Elisabeth M Exceptional pastries in La Rochelle at Elisabeth M

Traveller Reviews Google Elisabeth M

4.9 sur 5 168 reviews

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  5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Mel H. on 29/04/2026

  Wow, impossible to buy just one. Incredibly good.

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  2 sur 5 Reviews posted by Fookoo Flakman on 29/04/2026

  While on vacation near La Rochelle, we went to this shop, feeling confident after reading the numerous glowing reviews. Once there, we somehow found ourselves back in familiar Parisian haunts (we're fans of chef-made pastries, and it's a very accessible luxury, so we indulge regularly). It's slightly less expensive, but we understand the high-end positioning. The pastries in this shop are very pretty, and the prices (it's psychological) are, for us, an indicator of the freshness of the ingredients and the work put in by the pastry chef. We bought five pastries: I don't remember all the names, but there was the vanilla flan tartlet (not the coconut one), pistachio and strawberry "flower" tartlets, the chocolate tartlet, and I'm forgetting one, and for good reason. Everything was unremarkable; the disappointment was as great as the initial promise. The pastry was generally a bit soggy, lacking the crispness one expects. In the vanilla flan, the vanilla seeds and flavor were nowhere to be found, despite the label in the shop clearly indicating its origin (Haiti, I believe) to emphasize its authenticity. The pistachio blossom was also disappointing; the balance between the barely perceptible pistachio and the overpowering orange blossom was off. Returning to the strawberry blossom vanilla, the strawberries were definitely present, but the cream lacked the expected vanilla flavor. The chocolate tartlet (was it even a "flower"? I can't recall) was bland, with chocolate likely well below 55% cocoa. In short, there's a huge gap between the presentation and the taste, making it completely unjustifiable for the price. Writing this review two days after the initial disappointment, and having gotten over the feeling of being ripped off, I question the authenticity of their approach. It's as if the pastries are made and sold by people skilled in marketing but less so in pastry making, and who don't always use ingredients as well-sourced as the price would suggest. The trappings of luxury are there, but the taste doesn't live up to them. I'm giving it two stars because I don't want to completely undermine their work or entrepreneurial spirit.

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  5 sur 5 Reviews posted by Marwa Potier on 12/04/2026

  Excellent, refined pastries. I recommend them...