The strawberry-topped cake turned out to be yellow sponge cake with a bit of cream and a faint hint (“a whisper,” as my daughter put it) of strawberry jam. The cake itself was dense, dry, oddly textured, and seemed poorly thawed from frozen—no spring, no flavor, just very stale.

As for the mousse, I had given it as a gift, which I now regret.

Overall, a very...

We came from Michigan, to visit some friends in Chesterton, couple weeks ago, and they told us about BAO’s PASTRY (who they said they knew from the Coffee Creek Farmer’s Market last summer)… Before that, we did not know at all about BAO’s PASTRY, so we decided to give them a chance (spoiler alert : we are a French family of 4, and we moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan, 13 years ago, from Bordeaux, in France! Anyway… Long story short : OMG!!!…. We never really bothered posting any review before… but this time, it was totally worth it… We were totally astonished with what we discovered there! We literally have not had such wonderful Pastries, like those, for such a long time! Nothing even close to what we found there! It was an explosion of tastes, an incredibly rich experience! And…. the best part : while we were eating our macarons, our croissants, our loaf of bread, and our Opera Cake… We really felt like we were back to Bordeaux, for a short (but delightful) moment!!! Honestly, we really loved each bite of it! That was our discovery of such a Pearl! Plus, the staff was so helpful and so nice with us! and when we learnt that they too, recently moved from France, we were so happy about that! We were even able to talk (in FRENCH!) to Bao (the owner), in person!!! You guys in Valparaiso are so lucky to have such a gem in the middle of your neighborhoods! We will definitely come back next time we visit our...