The 17 best pâtisseries in Paris
Paris and pastry go hand in hand: it’s a city where residents happily wait in line before picture-perfect pâtisserie windows filled with glistening tarts, colourful macarons and moreish eclairs. A place where time-tested icons continue to fly the banner for traditionalism, but where boundary-pushing pâtisseries dabbling in hybrids like the “crookie” are also apt to cause a TikTok sensation. Boulangeries are upping their pastry and cake game too, expanding from the known joys of sourdough into sourdough croissants, or more exotic specialities like the babka. Whether you want to eat your way around town in pursuit of the holy grail – Paris’ finest croissant – or get your paws on the latest it-pastry, here are the pâtisseries that reign supreme.
Boulangerie Utopie
11th arrondissement
Go for: roulé
This petite corner spot is always buzzing with foodies, both local and visiting, who seek out the exotic flavors that Utopie is known for. The roulé sésame is an unexpected creamy-savoury concoction – the ideal antidote to overly sweet cakes. Try to stop by for a slice on Saturday, when the boulangerie highlights weekend-specific pastries and viennoiseries (it reveals the flavours weekly on its Instagram account). And don’t forget to grab the famous jet-black activated-charcoal baguette as well.Address: Boulangerie Utopie, 20 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
Website: facebook.com/Boulangerie-Utopie
Bontemps
3rd arrondissement
Go for: sablés
Take a break from shopping in the Marais at this outrageously charming pastry shop. Run by two sisters, Fiona and Fatina, who oversaw the note-perfect vintage décor, Bontemps feels homier and quirkier than many of the sleek pâtisseries that are sought after in Paris right now; there’s also a tearoom at the back with a delightful, vine-lined courtyard that looks like a Disney film come to life. Sablés (shortbreads) are at the root of everything they do – and while the old-school, unshowy biscuit is usually outshone by its pastry shop cousins, not so here: choose between cute heart-shaped versions or sablés sandwiching decadent gianduja fillings.Address: Bontemps, 57 Rue de Bretagne
Website: bontemps.paris
Studio ArtichauChambelland
11th arrondissement
Go for: gluten-free everything
For a gluten-free bakery to survive in Paris – let alone expand to Belgium and Luxembourg – it obviously has to be excellent. Located in the trendy Oberkampf neighbourhood, this sleek HQ (popular amongst laptoppers and also offering ample terrace seating) uses only naturally gluten-free grains that are certified organic and produced in their own Alpes-de-Haute-Provence mill. There are cakes, cookies and orange-scented sugar breads, but the undisputed showstopper is the Marquise Popincourt – a lemon meringue tart that’s available year-round. Once you’ve had your sugar kick, don’t miss the nearby antiques paradise Troll & Puces.Address: Chambelland, 14 Rue Ternaux
Website: chambelland.com
Angelina
1st arrondissement
Go for: Mont-Blanc
Founded in 1903, this tearoom almost feels as if Proust or Coco Chanel could still pop by at any time – a gloriously gilded Belle Époque gem with a prime location by the Tuileries. While the temptation is to do a Carrie Bradshaw and order an unending pile of desserts – Angelina featured in the final season of Sex and the City – if your wallet protests, the famous Mont-Blanc is the must. The recipe remains unchanged from the original created here at the turn of the 20th century: crispy meringue under a layer of whipped cream, topped with strands of chestnut cream meant to resemble the bob haircuts that were popular in Paris back in the day.Address: Angelina, 226 Rue de Rivoli
Website: angelina-paris.fr
Geraldine MartensStohrer
2nd arrondissement
Go for: baba au rhum
Opened in 1730 by King Louis XV’s pastry chef, Stohrer is the oldest pâtisserie in Paris no less – a mythic address whose sumptuous décor is by one of the disciples of the Opéra Garnier’s designer. Still in its original location on the classic market street Rue Montorgueil, there’s an overwhelming array of sweet treats on display, but it’s the rum baba – invented by Nicolas Stohrer – that edges it. Drenched in rum syrup, and topped with a glazed cherry, it’s a mystery how these unbelievably moist cakes stay intact. You can choose between the regular version (available in various sizes) or get it topped with Chantilly; there’s a wickedly boozy jarred version too offering nine babas floating in a sea of West Indian rum syrup. Hic.Address: Stohrer, 51 Rue Montorgueil
Website: stohrer.fr
Yann Couvreur
4th arrondissement
Go for: Paris-Brest
Right across the street from iconic foodie spot L’As du Fallafel, the well-known pastry chef’s stylish Marais outpost is all copper tones and vegetation, mirroring the herb content of many of his boundary-pushing creations. Couvreur’s legend (fuelled by Instagram) grew up around his spectacular deconstructed millefeuille – the pastry layers like glass shards perched upon the vanilla cream – but the labour-intensive delight is alas no longer available in Paris (only Miami). There’s consolation on offer in the form of his celebrated Paris-Brest, however: with its intense praline cream and caramelised nut topping, it’s seriously sinful; given that the pastry was born alongside the namesake cycle race, you might want to bike off those calories.
Address: Yann Couvreur, 23 bis Rue des Rosiers
Website: yanncouvreur.com
Julia PianettiLa Pâtisserie by Cyril Lignac
11th arrondissement
Go for: entremets
One of the city’s most bankable chefs, multi-tasking Cyril Lignac is instantly recognisable in France due to his TV shows and a series of over 40 cookbooks. Closing the gap between savoury and sweet, his local mini-empire (not least a new Right Bank outpost of his crudo-centric Bar des Prés) spans both glamorous restaurants and a handful of haute pâtisseries. Entremets (Russian doll-esque desserts comprising multiple layers encased in mousse, enrobed in a glaze and topped with decorations) are one of the many high points of a visit to this outpost near Bastille; the first he ever created was the Equinoxe: an ultra-futuristic, almost Martian artwork mixing Bourbon vanilla cream, salted caramel and crisp speculoos.Address: La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac, 24 Rue Paul Bert
Website: cyrillignac.comDu Pain et Des Idées
10th arrondissement
Go for: escargots
Whether it’s the hip denizens of Canal Saint-Martin returning from a nuit blanche, or foreign tourists salving their jetlag with a morning sugar hit, there’s invariably a queue outside this photo-ready corner bakery. It does, after all, have everything you’d want from a Paris it-boulangerie –gilded mirrors, painted ceilings, fancy façade – and also everything you’d want from a serious bakery. It would be remiss not to pick up house bread the pain des amis, but the viennoiseries also match the hype. The escargot (aka pain au raisin) comes in praline, rum and raisin, and red berry renditions, but it’s the vivid chocolate and pistachio that’s legendary.
Address: Du Pain et Des Idées, 34 Rue Yves Toudic
Website: dupainetdesidees.com
Des Gâteaux et du Pain
7th arrondissement
Go for: chausson aux pommes
That sadly rare thing – a female French pastry chef – Claire Damon proved her mettle alongside Pierre Hermé, and then at Ladurée, Le Bristol and Plaza Athénée. The delights at her Rue du Bac outpost are laid out with the gravity of museum pieces, but that’s fitting given the calibre of the enterprise. The chausson aux pommes (apple turnover) alone is some six days in the making: two just for lamination, before the dough is filled with homemade apple sauce and twice browned, and the veins of apple leaves are etched onto it with the tip of a knife. The result is basically the perfect laid-back breakfast, also available in a rhubarb guise.
Address: Des Gâteaux et du Pain, 89 Rue du Bac
Website: desgateauxetdupain.comPierre Hermé
6th arrondissement
Go for: macarons
Ever since Pierre Hermé left Ladurée and set up on his own, back in the late nineties, fierce debates have reigned over the precise merits of the two all-conquering macaroon brands. If there’s one obvious point of difference then it’s Hermé’s embrace of slightly less traditional flavours, reflecting his more contemporary approach; while not exactly venturing into Wonka territory, his haute-pâtisserie (more luxury brand than humble pastry shop) does offer intense, creamy creations including the Mogador (chocolate and passion fruit) and the signature Ispahan (rose, lychee and raspberry), which has also spawned a popular croissant.
Address: Pierre Hermé, 72 Rue Bonaparte
Website: pierreherme.com
© pmonettaLa Pâtisserie du Meurice par Cédric Grolet
2nd arrondissement
Go for: fruit sculpté
Another Instagram hero, Cédric Grolet gained fame with his trompe l’œil pastries and cakes, as well as outrageous super-sized cookies that have to be seen to be believed. Named the World’s Best Pastry Chef at age 32, he is particularly associated with exquisite sculpted “fruits” – pastries that look like the real thing and are filled with matching layers of fruit (the lemon version, say, is filled with lemon curd, poached lemons and yuzu ganache and finished with a lemon spray to achieve the effect of a rough rind). While the queues at his dedicated pâtisserie near Opéra are sometimes maddening (best to book for tea) a visit to his jewel box of a shop at Le Meurice is rather more tranquil – though it’s still prudent to click and collect.Address: La Pâtisserie du Meurice par Cédric Grolet, 6 Rue de Castiglione
Website: dorchestercollection.comL’Éclair de Génie Café
4th arrondissement
Go for: éclairs
French pastry chef Christophe Adam has single-handedly put the fun into the often-staid éclair scene – not for nothing is he a friend of cronut-creator Dominique Ansell. Way back when he was working at Fauchon, he began tinkering with bright orange éclairs and even went as far as to adorn the choux pastries with digital art. Today his ultra-primped creations – all pop art tones and glossy finishes – draw on adventurous flavours like yuzu or Iranian pistachio. Besides this original Marais boutique, his genius éclairs are also available at a concession in Galeries Lafayette, and a dedicated café in Montmartre, opened back in 2022.
Address: L’Éclair de Génie Café, 14 Rue Pavée
Website: leclairdegenie.com
Jean Francois AimePoilâne
6th arrondissement
Go for: apple tart
Poilâne is a legend of French baking, with its superlative sourdough bread a staple of supermarkets around the country. Nearly a century old, this outpost in the sixth – still the nerve centre of their now international trade – does have a few more tricks up its sleeve, however, with the “hand-stitched” apple tart a staple of foodie walking tours of the city. Soft, flaky and bursting with proper apple flavour, this isn’t about conceptual high jinks, admittedly, but it does nail the classic pâtisserie favourite like few other local outfits. (The “hand-stitched” refers to the folded edges of the pastries, reminiscent of pies.)Address: Poilâne, 8 Rue du Cherche-Midi
Website: poilane.com
Carl Marletti
5th arrondissement
Go for: fraisiers
In the student- and tourist-packed fifth arrondissement, Carl Marletti’s namesake pâtisserie turns out exquisite pastries year-round (the violet-tinged Lily Valley, a twist on the classic St Honoré, is too cool for school), but when summer comes, the crowds descend en masse for his fraisier. Voted the best in its class by leading French paper Le Figaro, the classic strawberry cake is composed of almond paste, mousseline cream, cut strawberries and kirsch-soaked joconde biscuits. It’s so popular that the chef creates bigger versions (on demand only) that can be shared with fellow pastry-philes; they’ll even create a super-sized fraisier for 20.Address: Carl Marletti, 51 Rue Censier
Website: carlmarletti.com
Le Petit Grain
20th arrondissement
Go for: kouign-amann
After providing the photogenic bread display for It-brand Jacquemus’s second men’s show, Le Petit Grain quickly established itself as a favourite of the fashion set in Paris. (It doesn’t hurt that owner Edward Delling-Williams is also behind hit Belleville restaurant Le Grand Bain, reputed for its bread, and just across the street.) Beyond sourdough, Breton speciality Kouign-amann is its calling card – a laminated viennoiserie layered with sugar and salty butter. Le Petit Grain gives it a twist by adding ginger and sesame seeds, resulting in an earthier taste that cuts through the sweetness (though this remains among the most gluttonous of treats).Address: Le Petit Grain, 7 Rue Denoyez
Website: instagram.com/lepetitgrainparis
Boneshaker Doughnuts and Coffee
2nd arrondissement
Go for: doughnuts, doh!
Krispy Kreme may be trying to get its claws into the hallowed Paris pastry scene – the mega-brand recently launched its first local outpost, in the unlovely Westfield shopping centre at Les Halles – but, when it comes to doughnuts, Boneshaker are the ones to beat. The venture was launched by Cordon Bleu alumna Amanda – the proverbial American in Paris – and quickly won a name for its 100% vegan creations (also including cinnamon rolls and brownies). Some of its doughnuts are truly eye-catching: make time for the biscuit-dunked Speculoos and the ABJ x Buddy Buddy (almond butter icing plus blueberry compote).
Address: Boneshaker Doughnuts and Coffee, 86 Rue d’Aboukir
Website: boneshakerparis.comMori Yoshida
7th arrondissement
Go for: flan
Having scooped up numerous awards in his homeland, Japanese whizz Mori Yoshida relocated to France, and it wasn’t long before the “meilleur pâtissier” accolades were coming in again. A former alum of Philippe Conticini’s Pâtisserie des Rêves, he’s known for giving French classics a Japanese twist. His towering Mont-Blanc and “beige” cake (mixing orange ganache and Darjeeling with aplomb) are widely regarded as textbook, but it’s his vanilla flan that merits repeat visits. Let’s face it, the flan is a little less glamorous than the not-dissimilar but über-hip pastel de nata, yet Yoshida’s version achieves such a perfect consistency that it transcends its old-school rep – the silky, milky custard magically ensconced in the pastry.
Address: Mori Yoshida, 65 Avenue de Breteuil
Website: moriyoshida.fr