Pix Patisserie

10/21/08

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

by hufflepuff18 at Citysearch

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

07/22/08

Bad service, stale sweets

by carroe at Citysearch

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 at Citysearch

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!!!

01/05/08

Second best Pix in Town (Just stay away from Pix on Hawthorne!!!

by juniormarbles at Citysearch

This is a cosy little spot, a bit run down, a little funky (considering the prices for the sweets!) but a romantic spot, if you want to be left alone, and don't care for a fashion show of uptown proportions.

My only plea: Stay away from the Hawthorne location of Pix (their newest, which does not yet have its own review on CitySearch): This is Pix's Black Hole- since its inception, acouple of years ago, consistently staffed by surly, or indifferent, but always aloof and incompetent, service personel. And if you believe, like me, that Pix serves the second best Hot Chocolate in town (after Cacao on SW 13th) don't bother at the Hawthorne location! It's plain awful, and way worse than at New Seasons (which I thought could not be topped until I went to Hawthorne.)

• Pros: Cosy, romantic, good deserts
• Cons: Deserts are overpriced for their quality

10/28/06

A mixed bag

by maguro at Citysearch

The time I ate at Pix on Division I really enjoyed the unique desserts. Another time I got the individual chocolates and they were excellent. However my most recent trip to the N. Williams site

was not pleasant as the place was overcrowded and noisy. Service is affable but very rushed and pressured. The desserts LOOK great but they don't taste great. They are overpriced too. Very cramped seating.

• Pros: chocolates, parking on street
• Cons: Desserts, service, ambience

09/06/06

This place is highly over-rated

by april_j at Citysearch

The chocolate desserts were yummy, but were they worth the inflated prices and clausterphobia-inducing crowd? My vote is no. Getting a table was not a problem, flagging down a server was more difficult. The place was so crowded we could barely move; perched on our bar stools I was afraid of being knocked off of. The desserts were beautifully presented and creatively named, but priced about $2 a bite. I expect a lot more of service and customer comforts at these prices, the cramped and kookie atmosphere did not live up to my expectations.

• Pros: picture-perfect pasteries
• Cons: cramped and crowded, over-priced

07/29/06

Unimpressed

by amatorah37 at Citysearch

Rude and dirty is not the same thing as eccentric, something Portland hipsters have a hard time grasping.