La Châtaigne

It's about as good as croissants have been for us in America. The downside is the price, a little pricey but as you see from the long lines we don't have many other options and the quality is definitely there.

So we will keep driving here from Walnut Creek until something better opens closer.

Delicious French butter croissants!

If we could afford it we would eat here every weekend. My husband got in line early and was home in time to surprise our daughter for her birthday. She specifically requested monkey bites, almond croissant, chocolate croissant, etc When you arrive be patient, there most likely will be a line, they might be out of certain things, but totally worth it.

I’ve been here too late. I couldn't try croissant. I will be back next time earier 😉

Got lucky! Went on a Friday morning and the line was very short. Heard lots of wonderful things about this bakery so we had to stop here during our trip. We ordered 4 mini Kouign Amann, a chocolate croissant (not pictured), and monkey bite (not pictured).

These were the best Kouign Amann pastries I’ve ever had. Crispy/flakey/sweet on the outside and soft/moist on the inside. The variety of flavors were all delicious.

Pastries are so much more affordable in California than in Hawaii and to get true French pastries is even harder. A visit to this little bakery is a must!

This place is a gem their croissants are so good. Ive also tried their baguettes and some other pastries they are also really good. Their parking situation is not the best, meter parking by park smart inc. which is a shady company. You will get ticketed even if you paid. I got ticketed with minutes left on the meter and the disputing process is impossible. It's sad this parking company makes it so hard to support local businesses.

Got the bostock and country loaf (sourdough) along with a dark chocolate mocha and an americano. Everything was delicious! The staff was very friendly and helpful. The coffee was well priced compared to other shops (small mocha was $3.25). Will return!

There are few places in the world that have the “ratatouille’s” effect on anyone. This bakery can and will transport you to places in your mind you didn’t even knew you could go just by trying their out of this world bakery art pieces. Yes, the line is long and the stuff you want might just run out. But, it’s worth it and today out of five pieces they make of ham and cheese croissant we got two. What are the odds however, grateful to the universe for the chance.
Keep the good work guys, we will keep on coming back. Thank you for existing!

It's a small place, not much for a sit down place. Though they do have chairs outside. Fantastic coffee and the pastries are to die for.

I could eat their home baked croissants here in Lafayette, CA until they came out of my ears. This is how good all their baked goods are!

One does not purchase a single pastry to try. We cannot pick a favorite…but that butter croissant!!! 😋
Ill be honest, i only went because i didn’t want to deal with Walnut Creek parking to get to the other awesome french bakery. But, color me very satisfied!

I lived on the French Riviera for 10 yrs. We learned which bakery had the best butter croissants, which for the almond croissants, and which bakery to go to for baguettes.We were very spoiled

Chataigne's croissants are real French caliber, the likes of which I otherwise can't find in the SF Bay area. Yum.

Superb french bakery. One of the best in bay area.

Get there way early in the morning unless you want to confront empty shelves. The bread literally flies off the shelves. Expect long lines.

Price you pay for fabulous butter filled bread and pastries of the kind you’d expect to get in Paris.

The croissants are to die for.

Adorable little French bakery in downtown Lafayette. Great atmosphere: all the signs and menus are in French. Friendly staff as well. I had a coffee and a petit kouign-amann (a type of sweet pastry with fruit). Both were excellent; I'll definitely be back for more of the pastries!

I love this place so much that I'm already worried about the day when the owner retires or stops running the shop. I hope I'd never have to experience that. La Chataigne is part of Lafayette's identity and I'm proud to have this little bakery in our town. Their business model is different from other bakeries — it doesn't need scale, it doesn't need capitalism, it doesn't need more profit — it cares about quality, the art of making food, and the joy it brings to the community. This place is truly a gem. I hope it continues to stay that way forever!

Best coffee and flaky pastries this side of the Atlantic (or Pacific). Owner is so friendly and staff is very accommodating too. They also have bread, one or two very special cheeses, and butter. This place is extraordinarily! Come early for right from the oven goodness!

The butter croissant, monkey bite were so crispy. all kids approved :) My husband loved the danish. I pretty liked the mocha, the price is reasonable compared with Philz and of course I loved all the pastries. The only thing we didn’t like was the mushroom quiche, probably quiche is not our type. I wish it was not near the parking lot. I had hard time to manage 2 boys while waiting in line. All they wanted to do was running away from the sidewalk, to the parking lot :(. It’s not recommended if you had to bring kids.

I chose Bostock, Almond croissant and lemon tart. So delicious !! Especially the almond croissant is crispy and the best.

Had ube short bread and baguette sandwich there. Short bread melts right in mouth with great ube flavor! Baguette sandwich is simple but so good! There are only bread, ham and cheese in the sandwich but each ingredients are the best quality you can get! Definitely will come back!

Sandwich of the day - ham, cheese, butter on a fresh baguette. Perfect for lunch with a latte. As far as I can tell, that is always the sandwich of the day. A few small tables in front to eat if you want, though it's right next to the parking lot. Don't forget to grab a couple of pastries for an afternoon snack later! I tried the almond croissant and it was delicious.

Incredible puff pastry or pate feuilletee. Whatever you call it, it is fabulous. The almond croissants, with this pastry, are as good as you can find. The ham and cheese quiches, canele and Bostock are not to be missed.