Belle Pastry has lovely lovely pastrys - also their own chocolate. The cakes are French-Vietnamese style - simple and light. I had a birthday cake made to order and it was a hit. The bread is good too. Parking exists, but you have to knwo about it - it is in the building with an entry down the street. I go after attending the Ballard Farmers Market - it is just one street to the East.

Yeah- I walked by the new Belle Pastry( not Honore) at it's weird. Very uninviting. Do they even do any baking there or are they trucking it in from Bellevue?

while i haven't been been able to try the food at the new honore, i did get a peek in the window the other night. the place looks about as inviting as a hospital cafeteria. what's with the monochrome beige decor and the dropped ceiling that leaves the gap visible from the street?

Another vote with the walrus - Honere's Koveen Iman (or however it is spelled) pronounced "queen ihmaan" is a buttery, sweet and salty delight at the end of my morning walk! I sometimes tear pieces off of mine so that people can taste it. One bite and they're hooked. ;-)

If you walk to and from a bakery, the trip is calorie neutral, right?

-please don't come with torches and pitchforks for not blindly and fanatically blowing smoke up besalu's butt.

Besalu is well establised and very good and has very long lines. Honore is new and growing and has shorter lines and is also very good, a nice counterpoint to the former. They each have their own specialties. Besalu is more towards a cafe whereas Honore does desserts, cakes, special orders etc. Larsens...very, conventional, not the best quality.

Educate me fellow myballard bloggers - which bakery is the best in Ballard:

Honore
Besalu
Larsen's
Other

I've only been to Larsen's. I don't frequent the ol' bakery very often, so I'm out of the loop w/the local bakery scene.

Mmmm...yum! New Ballard is so tasty!

oh I so agree with the walrus...a delight after a long walk or run on a Sunday morning. Yum.

Ding dongs are the breakfast of champions for real Ballard folk. Yuppies eat this French stuff.

Grubby, I thought it was a Mars bar and a coke? I'd say a Ding Dong is a step down...but maybe that's the idea.

What ever happned to a Ding Dong and a coke for break fast? You yuppies have to have your fancy expensive stuff don't you? If it costs less than $4 it can't touch your lips?

One has not lived until eating a warm kouign amann w/ beverage of choice @ Honore.

sounds like a run on bakeries in ballard to me. not that there's anything wrong w/that!

Boardbrown - Yes, Besalu has macaroons (as most Americans know them, coconut cookies) but not the type you find in France that the French serve, macarons which the difference is explained below.

"Macarons are not to be confused with macaroons. Macarons are sandwich-like pastries made with two thin cookies and a cream or ganache between the cookies. Macaroons are dense cookies made with coconut."

Either way both are delicious but it would be great to find a macaron like in France...nothing here that I've ever had compares although as noted upbove Honore is very good!

Their offerings look great. I cannot wait to order one of these:

http://www.bellepastry.com/bpi-paris-brest.html

Maybe I will order 2. One for each hand.

Pear almond tartlets look amazing also.

Besalu is a glorious institution, but more pastries is more better.

I've never seen macaron @ Besalu but the ones from Honore are very good. They also have the elusive canelles. The only place I've seen them outside, Portland and France.

Besalu has French macaroons too.

Their website is http://www.bellepastry.com Yummy!

I've seen their website for the Bellevue store, the menu does not list French Macaroons but Honore on 70th in Ballard has them. Theirs are some of the best I've had. They have good flavor and texture, those ones from the place in West Seattle taste mostly of hyper sweet almond, not too much else.

This is really dangerous... I better add 5 minutes to my cardio routine to make up for what is about to happen.

all I want to know is will they be selling macaroons...love those French macaroon cookies!

French pastries just down the street?!! This means trouble.

mmmmm indulgence.......