Sarafina's bakery review

We went to Sarafina's last week as a stop in our Island tour of St-Maarten.

It is an open air bakery/restaurant, seating for about 75 person ( all under a roof to protect you from the elements ).

I would not say they have over 100 pastries to offer, at the time we went the offer was more like 40 types of pasties ( still a lot ), we had a cheesecake and a "mille feuille au chocolat" and a foot long baguette sandwich...it was all very good. The chocolat mille-feuille was very sweet and ( to my taste ) extremely delicious !!!

We had to pay 12$us and I expected to pay way more in this type of restaurant.

Service was good and all employees present at that time could speak english to accommodate all the customers. ( being french Canadians, we had no problem with the language there ! )

Here are a few pics of the menu and prices of the goods :

*note the prices are in euro$ but the cash register converts it to us$ after.

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Thank you for posting this. We're hoping to get by there for the first time in April.

Thank you for posting this. We're hoping to get by there for the first time in April.

You are welcome !

I did not see Napoleons on the list, do you recall seeing them there? I have not had a good one since the last time we were in Montreal.

I did not see Napoleons on the list, do you recall seeing them there? I have not had a good one since the last time we were in Montreal.

Napoleon is a "mille-feuille"...so yes they had them and the chocolate one was AMAZING !!!

We went in July 2015- my son wants to go back to St Martin because of Sarafina's. He was 11 the time we we were in port.

Napoleon is a "mille-feuille"...so yes they had them and the chocolate one was AMAZING !!!

Good to know! Thank you so much!

Thanks for the review! We missed this on our last trip. Boy were we envious when we saw our tour mates coming back to the bus eating some of those pastries! We vowed to make it there next time! Going to be there in about a month!

We were at Sarafina's two days ago. My spouse had a wonderful almond croissant. Unfortunately, my chocolate Napoleon and the macarons I bought were stale. What a disappointment.

We were just in St Martin for a week prior to our cruise and wanted to go to Marigot (we had been back in 1992 and thought it was such a cute place). It's not so cute anymore but that's an entirely different story.

We stopped in the bakery next door to Sarafina's (on the left when facing them) and had a couple of croissants and pastries. They were delicious! We stopped in Sarafina's to take back to our condo in Grand Case some of their pastries and sandwiches. What a disappointment! I'm sad to say I didn't thing anything we had was that great. The sandwich was pre-made and tasted like it had been sitting for quite a while. The Neapolitan's pastry crust was tough, the macaroons stale, and the strawberry eclair OK.

We think the Italian pastry shops in Boston are SO much better. I wouldn't waste my time at Sarafina's. Try the place next door. Or better yet, go to the French Bakery in Grand Case. We had breakfast there every day for a week and tried so many things. Her items were so much better and less expensive too!

We were at Sarafina's two days ago. My spouse had a wonderful almond croissant. Unfortunately, my chocolate Napoleon and the macarons I bought were stale. What a disappointment.

So sorry to hear this :mad:

My napoleon was so good I can still taste it !

I hate it when restaurants can't be constant in the quality of the food they produce...

We agree with one of the other posts that Marigot has lost much of its charm in recent years. That being said, it still is a nice place for a short visit. Ironically, when we last rented a condo on St Maarten (in Grand Case) we seldom ventured near Marigot....even though it was a relatively short drive (and we had a car). On the other hand, like many on the island we also avoided Phillipsburg on weekdays (when cruise ships were in port). Sarafina"s does continue to be somewhat of an institution on the French side. But not everyone likes "instituitions" :).

Hank

We were just in St Martin for a week prior to our cruise and wanted to go to Marigot (we had been back in 1992 and thought it was such a cute place). It's not so cute anymore but that's an entirely different story.

 

We stopped in the bakery next door to Sarafina's (on the left when facing them) and had a couple of croissants and pastries. They were delicious! We stopped in Sarafina's to take back to our condo in Grand Case some of their pastries and sandwiches. What a disappointment! I'm sad to say I didn't thing anything we had was that great. The sandwich was pre-made and tasted like it had been sitting for quite a while. The Neapolitan's pastry crust was tough, the macaroons stale, and the strawberry eclair OK.

 

We think the Italian pastry shops in Boston are SO much better. I wouldn't waste my time at Sarafina's. Try the place next door. Or better yet, go to the French Bakery in Grand Case. We had breakfast there every day for a week and tried so many things. Her items were so much better and less expensive too!

Good to see that I am not the only one to think Sarafina's is over-rated. Perhaps because it is a "French" experience on French territory that people go on and on about it - most fair-sized Connecticut towns, as well as every US city have owner-operated French or Italian bakeries which put Sarafina's in the shade.

We were at Sarafina's two days ago. My spouse had a wonderful almond croissant. Unfortunately, my chocolate Napoleon and the macarons I bought were stale. What a disappointment.

The Almond croissants and the ice coffee are my favorite items from Serafina's.

We went to the French Pastry shop in Grand Case when we stopped in Grand Case for lunch. It was so good. May just go there instead. What was you favorite restaurant at Grand Case?

We think the Italian pastry shops in Boston are SO much better. I wouldn't waste my time at Sarafina's. Try the place next door. Or better yet, go to the French Bakery in Grand Case. We had breakfast there every day for a week and tried so many things. Her items were so much better and less expensive too!

The best duck I've ever eaten was at L'Auberge. Start to finish this was a wonderful experience. We didn't have reservations but went around 7 pm and got one of the last tables. We sat outside. The owner takes care of all the customers as far as greeting you and taking your order. My husband had Dover Sole which was delicious too. Presentation was a feast for your eyes!

Our other favorite was Spiga, an Italian restaurant in a beautiful renovated building. Again we didn't have reservations but went on Tuesday night just after the parade started and got right in. Our waiter was attentive and helpful and fun to talk to (both of us being Italian). I had the homemade pasta with sausage and peppers unlike any I've ever eaten, delicious! My husband had Cioppino which he loved. The desserts were fantastic!

I highly recommend both of these restaurants for an outstanding dining experience!

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We went to the French Pastry shop in Grand Case when we stopped in Grand Case for lunch. It was so good. May just go there instead. What was you favorite restaurant at Grand Case?

Grand Case is the best secret (at least from most cruisers) on the island...which is why we rent a condo in that area. Grand Case has the best restaurants (many owner operated by world-class French Chefs) and there are some decent pastries and bread to be found around the town. There is an amazing concentration of terrific restaurants within only a few blocks and its difficult to choose a favorite since, for us, it varies based on daily specials. Unfortunately for cruisers, most of the best restaurants are only open in the evening. If we had to choose one, Le Villa would probably be our choice with Le Pressoir a close 2nd (but more expensive).

Hank

We went to the French Pastry shop in Grand Case when we stopped in Grand Case for lunch. It was so good. May just go there instead. What was you favorite restaurant at Grand Case?

For lunch check out reviews for LeSoleil and Sunset Cafe. Both are on the water which to me is more important at lunch then at 8 for dinner. I have eaten at both often and recommend both.