Saliha M.
Yelp
We visited Olsen's Danish Village Bakery on July 5th with high hopes and a voucher from our hotel before heading home from Solvang. I came in earlier that morning around 7:30 AM when it was quiet, scoped out the pastries, took photos of what my family might want, and we returned later to place a large to-go order. Unfortunately, the experience left a sour taste.
While I was patiently waiting in line with my rabbits in a fully ventilated backpack, a staff member suddenly announced, "Pets aren't allowed," when I was already at the front of the line after waiting nearly 25 minutes. It was frustrating because no one said anything earlier, even when I was walking around or standing near the patio. I had to ask the woman behind me to save my spot in line just to place the bag on a patio chair outside near my sister, who was sitting quietly with her dog. My mom was in the bathroom, so the timing of the announcement felt performative and unnecessary. My rabbits are hypoallergenic, silent, contained, and not near food (which is mostly pre-packaged or kept behind glass), and there was zero disruption from us.
Meanwhile, several kids were running wild inside, touching everything, and no one said a word to their parents. The double standard was frustrating.
The voucher was not clear about what food items were included so I had to ask multiple times to get a clear picture of what we could get. It was loud and hard to hear when placing the order. The table and chair placements are chaotic and crowded. To make things worse, we repeatedly told staff the order was to-go, and they still brought it out on plates twice despite knowing we were leaving. It added to the wait and confusion. I didn't feel comfortable leaving a tip after that. The team was overwhelmed and disorganized, and the customer service just wasn't welcoming.
Also, it's worth noting that despite the Danish branding, none of the employees were Danish, and almost no one spoke fluent English. While that's not a problem in itself, the atmosphere felt disconnected from what the bakery visually presents and promotes about Danish tradition.
That said, the pastries were genuinely good--flaky, fresh, and beautifully displayed. And I appreciated that the business offers hotel vouchers, which encouraged us to stop by in the first place.
So I'm leaving 3 stars because the food is solid and the location is charming, but the service and customer experience didn't meet expectations.