The Glass Knife — Restaurant in Winter Park

This seriously overpriced dessert boutique is more like a 3.5 stars. You will pay a lot, but I promise you, you won’t be blown away. I am a total foodie & a scratch baker. I REALLY wanted to love this place, but after giving it 3 chances, I won’t be going back or recommending it. The Glass Knife creates beautiful desserts, but they need to work on making each of these desserts taste just as great as they look. And, no matter what some of these other reviewers say, these desserts are mediocre in flavor. Totally disappointing; not worth the ride.

Desserts Purchased & Their Ratings: Chocolate Onyx (4) stars, Creme Brulee Donut (4) stars, Slice of Coconut Cake (3.5) stars, Pear Almond Donut (3) stars, Smores Pop Tart (3.5) stars, Chocolate Chip Cookie (3.5) stars, Apple Spice Entremet (2.5) stars, Confetti Birthday Petit Four (2) stars, Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut Entremet (1) star.

Their donuts are made with a fluffy tasty brioche dough. They are good but a tad over priced at $5. I liked the chocolate onyx dessert. It’s good but you pay through the nose for such a small dessert that you really won’t crave or remember in a week or two. No offense, but I make a much better homemade caramel. Their Coconut Cake was good in flavor, but had a slightly overly wet crumbly cake texture that was the slightest bit off putting. If you love coconut, then I recommend the Coconut Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.

The counter service has been good each time. Maria at the register has been super helpful & friendly each time, so kudos on the counter service & the beautiful dessert decorating. But, OMG, stay away from their individual sized round layered Entremet looking cakes, like the "Apple Spice" & the "Chocolate Caramel Hazelnut." Two bites in & we had to throw these out! My chocolate cake layers were so dry. The buttercream tasted cheap & artificial; that Christmas food coloring probably didn’t help. I paid $11 for each of these and I should have just kept my money in my purse & gone to the supermarket & bought a Hostess chocolate cupcake which would have been as bad, but affordable. You cannot save a dry cake with subpar filling & frosting. Though, these desserts are pretty, they taste pretty awful.

I am not sure who the head pastry chef is at The Glass Knife, but let me do you a favor… please switch out that dry 7 days old stale tasting chocolate cake that cannot be saved with awful buttercream & use "Beatty’s Chocolate Cake" recipe by Ina Garten. Skip her buttercream which is too sweet, but make her chocolate cake.

I WISH I could rate this place five stars, I really wanted to love it, but sadly that’s just not the case. I’m not gonna lie to you. Bottom line, if you are looking for really good pastries, just go to “Buttermilk bakery” in Winter Park. So far, that is one of my favorite bakeries in the entire East Coast. You will...

If you are looking for a Fantastic "Instagram" Food Photo, an really good service, Then you are definitely in the right spot, and That's as far as my "good" recommendation will take me. If you care about what the food or coffee tastes like then please steer clear of this place.

Let's start with Price, 2 Desserts and 2 Espressos cost us $30. If either of them tasted good. I think I would have been fine with it, because the service and presentation are both really good. I have no problem with the price if it's a good experience. My wife and I used to frequent "The Dessert Lady" and would gladly pay the money we did.

The desserts: My Wife had the "Berries and Cream" which was supposed to taste like Berries and a Lemon Curd Cream... It did not. It tastes like a mildly sweeter Cream and fancy sugar glaze. Almost like a super mild cheese cake, but creamier. I had the Chocolate Onyx, which was supposed to be a Chocolate Coffee teardrop shaped moose. Again very nice looking, but super super mild in flavor and much more dense than what I was expecteing, again NOT impressive. We ended up taking the desserts home, and I JUST retasted them to confirm... my descriptions are spot on. If only it ended there.

How can you get dessert without getting coffee? Being somewhat obsessed with coffee, I admit that I have some pretty high standards. Example, I only get Starbucks when I'm desperate for caffeine and there is nothing else around. This coffee was so bad, that Sugar, and cream couldn't even fix it, believe me... I tried. It tastes REALLY green, like someone picked and roasted the coffee beans WAY before they were ready. It reminded me of Weeds that you pull in the garden. I usually drink my espresso black, but realize that sometimes you need to fix your coffee in order to make it drinkable. All coffee aficionados know exactly what I am talking about. First I added a small packet of sugar, nope... Now it just tasted like sweetened garden rubbish. My wife (who couldn't choke hers down, put a splash of cream in it, Now it just tastes like "Dandelion Milk" and NOT in a good way. This ranks up there in top 5 worst coffees I've ever had. So much so it was almost the entire reason for this review.

My highest piece of advice I could give to the owner or manager. 1) Change your coffee and do a blind testing among friends to help you pick a REALLY GOOD one. Because no matter how good your food is, this can ruin the entire experience and is usually experienced across the board by more people (More people will drink coffee than buy any one specific food item). 2) Put a really good Water Filtration system in if you don't already have one, it's not entirely what was wrong with the coffee, but it clearly...

When it comes to cappuccinos, I must admit, I'm quite particular. I simply enjoy a cappuccino as it should be, espresso, a bit of frothed milk, and foam served in a cup, ideally 7 ounces but definitely no more than 8. I believe that if I'm paying $6-8 for a cappuccino, it should be crafted just right, not tasting like milky coffee with a hint of foam on top, which you could get for $3 elsewhere. So, whenever I'm traveling, I scout Google Maps reviews, browse through photos, and embark on a quest to find that perfect cappuccino. For me, it's not just about the caffeine, it's about the experience and pleasure.

So, while in Orlando, I headed to the nearest café with rave reviews. Unfortunately, it was still closed. I tried another, but they didn't have any appealing pastries. Undeterred, I ventured further and stumbled upon The Glass Knife bakery. Although they didn't have the pastries I prefer, I decided to stay and try their cappuccino and chocolate croissant. I hit the jackpot. The cappuccino was delightful, beautifully presented in a cup adorned with intricate latte art. The croissant was good, though I would have preferred an almond one.

A few days later, upon returning to Orlando, I revisited The Glass Knife for coffee to avoid disappointment elsewhere. This time, I also ordered the Salmon Niçoise Salad while my husband opted for the Shakshuka. My salad consisted mainly of arugula with a scant amount of salmon, tasting somewhat canned, a few tomatoes, cold hard-boiled egg, and chilled green beans that seemed previously frozen. On the other hand, my husband enjoyed the Shakshuka. So, while the cappuccino was excellent, the salad left much to be desired.

In terms of ambiance, The Glass Knife Café is lovely. You can enjoy your coffee outside, and the staff is very friendly. I'd definitely go back for the cappuccino, but perhaps...