Courtesy: Gaby Maceira
As a pastry lover and resident coffee aficionado, I am always looking for new and cute cafes and bakeries around Tallahassee. So when my friend recommended Au Péché Mignon, I knew I had to go. Translating to “a little sin,” Au Péché Mignon is a French pastry shop that specializes in hand-making countless numbers of desserts, chocolates, slices of bread, pies- and the list goes on and on. The shop has two locations, one on Timberlane Road and the other located Downtown on North Duval Street. The Downtown bakery is their newest location, and it’s the one I went to. It is also super easy to get to from FSU’s campus. All you have to do is take the Heritage bus and get off at the CK Steele Plaza aka the Star Metro bus station, and then go to your left and the bakery is located right on the side.
The bakery itself is very spacious and clean, giving off a very Manhattan-like vibe with a mix of small-town café meets industrial kitchen. For food, I was recommended by one of the employees to get the Sauvage, a tart with a dark chocolate crust filled with raspberry and chocolate truffle cream, all topped with marzipan. Because we are nearing Valentine’s Day, they also decorated the marzipan so mine had a little cupid shooting an arrow on the top. The pastry itself was heavenly and looked like a piece of art, so of course, I immediately had to post it to Instagram. To go with it, I ordered a cappuccino which was also made well, and it paired perfectly with the dessert.
And because I am dedicated to my research, I ordered a pastry to go. This is the dessert that initially drew me into the patisserie and it’s also one of their best-sellers, so much so that I managed to snatch the last one! It’s called L’Opera and the Au Péché Mignon website describes it as three layers of almond cake brushed with espresso, filled with mocha buttercream and chocolate ganache, covered in pure chocolate. As a lover of both almonds and espresso, I knew I had to have it, and after one bite I immediately knew what it was so sought out for- it was beyond delicious.
So overall, I give Au Péché Mignon a complete 10 out of 10. With great food, great service and a convenient location, what’s there not to love? My only regret was not being able to try more things! And with Valentine’s Day approaching, I think this bakery is the perfect Valentine’s Day spot; whether you are single and want to treat yourself, or if you’re in a relationship and want to try something different. Au Péché Mignon is simple but unique and deserves more love and attention. And if you aren’t into Valentine’s Day, I also think this can be a great place to study or write some essays with midterms coming up, because of its quiet yet spacious atmosphere. I think everyone should make their way out to Au Péché Mignon, and indulge in something “purely sinful.”
Don’t forget to check out:
Their website: https://www.frenchpastrytallahassee.com
And Instagram: @AuPecheMignon