Nathaniel Reid Bakery

The counter at this French patisserie in Kirkwood holds croissants, kouign amann, macarons, petits gâteaux and savory lunch bakes from chef Nathaniel Reid.

French technique with a Midwestern case

The bakery runs on French pastry technique rather than café variety, which is why the case reads in layers: butter croissants, almond croissants, chocolate croissants, kouign amann, macarons, individual entremets, pound cake, brownies, jams and chocolate tablets. Nathaniel Reid opened the shop in 2016 after a competition and hotel pastry career, and the work here is less about novelty than repetition done cleanly. The laminated dough is the anchor. It gives the morning its first argument, then supports the savory side later in the day, with roasted turkey and Havarti on croissant, ham and Havarti, and Waldorf chicken salad. The cake work is more composed: salted caramel mousse with sablé Breton in the Amber, hazelnut cake with chocolate mousse and lime caramel in the Kyoto, pistachio dacquoise and fresh raspberries in the Jarmo. A 2025 James Beard Award semifinalist nod fits that pattern rather than breaking it.

Seven seats, a bright case, and a queue that moves

The room is small enough that the case does most of the talking. It has the feel of a counter-service pastry shop rather than a lingering café, with seven seats for anyone eating in and a steady line when the croissants are moving. Saturdays can be packed, so the better rhythm is to decide before reaching the glass: laminated pastry first, then a cake or macaron box if the day needs carrying home. The service style is brisk but not cold, helped by the old-fashioned shop look, closer to an ice-cream-parlor counter than a white-tablecloth patisserie. That matters because the work is precise, but the room keeps it daily. There is enough savory food to make lunch sensible, especially the croissant sandwiches and quiches, yet the hour still belongs to the bake. Come early for lamination, later for petits gâteaux.

Order the kouign amann before choosing cake

Start with the kouign amann. It is the cleanest test of the bakery: butter, sugar, lamination, heat, and restraint, all in one pastry that should crack at the edge before giving way inside. If there are two people, add a butter croissant or almond croissant so the comparison is plain. For the box, choose Guyana if chocolate is the point, with chocolate hazelnut streusel, chocolate cake, chocolate crème brûlée and dark chocolate mousse. Ruby is the brighter route, built on dark chocolate raspberry tea mousse, chocolate cake and raspberry compote under a red mirror glaze. The hazelnut, citrus and milk chocolate pound cake is the one to take home for later, less showpiece and more daily cake. The double chocolate chunk brownies sit in the same lane, deep chocolate and fudgy rather than decorative. The quiet pointer is the laminated case: if the raspberry white chocolate cheesecake Danish croissant is in, it is the extra order.