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La Boulange
Categories: Restaurants Sandwiches Food Bakeries Sandwiches, Bakeries [Edit]
543 Columbus Ave(between Stockton St & Green St)
San Francisco, CA 94133
Neighbourhood: North Beach/Telegraph Hill
(415) 399-0714
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 7 am - 6 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- No
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- No
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Lunch, Breakfast
- Alcohol:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
231 reviews for La Boulange
Review Highlights
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"I especially love the almond croissant." In 12 reviews -
"and open faced hummus sandwich." In 19 reviews -
"Their french toast was soft and fluffy, which was good." In 14 reviews
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- A Yelpy Insight: Vegetarians go nuts for this spot. See more places they like.
230 reviews in English
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Review from Jason T.
San Francisco, CA
4/29/2012
I've been here several dozen times and *love* this place. I've ordered most things on the menu and have very rarely been disappointed.
Some things that are especially good:
- Open faced turkey sandwich
- Ham & cheese croissant
- Chocolate hazelnut croissant
- Croissant bread pudding
- Iced coffee
- Baguettes
I recommend asking for your pastry warmed up for you. -
Review from Matt Y.
San Francisco, CA
4/2/2012
2.5 stars
I don't understand why this place has to make it so complicated. I ordered a salad nicoise and the cashier asked for my name. I asked if I'll get a number but he reassured me they would call my name. People who arrived later and had their number were all served. What happened to my food? Well they never called. 20 minutes later I brought my receipt up to the cashier and asked if my salad was ready. It's been sitting on the pick-up counter for to-go!!! Why can't they just give me a number? This attempt to be friendly with customer just doesn't work. La Boulange needs to get their act together.
La Boulange has gone too big, too crazy, and less delicious. Red pepper in salad nicoise? It wasn't served with vinaigrette but this mustard flavored dip. The flavor of the salad is okay. Could have been better.
I definitely liked it better when La Boulange was a smaller neighborhoody operation. The Hayes Street location has better food overall. I consider myself a supporter of local businesses, but with its becoming a chain and the quality going down there is no need to go back. -
Review from Joanna J.
San Francisco, CA
3/28/2012 2 Check-ins Here
I swear, these establishments are taking over the Downtown/Chinatown area of San Francisco! I've been to four different locations already! I must commend the welcoming service of three of the four locations, this particular location included. The workers I've dealt with were welcoming and helpful. One time I came here late in the day was only charged $8 for about 7 macaroons!
Of all the times I've come to this establishment, I've only ever gotten macaroons despite my feeling that they are not worth the price. (Small and sometimes contain air pockets.) I'm not the biggest fan of their fruity flavored ones, as the outer crust easily crumbles and the middle tends to be very mushy. I got a box of seven for $12; 2 pistachios, 1 raspberry, 1 chocolate, 1 vanilla, 1 caramel, and 1 passion fruit. I would recommend the chocolate (tasted almost like a brownie filling), caramel (chewy chewy caramelly goody), and pistachio (true to flavor). The vanilla felt more like a pudding and the raspberry and passion fruit crumbled.
I gavr this a 4/5 star because the service was accomodating. My server took the small macaroon tray out to let my short self see the available flavors, then packages it nicely in a cute box. Overall, I would rather have macaroons from Cocola at Stonestown or Miette at the Ferry Building. -
Review from kara m.
Chicago, IL
5/22/2012 1 Check-in Here
Stopped in for a quick breakfast bite on the way to Coit Tower. Can that yogurt granola get any larger?!?! I had a great little veggie croissant that was satisfying. Super cute outdoor seating to watch some of the sidewalk traffic.
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Review from John I.
Chicago, IL
5/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
Good people-watching on Columbus. Descent espresso, hard little stool. Friendly service. Tasty-looking cookies & pastries, but I'm watching my boyish good looks today.
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Review from Gloria Y.
I love North Beach. North Beach is where I went to grade school and hung out with my grandparents everyday after school. Now it is even better with La Boulange right in the heart of this romantic neighborhood.
La Boulange is a wonderful cafe/bakery with a charming, rustic feel. They serve delicious coffees, pastries, sandwiches, soups, and breads. The service is quick and the condiment bar alone will make you drool.
My boyfriend and I stopped by on a Saturday afternoon. He had an open-faced tuna melt served with fresh fruit while we sipped on coffee. Everything tasted delicious. We sat in front of the window overlooking the street. People-watching was part of the experience. The coffee was small, but amazing. I will be back to try their desserts. -
Review from Vanessa K.
San Francisco, CA
3/4/2012 1 Check-in Here
Latte is good, and as are the croissant and apple fritter. I did like their brunch and sando menu, will need to try next time and update review accordingly!
Plus: the variety of condiments that you help yourself to: nutella, cornichons, jam, moutard, ketchup, lemon sauce, etc. Noms! -
Review from Sal E.
Los Gatos, CA
1/6/2012
Three Italian Americans (one 1st time to California) and an Idahoan walk around little Italy of S.F. today during lunch time. Right in the heart of little Italy sits this French place! We all decide to go in. We love it sit down & have lunch.
The atmosphere is very pleasant, packed house but not noisy.
The food was very good. I had the tuna melt & greens, my daughter and one friend had the Boulange (turkey & avocado sandwich) and the French onion soup, the other friend had the chicken Ceasars salad. For dessert they all had the vanilla & chocolate cream puffs along with very creamy & tasty hot chocolate.
The counter people were OK.
The price was perfect. -
Review from Linda T.
3/5/2012
This place is great for quick service. With a few minutes to spare, I got a large french roast before school this morning. Black. It was good--kind of grainy and earthy--not burnt. My one and only gripe has to do with how hot it is. Yikes.
Listed in: North Beach Breakfast Runs
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Review from Alison B.
3/13/2012 1 Check-in Here
Nice to sit at one of the outside tables here and enjoy a cappuccino & croissant/quiche/whatever. It does get a little crowded sometimes but I've always been able to find a place somewhere. You get your coffee and food pretty quickly. Nothing amazing, but it's nice.
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Review from Melody L.
Irvine, CA
2/21/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Nice French place that lets me call and order my food for pickup even though I only live a block away. Really delicious french onion soup, and pretty good "open-faced" sandwich too, even though I was suprised the first time I got it, since it looked like a small pizza...and was really really expensive. I've also gotten the salmon salad, which...was not the best salad I've had. Service varies, and the cashiers aren't too concerned about being extremely friendly, but I was in France this last summer so I'll assume the employees here are just being authentic to the French culture.
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Review from bill h.
San Francisco, CA
2/12/2012
This is my place! You know what I mean it's when you are a regular customer for years and you walk in Like you own the place. I love their great food,pastries,bread and coffee. The help yourself condiments area is filled with jams,pickles,olives butter , nutella all so good.
You won't find a better value anywhere else in the city like La Boulange.
They use organic ingredients in most of their food items even the coffee is organic.
I like the french toast and the breakfast rolls. Christina has worked there for years and is AWESOME! I've been to some of their other locations and also like the one on Union St . The one thing I don't like is most locations are small and can get very very crowded as La Boulange gets more popular.
It can be hard to find a seat at times especially during the summer months when tourist and people from Europe mass mob the place.
Their new HUGE downtown location on Sutter St is what I like to call La Boulange heaven. La Boulange is opening new locations all over the city which may help with the crowds. The one opening in the Westfield mall under the dome looks awesome. -
Review from Zain D.
12/4/2011
Food: Their hazelnut chocolate croissant is hands-down the best croissant I've ever had. The cookie was too crispy for my taste but that croissant is amazing.
Service: I was stupid enough to go here on a Sunday afternoon and the place was completely packed. Even with a huge line, the staff was extremely friendly, efficient and apologetic.
Price: A pretty big and stuffy croissant for under $3 is very reasonable in North Beach. -
Review from Jen C.
10/17/2011 2 photos
I love sandwiches so I was excited to try this place. It's definitely small. Even though it does have an upstairs seating area, there's only about three tables up there and it's TINY. Luckily we went at a weird time (~3pm) so it wasn't too packed and we managed to grab a table.
We ordered the open-faced smoked turkey sandwich with greens (~$9) and a boulange club sandwich with fries (~$9). So a bit on the pricey side, but the food was good! And the portion wasn't too small or too much (I actually didn't have to to-go anything). The only thing would be that it's a bit on the price-y side for what it is :/ But I'd definitely come back! Especially to try the open-faced salmon sandwich and a few of their pastries. -
Review from Linda K.
San Francisco, CA
2/26/2012
I've been craving macarons for soooo long! And this was the closest place I can find some! SO fuck it! Ima take whatever I can get!! Or BUY is the better terminology... haha. ANYWAY! The reviews are saying they're too sweet and they're not good, blah blah blah. But I thought they were okay!
I ordered the box of 7 ($12.50) and split it with a friend. We got one of each but doubled up on chocolate. The chocolate was definitely the best one, the texture was crunchy but it was still chewy. Unfortunately it wasn't as soft as I was hoping it would be. Their next popular one was pistachio - it was green but it definitely did not taste like pistachio. The next one WE personally liked was this pink one covered with orange dots and an orange filling. The filling was yummy! I just wish I knew what it was. Strawberry was soft but I think it was because it was a little underbaked? It was SUPER SOFT, to the point where the strawberry tasted like a chewy jam. Lastly the vanilla was horrible. It tasted stale like a cookie. BLEH.
Gonna come back to try brunch though! -
Review from Kay W.
Milpitas, CA
12/6/2011 1 Check-in Here
I was there with my girlfriend last Saturday. Arrived around 11:00am and it was already packed. I ordered a Smoked Salmon (wtih Capers... heehee) ... it was delicious~ it also came with a cup of soup (soup or salad, your pick).
I also ordered their latte (small) and it came in a decent size bowl .. way too cute~
I'll definitely go back again next time I'm around the area. There are still lots of other stuff I want to try =) -
Review from Christina Y.
Santa Monica, CA
6/27/2011 2 Check-ins Here
There are so many outlets of La Boulange in San Francisco that to a resident of the city it may seem as ubiquitous as Jack in the Box, but once I left the city for good I found myself craving my La Boulange visits.
I love staying in SoMa on my work trips here and taking a leisurely walk on a weekend morning to the North Beach location, which usually isn't too crazy in terms of finding a table and getting your order in. My usual favorites are the hazelnut chocolate croissant, the granola and fruit, and the breakfast pizza, but this time I tried to be a bit healthier and got the poached egg grilled vegetable hash with sausage. OK fine, the sausage probably wasn't too healthy, but the veggies seemed really fresh and the poached egg was a lovely topping. It came with two pieces of their rustic bread, which you can pile high with the jam or Nutella that they have available at the condiment counter.
I was also really impressed with how friendly the cashier was this morning. He had a charming smile and just an air about him that he was in a good mood and happy to help me out. It's not super common to see this in busy SF restaurants so it really made an impression on me!
La Boulange is one of my all-time favorite breakfast spots, and I wish with all of my heart that I could airlift this location back home to LA!Listed in: Favorite San Francisco…
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Review from Donna H.
8/31/2011
Some people wake up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning. Oh wait, no, she's just being dismissive to me and my coworker, and sweet and talkative to everyone else. No idea what her problem is. She's also the only one there who has given me an inch of room at the top of my latte. Lazy much? If there's room on top, it better be filled with whipped cream or something.
Anyways, everyone else is great. The food is alright. Not amazing, but decent.
I miss when the other guy was still here. Unfortunately, they have good lattes, nutella, and other good tasty bites, and I need my latte.
I will kill you with kindness! -
Review from Nicole W.
9/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is approximately a 1.5 minute walk away from where I live, so I went down there today to grab breakfast with a friend. It's always packed every time I walk by so I figured it couldn't be horrible.
This rating is based on what I had. My friend had their BLT sandwich with french onion soup and although the soup looked good, the sandwich was just ehh. I probably would have given this place 3 stars if it was based on his order.
But on to mine :) I got the oatmeal ($6) with a small coffee ($1.65) . The coffee was good, I feel like I should have gotten the large after ordering because it's only 30 cents more and the difference in cup size is substantial. Whatevs, the small came with one free re-fill which I didn't end up using.
I'm a big fan of their condiment bar, which has jars of jam, Nutella, etc. that you can use to spread on bread if it comes with your meal or if you order it as a side. The wait staff was friendly, but I didn't experience exceptional customer service like some of the previous reviews. They were decent--the water cooler was out so I asked them to re-fill it, which they did pretty quickly. Great customer service (in my opinion) would have been if they would have come over with a glass of water for me afterwards. Just saying.
The oatmeal was really good, it was served with strawberries, blueberries, and bananas, all of which were fresh. It comes with low-fat milk and your choice of honey, maple syrup, and brown sugar. I opted for the brown sugar as I've never had oatmeal with the other two and think the syrup especially would be weird. I asked for it on the side and am glad I did because they served a BUTT-LOAD of brown sugar. So forewarning to you if you get it straight on the oatmeal. The oatmeal itself was delish and there served flax seeds on top as well.
Cute spot in North Beach for breakfast/lunch, this company does chain brunch spots well. FYI, it's still your typical tourist-packed North Beach restaurant. I enjoyed it, however, and will be back.
Next time, I want to try their granola! -
Review from Keith W.
San Francisco, CA
2/8/2012
I've been a loyal La Boulange fan for years, but they've changed the one staple that kept bringing me back: the chai tea. Why?! Why La Boulange, why?! It pains me to do so, but 3 stars is as high as I can go. Your macaroons and almond croissants saved you from a worser fate.
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Review from Molly F.
San Francisco, CA
7/25/2011
Pastries are great! Good spot to grab an iced coffee. I live right down the street, so I stop by regularly since theyre one of the only coffee places around that takes card.
Avoid anything from the kitchen! Eggs are cold and rubbery. Produce isn't fresh.
Great for coffee and snacks tho! -
Review from Victor W.
7/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great place for weekend brunch or lunch. Even though it's a chain, the place is put together like a homely but elegant French cafe. My top picks for this place are:
(1) Smoke Trout Salad (apple, potatoes, avocado, walnut crouton, greens) is about $10 and comes in a healthy and filling portion. My only criticism is that it comes deconstructed (and not tossed together) but I can see how some people would prefer to have things separated.
(2) Macaroons are almost as good as those from Bouchon Bakery in New York. -
Review from Justus P.
San Francisco, CA
9/9/2011
Their Chai tea lattes are the kind of thing you crave. It's kind of weird that it's served in a bowl, but who am I to complain about that? It's strange but fantastic!
Their pastries and sandwiches are of the fancy type, but usually delicious never the less. The staff has always been wonderful to me in my 20+ visits. I always make a point to stop by and have a chai. -
Review from Jamey M.
San Francisco, CA
8/29/2011
As always, very nice quality food, very reliable. I had the quiche lorraine and salad.
Mainly I wanted to review this place to say that the staff was VERY friendly and cordial. I really appreciate that. -
Review from arielle n.
San Francisco, CA
5/4/2012
i've gotten coffee drinks here before, but never any food. finally, i went in an ordered an open-faced hummus sandwich with potatoes. the potatoes were very flavorful, but really oily and the sandwich was bland. the bread was surprisingly dry and it felt like something i easily could have made at home. definitely not worth the $9 i paid. i'd rather go across the street to Mario's for a focaccia sandwich!
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Review from Tiffany V.
San Francisco, CA
3/20/2011
Yay I got to eat breakfast here this morning!!!! Its only my favorite bakery ever and I had never been to this location before. I had some friends visiting and I brought them here and they all loved it! Success!
I was surprised it wasn't completely packed on a Sunday morning. We were able to find a table indoors =D I got the bread pudding (my favorite!!) and I figured I should try something new since its so rare I get to dine here so I also got the blueberry vanilla pound cake. $5.25 total.
Everyone loved the bread pudding and we kept saying how it was a million times better than the bread pudding I ordered at 25 Lusk the night before and it was 1/3 of the price and like 4x bigger! Nomnomnom. The crust was extra hard on this one though so I wasn't having any of it but good thing my friend was all about it and ate the whole top of it. Haha. The pound cake was okay and it tasted amazing after I covered it in Nutella and preserves from their lovely condiment bar!
They got coffee, a ham and cheese croissant, and some fig and prosciutto premade sandwich which they all said was really good. My friend went to ask how much it would cost to refill his coffee and they just refilled it for him for free! I have no idea if that is normal practice but if it isn't then it was incredibly nice of the guy to do that.
This place is pretty standard with all the other locations I've been too. I think I like it more than their FIllmore location though. -
Review from Cliff T.
San Francisco, CA
8/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Diagnosis: Too sweet macaroons
Cure: Miette -
Review from Nikki C.
2/28/2011
La Boulange is a cute little cafe in North Beach and located just a couple blocks down from my favorite spot, Caffe Greco.
My fiancé and I went to La Boulange to meet w/a potential wedding vendor. It was very chilly out but once we stepped into the cafe the warmth kicked in. We sat at a bench near the window and enjoyed the views of North Beach while sipping on a vanilla soy latte. Surprisingly, it was quite peaceful inside the cafe which made for a good meeting place. When we hang out at other cafes in North Beach the ambiance tends to be more vibrant.
La Boulange had a vast selection of pastries, salads, and sandwiches. A woman nearby was eating a Nicoise salad and it looked delicious! However, we didn't try any food since I was craving a cannoli so right after our meeting we bolted to Caffe Greco.
4 Stars for a nice selection of food/snacks, friendly staff, and pleasant meeting location. Like most places in North Beach, La Boulange also has outdoor seating.Listed in: San Francisco Scene
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Review from Tony L.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 10/4/2011 1 photo
Just back home with a big order: two lemon croissants, two apple croissants and a single almond-covered croissant. I was given the big bag closed at the top and paid $16.50 for these. When I get home, I see all the croissants were just tossed in instead of the lemon and apple croissants being separated. grrrrr what fools!!! Next time I will explain to them to carefully bag each flavor separately... yer FIRED!!!
Listed in: GREAT!! BRavo!!!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/22/2011
I love this little place on Columbus Avenue, just 527 meters away from where I stay with my sister.… Read more »
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Review from S S.
Tustin, CA
4/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
Excellent open-face tuna melt like no other. It's a nice twist to your average melt and has what seems like bits of celery and apple instead of the usual onion but still tasted like a traditional tuna melt without all the grease. It's served with a mix of healthy and fresh baby greens and a light vinaigrette.
The French onion soup was delicious, dark and bold with tons of flavor and just the right amount of cheese and the serving in a cup was a perfect size. Fresh orange juice was perfectly sweet and seems they use only ripe oranges because the color was a medium/dark orange and it was a pure sweet without any bitterness.
The coffee was delicious with a fresh roasted aroma and you don't need any sugar with the latte. The flavor just popped on it's own.
There's a sitting area that faces the street and instead of being enclosed, the windows to the cafe were wide open giving the feeling of sitting outside. There's also two seat tables scattered along the sidewalk as well. Extremely pleasant cafe for breakfast or lunch. This is an authentic French cafe and a must try while in SF. -
Review from Jessika L.
South Pasadena, CA
7/10/2011 1 photo
Being a Francophile, anything that reminds me of Paris is aces in my book!
Very cute place to have breakfast, sitting out on the sidewalk to people-watch.
Delicious oatmeal w/ soy milk and fruit.....and best of all---HUGE bowl-sized soy latte---slurrrrrrppppppp!!! SO DAMN GOOD!
TONS of pastries and savory baked goods to choose from! Beautiful macarons, and veggie filled croissants! :) Everything is pretty to look at in the case.
Service is fast. I love how they have all of the condiments and spices out, quite an assortment!
This is my go-to place in San Fran for a delish, simple breakfast....or just for a grab n' go. -
Review from Nathan S.
Kansas City, MO
4/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
We stopped here on a day of visiting San Francisco and deciding that waiting in line at Mama's for 2 hours wasn't worth it on our one day in the city! We had walked by this cafe on our way to the Mama's line and decided to double back that Saturday morning and give it a try.
The place was bustling when we arrived about 10am but the line moved quickly and we ordered. I got two pastries, the lemon turnover and the cheese danish. Both were delicious and not too sweet, which I loved. My wife got the veggie quiche with French onion soup (a strange addition to breakfast quiche but the highlight of our meal!) The quiche was so light and fluffy and the veggies tasted fresh. The French onion soup was honestly the best we have ever tasted. We fought over the last few bites. It wasn't covered in stringy mozzarella but had a much lighter Parmesan cheese which complemented the rich broth perfectly! We also ordered a drip coffee which was really good.
The place was full of locals eating outside and inside, reading newspapers and chatting with friends. It felt like we had found a place where those who lived in the area came to, not just tourists.
This is a place we would visit again! -
Review from Louise L.
San Francisco, CA
1/17/2011
My favorite Sunday activity is coming here early for my coffee and croissant. They are so tasty here. I get two, one plain and one with the semi-sweet chocolate in the middle. Both are soft, rich and tasty, and they fill me up until late afternoon.
I will keep coming and coming early. -
Review from Sydney H.
San Francisco, CA
4/13/2011
The food here is shockingly good. Try their open faced sandwich/soup combo--it's a pretty good deal and their butternut squash soup is excellent, if you aren't going straight for the french onion. Delightful pastries, well-seasoned chai (much more flavorful than whatever weak-sauce stuff they serve at Peets or Starbu*cough* other, lesser chain establishments).
I love sitting here on a Sunday afternoon, reading and people watching--nice big windows and street-side seating will aid you in your quest to space out. This is a nice French-y break from the Italia-ness that is North Beach, and everything is so yummy that I find myself drifting towards La Boulange on lazy Sundays. -
Review from James B.
San Francisco, CA
4/10/2011
One of the best places in North Beach for a nice brunch or lunch. Try the French toast, it's the best I ever had. Prices are good for the location. The French toast, for example, is under $7.
Come out on a sunny day and sit outside. -
Review from Athena C.
6/5/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a very cute French pastry shop with tons of pastries and a great coffee menu. It was a very relaxing atmosphere and we ordered only a few pastries and 2 coffee for 4 people. Nobody ever complained or dared to kick us out.
What a nice cafe! -
Review from Bing D.
5/30/2011
parking is tough here and you might get lucky at least 3 blocks away.
I love this place. Its more of a bread type of pastry and breads compared to pastries.
Come here if you want some bread that you can eat with your meal. You can also find some good pastries like croissants.
Enjoy places like this. -
Review from Mandy D.
5/25/2011
I had a baguette with smoked salmon and a cream cheese like spread. It is good for a snack. I also bought a pistachio macaron. It was a bit steep for how tiny it was. $1.50 for about half an inch in diameter.
I do like the outdoor seating right outside of North Beach. It is a nice cafe for people watching and just relaxing. -
Review from Courtney A.
Pleasant Hill, CA
8/22/2011 4 Check-ins Here
I know everyone loves this place, but I'm so unimpressed by La Bou Bou. To me it's hideously overpriced and crowded. I would have given only two stars if it weren't for their Chai tea lattes. Their version of the beverage tastes stupid good, but it inexplicably comes in a bowl. The dishes I tried were just okay, and the fruit they served with my breakfast was mealy. It just makes me wonder, why eat here when there are so many great choices in this neighborhood? La Bou Bou? Boo.
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Review from Ninja H.
10/25/2010
Was feeling extremely hungry and decided to swing by this place for a quick bite to eat. Small sandwich or something...but didn't realize the cost to my wallet wouldn't be so small. Yikes! =/
Now I don't mind spending the money when the food is good but this sandwich was just okay...nothing special. Could've gotten the same quality somewhere else, for much less.
Just grabbed my sandwich to go so maybe if I ever had to come back to this place it would just be to grab a coffee and sit in the cafe. I'll skip on the food.
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