La Farine has opened at 2394 Broadway
After the New York Jets’ latest debacle against the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon, I went to bed early, hoping to start fresh on Monday morning. When daybreak hit, I headed to La Farine, the newly opened, family-run French bakery at 2394 Broadway, between 87th and 88th streets.
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It was a crisp 60 degrees when I left my apartment at 7 a.m. on Monday, October 28, giving me just enough time for a pleasant neighborhood walk to reach La Farine’s door shortly after it opened at 7:30 a.m. It’s a sight to behold—like elves working in Santa’s workshop. A half dozen employees were busy making fresh sandwiches, cutting fish, and pulling out hot baguettes.
Hard at work
The atmosphere at La Farine will put wind in your sails. Natural sunlight streams in through wide windows on the first and second floors, illuminating the space with blue-and-white woven tile floors, a marble counter, and tables, along with some plush blue cushioned seating upstairs. Vivacious French music filled the room with songs like ‘La Vie en Rose,’ ‘Espirit Libre,’ and ‘Zara’ by Léa Darvil playing over the sound system. Little details, down to the glass light fixtures, give La Farine a clean aesthetic.
Taken from the second floor.
Downstairs seating
Upstairs seating
When it was my turn to order, the gentleman employee walked around from behind the thick glass that houses the pastries because he said it’s difficult to hear behind it. This brought more of a personal connection on my journey to a fresh start.
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While my options were somewhat limited as items from the menu were still being prepared, I already knew what I wanted: chocolate, chocolate, chocolate-aack! I went for a regular-sized hot chocolate with oat milk, a chocolate chip cookie, and a pain au chocolat. Maybe not the breakfast of champions, but it was pure comfort food. The total came to $20.80, with the cookie notably priced at $6.95—possibly the most I’ve ever spent on a cookie in my life.
My haul: hot chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, pan au chocolat
The cookie delivered though—yes indeed. It reminded me of the ones my mom bakes around Christmas—crunchy on the outside and progressively chewier toward the middle. The hot chocolate had a nice foam on first sip and a decadently smooth texture with each one thereafter. The pain au chocolat, however, tasted more like a cake than my favorites from my days in France, or others in the neighborhood, where you can taste and hear each crispy layer as you bite through. Tragic, as their croissants look like works of art.
Croissants, sandwiches and assorted treats
Anyone looking for a spot to bring their laptop, La Farine’s upstairs offers seating for 42. The music volume is a bit loud, but for my morning, it was the perfect boost of invigoration. There’s also seating for about ten downstairs, and the bathroom was spic and span.
The staff was extremely nice and welcoming—I’ll definitely be back. Their cookie deserves a spot on The Upper West Side Cookie Crawl.
On Thursday, the Jets play the Houston Texans and I’ll be dressing up as an embarrassed Jets season ticket holder with a brown paper bag on my head. Thank you, La Farine, for helping me forget my troubles, if only for a little while.
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a regular-sized hot chocolate with oat milk, a chocolate chip cookie, and a pain au chocolat.
$20.80 sorry I’ll pass.
I strongly urge La Farince to hire uniformed security guards for their upstairs level from noon until closing. This is exactly the kind of space including the “look-out” windows over Broadway that needs to be vigilantly supervised with signs posted that (a) only customers with purchases are allowed to use the tables/chairs and (b) they post a 30-minute time-limit to sit and eat at a table, something even fast food chains have learned to do around the city.
I realize it’s a payroll expense they didn’t plan for but this is the UWS of NYC and you cannot afford NOT to have a large welcoming space like that left untended. If this bakery/coffee shop has a bathroom, it’s only a question of when not if word will get out how inviting a space there is on the second floor for long naps, smoking weed, seeking warmth versus the coming cold months and a place for UBER food delivery guys to hang out and treat as their personal lounge while awaiting neighborhood food-and-phone orders.
La Farine has a sign in the window asking not to bring laptops, and you’re suggesting the opposite?
As mentioned in the comments above, laptops are not welcome at this cafe, which is a good thing. People are “working from home” in many coffee shops on Broadway, monopolizing tables all day.
Are you sure that cookie price isn’t a mistake? The croissants cost less and they’re way more labor intensive.
if you cant spell pain chocolat then you shouldn’t review a French bakery
So much negativity in the comments here!
I enjoyed the review, and look forward to trying it myself. Hoping for a great espresso there, too.
O thought the croissant was much better than average, the coffee was strong, and the vibe of the place very welcoming. Yup, its a $10 breakfast but sometimes ya gotta treat yourself.