The ambience and atmosphere in the cafe is beautiful. The food was delicious. Felt really classy other than the service provided which was just appalling. We ordered 2 simple pastries which were almond croissant and hazelnut brioche which they readily had on display. They gave us a number and told us to wait so we went to our seat and waited 30 minutes and there was no sign or anyone attending to our order. At the point of order, we did inform the cashier that we'll be sitting inside, right in front of the cashier area. It was only after 30 mins that we decided to finally go and inquire about our order. The person behind the bar said "Sorry for the wait, the docket must have gotten lost somewhere". That was really comforting. She handed us our food over the counter and we went back to our seat. We promptly ate and then left. After about 15 minutes, we realised we left something behind at the desk so we quickly went back to get it. Once, we reached the cafe, we asked the asian waiter with braces if he had cleared the table and if he saw something that we left behind. It was obvious he didn't care to assist us as he said he doesn't know. I asked if he cleared the table. He replied with "A lot of people are clearing the tables". I then responded "Could you kind ask if anyone else who cleared the table may have took it to the back?" With an unsatisfied face, he left saying he'll check. His facial impression one that i'll never forget as it represents the waiting staff and how the management trained them. I understand it was a busy day, but i did pay for my service and a simple question to check if anyone had saw something that we left behind irritated him, then he should not be working in customer facing environment. To the management of Laurent Boulangerie Patisserie, please reassess the way your staff have been trained as the service they provide will reflect on the quality of your cafe as a whole.

Terrible and unhygienic service. On 11/10/22 the chubby balding middle-aged man with tattoos on his arm was serving the counter, and on multiple occasions I saw him reach into the front and back of his pants (presumably to adjust his underwear/scratch his parts) and continue to work without so much as washing his hands. I sent a complaint to Laurent and never heard back, and am so surprised that this isn’t taken seriously as it is clearly a food safety issue. I returned on 12/11/22 (thankfully the problematic person above was not working), but was instead appalled at how rude and aggressive the arab-looking bearded boy manning the coffee machine was to both customers and the girls working with him. What an unpleasant experience and staff should be reminded that we pay a premium at a place like this for not just the food but service and ambience. The service is simply not on, and frankly disgusting. Nice food but I shudder to think of the sort of staff handling the food. The lack of response to feedback clearly indicates no interest on Laurent’s part to address its issues, and this shows in its declining service. This little Collins st branch is a whole world away in terms of quality of service compared to the other branches I have been to. I am considering raising this with the Dept of Health and the Council.

Wonderfully presented pastries, cakes and gateauxs and have been several times pre and post pandemic. The coffees are well above average in temperature, flavour, suitable portions and no bitterness which shows good bean selection, good espresso machine and cleaning of it. Plus the almond milk didn't split after two minutes in my double shot flat white which was a relief. However the customer service is hit and miss. Ordered coffees and a Danish and a few takeaway items however there was confusion and the berry Danish didn't arrive with the coffee and they also got my takeaway order wrong so luckily I checked......but have to point this out that when we came to eat them in the evening in the Monte Carlo there was a medium sized hair! This could have occurred in the cafe or in their factory I suppose. A little more vigilance and less blaze conceitedness and I'd go back as the desserts are superior to it's similar competitors despite the hair .....

Laurent is a great dessert house, classy interior, delicious pastries. Environment and food is great. But it can goes really wrong on customer service. We were told to order before finding seats. The moment I put my credit card black to my wallet. An Indian/Pakistan staff is already delivering our order and asked "Where do you sit?" Superb catering time, yeah? Bad taste starts here, he looked at us, no greeting, no smile, no apology, annoyed face. I told him "We would like to find our seat." He told us "There is no seat at the moment. We do not reserve seat or food for customers." The attitude is absolutely terrible. Luckily my wife spotted a two free seats less than half a min. We settled and enjoy ourselves. I can see most staff are friendly and well mannered, but a minority bad personally mannered staff ruined the great effort by rest of the team.

Our experIence of Laurent Bakery, Little Collins Street was we will never return. Reasons are- 1- Food ordered Chicken & Leek pie was served cold instead of hot as requested. 2- Service by the staff was non- existent.. 3- Coffee was served in paper cups due to not enough staff to man and clear dishes out of dishwasher. 4- We noted several customers were complaining about coffee orders been forgotten or incorrect. 5- when I ordered & paid for a large mug of cappuccino, a small cappuccino arrived. I pointed out what I had ordered and one of the staff stated there were no large mugs of coffee! To only discover, large takeaway coffees were being served. Signed - Totally unsatisfactory experience.

Have been a staunch supporter of laurent for many years, but some recent experiences with the Melbourne cbd store have been very disappointing. The quality of food and service is dropping. This morning I ordered a croque mushroom that was over heated, dry and hard on top and soggy underneath, staff were speaking under their breath and couldn't be understood. Last week at the same outlet my wife ordered one item just before closing time to take away, when she left and went to eat she discovered that she had been given two of the same item and charged on her card for both......someone was obviously looking to clear stock just before closing. Have not had the same experiences at other stores.

Such a disappointing experience and poor service. Left waiting to order for a very long time, we almost walked out without being acknowledged by any of the staff who weren’t serving anyone else. Very poor customer service. All the cups at the water station were filthy with food and lipstick marks. I had to ask twice for clean glasses. A staff member finally brought a new tray out and the were all dirty too, and when I politely pointed this out he simply stared at me and continued to put them out on top of the dirty ones already out. The cafe is Unhygienic, tired and poor quality all over compared to what it used to be. This was once our favourite cafe, and sadly now we won’t be returning.

Stopped in here for lunch on a Saturday afternoon with the hubby. It looks pretty and inviting from the outside and the inside didn't disappoint. Likewise, the baguettes, pastries and cakes tasted as good as they looked. We shared a baguette (they're plenty big enough for two) and then shared a strawberry tart and a chocolate eclair. All the food we had was exceptional quality. The iced coffees were great too. Service was quick and very friendly even though they were very busy. We paid $42 in total which I think is a good price for lunch, especially of this quality. The only fault would be that the tables and chairs are a bit uncomfortable. But we'll definitely be back.

Walked in for the first time in what I heard was a “good cafe”. It was 5.30 pm and they close at 6 pm. No welcome from the staff as they were all busy packing up. There were 3 staff working and none of them said hi to me or smile or look at me. I asked for a quiche and they told me that they switch off the oven or I could either get it cold or warm up through the microwave(which in this case would be soggy). Wow what an experience! Why should it be a problem to switch on the oven and I was 30 mins away from the closing time! I will never step in again. You better train your staff for minimal customer service, let alone respect!

I was wondering about this cafe, and whether it survived through Covid. I decided to see if I could visit yesterday for the first time in years, and was surprised the quality of the food and coffee is still as amazing as I remember it, maybe even better. There's many cafe options in the city, but if you like a bit of indulgent decadence, give Laurent a try. The only couple of things I would like is maybe a sparkling to go with my cake, and a nicer upstairs and bathroom (it was empty and a bit drab), though the nostalgic feel of an old corridor and fittings was great. I can imagine high teas upstairs.

Went here to get some dessert and coffee. We ordered some macarons. tarts and a biscuit everything was really good especially the pecan tart and the strawberry one.The coffee were good as well. Just a little disappointed with the service as when I got my coffee it was a little spilled over the cup and the table but the staff didn’t do anything and just left. So maybe can work on that but other than that everything was good.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Other
Price per person
$20–40
Food: 4
Service: 3
Atmosphere: 4

Who doesn't love avocado?! This green and soft fruit (yes, avocado is a fruit), that tastes so majestic you can't stop eat. Here you can see the Avocado Tartine, looks so pretty its a shame to eat. A rye toast topped with avocado, goat cheese, avocado moose and walnuts, I never thought that avocado on a toast can be so good! A simple avocado on a toast taste great but tus one is on a different scale!! Soft texture, light and and fresh, it combines so well together and I didn't want it to end. I can't wait to go back and try something new of the menu!

Went to this cafe yesterday morning ( 17/8/19). The food was good. Yet there was an Asian waitress who was screaming and yelling at the other male waitresses which was really unpleasant to encounter. She was pretty much abusing both the male waitresses. You should really teach her some customer service skills or get rid of her. Not all the customers come to enjoy the food, they also come there to enjoy the atmosphere. She was ruining it. A "big thank you" goes to the two male waitresses for being so polite regardless of what you guys go through.

5 star for food and 1 star for services. We came in at 3:50pm, order a piece of cake and one pastry. Waited for 10mins, they start cleaning the shop and chatting. So we ask whether can we get the cake first, and also remind them there should be another pastry as well. For another 10mins, no sight of the pastry. It appear the lady took our order didn’t manage the sent it through at all even thought we have reminded them twice. Will no recommend before they can get their basic customer service back together.

Laurent served tea, coffee, sandwiches and had on their display an array of beautiful-looking pastries and cakes. I’d been here a few times, and while I found the savoury selections a bit stale sometimes and coffee a little underwhelming, the cakes and pastries never disappointed. There were a lot of delectable modern style cakes and some classic pastries to choose from. Loved the Parisian ambiance and decor of this cafe, and service was pretty friendly when they were not busy.

Having breakfast here, located on Lt Collins St at this French artisan bakery & cafe just to support local businesses. Artisan indicates food prepared in a traditional & non-mechanised way using high quality ingredients that in turn implies the importance of the home kitchen cooking & businesses around Melbourne where the food is sourced from.
Service
Dine in
Meal type
Breakfast
Food: 5
Service: 4
Atmosphere: 5

This morning I ordered two olive loaves. The staff taking the order couldn’t understand what I was saying and could barely speak English. Anyway I went to pick up my order and the woman kept two small rolls. She said she was sorry that she didn’t understand the order. It’s actually pathetic at little Collins street. The service is abysmal and they don’t understand or speak English. Never again. How can they be given jobs in Hospitality.

The setting is beautiful and clean. We loved the architecture and interiors of the place. The food looks delicious and the staff is very nice. A few things that bothered us were the music was loud and not in line with the atmosphere (90's pop), the large coffees came in these mugs that didn't have a handle and were uncomfortable to hold, the coffees and food didn't arrive together and croissants were served cold, which was odd.

Noticed this cute little cafe on the corner of a graffiti laneway. Surprisingly quiet for what it is. There are many people inside but for some reason they don't make any noise. Probably it's a French style. The cakes look elegant and taste very light (different from American typical sweetness). Coffee is good as well, just be careful with the size - large is probably too big even for 2 of us.

I tried one of their sandwiches and I found it dull (but my wife liked it). Spongy bread, average quality ham, a bit of butter and tomatoes, pepper...nothing great. The Price on the other hand....BUT the pastry (Almond Croissant) was quite good. Not worth a stop, but grab a pastry while passing I guess. Definitively not worth the long talks I heard about it since moving to Melbourne

Very nice coffeeshop with nice and delicious desert in heart of melbourne. Location is good. 2 level story and very quite and relaxing on second level. Its same as most of cofeeshops which you order and pay at the counter and they bring the order to your table.they've got Variety of cackes and good personal. Tables are clean and big enough.

I have been a return customer of this lovely Laurent Bakery since it opened 25 years ago, for a very good reason. Great coffee, wonderful food, bread and lovely cakes. Although, some of their cakes taste different these days, the lemon/citrus tarts are too sweet and artificial tasting. The tang of fresh citrus juice and rind is missing.

Delicious cakes, coffee could be hotter. I am presently visiting Melbourne and was very annoyed with the service (or lack thereof ) today by a male staff member. As I made my order, I was completely ignored and the "younger" woman behind me was served first. Age discrimination reflects badly on your shop & on Melbourne.

This place has been around for ages but the quality of the food has not slipped. I am a big fan of the maple bacon and egg waffle with avo. It’s always so delicious. I am also a big fan of their donuts. Laurent do good simple food well and the service from the staff is always friendly and efficient.

Had a hot chocolate and a selection of sweet treats here. Wait staff were polite and quick. Everything was nice, but some of the treats were missing that exciting flavour element. The drink and chocolate treats were definately made for the dark chocolate crowd - no milk chocolate treats here.

Beautiful interior, kind staffs and delicious meal. The inside is gorges and the atmosphere is great. The tissue paper has a picture of Eiffel Tower which is really cute. Although latte art was disappointing but both the coffee and food taste really nice, especially roast vegetable sandwich.

This place has some serious public health issues. It is infested with small birds and they have messed all through the restaurant and the staff make minimal effort to clean this mess. It is a serious public health issue and the place should be throughly cleaned or shut down by the council.

Cakes are good, as well as fresh juices. BUT the cakes have French names without following the actual recipee or aspect (Paris brest), overpriced 25$ for 2 small ones with a fresh juice, and the second floor is sad and dirty (filth on the floor and the seats). Mixed experience...

Nice little cafe serving good coffee, , savories, pastries and sweets. Ample seating available with 2 floors! You will be spoilt for choice for their sweets! Many people do takeaway for their cakes, the large ones at least. A decent clean cafe with a selection of desserts!

I opted for the Chicken, Walnut and Avocado toasted Roll, and I wasn’t disappointed. Very tasty and very filling. Loved the coffee in a big mug with no handles. Also ordered a Ham Baggette and a Croque Monsier, Hot Chocolate. Will definitely be returning to try the Cakes.

Horrible. Wonderfully presented baked good, pastries and desserts. Unfortunately, the service was off. My pie was good but under warmed. My coffee never arrived. I will give the manager points for the prompt no questions refund. Too many other options to attempt again.

Nice little café/patisserie in a beautiful heritage building. Lots of cakes & desserts to choose from, as well as a decent selection of sandwiches. Friendly staff and quick service as it wasn’t too busy for 11am. Highly recommend if anyone wants something unique & cosy

Average. Went there yesterday and there wasn’t much in the cabinets. I ordered a custard puff and the pastry was soft and soggy. Given it was Anzac Day perhaps they were serving the previous days pastries; either way it was disappointing. Service was ok but not good.

Coffee tasted like it had been made with old ground beans. strained in the coffee machine a second time. The cake tasted stale. The seating arrangements were strange and the place was extremely echo-ey and noisy. Couldn't wait to get out of the place to be honest.

Pretty place but most of the time upstairs is not open so when you go with 4ppl most of the time there is only seat on counter. Cake tastes good and tea was good as well. They also have sandwiches and coffee most of the things. I’ll comeback and try these toast.

Busy cafe that sells lovely pastries, cakes and sandwiches. It was shame that the second level was not open to public, but there’s still plenty of seats on the ground floor to choose from. I had a good time enjoying my pastry and eclairs, while reading a book.

I cannot stress how incredible this place was. A fantastic bakery that was recommended to me by some Melbourne-CBD-locals! Been there twice in the past few days, with incredible coffee, savoury food and EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE sweets! Love, love, love! 10/10!

Lovely little cafe with pretty good coffee and a gorgeous selection of small bites to eat as well as a jewel like selection of pastries. The only fault was the tiny bathroom toilet stalls, poorly designed. The decor could do with a revamp too.

A little cozy cafe that served good pastries and cake. Had the sandwich and quiches, both were delicious. Although it seems to be understaffed, but the service was reasonable good. Moreover, the cakes and desserts made a nice presented gifts!

Absolutely beautiful food! I had the bacon and eggs ciabatta and omg! The scrambled eggs were the best I’ve ever had. The iced chocolate was beautiful and the chocolate eclair was just divine. Will definitely be back next time I visit.

Amazing croissants and macarons. Very authentic atmosphere
Meal type
Breakfast
Price per person
$1–20
Food: 5
Service: 5
Atmosphere: 5
Recommended dishes
Macaron, Pain Au Chocolate

Very nice bakery. Super nice staff named Zachary served us. Also very delicious. Bit pricey but definitely worth it. Upstairs is also very clean and friendly atmosphere. Would recommend a visit at least once if you are nearby.

We came here for a light lunch and coffee break. Delicious food does not have to be complicated and this place is an example of that. Really impressed with the dessert display like always. Coffee could be better thought.

Visited Laurent bakery years ago when we were in Melbourne years ago. Recalled the place being a cosy little cafe serving good quality desserts and coffees. Will visit again when we are back in Melbourne in near future.

While the pumpkin soup tasted fine the bread roll with it was dry and unappetizing. Don't go here if you want to talk - the noise from the coffee machine drowned out our conversation. Not an enjoyable experience

We came in on a whim and with a desire for something decadent and sweet. We were not disappointed! Brilliant service, and even better pastries. Coffee was good, but couldn't compare to the food. It was awesome.

Thoroughly enjoyed their cakes. We ordered Mieta and Choux pecan. The cakes are not too sweet and the coffee is enjoyable. Staff is friendly and attentive. Cakes are on slightly pricier side, but worth it.

A grand bakery and coffee shop in a gorgeous old building with incredible tile work, and a grand arched staircase leading to the second floor. Baked goods were great, coffee was great, space is great!

Picked up the Mietta cake yesterday for my partner's birthday today. Oh my word. It is fregging delicious and I will be back for some more!! Thank you for such an amazing piece of scrumptiousness! :P

A very nice French cafe with the charm of the old country. The sandwiches and the pastries were good but not as fresh as I expected maybe because today is the Anzac holiday. The coffee was very good.

I usually love Laurent. But when I ordered a skinny latte and crossant I didn't expect to get a extremely frothy latte. Skinny 'Latte' which looks more like a 'Skinny' cappuccino in a latte glass.

For get about a coffee in a cold damp lane. This is magnificent. Open Sundays 9 am till 5pm. Specifically is French pastry. Served in Style you don’t get anywhere but beautiful Melbourne

As a dessert lover, I can say I have try most of their little cakes. Beautifully made and not too sweet. Anyone who wants a place to chill, these would be a great place to hang out.

Can only comment on own experience - served cold scrambled eggs. I asked if it was fresh. Answer? Yes. Fresh from the fridge coffee was good. But common seriously! …

Lovely place at a central location. Good tasting coffee and fab pastiries w reasonable pricing given its location and vibe. We had pastries and coffee. Satisfied customers here!

service was great. cakes were tasty not for the first time. coffee was good. some tables were left dirty for some time and the place was not that busy. but quite nice overall

Visited this place before COVID and decided to leave a review here after such a long time just to tell I enjoyed the desserts here. Hope I can visit again in near future.

We order cheese crumblee, chocolate eclair and coffee. Cake and eclair was absolutely amazing but coffee taste not a best. But love to come this place for eclair :)

I went this morning for a coffee and croissant. The coffee was average, the pain au chocolate was serve cold. Good service in a quiet place, but nothing special

Great place to take a delicious bite and a fabulous hot choc or cappuccino bowl while in Melbourne. I love the place and happy returning again and again.

I love French pastry and baguettes! This place does one of the best baguette and passionfruit tart! Pricey. Coffee could be better. Good place to chilax.

It is a tradition for a Melbourne trip. Although the layout could do with an update, it was still worth a visit. The cakes were yummy and coffee was ok.

Delicious quiche lorraine, as usual. Presentation just ok, luke warm and soggy. Coffee quite good, also luke warm. Service particularly curt at best.

One of my favorite French cafe. I had a croissant and cake. If you are looking for a nine French cafe, you should visit here. Highly recommended.

very poor service, waited for 20 mins to be served the cafe had two customer in store. just completely ignored us and kept walking past us.

Wonderful hidden little gem between Bourke & Little Collins Sts! The pastries are delightful Made for the perfect breakfast stop... …

Nice set up but the rest is far below average Pastry from the day before or even more Terrible waiters and service (in fact no service!)

Going to a friends house for dinner, a carrot and walnut cake was in order. Yummy and moist but not too sweet and the perfect size

Delicious food, beautiful desserts! Staff was friendly and restaurant was clean and pretty. Highly recommend their mango juice!

Atmosphere is so nice. Coffee, tea, pastries and sandwiches are very tasty and delicious. Laurent is one of my favorite cafés.

Very tasty and pretty cakes. Friendly servers and service was prompt. Worth a visit if you are around the chinatown area :0)

A very cosy French bakery. Decor is very French and relax. You find a wide selection of pastries here and food is good too.

Delicious food and very clean. Salad baguette was too good. Loved it. Amazing cakes and coffee. Great for a Sunday brunch.

A true experience in a traditional like bakery with coffe, cappuccino and other good sweets you can choose from their bar

Very pretentious place that sells overpriced, below average food, with the worst service you'll get in Melbourne.

My favouite French cafe for pastry and cake, decorate nice in the inside. Their cake is so delicious, must try.

The pastry and dessert are good. However the inside is very chaotic, there is also no water and service is slow

Pastries are pretty nice....pretty costing too and arrogant staffs. Long black is awesome...dont try the rest.

Cute French bakery. Love the decor. The coffee was really good. The food was good. Great lunch spot.

The cake is delicious, and the price is reasonable. I like the building of Laurent Bakery.

Chai latte is not that significant but the Tart Pecan is really nice and full of nuts.

Coffee was way too hot for takeaway Sandwich was still fresh and nice as before covid

The pastry and cakes are really delicious and a great stop for coffee while shopping!

Delicious food and nice staffs, the building is old but the decorations are great.

So overpriced $25 for a sandwich and coffee Not even a hint of a salad on a side

The galette des rois was tasty but little bit dry, maybe not fresh of the day..

Loved the latte & friendly service. Really nice ambiance inside aswell !

Beautiful setting and delicious pastry. A little more on the pricy side

Attentive staff and superb cakes. I would recommend Christine Cake.

Excellent Salmon and Egg Ciabatta, fair coffee, pleasant experience

cool design, terrible service, hot chocolate and food were average

Great pastries at extraordinary prices. $8.80 for an apricot tart!

Nice cake and decent coffee. Needs more transparency with prices.

Disappointing food also they gone cashless which is illegal.

Great bakery with plenty of options both sweet and savoury.

Great coffee great food and friendly efficient staff *****

The deserts are yummmmm ! Not so great coffee tho ....

Enjoyed a great coffee and pain au chocolat. Thanks

Famous French style cafe bakery @ Little Collins St

Lovely friendly and good food …