Le Moulin De Provence Byward Market

This place has a European vibe
I visited on Dec 31st, place was busy but the servers were super nice and tried their best to serve everyone
Bought a loaf of bread, birthday cake, a flan and a coffe eclair
The cake tasted like a Walmart cake very cheap and tasteless and they couldn't offer to write (happy birthday) or even a sticker to say it!
They simply said we can't!
Bread was ok and other desserts were stale
The flan was dry and a bit hard
For a tiny eclair, it was a bit expensive (6$)
Again
Everything was ok
Nothing stands out to be visiting again

Terribly disappointed in the service this afternoon, from what looked like a manager of all people.

Asked for some sliced bread, as he was putting it in the bag, the last couple of slices fell on the FLOOR, he proceeded to attempt to hide with his back and put the pieces back in the bag.

One of the assistants confirmed the order to which I responded, looks like some pieces fell to the floor (assistant did not see this) and told me no, just on the counter and I said no; it hit the floor then was put on counter. So I will not be taking the sliced bread, just the baguette.

The manager proceeded to shake his head in disapproval followed by grunting. I'm sorry but bread that hits the floor in a high traffic area like that is NOT fit for human consumption and nor should I be made to pay for it. It is well within my right to refuse.

All he had to do is say: some pieces fell off, do you still want this and I would have gladly taken it.

Disappointing behavior from a manager, it is unsanitary! And scary to think if you're attempting to pull this off right in front of me.what happens in the back?

Don't ruin your business by trying to short change people and being rude to customers who stand up for their rights.

Arrived for breakfast and had a wonderful omelette on a croissant, bacon, fruit, homemade potatoes a little tomato and lettuce and a cup of coffee for around 20$ Everything was so fresh and the man who served me was very nice. Nice soft music in the background and lots of windows for people watching:)
Thanks for a great start to my day.

Ideal for those with a sweet tooth.
Pre cooked light lunch and baked goods.soooo goood!

I had the pleasure of visiting Le Moulin de Provence some time ago, and it's undoubtedly a prominent spot in the Byward Market. We stumbled upon this gem for breakfast during a leisurely walk through the market.

One of the first things that caught our eye was their tempting selection of cookies, pastries, and sandwiches. We decided to sample a bit of everything, and I must say, it was all quite decent. Even with the place bustling with customers, the service remained attentive and friendly.

One standout feature was their unique selection of 'Obama cookies' – a nod to the former president's visit to this bakery during his time in Canada. We couldn't resist trying these iconic treats.

As for the coffee, it was alright, although not particularly memorable.

All in all, Le Moulin de Provence is a must-visit spot in Ottawa, not only for its delicious offerings but also for the unique Obama cookie corner, which adds a touch of history to this place experience.

Beautiful open air bakery in the market! Great easy atmosphere with incredible variety of desserts and artisan breads.

Très achalandé lors de notre passage. Personnel efficace et certains bilingue. Terrasse adjacent propre et pas trop bruillante. Stationnement sur rue.

I was excited to try the croissants here based on reviews but sadly it was the same quality as a croissant from the Walmart bakery. We also tried the cheese croissant and chocolate croissant but they also weren't worth the price.

I used to regularly go here for their almond croissants but last week the almond croissant was soggy and wet at the bottom and the condescending lady brushed it off saying it is syrup. Is the syrup supposed to make the croissants soggy! I have never seen that happen.
One of the server was prompt to check for a replacement but this other lady gave me this absurd reason about it being soaked in syrup. Why was it soaked in syrup in first place and if it were then may be they forgot to add sugar in that syrup because it clearly wasn’t sweet! It was just wet! All in all, not going in here from now on. Seems like their quality has hit rock bottom - both in service and product.
On top of that I was charged $10 for 2 coffees listed at $2.50

4 stars just for the variety of pastries they offer and their baguette was on point. Of course it isn’t humanely possible for me to try out all their offering but the scone and the muffins were great. The place is a little cramped but it’s in byward market so makes sense. They make a big deal about Obama cookies as president Obama stopped by here on one of his visits, we didn’t try it but they looked cool. I’m sure if you order one, they would know you are from America. Good bakery if you are looking for some pastries in Ottawa but I believe there are much better specialty French bakeries if you are really looking for quality.

Great place. Amazing staff. At first it seemed a bit in the pricey side but quickly realized the price is justified when you see the taste and quality.

Why are the employees so slow? I waited for 10min to pay after getting overpriced coffee, I was also the only customer in the store and the employees were chatting the whole time.they just forgot I was there.so uncomfortable. The food is meh, kinda taste like stuff you would get at Loblaws.

Prominent spot in the Byward Market area. We walked through the market and ended up here for lunch. Tempting selection of cookies, breads, pastries, and sandwiches. Food was decent. Service was good but a bit slow. The selection on Obama cookies were unique.

I really want to like this place because it's one of the few French bakeries in this part of the city.
I've been twice and had a just passable experience both times.
The pastries are not very fresh, the framboise tartelette was very hard to cut with a knife; the hot chocolate was watery.
The whole place could use a makeover.

Jusy as they have been for over thirty years, the quality of food and the class of thier sales people are second to none!

The croissants are decent, the coffee is average, the service is adequate, the place itself is a bit on the shabby side but it's right there in the ByWard market so there's that
3.5

Super bon, mais dispendieux. Au moins, le personnel est très gentil et les croissants sont délicieux.

Really nice pastry shop in the iconic Byward Market. Really good food. Fresh pastries. Try their cookies it is worth it. A bit expensive but I understand it comes with the location. It is so sad that the Byward Market area became a hot spot for heavy drug users crawling around day and night.

Le vrai goût de pâtisserie française. Mon préféré a été la tarte au citron et les scones aux bleuets

The staff is really nice.
Spent a really good moment there!
Prices are little higher than average though, but their croissants are the best I’ve had in Canada so a very good point!

Baked goods are all mass-produced. Lack of freshness is apparent. Taste is lacking in flavour and overall quality is bad. Highly disappointed in this downtown Ottawa favourite. Other bakeries in the area such as The French Baker are much better options and serve more pleasing, tasteful, and elegant baked goods than Moulin de Provence.

I walked a long way to get there. I wanted to buy 3 macarons and was going yo walk back. The black girl would not put them in a plastic container for me.

$7.20 for macarons and they won't put them in $0.25 container to protect them.

Totally wasted my time.

Went in the morning to pick up some savory breakfast. They have amazing pastries and baked goods. Would definitely rate 5/5.
But when it comes to customer service, it is miserable. There is a guy at the front counter who was just being rude for no reason. I wanted to add a few things but he was being impatient and just wanted to get rid of us. I didn't say anything because there were too many people around and didn't feel like creating a scene. If that is the type of customer service at that store, I wouldn't recommend anyone going to that place just to be treated rudely!

Terrible, high prices and low quality. Croissant of chocolat doesnt have chocolate, the hot chocolate doesnt have chocolate, just sweet milk.

High prices for bad quality. The croissants with chocolate have almost no chocolate, and the hot chocolate has no chocolate taste at all. We payed 37 dollars for 4 hot chocolates and 3 croissants. Unreal

Service and food was average. Wasn't super sure how the line worked either (there were arrows all over the floor). Felt like the whole draw was for the Obama (Maple leaf) cookie and even that seemed a little played out.

Located on the core of Byward Market, this is a stop for me every time I’m in Ottawa.

There is a lot to choose from so be ready to make a decision on what to pick. I haven’t had their sandwiches or drinks but from what I saw they seem pretty tasty.
I’ve never had an issue with service, they are welcoming and patient for those having to take a bit more time to choose from their many products.

On my last trip out I got the lemon danish, meringue and double chocolate cookie.

Both the Danish and Meringue were superb and I would highly recommend trying if you go. My reason for the 4 stars is for the double chocolate cookie. The taste was there but the freshness was lacking as the cookie was not soft but hard. I’m not sure if that’s the way they are going with their cookie but it is more of a crunch than a melt in your mouth.would recommend stoping here on your trip to the market!

*Update: (My previous review was and had always been 5 stars.) Today I made the rare trip downtown to pick up a couple of our bakery favourites. The cookies were so hard and dry, they must have been sitting out for at least a few days… they were just garbage, not even edible. I definitely won’t be buying them again… pretty disappointing at almost $4 each. Maybe freeze your cookies and only take out a few at a time to reduce your waste so you don’t have to sell old baked goods? Looking at so many recent reviews, lack of freshness seems to be the new way the establishment is run.

(Previous review from 3 years ago) This is my favourite bakery in Ottawa. A great place for tourists to check out. I love their chocolate almond croissants.

Very large and spacious bakery. They have the famous Obama cookies (we got an owl and a unicorn) as well as other well priced treats (the fruit tart and scone). Would recommend to anyone to take a stop by and get something if they haven't.

Very pricey for the quality. Cakes are fine, but definitely not worth the price, save you money.

I was strolling at Byward Market and was curious about this bakery, which has good reviews online.its called Le Moulin De Provence. I went in and the staff were friendly:) I tried their pecan tart.the best I have tasted! Lots of nuts and it was so good! Highly recommend! The guy also gave me a couple of their huge croissant (free!) and I loved it! So fresh, and taste so yummy! I like the one without the chocolate filling, only because I am not a big fan of chocolate in my bread. Highly recommend that too! So I went back for more of their other stuff! They have variety of selections of pastries, desserts for your appetite. Great location easy to find. This is a place you don't want to miss if you're visiting Byward Market! Cheers!

Paid for a cheese cake, a flan, a croissant. Opened the box when I got home and found that they forgot the croissant.

The other two dessert tasted ok.

This could've not happened if the store was just a bit more organized. The line-up is confusing and how you're supposed to get serviced is confusing.

We came here for breakfast on a Sunday morning. No communication on which line to stand in, which also took a very long time. Service was non existent, drinks took a very long time and the actual food you had to go to another line for to get. We waited 25 minutes in line, waited 15 minutes for drink and then another 10 for the food.

Drinks were okay. The hot chocolate was un drinkable, a waste of 6 dollars. The food was awful. My husband had to stop eating his eggs benedict because they were sour, we was worried about food poisoning. I would not recommend this place to anyone unfortunately.
It looked beautiful and we thought maybe it would be worth the wait. Unfortunately, that is not the case. My suggestion for them would be to establish some sort of system because they don't have one. They also only had three people working on a Sunday. The line was very long. Not worth 60 bucks
I know you can find a much better place. Doesn't feel worth that kind of time and money. Management is non existent. Line upe in every direction. A total waste of money and time.

Venez rencontrer Claude Bonnet vous serrez pas déçu le meilleur déjeuner croissant du Canada! Manger de ma vie!

Atmosphere-ambiance: Lieu assez sympathique qui pourrait effectivement faire penser à une boulangerie française à quelques détails près, même si c’est logique que l’établissement s’adaptent aux habitudes locales (4/5)
Qualité produits: Ma chocolatine était assez bonne ainsi que le croissant aux amandes (4/5).
Qualité-prix: Prix correct dans l’ensemble (4/5)

Used to be good but the service has declined since reopening, not to mention overpriced and tiny sandwiches and watery coffee: (such a shame because it genuinely used to be good

Super family friendly staff. We arrived at closing time just as the door was being locked and my 7 year old was so dissappointed she cried. The man locking the door saw her and invited us in even though they were closing. He was so kind he even gave her an extra cookie on the house. I was very impressed by this service and how far he went to make a child happy. Certainly made us repeat customers!

Paid more than $8 for a mediocre croissant (definitely nowhere near fresh) with salmon. Doesn't even have cream cheese. Just soggy, disgusting lettuce.

Also the managers constantly have masks hanging off their chins, while other employees are wearing them. Great leadership.

Credit where it's due however - their danishes are always solid - 5/5.

My go to place for delicious French pastries? All the desserts, bread and cookies are amazing. Not a huge fan of the coffee/cappuccino/lattes (not strong enough for me) but everything else is fantastic!

Excellent products, good service but both the manager and the bakers have decided to ignore wearing masks indoors. I have personally witnessed it on at least 4 different occasions and finally realized that this was a systemic issue. I would recommend avoiding until the pandemic is over.
I went back one morning on the week of June 21st 2021 and hoped to see everyone wearing a mask and was disappointed yet again. The poor front counter staff are diligent and are aware that the bakers in the kitchen disregard public health measures by not wearing masks indoors around the food and each other but are plainly frightened to speak up to the manager. This tells me that the owner didn't make enough of an impact when she visited and found her staff mask less. I had hoped to erase this bad review but it appears that it will have to stay for the time being.

Les pâtisseries sont délectables et le service à la clientèle est chaleureux. Un plus pour le marché By!

Their brie and tomato panini is probably one of the most disgusting things I've ever eaten.thick overpowering brie cheese and extremely watery lettuce and tomato on a bun.for $6.

All looks nice but was very disappointing. Tarts soggy no taste. Bread pudding stale. On the plus side the coffee was fresh and staff friendly.

Great fresh bread and assorted snacks. Will be sure to drop by again next time we vacation this way.

We had their famous sugar cookies. They were so bad. Too sweet and can't taste anything but sugar.

Only ever bought bread from here (and it's all very good). Today I wanted a coffee and their Americano was superb. Strong and hit the spot. Pleasantly surprised. Will be going back for more.

I continue to come here because the cookies are super delicious. You need to try them. Excellent service too! All covid measures in place an a lot of options to decide on. Bravo!

Location makes it for quality but still too expensive. Having the "Obama cookies" makes it a mandatory stop for any tourist and then when you see all the food.you just end up staying even just for coffee. The service is very good BUT they have soooo many options that I guess they cannot really focus on quality. The food ends up being pretty plain and too expensive.

That is some good Danish. Danish is flakey and good. So many selections that you cannot decide what you want to order.

The peanut butter cookie is also delicious. That is a good cookie. Not too sugary and just enough peanut. I want to buy more next time.

Bonnes viennoiseries. Petits-déjeuners ok, sans plus. Pas d'ustensiles en métal, sachets individuels pour lait, crème, condiment.

Loved the pastry, but didn't love the styrophoam plate it was served on. Sorry to say that we wont't be back until this changes. There are just so many better re-usable or biodegradable options.

Ordered a chocolatine and chocolate was hard to find, even though the bun was already empty inside. All puff but no pastry.
Ordered a cookie and it's a factory made taste.
One star because location is convenient.

The sourdough bread is excellent, as are their rolls and Olive loaf. The cookies seem a little overpriced for the quality. Staff is quick and efficient. The place stakes itself on the fabled visit by President Obama to the bakery during his first visit to Ottawa, but the "Obama cookie" itself is so-so. People seem to really enjoy the coffee, as the cafe is usually full and vibrant. A fine place to stop in at while you wander the market.

Espresso was good, but the focus is on the Napoleon pastries (the one in the picture), which are terrific. A bit pricey, but absolutely worth it for a nice treat.

Very rude and ignorant staff. The food looks great but very average tasting. Don't waste your time and go to a real bakery.

Stopped in here for a treat while we strolled around enjoying Winterlude. I had the chocolate almond croissant and my boyfriend had the almond croissant. Both were amazing! I preferred the chocolate almond over the regular almond, and so did my boyfriend. He found the pastry to be a bit too moist for his liking as he likes crunchy pastry, I however love softer pastries.
The following day we stopped in again to pick up some almond/almond and chocolate croissants for family we were seeing later that day in Montreal before attending a wedding. Some of the croissants were put out for the guests, and I heard several comments stating they were actually better than some of the catered desserts!
The service was fast, very friendly and bilingual. Prices were a bit high, but everything is made in house, looks amazing, and from what we sampled, tastes amazing! Can't wait to come back in the summer!

Great olive loaf! Wish we had time to have a full meal, very cool place to check out! Very friendly staff!

As a local, this spot definitely feels like a tourist trap. And it is. But during the week, early in the morning before any tourists have collected in the market, it's still a nice spot for a good pastry and coffee. The selection is second to none and the people are friendly. Tough to beat that.

Been here a few times and always have positive experiences. Bilingual friendly place. Very reasonably priced and good quality food. Lots of sitting room.

Really cool place to have bakery food and humongous cups of coffee. We ordered Latte and Mocha and they came in huge cups. It was perfect for a winter evening. We also ordered couple of danishes and the fruit Danish taste to perfection. The service was top notch as well. Servers let me charge my phone.

Terrible breakfast experience. Went early in the morning and croissants were from day before! Expected freshly baked. Potatoes in breakfast meal were reheated. Scrambled eggs were cold and crumbly. Eggs benedict was delicious though. A small cup of chocolate milk (poured from jug) was $4.05! Would NOT return.

Love this place, either summer or winter, variety of cake and pastries will make your dietitian screaming, don't forget to try obama cookies, yes, Obama the us president

Being new to Ottawa, I have been there several tines and tried their pastries. More like almond croissant. Very good quality even though by the look of it, you will not think the product is good. But the product is really good and made with better ingredients. So I like their pastries.
On the other hand, prices are on the hight side, and the almond croissant is about $4 for one piece.
Coffee is mediocre. Also, too crowded weekend time. Staff seem to be more French speaking and if you are an English speaking person, you gotta speak slow and use simple words. Overall, I like this place due to quality of pastries and the authenticity of it.
So, that's my take for this place. Try it for yourself.