Colette Bakery officially opened its doors in Arlington on Friday, October 16, marking the French bakery's fourth Boston-area location after a summer of anticipation and a launch that slipped past its original timeline. The new cafe gives the growing chain its first true sit-down space, with bread, pastries, sandwiches and coffee now available steps from Arlington Center.
The opening was confirmed per a Facebook video, according to MassLive, which reported the Arlington shop as Colette's fourth location overall, joining existing cafes in Medford, Boston's South End and Melrose. The bakery had initially been eyeing a September debut, with MassLive reporting in August that owners were planning to open sometime that month before the timeline shifted into October.
A Cafe Built for Staying Awhile
Unlike Colette's earlier locations, the Arlington outpost was designed as a proper cafe rather than a grab-and-go counter. Owner Nathalie Beddiar previously told MassLive that the goal was to give customers a place to stay and enjoy the experience, a shift from the bakery's original Medford model. Beddiar founded Colette with her husband, Franck, establishing the first location in Medford in 2020.
Reports differ on exactly where the new cafe sits and how many seats it holds. MassLive places the address at 683 Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington Center, while WhatNow reports the bakery took over the former Symmes Mini-Mart at 681 Massachusetts Avenue. Seating figures are similarly split: the Boston Globe described a 20-seat space calling it the bakery's largest yet, while wickedlocal.com put the count at 24 seats, also noting it surpasses Colette's other locations in size.
What's on the Menu
The Arlington location carries Colette's signature lineup of French pastries and viennoiseries alongside artisan breads, sandwiches, coffee and other beverages, per the bakery's own description relayed by MassLive in an earlier report. A more recent Boston Globe account lists macarons, eclairs, cheesecakes, croissants and sandwiches among the offerings available at the new cafe. A Facebook video caption cited by MassLive similarly describes freshly baked bread, viennoiseries, delicate pastries and warm lattes on offer.
According to the Boston Globe, the Arlington shop is open from 7:30 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and from 8 a.m. on weekends. The bakery's broader catalog, as MassLive has reported, includes chouquettes, macarons, eclairs, chocolate chip cookies, savory bites, breads and caffeinated beverages.
From a Medford Storefront to Four Locations
Colette's expansion has been steady since its founding. Wickedlocal.com reports that the bakery, named for Beddiar's grandmother, first opened at 509 Main St. in Medford in 2020 before growing into Melrose, Boston's South End and now Arlington. Even before the Arlington build-out was finished, whatnow.com had reported that no official opening date was set, though owners hoped to hold a grand opening before the end of September — a target that ultimately slipped into mid-October.
With four storefronts now open across the Boston area, Colette has grown from a single neighborhood bakery into a small regional brand built around French baking traditions, giving Arlington residents their own dedicated spot to sit down with a croissant and coffee rather than just picking one up to go.
