Maison Bertaux

The loveliest ladies run this place. I had had a truly traumatic morning, but they welcomed me in, gave me the biggest hug, frothy cappa and sat me down with Noel Fielding’s book to cheer. After an hour of a heart to heart with its flower arranger, I couldn’t have been in a better place on Earth.
This was my first time of actually sitting in the cafe (only take away choux for me before) but this pleasure was priceless and I am much grateful for them helping my smile to return.

Great almond croissant. Beautifully rich cheese and broccoli quiche. I have just started at Leiths School of Food and Wine, and this was a perfect lesson on how to run such an establishment.

I visited this place in the evening with a friend when it was deserted. The tea was fab, I didn’t have (ie couldn’t afford) any cake, but we sat around happily for a couple of hours and were able to have a really good conversation.

Nice cakes, but coffee was like dishwater. Not what you expect at those prices.

Worth every penny!
The best fruit teas & cakes anywhere

Ok, it IS pricey. But it's so charming! The tables are tiny but the tea pot is huge and the blueberry cheesecake is heaven. Tea for two plus one slice of cake was around £9. Everything delicious.

I agree with what lots of reviewers have already said - the coffee is no good, the tables are cramped and the prices will make your hair stand on end.

But - the decor is lovely and you will feel as if you have discovered a little Soho gem. A quirky place for a pre- or post-theatre visit (if I am correct they are open until late) and, weather allowing, the outside tables are a nice place to sit and enjoy your cake and tea (listen to everyone who said that the coffee is horrid).

There is something charming about this place and the cakes are really nice, which is why i've deemed it worthy of being added to my Qype guide 'Independent Cafes and Diners that deserve Qype love' despite their inability to brew a decent cup of coffee
http://www.qype.co.uk/lists/648601-Independent-Cafes-and-...

I've eaten an awful lot of cake in London (it's a hazard of the job - http://www.domesticsluttery.com/ ) and I'm forever on the hunt for the perfect cake. Here's a clue: It's not in Maison Bertaux.

Don't get me wrong, the cafe is stunning. Really pretty. Vintage shabby chic, bric-a-brac everywhere and a nice little vibe. Even the staff were more friendly than I expected (I'd been warned they can be pretty rude).

But we weren't in the cafe. We were in the little side area. Which has as much ambience as a waiting room in a train station. And had my cake been good, I could have forgiven them. But, my cake was shit. I'd have complained, but there was no one to complain to without going back into the main cafe. My friend and i swapped. His cake was awesome. I had cake envy. I'm a sucker for apple pie. And Maison Bertaux put crumble topping on theirs - how could I not be seduced? Unfortunately, the topping had a layer of uncooked pasty goo (as is often the case with apple pie) and I wasn't impressed. At £4 a pop I expected better.

They do a blinding cup of tea, but if you're wedged in by the door, you've got jugs and pots and plates all over the place, you can't pour your tea without throwing cake on the floor or elbowing someone in the head. You spend half you time saying sorry for getting in the way of other people. This does not make for a relaxing experience.

And at the end of all that, they charge you £13.10 for two pots and tea and two slices of cake. Some people might fall for its charms, but I wasn't impressed. You won't listen to me, you'll go anyway, but I won't be back. Although I will be putting crumble topping on my apple pies from now on.

Cannot wait to go back when the Bastille day celebrations are in full force - but for now will be satisfying myself with regular trips back to work my way through the 'to-die-for' cakes.

The display window will really draw you in and there's no disappointment in the tasting but the only coffee option is plain filter!? so you'll have to go for chocolat chaud or tea's. My coffee was not great but the mint tea was quite fine.

Placing our order was a little tricky (small, cramped area downstairs) but we scored a bulls-eye by nabbing a seat outside on the sidewalk. I faced out in typical Parisienne style and watched the world go by as I munched my way through lovely, rich chocolate cakey ganachey bliss.

There is an upstairs tea room for colder days and the toilets could benefit from a deep clean (moi=clean freak) but I love this little discovery and know it will become a regular stop off in Soho for me.

Well worth a try.

I've been back to this little cake shop a few times taking different friends with me. The cakes really are delicious and priced at about £3.90 each. Others have said that's expensive, but I'm pretty happy to pay it every now and again. The peppermint tea was also yummy.

The biggest problem though is the lack of space at the counter. Tables line the front of the shop, so you can't peruse the selection of cakes on offer from outside. Once inside, it's a bit of a panic to choose one as any sort of queue blocks the doorway.

Small, charming with a tasty selection of cakes. I'll be going back.

Not a bad place. First, the pros. They have a good selection of cakes… we tried the blueberry cheesecake and the profiterole cake. The latter was pretty amazing and quite original, I highly recommend trying it! The cheesecake was good, but nothing special.

The downstairs area is rather cramped. Although the service was fast, it wasn’t very warm or friendly. You can see that the owner has made an effort to decorate the place, but all the pink is a bit weird. Makes it look like a dollhouse! We both ordered coffee, which is definitely not their forte… it was very weak.

As mentioned by others, the price is somewhat of a shocker… came up to £6.40 per person for a coffee and a cake!! In most other coffee shops it won’t come up to more than £4, let alone a fiver. For the price, its definitely not worth going back.

I wasn't even going to bother writing a review, I thought that there would be bundles. Drat and double drat, I didn't even get a photo.

Cake fiend that I am, with a particularly crippling weakness for cheesecake, there is scant chance that I will stroll past here without being sucked in. Ironic really, considering that only a few doors down there would be scant chance of me walking past without getting sucked o....( Sorry, Qype Editor here. You can't write that. Remember the 'in front of your mother' bit). Well, you should see meet my mum; gob like a sailor's parrot.

Anyhow, striving to get back on subject, this a Mr. Benn-like small step in Soho which results in a giant step into a charming Parisian-style café, packed full of over-priced teas, coffees and some of the most deliciously, decadent cakes in London: richer than Bill Gates and finer than Britt Ekland (when Rod Stewart was banging her).

Conceded, it is poky, pricey and generally busy, but also easily worth every last centime.

Quirky would be the best word to describe this venue. Its pricey and beautifully arranged cakes and dainty china is at odds with the slightly tatty pink decor. Upstairs, Noel Fielding (of Mighty Boosh fame)’s felt tip scribble on the walls still bears testimony to his art exhibition held there a few years back. For me, this adds to the charm of the place. I like it a little bit scruffy and dread the day they do it up, but I know that it’s a contentious point.
As has been said, this is pricey, delicious and tea and cake-driven, but well,well worth it!

Really love the place - pink shabby chic decor, cakes to die for, proper tea served in a proper pot and if you catch the owner in you get free performance art to boot.

Yes, it’s a bit pricey but go there on a special occasion..

Maison Bertaux is not a place for dieters - one look at the cakes and pastries on offer and you’ll put on 6 pounds! The food is lush though - lots of custardy, creamy things to pile on the pounds. Now if only Maison Bertaux did some low fat versions!

I was rather disappointed with the quality of coffee served in the cafe / restaurant. I ordered a coffee, and when it arrived, the after taste (bitterness) is beyond comprehension. Very disappointed and probably wont be going back again.

Too expensive for me- despite the fact I had been warned!! I think the problem is that prices are not clearly marked- expect £5 for a single tart or cake and £3 for a pot of tea. Both the cake and tea were delicious- they use loose tea, so don’t forget to use the strainer!! The deco does not live up to the prices charged- scruffy and ecentric to the point of wierd!! Paper chains and felt tip drawings on the wall. I enjoyed my tea here, but would not return as it is too expensive for me!!

Fantastic old SoHo haunt. Lovely cakes. Had the best time ever when showing my brother and his wife how pricey/’weird’ London could be, when tea and cakes for 4 came to £20 and the man next to us asked for a fork, “to defend him, were the cake to attack him.” Brilliant.

Quirky brilliant little Soho cafe with too many tempting cakes and pastries. I had one of the coconut macaroons (to go with my nickname) and it was so big and filling it could have passed for a cake! Such a cute place to come for a quick sugar rush in the afternoon and to catch up with someone over a nice coffee.

I am a fan of fine pastry. I’ve got my mother to thank for that. She would make me Paris Brest for my birthday, none of your sponge sandwich nonsense. I do like sponge, but that sort of cake cannot compare with the classic patisserie that you find here. This is the real McCoy. If you want to know how the classics taste, this is the place to educate your taste-buds. It’s a place that’s been in Soho since 1871 and it looks it. I love the faded elegance of the place, the delectable shop window and the run-down nature. Like I said, this is the real thing. Religieuses, eclairs, tarts, croissants…and so much more. French style coffee. This is like an old Paris cafe, a bit rough around the edges but emphasis on where it matters most. Patisserie is baked on premises. Run by wonderful women and a fantastic Viennese waiter who also really knows his cake. count yourselves lucky I share this tip with you! ;D