They're both buttery and flaky, they're made via a technique called laminating, and they're shaped like a crescent. They're a bakery and cafe staple, too, and also something that everyone has eaten their fair share of. We're talking about croissants, obviously — but there's a difference between an average example and "the finest you will find anywhere in the world". According to The New York Times, Lune Croissanterie serves up the latter. And, in great news for Brisbane's pastry fans, it's does so in South Brisbane. After first announcing plans to head to Queensland back in late 2020, the famed Melbourne croissanterie opened its new flagship shop on Manning Street in 2021, giving the brand its first Brisbane outpost and its first outside of its hometown. Another River City venue launched in the CBD, in Burnett Lane, in 2022. On the menu: croissants, obviously. The South Brisbane venue serves up a menu of Lune favourites seven days a week, as well as a range of specials that rotate monthly. Regular highlights include traditional French croissant, cooked over three days; lemon curd cruffins, a muffin-croissant hybrid made with lemon curd, citrus sugar and candied lemon zest; coconut kouign amanns, a traditional pastry from the Bretagne part of France, as filled with coconut caramel and desiccated coconut; and morning buns, a croissant pastry with a cinnamon and orange zest filling. Getting in early is recommended, because Lune slings pastries each day until sold out. If you need a spring in your step that can't be sparked by baked goods, coffee is on offer as well. Wondering what makes Lune's croissants so special? Founder Kate Reid is an ex-Formula 1 aerodynamicist, and brings scientific precision to her craft. That includes the climate-controlled glass cube that Lune croissants are made and baked in, and the time-consuming process used to perfect each flaky pastry. It has been a big journey for Lune, which Reid co-owns with her brother Cameron and restaurateur Nathan Toleman (Dessous, Hazel, Common Ground Project). The company's story started back in 2012 with a tiny store in the Melbourne suburb of Elwood. Since then, Lune has grown into a converted warehouse space in Fitzroy (with perpetual lines out the front), opened a second store in the Melbourne CBD, earned praise aplenty — including that aforementioned rave from The New York Times — and branched out to Brissie. Next stop: Sydney, with not one but two venues in the works. Images: Marcie Raw.
