Croissants made in our café near the Upper East Side.

Made in the café, every day.

A good croissant shatters a little when you bite into it, then gives way to soft, buttery layers inside. That comes from laminated dough: butter folded into the dough again and again until it forms dozens of thin layers that puff up in the oven.

Our croissants are made in the café, many of our pastries from family recipes brought from France by Perrine and Aurélien, who grew up in Évian-les-Bains in the French Alps. Frenchy Coffee is at 129 East 102nd Street, between Park and Lexington Avenues, six blocks north of 96th Street, where the Upper East Side ends and East Harlem begins.

Prices for individual croissants are on the counter. The selection changes through the day.

How to tell a good croissant

Look at it first: a good croissant is deep golden, with crisp, slightly shiny layers on the outside. Break it open and the inside should show an open, airy honeycomb of thin layers, not a dense, bready crumb. It should smell of butter, leave flakes on the plate and feel light for its size. A croissant that is pale, heavy or chewy all the way through has usually been under-baked or made with too little butter. Croissants are best the day they are baked, ideally within a few hours, which is why ours are made in the café.

The French way to eat a croissant

In France, a croissant is breakfast, not dessert. It comes with a café au lait or a coffee, and many people dip it straight into the cup. No butter, no jam: a good croissant does not need them. Try it with our café au lait, freshly brewed coffee with steamed milk, $4.00 for 10 oz.

Croissant sandwiches for lunch

At lunchtime, our croissants become sandwiches: ham and Swiss, turkey and brie, or smoked salmon with cream cheese. They are filling, easy to eat on the go and a favourite for picnics in Central Park, a ten-minute walk west.

Croissant or croffle?

The croffle starts from the same croissant dough but is cooked in a waffle iron instead of the oven, so the outside caramelises and turns crunchy. We top them to order with Nutella, dulce de leche, white chocolate, fruit or bacon and maple. See all ten croffle flavours.

Croissants for the office

For meetings and office breakfasts, our catering boxes include mini croissant assortments, mini everything croissants and mini croissant sandwiches, in boxes of 12 or 24 pieces. A breakfast for about 12 people starts at $78 with a pastry box and a gallon of coffee.