Any trip to Europe is incomplete without a visit to a French boulangerie. However, these days, visiting France can be both problematic and expensive. Luckily, you can still get a great taste of France in South Florida. Voila! These are the 5 best authentic French cafés in Miami.
Bonjour French Bakery & Café
16650 SW 88th St,
Miami
(786) 534-8141
At Bonjour, the most popular dish on the menu is the decadent croque madame ($10). This dish is a staple of French cuisine made with brioche-like bread called pain de mie, served with slices of ham, Gruyère swiss cheese and béchamel sauce and topped with lots of shredded cheese. The sandwich is baked to melt the cheese and form a crispy crust over the ensemble. What makes this dish a croque madame rather than a croque monsieur is that it is served with a runny fried egg on top, which is said to resemble an old-fashioned women’s chapeau- or hat.
À La Folie Café
516 Española Way,
Miami Beach
(305) 538-4484
À La Folie has an extensive menu written completely in French that includes authentic dishes like escargots ($8.50), quiche ($10.50), specialty foie gras ($17.50), and a large selection of salty and sweet crepes. Pictured is the “Normande” crêpe ($9.50) with caramelized apples served with a Calvados (traditional apple brandy from Normandy) and cream sauce. It’s all garnished with powdered sugar, strawberries and a lemon slice. The ambience is calm and at night is graced with a live guitar performance. Très chic!
La Croquantine de matthieu
7930 NW 36th St., Suite 30, Doral
786-899-0509
You don’t have to catch a flight to Europe to enjoy the taste of France. La Croquantine de matthieu in Doral offers French baguettes ($2.20 plus tax), croissants ($3-$3.95 plus tax) and macarons ($2.50 plus tax) daily. This boulangerie is best known for its almond and chocolate croissants ($3.95 plus tax), which are both topped with powdered sugar and served warm. The reasonable prices and generous hospitality make this welcoming spot stand out from the rest. La Croquantine de matthieu offers a unique twist on burgers and chicken sandwiches by substituting traditional buns with croissants (Croissant Burger: $12.50 plus tax/Croissant Chicken: $11.50 plus tax).
La Boulangerie Boul’Mich
Various Locations
786-701-2344
La Boulangerie Boul’Mich stands by its core belief that customers deserve to enjoy pastries that are baked fresh every day at each of their locations. There are currently five restaurants in operation: Aventura, Coral Way, Pinecrest, Key Biscayne and Boca Raton. These exceed expectations by offering more than just freshly baked breads and pastries; gourmet sandwiches, pastas and salads are sold at each boulangerie. The Pinecrest location is well known for its exquisite croque madame ($13.85 plus tax) that consists of baguette, “Black Forest” ham, Swiss cheese baked under two poached eggs, tomatoes and a touch of Béchamel sauce. La Boulangerie Boul’Mich also offers a decadent selection of coffees— the most popular being the Nutccino ($4.60 plus tax), which is essentially a cappuccino blended and embellished with Nutella. Who needs a cherry on top when you have nutella on the rim?
L’Artisane Creative Bakery
7423 Collins Ave, Miami Beach
786-502-8595
L’Artisane Creative Bakery is a vegan bakeshop that offers French pastries and sandwiches to local customers and ships desserts nationwide (to place an order online, visit lartisanebakeryshop.com). The delightful scent of fresh croissants fills the air in this hole-in-the-wall bakery every morning. L’Artisane Creative Bakery is popularly known for its L’Artisane Burger ($14.75 plus tax) that consists of croissant buns, lettuce, Beyond Burger patty, vegan cheese, red onions and sriracha aioli sauce, and is served with a salad or roasted potatoes on the side. Their croissants were also crowned best croissants in Miami in 2018 and 2019!
