Copain Bakery & Provisions

Description: Upscale French-inspired bakery and cafe in SouthPark with pastries, breads, sandwiches, coffee, and a polished all-day atmosphere. It feels more refined than a typical neighborhood coffee shop, making it a good pick for a casual breakfast, lunch, or meeting over pastries. Expect a stylish interior, strong baked goods, and a menu that leans classic and well-executed.

Comments: The prices here reflect the bougie nature of SouthPark on the whole. If you’re on a budget, or have any hopes of one day owning a home, I’d suggest you limit your visits here to every once in a while. They have another location in Ballantyne called Brasserie Copain that’s a full on restaurant plus bakery, while this location is more bakery and cafe.

That said, it’s a sort of faux rustic French bakery in a posh neighborhood. Unfinished floor, bread everywhere you look, French music playing in the background. The bakery is inside a larger building with other businesses, it’s near the back past a restaurant. You can sit inside the bakery’s area, which has around 7 two person seats, or in the larger building which has a bunch of rather large tables. If you’re looking for a place for a group, this spot is great for that. The building has plenty of seating.

They have cinnamon rolls, which I appreciate, but they’re just alright. Not great, not terrible. I give them a pass though, cinnamon rolls are not a traditional French pastry. The problem this place, and most French bakeries seem to have, when making cinnamon rolls is overdoing the fluffiness of the cream cheese frosting, to the detriment of the roll overall.

We’re talking a cream cheese frosting that sort of sits like a dollop on top of the roll, and even with warming, doesn’t properly seep into the folds of the bread. It could also stand to be sweeter. So again, not great, but not terrible. I’m something of a cinnamon roll connoisseur, so forgive me if that sounded overly critical. Try it for yourself. Your mileage may vary.