By Audrey Elwood, Columnist

Dovetale is one of Cincinnati’s newest bakeries, located just steps away from Xavier’s campus. While the location is small, it packs a big punch, with a long line. 

Dovetale has some cute millennial-esque branding that fits with the bakery’s aesthetic. There was an abundance of different pastries to try, and they even had loaves of bread. Oftentimes, bakeries specialize in one or the other, so it was nice to see that they really had something for everyone. 

The standout pastry was the chocolate croissant. While this is a standard menu item, Dovetale did it so right. With fluffy layers and chocolate that complemented the croissant without being too much, it truly set the tone for the rest of the pastries.

At first bite, the wild garlic knot was just okay. It was almost too buttery, and honestly had a little less garlic flavor than hoped. However, after popping it in the air fryer for a couple of minutes, it transformed. Instead of having the butter overpower the pastry, the butter melted into the pastry, dispersing it throughout the treat. None of the pastries were served warm, but this is the one pastry that would tremendously benefit from a pop in the microwave. 

While there was coffee served, it was frankly not good. The only way to have vanilla in a drink was a honey vanilla syrup, which was not horrible, though the syrup did not have enough vanilla and flavoring to satisfy that sweet tooth. The brew was a new-to-me roaster.

When first receiving the coffee, it was fine; but as the ice melted, the coffee became bitter faster than the average. When picking up some pastries, I recommend skipping the coffee pairing and going to Awakenings Coffee Roasters down the street. 

Next, the salted brown butter chocolate chip cookie was so good. If the chocolate chip cookie does not have browned butter, there is no point in eating it. The flaky salt on the top just ties everything together. While the salted brown butter chocolate chip cookie has become a staple in many bakeries, it is so easy to mess up and make almost inedible. 

This cookie was executed extremely well. It had chocolate chips melted into the cookie as well, tying everything together. Again, I think this cookie would have benefited from being warmed, but still delicious.

Dovetale is relatively affordable. The wild garlic knot was $5. For a high-end pastry this is really not bad. However, if you are getting multiple it adds up quickly. The family before us got around 8 pastries for $50. In comparison to other places, this is not extreme, and there are a variety of items at different price points. 

The lines are long. It took around 20 minutes to get in, plus the store is so small it can only fit three parties at a time. Hopefully the longer they are in business, the more manageable those lines will become. There is a wide sourdough selection as well interested. It is a good place to stop in and grab a pastry, but it is not somewhere you can hangout.

Dovetale is worth a stop, especially for its chocolate croissant and chocolate chip cookie. The quality for the price is pretty good overall and they have a variety of items so good you can find stuff for the pickiest eaters in your group. A quick walk from Wasson, this is a great stop for your weekend stroll.