from Eater.com June 4, 2024
by Dayna Evans and Lindsey Tramuta
In Paris, where corner mom-and-pop shops jockey for space with temples of haute-patisserie, pastry is part of everyday life. It isn’t uncommon to see lines of Parisians picking up fresh tarts for Sunday brunch with the family or schoolchildren racing to their favorite bakery for a goûter (literally a “taste,” or petit snack). Across the city you’ll find a whole spectrum of intricately composed and elaborately decorated pastries that taste as special as they look: simple laminated viennoiseries like croissants and pain au chocolat, eclairs made with light choux dough, buttery sablés, and an ever-growing array of French and internationally inspired cakes, tarts, cookies, and brioches.
All of these wonderful pastries are primarily sold at patisseries, shops dedicated specifically to sweet baked goods made with dough — as opposed to breads, which are sold at boulangeries. You shouldn’t count on picking up a great baguette along with your eclairs or vice versa, but some unconventional shops do excel at both bread and pastry.
The city is thick with pastry shops and competition is fierce. These 15 bakeries are among the greatest that Paris — and therefore the world — has to offer.
Note: This guide is organized by arrondissement, spiraling out from the 1st.
It may require a significant splurge to take in the whole tea-time experience at the Ritz Paris’s Salon Proust, but you can access head pastry chef François Perret’s treats at a more reasonable price tag at the hotel’s very own pastry shop. His signature glazed madeleines are available in seven flavors, including fruit fillings. There are also creamy entremets (little cakes with layers of mousse), oversized cookies, tartes, and drinkable versions of Perret’s best-selling pastries (essentially luxurious milkshakes) from the Salon Proust tea time menu. Located in the 1st arrondissement.
38 rue Cambon, 75001 Paris
There are frequently lines outside the Cédric Grolet pastry shop near the Louvre, and not just because it’s in a touristy neighborhood. The sculpted fruits look like delicate miniatures of the originals, and their lovely flavors live up to that promise. The menu of breakfast items and viennoiserie are stunning complements: Think Paris-Brests, croissants, and pain au chocolat. Located in the 2nd arrondissement.
35 avenue de l’Opéra, 75002 Paris
If you’re short on time, maximize by trying as many pastries as possible from as many pastry chefs as possible at this concept store. Run by the founders of France’s leading pastry magazine, Fou de Pâtisserie (Crazy for Pastry), the shop curates a rotating selection of creative sweets from the city’s top talents. You might find the signature chocolate, praliné, and olive pastry from Nina Métayer, the lime-basil cream puff from Christophe Michalak, or the iconic baba au rhum from La Pâtisserie de Cyril Lignac. Located in the 2nd arrondissement.
45 rue Montorgueil, 2e, 75002 Paris
4. Stohrer
You haven’t lived until you’ve had a kouign-amann from Stohrer, a beautiful bakery in the Second where an array of savory quiches and salads sits across from a pastry case full of sweet delights. Caramelized to a deep amber, with a slight crunch, the kouign-amann is the epitome of pastry. They don’t always have them in stock, though, so defaulting to the choux pastry religieuse or a creamy eclair will still leave you satisfied. Located in the 2nd arrondissement.
51 rue Montorgueil, 2e, 75002 Pari
What goes with perfect flan, fluffy orange blossom madeleines, marble cakes, and viennoiseries? Italian panettones, of course, at least at Christophe Louie’s shop. The pastry chef trained with Mauro Morandin, one of the leading master panettone makers in Italy, to create the best sourdough iteration in Paris, and it has become the city’s year-round go-to for the (typically seasonal) bread. Pick up some classic French treats and take home several signature panettones; try one with dried apricots and nuts, as well as a slightly more indulgent version with chocolate from master chocolatier Nicolas Berger.
12 Rue Dupetit-Thouars, 75003 Paris
6. Bontemps
The nostalgic sable, a classic shortbread, is elevated to new heights at this Marais shop. The old-fashioned theme extends to the charming interior, which is kitted out with antique display cases, light fixtures, and porcelain cake trays. The sables come in two sizes. The large tartes arrive with fillings like pecan, lemon curd, gianduja, and candied chestnut and pear. Then there are the individual bite-sized cookies, sandwiched together with light ganache, perfect for nibbling on the go. Located in the 3rd arrondissement.
57 rue de Bretagne, Paris, 75003 Paris
7. Maison Aleph
When chef Myriam Sabet opened her first boutique in the Marais in 2017, she introduced locals to an entirely new take on Levantine pastries (which were far less sweet than the competition around town), all built on French techniques. Her seasonal tarts and bundts are great for sharing. But the stars of the show are the nids: bite-size pastry nests made of kadaïf (thinly shredded phyllo dough), filled with either candied fruit or flavored creams, the latter in combos like rhubarb with Damask rose, lemon with cardamom, or jasmine and mango. Located in the 4th arrondissement.
20 rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
8. Pierre Hermé
Long considered the guardian of modern pastry-making, Pierre Hermé needs little introduction. While everything on offer at his Paris boutiques is seductive, there are three key reasons to visit: the Ispahan croissant, composed of rose, raspberry, and lychee; the Infiniment Vanille shortbread tarte, featuring a combination of Mexican, Tahitian, and Madagascar vanillas; and the exquisite macarons, which come in eclectic flavors like smoked tea, saffron, iris, carrot, and violet.
72 rue Bonaparte, Paris, 75006 Paris
For those in the know, Claire Damon’s shops are an essential part of any pastry tour. Stop by her boulangerie-patisserie for the pomme tatin with maple syrup or the Kashmir, a moist almond cake with notes of saffron, dates, and orange. Located in the 7th arrondissement.
89 Rue Du Bac, 75007 Paris
10. 10. Mamiche
Mamiche is among a string of new-school bakeries opening up in Paris that make the art of patisserie and viennoiserie more approachable. Opened by Cécile Khayat and Victoria Effantin, the shop offers a menu that’s more like an American bakery with French influence. (Or is it a French bakery with American influence?) Babkas sit next to eclairs, which cozy up beside beignets and palmiers. While Mamiche is technically a boulangerie, it’s one of the rare bakeries that does both ends of the French baked good spectrum well. Located in the 10th arrondissement.
32 Rue Du Château D'eau, 75010 Paris
Yann Couvreur is a household name in Paris these days, but his patisserie in the 11th is still worth its sugar. The excellent viennoiseries include croissants; roulés in flavors like pistachio, coconut, and rose praline; and buckwheat kouign-amann. The hautes-patisseries, meanwhile, include luscious lemon meringue tartes, rich chocolate eclairs, and a jaw-dropping seasonal St. Honoré. Located in the 10th arrondissement.
137 Avenue Parmentier, 75010 Paris
Don’t be alarmed by the sheer volume of pastries, viennoiserie, and breads on offer at Boulangerie Utopie. Take your time to pick the treats that appeal to you most. Maybe it’s the tangy and sweet sourdough croissant, or the thyme and lemon cheesecake on a sable base. Or maybe you’re more interested in the banana mille-feuille. You can’t go wrong no matter what you choose. Just remember to grab a loaf of bread for the road — it’s also very good, of course. Located in the 11th arrondissement.
20 rue Jean Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris
Given that gluten is such an essential part of Parisians’ day-to-day, it may seem impossible to run a gluten-free bakery in the city. But Boulangerie Chambelland is a local favorite. Its gluten-free breads, pastries, choux, tartes, and cakes are all exceptional counterparts to the gluten-filled pastries elsewhere. Even better: Chambelland is devoted to sustainability, and the bakers use all organic ingredients. Located in the 11th arrondissement.
14 rue Ternaux, 11e, 75011 Paris
14. Tapisserie
Run by the same people behind everyone’s favorite Parisian restaurants — Septime and Clamato — Tapisserie in the 11th is worth the visit for the maple tart alone. (The same dessert appears on the menu at Clamato, but here you can give it full attention.) The substantial pate sucree base comes filled with a rich, smooth maple filling. If that doesn’t leave you full, the choux and viennoiserie are all just as delicious. Located in the 11th arrondissement.
65 Rue De Charonne, 75011 Paris
15. Gilles Marchal
Gilles Marchal already made his mark on the pastry world as head chef at the Crillon, the Plaza Athénée, Le Bristol, and La Maison du Chocolat, but Parisians from all parts of town make the trek to the heart of Montmartre for his namesake patisserie. His madeleines are divine, in flavors like lemon zest, grand cru dark chocolate, pine honey, and pistachio. Not surprisingly, his renditions of French classics like baba au rhum and tarte aux framboises are equally flawless. Located in the 18th arrondissement.
9 Rue Ravignan, 75018 Paris
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