Croissants Worth the Detour
A tiny pâtisserie laminating croissants, kouign-amann, and seasonal tarts by hand every morning — plus custom cakes worth showing off. Grab a coffee, take a box home.
A Pâtisserie the Size of a Vitrine
Vitrine 49 is barely bigger than its front window. Chef Élise Caron trained in Lyon, spent a decade in Paris kitchens, and came home to Montréal to open the smallest shop she could find on Bernard.
Everything is laminated, piped, and glazed by hand in a kitchen you can practically see from the counter. Croissants take three days. The tart fruit is whatever's good that week. Nothing is frozen, nothing is bought in — if it's in the case, it was made here this morning.
- ✓Trained in Lyon, seasoned in Paris
- ✓Everything laminated and glazed by hand
- ✓Seasonal fruit, changed weekly
- ✓Nothing frozen, nothing bought in
What's in the Vitrine Today
Three Days for One Croissant
Lamination can't be rushed. Here's what a croissant goes through before it reaches the case.
The Détrempe
Flour, water, a little levain — mixed and rested overnight so the dough relaxes before the butter goes in.
The Lamination
A cold slab of French butter is folded into the dough three times, chilling between each turn — that's the 27 layers.
The Proof
Shaped and left to rise slowly and cool, so the layers set without the butter melting out.
The Bake
Into a hot oven until the layers lift and the outside shatters. Best within the hour — which is the point.
Cakes Worth Showing Off
Birthdays, weddings, or a Tuesday that needs a lift — we build custom entremets and celebration cakes around the flavours and the fruit you love.
Give us a couple of days and a rough idea. We'll come back with a design, a size, and a price, and you'll get a cake that looks like it belongs in the window and tastes even better than it looks.
- ✓Custom entremets, 48 hours' notice
- ✓Celebration and wedding cakes
- ✓Seasonal flavours, real fruit
- ✓Designed around your table
Mile End Has a Favorite
The best croissant I've had outside of Paris — shatteringly crisp, impossibly light, and gone in four bites. I'm at Vitrine 49 every Saturday before the line hits.
Ordered a birthday cake and it looked like it belonged in a magazine — and somehow tasted even better. Not too sweet, real fruit, gorgeous. Everyone asked where it was from.
Tiny shop, enormous talent. The kouign-amann is dangerous and the seasonal tarts change just often enough to keep me coming back. A Mile End treasure.
Reserve a Box for the Weekend
Saturday mornings sell out. Pre-order your viennoiserie or a custom cake and skip the line — we'll have it boxed and ready.
Before You Visit
How far ahead do I need to order a cake?
Custom entremets need about 48 hours; larger celebration and wedding cakes, a week or more. Send us the details through the form below and we'll confirm what's possible for your date.
Do you have gluten-free or vegan options?
We keep a small rotation of gluten-free tarts and a vegan pastry or two most days, but the classic viennoiserie is made with butter and wheat. Call ahead and we'll tell you what's out.
What time should I come for croissants?
The first bake lands around 8am. Weekends move fast — the kouign-amann and almond croissants usually sell out by late morning, so come early or pre-order.
Do you do wholesale for cafés?
We supply viennoiserie to a handful of Mile End and Plateau cafés. If you run a café and want to talk standing orders, reach out through the form.
Can I pay by card?
Card, tap, and cash all work at the counter. Custom cake orders take a deposit when you book.
Where do I park, and is it near the metro?
We're on Bernard in the heart of Mile End — a short walk from Rosemont and Laurier metro, with street parking and a bike-share stand right outside.
Find Us on Bernard
Come by the counter, or tell us what you need and when — we'll box it up or design your cake.