Looking where to buy the best Croissants during your time in Paris? Look no further with our in-depth guide written by someone who lives here (and eats a lot of croissants!).
Croissants are a thing of beauty. Painstakingly made with incredible laminated dough produces a rich, buttery, flaky croissant shaped pastry. Layer upon layer of dough and butter puffs when baked giving the viennoiserie its signature airy interior with a crispy outside. It’s undoubtedly one of the best breakfast items to have when you’re in France, served with a hot cup of coffee, it makes the perfect breakfast.
Truth be told, you’ll generally find a half decent freshly baked croissant in any respectable boulangerie in the city. If you see a line out of the door in a bakery then there’s a very good chance you’ll find a very good one. However, if you’re looking for the best Croissant the city has to offer then read on. We’ve got a round up of our favourite high-end Croissants in the city as well as an FAQ on the famous pastry.
My Favourite Croissants in Paris
With over 30,000 boulangeries in Paris, it’s really not hard to find a good quality, fresh croissant. In fact, regardless of where you are in the city, you’re probably less than 5 minutes away from a bakery.
They’re easy to get, cheap (usually less than €1.40 per croissant) and super delicious. Even a half decent croissant are incredibly challenging to make never mind a really good one. So you can find a good croissant easily in Paris but where can you find the best croissants in the city? Well here’s a round up of our favourite spots to get a croissant that is, well, better than the rest. Boulangeries are listed in no particular order.
Cédric Grolet Opéra
The French pastry star Cédric Grolet whose social media videos have earned him fame around the world opened up his bakery in 2019. His Opéra boulangerie/tea room is his 2nd location in Paris and boy is it popular. Be warned that it’s not a traditional boulangerie where there’ll be an abundance of produce on the counter. Cédric’s approach is all about minimising waste and not over producing. The result is a limited quantity of beautiful pastries and stunning viennoiseries. The lack of production can be issue however as the demand far outstrips the supply.
I’d recommend queuing way before their 9:30am opening time if you want to get your hands on a stunning (and pricy!) croissant. Note that they do appear to be like marmite; some find them overrated and others love then. Personally i’m a big fan – the outside is glazed and crunchy with good structure leading to a superb interior texture with a great buttery taste. For me it’s probably my favourite croissant here – technically extremely well made, very buttery and seasoned well (yes even patisseries need salt!). Is it good? Yes, extremely. Is it expensive? Yes €5 per croissant (but you get it in premium packaging if that helps). Is it worth it? Honestly, probably not if you’re visiting Paris for a few days and you want to see all the sites. If you’re here for a while or are even stating in the Opéra area then why not.
If you decide to commit to buying one you’ll need to know that:
- Expect to queue for at least 30 minutes – 1 hour as they only allow 2-3 customers in the boutique at the same time
- During my last visit in January it was -2c/28f outside arriving at 10am and I queued for 30 minutes
- In peak summer months you’ll no doubt need to arrive at at least 8:30am and prepare to queue for 1 hour+
Au 140 par Frédéric Comyn
Located in the beautiful Village Jourdain in the city’s 20th arrondissement, Au 140 is a huge, modern boulangerie with some amazing baked treats. It’s my local ‘speciality’ boulangerie and it’s extremely popular with locals and you’ll most likely be queuing a few minutes on weekends. Their Croissants is a 2023 top Parisian croissant list maker coming in at number 7. It’s a thing of beauty with stunning, defined exterior layers. The inside is buttery, airy and not too greasy. Definitely worth a stop if you’re in the area.
La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac
Another famed French Chef, Cyril Lignac, has a boulangerie in the capital’s 11th district and they have some really good croissants. Located on the super trendy Rue Paul Bert, the bakery is modern and airy and they’ve got plenty of delicious looking pastries. Their croissant is on the bigger side, it’s got a beautiful airy texture and the outside is nice and caramelised. It’s buttery, rich and surprisingly well seasoned – one of my favourite croissants that I’ve tried in Paris. Unlike many of the very visually appealing croissants, theirs are au naturel (not glazed).
Boulangerie M. Jacques
Boulangerie M. Jacques is a small, neighbourhood boulangerie in the 11th district next to the busy rue Oberkampf. The boulangerie is on the smaller side but very popular with locals as they bake some cracking baguettes and other viennoiseries. Number 3 in the Paris’ Best Butter Croissant 2023 competition, it’s not a surprise they made the top 10. It’s a perfectly balanced, flakey and not too buttery.
The Official Prize Winning Croissants
The Best Croissant in Paris competition takes place yearly and it’s when the city’s boulangeries compete for the coveted prize. Officiated by the jury from the Boulangers-Pâtissiers du Grand Paris (Association of Bakers & Pastry Chefs of Paris), they look at texture, appearance, taste and lamination. The top 10 from the 2023 competition are:
- Eric Teboul – Chez Meunier, 185 rue de Crimée, 75019 Paris
- Thierry Rabineau – Boulangerie Moderne, 16 rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques, 75005 Paris
- Cyril Daniel – Boulangerie M. Jacques, 132 rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris
- Maxime Taranne – Boulangerie Alexine, 15 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010 Paris
- Thierry Meunier – Boulangerie Thierry Meunier Île Seguin, 58 rue Marcel Bontemps, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt
- Alexis Rouges – Boulangerie Rougès, 45 avenue de Saint-Ouen, 75017 Paris
- Frédéric Comyn – Boulangerie au 140, 140 rue de Belleville, 75020 Paris
- Benjamin Turquier – Tout autour du Pain, 134 rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris
- Eric Thevenot – Boulangerie Vibrations Gourmandes, 101 Gd Rue Charles-de-Gaulle, 94130 Nogent-sur-Marne
- Jean-Yves Boullier – Le Moulin de la Croix Nivert, 39 rue de la Croix Nivert, 75015 Paris
Are Croissants From Paris?
Sort of. The croissant can be traced back to Austria where the kipferl is believed to be the inspiration for the famous pastry. Shaped like a crescent (croissant in French), the kipferl dates back to the 13th century whereas the modern croissant as we know it goes back only as far as the early 20th century. The current croissant is believed to have first taken its current form when Austrian army officer August Zang opened a bakery. Other bakers caught on and the laminated dough version of the kipferl took hold around the 20th century. So in some ways the modern croissant as know does originate from Paris.
Want to Learn How to Make a Croissant in Paris?
Making croissants are hard for even the most seasoned of bakers so why not learn from the masters in the heart of Paris?
Check out this superb croissant making classes! Places are limited so click on the link to discover more.
Why Are Croissants So Popular in France?
France has a very strong bakery culture and the French are extremely proud of their culinary history. Fresh bread is a daily tradition in many French households and they take it very seriously. Croissants aren’t eaten every day by the French but for many, it can be a weekly treat.
At birthdays, leaving-do’s, welcome party at offices, croissants and other pastries are usually bought and shared amongst colleagues, friends and families as a morning snack. For tourists, croissants are emblematic of the country and they’re a delicious treat especially for those who come from countries where there isn’t the same baking culture.
