Pix Patisserie

09/25/07

Looks better than it tastes

by notyeti

The popularity of Pix speaks more to the dearth of good pastries in Portland than anything else. Many of these desserts look the way they should, but are a disappointment when it comes to taste. The Big CherylsGhetto cake was probably the worst thing I have ever had here. It was rubbery, tough, and bland. The Amelie had some very nice flavors of chocolate and orange, but the pieces of praline crisp were a bit of a shock in a jaw-breaker way, because they were huge and hard. This dessert would have been delightful if the praline pieces had been finer, providing a subtle crunch instead of a jolt. The Jane Avril, which includes raspberry mousse and pistachio cake, sounded wonderful, but ended up being quite bland. The presentation here is always wonderful, and I would happily pay the high prices if the desserts lived up to the expectation. Oddly enough, two of my favorite things from pix are the least beautiful. I buy the pixies on a regular basis. The pixie is a pistachio bar with almond paste and raspberry jam. It is simple and delicious. The macarons at pix, especially the creme de cassis ones, give the Parisian ones a run for their money.

08/23/09

I rocomend this place to everyone!!!

by portlandgirl97

I loved the queen of sheba with coconut chocolate swirl ice cream on top!!!! If your going to pix u must try it!!!

Every time I come to pix I am pleased. The staff is friendly and the food is wonderful. Not only are their desserts awesome but their sandwiches are tasty.

• Pros: chocolate :P
• Cons: always packed

05/01/09

One of a kind! Special treat!

by Trillium

We have had a great experience with PIX. Everything is awesome! We did have one bad experience at xmas we ordered the coffee log cake. It was not their usual quality and the flavor was off. This was not typical.. so we called. The immediately gave us a gift card and invited us back! We have yet to use that but are anxious to get back in there... You really can't go wrong with any dessert from this place. The homemade ice cream is also fantastic!

• Pros: delicious, friendly staff, unique desserts
• Cons: busy, loud, not very many seats

02/27/09

Macarons...

by chanjyinger

I agree, the service isn't great. It's sometimes a hassle to get anybody's attention. And yes, sometimes the cakes can be a little on the dry side. But they have a great beer selection, and I'll continue going just for the macarons. Convenient area, too.

01/31/09

Very, Very Sad

by DjunaH

Honestly, I have never written a review before, but I have never felt more compelled to complain of my service. I fell in love with Pix on Division years ago and was excited to see that Pix had arrived in our N. Portland neighborhood. When my partner, daughter and I finally got around to venturing in for a late night desert and coffee, I was looking forward to the same sweet experience I had had in SE. I couldn't have been more disappointed. I would echo many of the same complaints of other customers. I was made to feel like an idiot for perusing the display case. When we sat down to order, my tart was practically slammed down on to the table, no silverware, water, etc. The waitress was very abrupt with us and took forks and food off the table before we were done with them. I understand it was busy, but we were paying customers and had hoped to spend a good twenty minutes languishing over our deserts, coffee and conversation. Instead, our bill came 10 minutes after being served and when we didn't get up right away, the waitress had the nerve to come to our table and say, "Didn't I give you your bill and pick up your payment? Yeah, ok, that's what I thought." We were disgusted and her attitude definitely worked, we got up and left and will never return.

I'm a "hipster" myself and won't rag on hipster attitudes, but if you're in the service industry, you need to stop and think about the atmosphere that you are creating and what your patrons are hoping to experience. It sounds like she (or maybe there are others) is ruining this experience for several people. I'm surprised it was so busy!

• Pros: Fun deserts
• Cons: Horrible service

10/21/08

Too much hazelnut (ok, we get that this is Oregon's favorite product).

by hufflepuff18

Too crowded, uncomfortable seating. Too few real choices. The cakes are not moist enough. Too many hazelnut options. Everything is hazelnut. Not enough other real choices. Ice cold milk (even fat free) should be a staple. Over hyped.

• Pros: Service is usually great.
• Cons: Price, taste, options, comfort

08/26/08

pix on division is a sweet spot for real

by johnbox

My wife and I recently moved to Portland two years ago. we have been trying to find the time to make it to pix for a romantic evening. Well we had our anniversary dinner the other night and since the kids had grandma we decided to drop in for sweets. OH MY GOSH!!!! I honestly have no clue what others are saying about this place, it is really just heavenly. Our waiter(I think his name was Eric) was more then helpful and very nice. He helped us wade through the immense selection and even recommended two dessert wines that we had never even heard of. THE EVENING WAS YUMMY. We received excellent service and thoroughly enjoyed the desserts.

I am so glad we made the time to go to pix because it is just a great place, hopefully it wont be two more years until we return.

If you go get the shazam or the lemon tart they are both divine!!!!!!

• Pros: great desserts, great service, soo romantic

07/22/08

Bad service, stale sweets

by carroe

I fell in love with Pix upon moving to Portland a few years ago, I relished their flavorful creations and dreamed up reasons to frequent them. Now I'm having serious doubts. I recently brought my sister-in-law there. When our desserts arrived, the Jane Avril had a portly fruit fly stuck to the top layer, which I deftly removed before she noticed. The Jane Avril cake layers were tasteless, gummy and rubbery, resisting the fork. My Amelie had seen better days & didn't have the pungency of times before, it simply tasted overly sweet. I wanted to give Pix the benefit of the doubt and shrugged it off, no one is perfect all the time, why a patisserie? This last time was worse. I've often observed the bizarre flow at the NE location. People crowd the case, eventually they're told to take a seat, eventually a waiter appears, or alternatively, people take a seat, expect to be waited on and then have to go up to the case to look at the desserts and hunt down a waiter. Well, I wanted to be helpful so I alerted a waiter behind the case that I was sitting down outside, as the sign on my table had indicated that I do. She said she would be with me shortly, no one came by to ask my drink order. 10 minutes went by, I felt forgotten, so I went up to the case again and explained that I was still waiting. I was asked if I had told someone I was there, and was asked if I had asked the right person: the lead waiter, which I had. I was told they were busy and that they would get to me. I said okay& I just hope you don't forget about me! Then the waitress said, oh, well, fine, I guess I can wait on you now (as I made my way to the table) When I got to the table she accusingly said: You don't have water yet? No, not yet...I got the Royale, which was a stale dome of chocolate-colored mousse covered in a rubbery skin of chocolate ganache. Oh, the disappointment! Don't go there if you expect service under a reasonable time frame! Beware the stale desserts!

06/27/08

good dessert, poor service

by vmac74

My husband took me to Pix on N. Williams after our anniversary dinner, and we had high expectations. We walked in and began perusing the display case to see what we might want. The girl behind the counter asked if we were getting something to go or staying - when we told her we were staying, she told us to take a seat anywhere and someone would come to our table and help us. I felt like we weren't "allowed" to look at the display! (My sister had a similar experience at the Pix on Division - why have a display case if you don't want people looking at it!!!! At least put pictures on the menu!) We obediently took our seats and someone did come by with drink menus and water, but then NO ONE came back for at least 15 minutes (and the place was not that busy - plenty of open tables). Meanwhile, I took a trip to the bathroom, slowing down in front of the display case to catch a passing glimpse of the seemingly forbidden desserts. Finally, just as we were about to leave, someone asked us - "oh, have you been helped?" The dessert I ordered was good, but the experience was lacking. I would definitely give Pix a 2nd chance, but I just felt like I had to write down my displeasure with last night's service!!!

06/12/08

Macaroons that are worth the attitude behind the counter

by malakian

I came to pix several times and sampled various concoctions before discovering their heavenly macaroons which seem to come in rotating flavors, all of them equally delicious. Unfortunately I have to echo some of the sentiments here that other desserts do not live up to their price tag, however the macaroons sure do. Make sure you get them to go though because this place seems to be run by indifferent hipsters who scoff and get upset when you interrupt their novel reading by coming into the store.

• Pros: macaroons
• Cons: price, counter help

04/14/08

Meager, Overpriced Portions

by kvevoda

I went to Pix expecting slightly pricey, but to-die-for desserts. We tried three different items, with a total of around $18. The service was OK. The girl attending to us was nice enough, but moved at a snail's pace while putting our small order together. Sadly, the desserts did not live up to the expectations I had for them, and were definitely not worth the money we paid. The portions were so small that the dessert was gone before my palate had adjusted to the taste. I won't be returning to Pix.

• Pros: Cute shop.
• Cons: Meager portions, overpriced desserts, parking, range of selections.