Fabianes Cafe & Pastry Shop
Categories: Bakeries, Restaurants [Edit]
Neighborhood: Brooklyn/Williamsburg - South Side142 N 5th St Apt 4R
(between Bedford Ave & Driggs Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11211 (718) 218-9632
- Nearest Transit:
Marcy Ave (J, M, Z)
Metropolitan Ave-Lorimer St (G, L)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: No
- Parking: Street
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: No
- Good for Kids: No
- Takes Reservations: No
- Delivers: Yes
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: Yes
- Good for: Lunch
30 Reviews for Fabianes Cafe & Pastry Shop
I really like this place. The menu's eclectic and, for the most part, pretty great. The Croque Monsieur is especially wonderful for a light lunch. Service can be a bit "relaxed," but it's a pretty informal atmosphere.
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i liked it, but i felt like i wasn't as impressed with the place as i was supposed to be. yummy brunch though, and extra credit for being in a flight of the conchords song (i'm pretty sure)
Good food when you need it. Brunch all day long and the staff is *super friendly*. Great place for an informal date or a quick bite. Out door seating a major plus.
This cafe is a great place for a light lunch or an afternoon iced coffee. There's ample outdoor seating along the Bedford sidewalk (great for people watching on a weekend afternoon).
The atmosphere is slightly shabby-chic, and a VERY welcome departure from the dive bars and cramped coffee shops along the same hipster strip. Pretty lace curtains tied back in the open floor-to-ceiling windows with ribbon, glowing lights get turned on as the sun outside begins to set...It's very cute.
I had some of the greatest iced tea of my life there one afternoon, along with veggie lasagne and salad. My friend had a beer (we were both surprised to learn that they serve alcohol). The food was really, really good, which also surprised me. Fabiane's in in a spot where they'd probably make just as much money with mediocre food - it was nice to know they actually care about what they're serving.
The service sucked, but that wasn't a huge deal for us - we went late on a Saturday afternoon for a quick, late lunch. Plus it's the perfect place to lounge with either a book, newspaper or friend if you're not in too big a rush.
Fabiane's accepts ONLY cash - no cards here. And as much as I loved the lasagne, I'll definitely be having one of their giant, AMAZING looking salads the next time I go.
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Who knew baked eggs could be so delicious? We went there when my mom was in town for Mother's Day and the line at Egg was out of control, and we split the baked eggs with tomato and feta cheese and the french toast. Both were great. It's one of those places where you order at the counter and they bring you your food so it's a different kind of experience than your typical NYC brunch, but good food and really nice staff. Definitely worth it!
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Good for the coffee and pastries - average for the food - great for the people watching while hanging out on a sunny afternoon. Pretty easy to grab one of the tables outside and just let the afternoon pass by in conversation.
If you come here, you've got to order the baked eggs. I had the salmon and scallion version and it was absolutely delicious. They also serve a really good, crusty bread with it. And thinking about it makes my mouth water and my eyes weep because I'm not in the city anymore.
I gave the place four stars because looking at others' posts, I can agree that service is just "aiight." here. If you come here when I did, which was a Sunday evening two weeks ago, it won't be crazy busy.
But, the girl at the counter basically got my order wrong and thankfully because they ran out of that wrong order, I discovered that mistake, and ended up getting what I wanted. Ironic. And also they gave my friend a ham sandwich instead of duck.
All this was overshadowed by the incredibly great tasting food as I mentioned before. I mean, that ham sandwich was still pretty amazing.
It's definitely worth it to check this place out. The eggs were about $7.95 which is a pretty decent price for quality and amount of food. check it out.
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Ideal for a cup of coffee with an old friend...
I love their desserts.... I had the chocolate mousse cake
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I've meant to go in this place many times, so I'm glad I finally stopped in. Having just left Dumont Burger, we weren't really hungry, but it was cold and we knew we could see the B61 stop out the window, so we sat down for a coffee and quick dessert.
Due to mostly silent and definitely slow service, it ended up taking longer than expected. Seriously, the only words our waitress uttered to us were, "Hey, do you know the name of the actor in Pretty Woman with Julia Roberts?" Once we told her it was Richard Gere, she scurried off to tell the other waitress, and we didn't see her again for a solid 15 minutes. Umm...okay.
Luckily the dessert we ordered was worth the wait - the chocolate caramel cup. A creamy, chocolately mousse-like substance oozed caramel and was covered by a thin shell of delectable dark chocolate. My BF ordered the chai banana shake to go with it, and I got the mocha latte. Both were delicious.
I'd come back here to try a sandwich sometime, and I'd definitely try out more of their desserts, but I'll make sure I'm in a patient mood first!
I am not really sure what to make of this place. None of the people who work there seem to speak English, and in fact, I'm not entirely sure what language they do speak. I tried asking questions about their pastries, which were awfully strange in appearance -- one in particular was some sort of odd shade of green that gave me no clue as to what it was, and well, the people behind the counter didn't seem to be able to tell me.
I ended up choosing some safe-looking piece of chocolate cake, which was unusually light and airy. Kind of like angel food cake, actually. All in all, it was okay, but not particularly flavorful -- I ended up passing it off to a friend.
The non-hisptery alternative to verb. On a weekday morning, you can find a table and do some work. The staff are a little grouchy and the coffee is nothing to go wild over, but there is plenty of room and it's pretty in a homey wanna-be Parisian way. This place does not have wifi though. Didn't try their food, looked a tad over-priced but the desserts looked promising.
i can't explain how much i love their chicken caesar salad. (and, embarassingly enough, their creme brulee.)
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A great place to sit and watch Williamsburg stroll by, especially after an afternoon of strolling the shops yourself. The coffee drinks are yummy, and the dessert display is temptation incarnate. Having caved on the pistachio cake and a biscotti once or twice, I can report that they're worth the penance. The waffles with strawberries and whipped cream sound deadly, but were so light and fresh, they felt almost healthy. And I've heard it said that the egg salad sandwich is the best a friend has had in years. I wish the chai had been a bit sweeter, particularly as the only non-sugar sweetener was the dreaded pink stuff. Ew. Didn't that stuff go out in the 80s?
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It's table service at night at Fabiane's Cafe & Pastry Shop. Dropped in on a Thursday night for dessert and some chit chataroos. It definitely had the feeling of a cafe. Loungers and loiterers welcome. All of the desserts looked tasty and tempting. We got the chocolate creme brulee, a chocolate mousse cake, a cinnamon pumpkin latte, and coffee. The creme brulee was rich and the chocolate mousse was smooth. Not too sweet. The funny thing was the inconsistency in the presentation. For example, the creme brulee was served in a tin cup. Therefore they gave it to us on a paper plate with a plastic spoon. The chocolate mousse was on a nice ceramic plate with a real spoon. My cinnamon pumpkin latte was in a beautiful orange mug. It was like autumn to my lips. The service was slow and Fabiane's is cash only. We got a bag of coconut macaroons to go and they are really rich but miniature and cute. The bathroom was one of the nastiest I have ever been in. If you need to go, only go if you really need to. And if the food is any indication of the bathroom results here, skip it. But for dessert and coffees, sure. Relax and unwind because you can take all the time you want at Fabiane's. They won't kick you out. Excellent place to sit and catch up with friends.
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The scoop:
The food is average at best. Depending on who is cooking, there are often inconsistencies. One day they have great French toast, another day they have bad French toast. The coffee beverages are very good and they have a creative coffee drink selection. For the best experience, stick to the coffees and pastries.
It is a good diner-plus.
The service is okay.
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Food 4
Service 2 1/2
This is the place I hit on my way down Bedford Avenue towards a notoriously naughty art session called Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art Class at the Lucky Cat.
The pastries look beautiful in the case and the oversized glass jars are filled with cookies and brownies. The aroma of coffee and tea fill the air as you walk in.
The decor is simple, tin ceilings, robin's egg blue walls, chipped flea market mirror at the back.
The service, depending on if there is any (no table service before 5pm) is spotty at best.
On Saturday afternoons, you must order from the counter, and wait for a table, however long that may take. Meanwhile your dishes and lattes pile up on the counter edge ready to tip over onto your shoes. If you are able to find a table before someone else swipes it from under you, great. If not, too bad, so sad.
I wish I had known this beforehand, as I am not from the neighborhood. The girl bringing out the food from the kitchen rolled her eyes at me and then brushed past me when I asked her about a table. A civilized, mature employee would have just told me about ordering from the front, but this little baby butch punk wannabe did not.
I loved my brie, duck and fig panini, as I have yet to find any other place that offers that combination in a sandwich. My partner on the other hand, was ambivalent about his Chipotle chicken sandwich and less impressed with their brownie, which had the consistency of dried out chocolate cake. To be fair, the desserts in the case looked much better than the dry cake, but I can't vouch for them.
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Really nice, simple dining--soups, salads, sandwiches, and desserts--always fresh and pretty tasty. The decor is neutral. The service blows.
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I've only had take-out from here but I really like this place. The desserts are awesome and the cobb salad is so good. However a bit pricey though.
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The desserts here are so delicious. I recommend the Chocolate Creme Brulee; its crispy, sugary top is freshly torched, just for you! There are really good chocolate-mousse-type desserts that are very attractive and delicious to boot! Come here with a small group, convince everyone to get a different after-dinner-treat, then try them all! That's really the way to go; it's too hard to choose.
[But if you MUST choose, like I said: Chocolate Creme Brulee.]
I came here with out-of-town guests and they all loved it! The coffee here is good as well.
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A friend and I went here for dessert after lunch one weekend and I was really surprised. The prices are expensive, but I found the desserts to be well worth it. The fruit tarts are amazing. There are so many other things I want to try, so I need to go back at some point.
We opted to eat inside since all of the tables on the sidewalk were filled up. But, it would've been neat to have such elegant desserts outside with coffee.
The cafe is a little fancy in the sense that it isn't overly decorated. Structured, but minimalist tables and chairs. They let the food do the talking for this place. Since I went here on the weekend, it was crowded, so I did have to wait for a table to free up for a few minutes.
A great place for an unhurried cup of coffee or sandwich - I like to go and chill for an hour with a book - or lunch with a friend. Honestly, the food's only average, but reasonably priced. Many coffee drinks to choose from, and by far, the best desserts in the area. Get the chocolate caramel cup - and split it with a good, good friend!
The service tends to be grumpy. But it's the closest thing we've got to a Euro-style cafe in the area, so it's forgivable.
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Good veggie lunch options, including a mushroom-goat cheese sandwich, and good coffee, but that's about it. They let people smoke in the sidewalk seating (so much for tasting that sandwich and coffee). Long wait for service at brunch-hour. Go with a friend for ease of snagging a table.
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If you're meeting somebody for coffee on Bedford Avenue, this is a good alternative to The Verb across the street for a number of reasons. It's bigger, it has a bigger menu, it has more tables outside, it's not as hip and it doesn't have loud music I don't like. The waitresses are usually on the grumpy side, but they're good looking and I don't really blame them.
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i love this place! quality food, good coffee, excellent desserts.
i took my family (out-of-towners) here because i knew it would be a good place which wouldn't end up costing us too much, plus it's a relaxed atmosphere. they obviously thought it was awesome.
try the tuna (they put red onion and capers in it!)
p.s. - cash only!
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Among the many coffee shops along Bedford Ave, Fabiane's is the hands-down winner when it comes to desserts. Flavored mousses abound, but the champion dish is the chocolate caramel cup, a combination of 6 different consistencies of chocolate, a caramel center, and a dollop of frosting, all shaped into an edible mug of chocolate. Sandwiches, salads, and specialty drinks -- and of course coffee -- are also offered.
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The coffee wasn't all that great but the baked eggs were decent..
My sister had tomato and feta baked egg and i had the one with prosciutto.
Immediately afterwards, I found a used Nirvana laser disc for only 59 cents at the thrift store, resulting in a warm glow. hence the bloated rating.
Okay. This is *not* the place to go to for coffee on its own. In fact, of all of the coffee places in the area, my friends and I refer to this as "the nerd coffee place". No joke. Since this is under the "coffee" and "bakery" category and not the "brunch" and "killer baked eggs" category I only gave it 4 stars.
That said, this place is perfect for breakfast/brunch. I went there a couple of weeks ago with friends and got baked eggs with tomato and feta along with a coffee and it was well worth it. They even toss in a small crusty piece of bread with a thick slice of butter which is a tasty freebie. You don't need to deal with waitstaff in the morning either because you pick your food up at the counter and bring it back.
Go there, but not for anything other than brunch.
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Considering the quality of the desserts that they sell at this shop, I was appalled by the food that I was served when I recently ate here. The Chicken Pot Pie ($7.95) was a microwaved chicken soup with a paper-thin top shell, served in its original plastic container. At first I thought that this was a bit tacky, but when I realized there was only crust on the top of the "pie," I understood that there was no other way for it to be served. This came with some salad greens drizzled with a light dressing.
The Normandie Salad ($9.95), as far as I could tell, was a large bowl of mixed greens with a couple of slivers of lox tastefully lain across the top to give the impression that you are being fed.
If you want to eat food, I would suggest going elsewhere.
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Looks better on the outside than the inside, but everything is pretty good. You just can't give a place 4-5 stars if they dont serve eggs over esay.
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the food was mediocre and the service wasnt that great...they make ordering more complicated than it really has to be.
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