Patisserie Valerie

I am constantly disappointed at Pat Val- it would only take a little effort to make it much better. Service is unbearably slow. As I am sitting here, there are 4 other tables with people at them. I have been sitting here for over 10 minutes with no service--and to be fair, so has everyone else. They routinely get orders wrong. There is no shame in writing down an order, especially for non-native speakers on the wait staff. Once you do receive your order, paying the bill can take ages. Mostly this is because of routine under-staffing. Waiters must make coffees, take orders, deliver dishes. Even now at peak time, there is only one person working the floor. Another customer has just filed a complaint as I'm sitting here. If you have the same experience (as I continue to have over and over), I encourage you to contact the owners. What potential... But what a mess.

sinequanon (Unverified), 11/10/11

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Visited this evening. The service was slow - we waited fifteen minutes before our order was taken (we had actually got up ready to leave when the waitress came to serve us). Ten minutes later our coffees arrived followed shortly by my husband's cake order. It was then that the waitress told me that my choice of pastry was not available. My second choice of pastry, a mille-feuille, was heavy, claggy and overly sweet. Delicate French patisserie this is not. My husband's iced coffee was warm. We got fed up waiting for our bill so went to the counter to pay but there were no staff on hand. A woman walked past us to answer the phone but ignored us standing at the counter. When someone finally gave us our bill we were overcharged because the waitress had not changed my original order (the one that was not available) for the substitute order (the one that was inedible). There are so many other good coffee shops in Oxford - we won't be back to this one.

Hev57 (Unverified), 10/09/11

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This venerable patisserie chain has recently been expanding out of its London base, but the pastries aren't nearly as good as I remember them being at its flagship Soho branch. Could this be a case of over-expansion? The croissant, for example, has an odd texture and tastes not so much of butter but of vegetable fat. In a city as well-supplied with pastry, tea and cake places as Oxford it's hard to see what PV adds other than a great location.

Giles (Unverified), 16/06/10

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I've often popped in here for breakfast. My favourite waiter is the most polite waiter in the whole of Oxford... "Lady, Gentleman" is his opening gambit.

I'm not such a cake fan as Su. I normally go for some poached eggs or the like. It's always been good. I'm a G&Ds fan too, but this is a completely different experience so not really comparable.

Bottom line... great for brunch, at any time.

Lurchfan99 (DI User), 22/04/10

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I've completely changed my mind! Having revisited with a relative for afternoon tea and a huge slice of their delectable tiramisu cake recently and experienced excellent service in a relaxed, friendly and professional atmosphere, I would totally recommend Valerie to anyone seeking an afternoon tea hangout. The specialist teas (they have Suri Fairtrade teas, and I had an organic Earl Gray Blueflower, which was delicious) are ace, the cake superbly fresh, and I have to say that whilst there are several top cafes in the vicinity, Valerie do come off fairly well in comparison. Just under a tenner for 2 pots of tea and a shared cake might sound like a bit much but I didn't feel like I had had anything less than good value. Also, somewhat bizarrely, whilst the view out of the front window is mainly of the roadworks at present, it also gives you an unusual perspective on the golden, be-gargoyled frontage of All Souls opposite which is fairly interesting! :)

Su Jordan (DI Staff), 22/04/10

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If the lure of the spectacular cakes in the window of Patisserie Valerie becomes too much for you as you wander down the High Street, dropping in for a quick snack is sadly a slightly predictable experience. The takeaway menu is decent and affordable, but with excellent local, independent tea houses such as the Rose, Queen's Lane Coffee House, the Vaults, Georgina's (Covered Market) and the Grand Café as its nearest competitors - and with Patisserie Blanc only 10 mins away - Valerie really could do with upping its game. Decor is pale and pastelly (verging on drab), and though the interior of the ancient building is spiced up with a central glass panel outlining its history, the tables are functional and close together, and the most decorative thing about the place seems to be is its Folies Bergère-inspired logo. It's popular though: the market for teas in Oxford is large, this place is tiny and so it's busy (table-sharing is commonplace unless you fancy a wait).

Now, the food. To be fair, we only tried cakeish things, and the menu details lots more tasty-looking savoury items (salads, grilled snacks, sandwiches). The chocolate-cream-filled eclair was delicious, and large (as you'd hope when paying £3.25); the scoops of chocolate and of tiramisu ice cream were generous and nicely presented (but G&D's need not worry unduly); the hot chocolate and tea (leaf, so points awarded there) were pleasant enough. The cream tea was steep at £5.95 pp for two rather dry fruit scones, a meagre amount of (admittedly, real clotted) cream and a cute carrying rack of mini preserve jars. (Perhaps I should've stuffed the ones I didn't use into my pocket?) Service was friendly and unhurried - it's nice not to feel like you're being watched in the hope that you're leaving soon - but the down side of this was that it was rather hard to get the bill paid quickly when ready to leave. They also have no dairy- or gluten-free options AT ALL currently.

All in all, 6/10 - could do better. Though if anyone has used their cake ordering service (tailor-made wedding and special occasion cakes, orderable online) - I'd be very interested to hear if this is substantially different, quality-wise.

Su Jordan (DI Staff), 27/01/09

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