Sweet Finnish is a new bakery selling, yes, Finnish pastries, and other tasty treats.

Sweet Finnish occupies what used to be a ladies shop filled with “dresses with only a little bit of material,” to quote Hugues Monestime, husband of Ulla, who along with her long-time friend Susan Colman, opened the bakery in December. After a complete renovation, the double-fronted space is bright, sunny, and a nice place to stop in for a coffee and a pastry.

The coffee is good: Wan proclaimed his dark roast “excellent” and my regular was fab as well. I had a scone with currents, which is not Finnish but was really good (even though I’m a little sconed out right now) and Wan got a Finnish roll/bun with a touch of cinnamon that was so good, he got (and ate) another one.

There is one couch in one front corner, and the rest of the spacious shop is filled with blond tables, perfect for two people, that can be easily pushed together to create seating for larger groups. The chairs are nice wooden ones, with curved slats for the seat. You know how some coffee shops look a little, um, tired? Not Sweet Finnish! It’s clean, and tidy, and if this is what Finnish coffee shops look like, all the better. Every table has a potted plant on it (primroses, perhaps).

The walls are pure white, which makes a good backdrop to the local artwork (for sale) that hangs on them. Because the space is so large, however, so much white is just a touch stark, but once the plants get bigger, I think the green will balance the white. The counter area is a deep royal blue, which is a nice counterpoint color.

The front door is flanked by two sets of almost floor-to-ceiling windows, in the manner of the old storefronts, and a band of windows across at the top of wall pours in even more sunlight. It’s a great location, just next to the Cha Fahn Tea House (review to come) and kitty corner to the Loring-Greenough House. One set of windows has a table snuggled up against them, and is deep enough to be a desk. It’s a great place for spreading out papers and opening up a laptop.

There is a back room available for meetings (there’s a bridal shower scheduled for next week!), and community organizations can use the facility for free.

Sweet Finnish offers its surplus goods to charity. Gosh, it just keeps getting better!

Along with pastries, Sweet Finnish offers quiche, and will soon be offering soups and lunch boxes for more substantial fare. They also offer catering and platters.

Wan and I are going back next week – we’ve got a lot of Finnish pastries to taste yet!

Sweet Finnish

761 Centre Street

Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

617-522-5200

www.sweetfinnish.com

Tuesday – Saturday            7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sunday                              9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Monday                             Closed

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