french pantry

ate lunch here today -french dip w caesar salad and brown butter cake. the sandwich was good to very good. most of the flavor was in the dressing. the beef was moist, tender and ample. it wasn't huge, but adequate. the bread served on was good -had a nice crust, but not very flavorful. the salad was good and fresh, but had little flavor. the asiago roll served w was very good -nice texture and flavorful. the cake was topped with very good fresh strawberries and a very good fresh strawberry puree to cover it with. the top layer was full of blueberries. they were good, but not very flavorful. perhaps they were fresh which this time of year usually have little. the crust was excellent. for $23 plus drink it was pricey. overall, most all they have are sandwiches which is easy enough to make at home so i probably wont be back. i can do better at home. 3.2 stars.
i did take a danish home which proved to be excellent -great pastry dough had terrific texture and wonderful flavor. that was the clear best item i tried. since they do have a separate register/counter for take outs there's no need to wait inlinewith those who dine in. i may stop in when nearby to get another to go. on a return i will skip the meal and head straight for their danish. it's a gem. that i will be back for and highly recommend.

some of the best food in all of north east florida. you will wait inlinefor this amazing experience. nothing you order will disappoint! you may also be seated with friendly strangers of good company as seating is first come first serve on rotation. be polite, be patient and you will find the experience nothing less than magical in any respect.

yummy in my tummy! i ordered the grilled cheese with beef short ribs, arugula and brie. let me tell ya it was amazing, my only complaint is that the bread portion was a bit too greasy (buttery) for my liking. the bread prior to the meal is always delicious as well as the deserts. got lucky today and thelinewasn't too long which it normally is waaaay too long to stand in for my lunch break.

i wish i could eat here every day. seriously great food, simple but so well executed! we got there at 10:30 (they open at 11) and there was already a smalllinethat got longer quickly. they opened the doors a few minutes early and the order taker worked quickly, so by 11 we had already ordered at the counter and sat down. there were 2 women delivering food, so it didn't even take 5 minutes to get our drinks and desserts. yes, they apparently follow the "life is short" motto and brought desserts first. i saw some people put them to the side in favor of the fresh bread also delivered to the table, but i couldn't wait and dug into the heavenly tiramisu. rich cake, light topping, a noticeable hit of alcohol that kept me on my toes (and happy i was going to have time to metabolize it). my companion had the vanilla cheesecake, which was apparently also a winner, but didn't interest me enough to try some. our sandwiches showed up quickly, and we're also delicious. how can they make a simple french dip taste so much better than other places? all in all it was wonderful, although i can understand the complaints about the wait- thelinecontinued to be out the door the whole time we were there. i've heard that the owner doesn't want to expand because the quality would suffer, so i'm willing to put up with it for the fantastic food they're putting out.


-----17 apr, 2015-----

tiramisu. this was so good it was almost sexual


-----17 apr, 2015-----

the parisienne french dip. so delicious!!!

jacksonvilles best kept secret. every time i drove past here while making deliveries i noticed alineout the door everyday before 11 a.m. i was always curious as to what people were standing inlinefor so curiosity got the best of me and i decided to be nosey and find out. i quickly realized that it was a small quaint restaurant. they seat you with other people at tables. but the food and desserts are definitely worth the wait. i've had sandwiches both times i visited this gem. they were both very tasty. i'd love to try a salad but i'm not big on field greens. this restaurant is a fresh concept and you can really tell they take pride in what they sell. definitely quality food is what seperates them from corporate owned restaurants. can't wait to bring my mom here to try you out as she is quite the picky eater. i'm sure she'll get one of the bruschetta plates and fall in love at first bite!


-----14 apr, 2015-----

french dip. sliced beef with cheese on baguette served with warm au jus...

bad service. from what i have had, the food is good but is it worth having to wait inlineand have horrible service? worse yet, my dealings on the phone to try to order a cake were horrific. so many better places to try with less hassle.

this hidden gem is worth the wait!. this is hands down one of my favorite restaurants in jacksonville. i learned of it from a friend of a friend (a self-proclaimed 'foodie') and i had to check it out. they're only open on week days for a few hours during lunch. the place is so nondescript that we drove by it and were confused by our gps telling us that we had arrived. the signage only consists of a green awning with the words 'french pantry' on it. we had to park around back because the small front lot was full and thelinewas out the door. there was a decent wait to order, but it was absolutely worth it.

while you're waiting in line, take the time to go over the menu board that's outside. there was also one posted on the door and a menu board right inside the front door. with so many phenomenal menu items to choose from, i had a difficult time deciding. i ended up ordering the portebella panini (yum) and my boyfriend and i split a piece of wedding cake. the inside is small, but quaint. you will be most likely be seated at a table with people you don't know, but it just adds to the charm. the staff isn't overly talkative, but they are super busy and they answered any questions we had about the pastries politely. they serve complimentary fresh bread with eat meal. i knew when i tasted the bread that my main course was going to be outstanding! the panini was excellent - i loved the portabella/cheese pairing (i can't remember the type of cheese it was). onto the monstrous slice of wedding cake ... i was skeptical as i really don't like cake. this took me by surprise - it's more of a shortcake? it's very light and the cream cheese icing is perfect, not overly sweet. the slice is served with a strawberry drizzle. their strawberry, cake, icing is a winning combination.

i would highly recommend the french pantry - although it's worth every second of the wait, just be sure you have the time.

  french pantry is a teeny tiny sandwich place that only has about 10 tables. they are only open for lunch monday through friday from 11am to 2:15pm, and you better get there early! thelineusually starts forming outside around 10:30am. every. day. it’s that good. now i know you are wondering how a sandwich place can be that good. reason number one? the bread.   they make all of their bread fresh daily. it’s so good that many jacksonville chefs buy it to use in their own restaurants! when you get a table (which is family style, so make some new friends!) you are given complimentary bread with oil and spices. i know it’s hard, but you must pace yourself! don’t fill up on bread; remember that the good stuff is coming next!   favorite menu items: turkey bacon swiss guacamole sandwich pastrami on rye   dining tips: get there early! i am not exaggerating! i got there around 11 one time and stood outside for 45 minutes. yeah i know that sounds crazy. but once you have invested so much time,

pastry heaven!. this place takes a lot of planning to visit. the hours are a bit weird, and plan on getting there early if you want to get in at all. i've arrived 15 minutes before opening, and there was already aline20 people deep outside (not including those they let in early, because it was a cold morning, which i found very considerate). the food is pricey, but worth it! i always have a bruschetta of some sort, and a pastry and devour it there. i also take a pastry home for later, and always a baguette. fresh bread, oil and balsamic are brought to your table with your meal, regardless of what you get. the seating area is small, and almost everytime i've been there i've had to share a table with a few other parties, but that just adds to the intimate feel of the place. if you are in to amazing pastry and very good food, try this place!

good but over rated. not worth waiting in the long lines. person in front of us "saved" spot inlinefor 4 friends, doubling our wait. then large catering order came in and they let in front if us to pay...in 5 separate transactions. we arrived at 10:45 and didnt leave until 12:40. 2 of our 3 sandwiches good, ham on muffalata too salty, couldn't finish.
desserts very good. staff to busy to help you, never got to go container we asked for. gave up and left. even though food is good, not worth the long line, long wait, and sitting where they tell you...with strangers at same table. also, no refills on soda. prob won't go back.

too much hype. it's delicious - yes. but it's too crowded...they are always packed. always. go here if you don't mind waiting in aline30 deep, waiting at least 30 min to order, feel rushed in your order once you finally reach the register, sitting at a table with 10 other strangers...

loved it!!! my wife and i went there this past weekend. amazing food! i had the chicken panini and she had the shrimp po boy. both sandwiches had so much flavor. definitely my new place for lunch. thelineis long but totally worth the wait. also, their cheesecake is 10 times better than cheesecake factory. you won't be disappointed!!!

go early! loved it. finally had some time to make the pilgrimage to what is commonly referred to as having the best sandwiches in town. i arrived around 10:45am to a mostly empty restaurant, so i had plenty of time to chat up the employees about what items are most popular and all that.

taking my time, i ordered the shrimp po'boy and a blueberry cheese tart. while waiting for my food, thelineof patrons appeared from out of thin air...even on a rainy, late monday morning. i was in and out within 15 minutes, and the food was amazing. po'boy was flavored to perfection, toppings fresh and crisp, and the bread was delicious. the tart was not overly sweet with fresh blueberries and a flavorful crust. in short, i will definitely come here for lunch again provided i can make it over before 11am.

love the food, hate the wait.... i finally took the plunge and dedicated my lunch hour to seeing if this place really lives up to the hype, and i've gotta say, nothing about this place is over-hyped, either the food or the wait! first off, don't even bother unless you have at least a full hour for lunch, and even then, you may end up having to take it back to work and eat it at your desk like i did! i got there a few minutes before noon, and it took a full 48 minutes of standing inlineto finally get my order. as the tables had long since filled up, and my lunch break was nearly over, i had to take my shrimp po boy and tiramisu back to work with me.

having grown up on the gulf coast, in and around new orleans, i know a good shrimp po boy when i try one, and this one definitely qualifies! a different take on french bread from what i'm used to over there, but a very delicious one, nonetheless. the shrimp were huge and perfectly cooked, and the salad greens and tomatoes that "dressed" the sandwich were delicious and very fresh. it's been many years since i've had a "po boy" that lives up to my memory of the term, but this one absolutely makes the cut!

their baked goods looked and smelled amazing, and the dessert yummies are not to be missed. i had to try the tiramisu, and it is already on a very short list of the best ones i've ever had - de-licious!

the only problem is that, at least with the job i have now, the wait is just too prohibitive and it will be a very rare occasion when i can go back and experience it again. they're obviously doing very good business, and i truly feel that they could be an even bigger success if they'd just move to a bigger location and increase their serving capacity, and that the quality of their product would not have to suffer for it. i dunno, the whole "exclusivity"/"earn the right" thing gives the place a bit of a soup nazi air to it, and you're completely screwed if it rains, so bear all that in mind before you try the french pantry, but also count on one of the better meals you can get in this town, something that makes the wait much more worth the while.

love hate. i hate the location, i hate the wait! but...,it's all worth it! there is no other lunch place in jacksonville that meets the felvers standards! they do it right! go early!! or your wait inlinecould run very long! homemade bread, desserts to die for, everything is worth trying! gourmet in the afternoon.