Almost French Pâtisserie

Almost French Pâtisserie brings traditional French baking to Swan Street in Richmond, with pastries, breads, desserts and cakes made fresh each morning. The Richmond bakery and café is suited to a quick breakfast, a takeaway lunch or a weekend treat, with the menu built around familiar French-style favourites and daily baking rather than a long list of unrelated offerings.

The range includes flaky croissants, pain au chocolat, éclairs, macarons and tarts, along with baguettes, sourdough, handmade cakes and signature baguette sandwiches. Gluten-free and vegan treats are also available, although the selection can change from day to day. For celebrations, the pâtisserie accepts custom cake and other special orders for birthdays, weddings, corporate events and similar occasions. Pre-orders can be arranged online, by phone or email, which is useful when you have a particular pastry box or cake in mind.

The business was founded by Alex Charasse, whose pastry career began in his mother’s kitchen and later took him through professional training in France, fine-dining kitchens and leading Melbourne venues. His experience includes pastry work at Vue de Monde, The Windsor, Grossi Florentino, the NGV Tea Room and the Australian Open. He opened Almost French Pâtisserie in 2019, with the aim of bringing carefully made French pastries and desserts to the Richmond community.

Located at 138 Swan Street, the bakery is open seven days and offers local delivery for online orders through Bite Online. It also supplies wholesale pastries to cafés, restaurants and specialty stores. Almost French is a practical choice for a solo pastry stop, a shared box of treats, or anyone organising a cake or catered order; the website does not provide detailed information about seating or the interior, so it is best understood primarily as a bakery and café with takeaway and ordering options.