This Is It: The Best Croissant In Paris
Looking for the best croissant in Paris? If, like us, your mouth is watering at the thought of those buttery, flaky, crispy, yet somehow still soft and chewy pastries, you'll want to read on. The best croissants in the world can be found in Paris, so if we find the best croissants in Paris, it means these bakeries technically sell the best pastries in the world, no?
You can't eat breakfast in Paris without a croissant, it would be like trying to make toast without any bread. Whether you're a purist, or you prefer a chocolate or almond variety, we've got you covered.
What Is A Croissant?
A croissant is a one-of-a-kind bakery product that's famous the world over. The croissant is a hybrid of all of the best parts of a pastry and bread product. If you catch one straight out of the oven, the outside will be flaky and crispy, whilst the inside will be a warm, buttery dough that can be pulled apart easily with your fingers and gobbled up in just a few bites.
Many people wonder whether a croissant is a pastry or a bread, because of this unusual combination. A croissant is technically a pastry, due to the high-fat content in the dough. Pastries use a higher fat content than bread products in order to produce a flaky shell.
Where Did Croissants Originate?
If you've ever been asked this question in a pub quiz, we can only imagine your confidence when answering, only to be embarrassed when your smug cockiness is met with a big, fat cross in the box. That's because, whilst croissants may seem as French as a baguette or a beret, they didn't actually originate in France.
The humble croissant started its journey in Austria, as the Kipferl and can be traced back to the 13th century.
The croissant is famous for its shape, but what might surprise you is the story behind the mighty crescent. As the tale goes, Vienna was under attack by the Ottoman Empire in 1683. The Ottoman army dug a tunnel in order to access the walled city from underground and pull off a surprise attack. It didn't quite go to plan, as the city bakers who worked underground in the cellars, heard the troops approach and sent out an alert, leading to the Austrian victory.
You're probably wondering what this all has to do with croissants. In order to commemorate the victory over the Ottoman Empire, bakers in the city invented the original crescent-shaped pastry, then called a Hörnchen, as a nod to the crescent moon on the Ottoman flag, so that Austrians all over could eat up this pastry and symbolically, eat up the Ottoman Empire.
The croissant came to France when Austrian bakers made their way across the border and opened up bakeries in the city in the 19th century, causing other bakers in Paris to take inspiration and create their own version, which is the croissant we know now.
The croissant has evolved over time and gone through a lot of name changes to get to the all-butter croissant we know and love today.
What's In A Croissant?
A croissant is traditionally made with layered yeast-leavened dough.
The dough itself is made up of butter, flour, sugar, salt, yeast, and milk. Bakers may also use an egg wash on top. Croissants are notoriously laborious to make, but this is a travel blog, not a recipe blog, which is good news as in this post, we're searching out the best croissants that have already been made by the most talented hands in Paris, and the most effort you'll have to put in is figuring out the right amount of euro to hand over.
Saying that, if you're interested in making croissants from scratch, here is a traditional french croissant recipe to try.
How To Ask For A Croissant
Paris is one of the most visited destinations around the world, known for the impressive Eiffel Tower as well as many other tourist attractions such as the Louvre and Notre Dame cathedral. As such, English is widely spoken, however, knowing how to ask for your croissant in French is both polite and respectful.
I'll have one croissant, please.
Je prend un croissant, s'il vous plaît.
Here are some other useful phrases:
An almond croissant - Un croissant aux amandes
An extra buttery croissant - Un croissant au beurre
A chocolate croissant - Un pain au Chocolat
Where To Find The Best Croissant In Paris
Wherever you are in the city, we have bakeries a plenty serving up warm and buttery croissants, to keep your stomach full and your soul happy.
Best Classic Croissant In Paris
Maison Pichard
88 Rue Cambronne, 75015 Paris, France
Maison Pichard is famous all over Paris for producing some of the best croissants the city has to offer. In 2011, this bakery won the award for the Best Croissant In Paris, which is an annual competition that bakeries take very seriously (could there be a more French competition?!)
Maison Pichard is family-run and has been for over 20 years, meaning they've had time to perfect their croissant recipe.
The secret to their success is Pamplie butter and milk flour, to create a golden and crunchy top, and a buttery center to make your mouth water.
Whilst the classic croissant is a must-try, those with a sweet tooth will love the heavenly honeycomb-filled croissants served at Maison Pichard as well.
Maison d’Isabelle
47ter Bd Saint-Germain, 75005 Paris, France
There's nothing we like more than a bit of old-fashioned rivalry. Maison Pichard is iconic, and not easily knocked off the top spot, however, Maison d'Isabelle has done it.
The bakery is run by Isabelle Leday, and the son of the owner of Maison Pichard, Geoffrey Pichard, and won the Best Croissant In Paris award in 2018. This is a title they bear proudly, and it's not hard to spot the bakery with its large sign bearing the accolade.
All of the pastries at Maison d'Isabelle are made with organic flour and butter, and despite the title of best croissant in Paris, the price of these flaky pastries remains unchanged at just 1 euro.
As if winning the most prestigious award for their croissants wasn't enough, the bakery also won the top spot for its Tarte aux Pommes, and second place for its eclairs.
Des Gâteaux et du Pain
89 Rue de Bac, 75007, Paris, France
63 Bd Pasteur, 75015, Paris, France
Des Gâteaux et du Pain is notorious for its high price tag, but if you can see past that, you'll be glad you did. The award-winning bakery has two locations that sell all sorts of delicious treats, and the displays look more like works of art that should be kept in a museum, than edible snacks that will be scoffed down in a matter of seconds.
One of the bakeries is located close to the Eiffel Tower, and the other near the Montparnasse train station.
The croissants themselves are luxurious, which, given the decor of the patisserie, is no surprise, with a center that is a decadent mix of buttery and soft dough, with plenty of air pockets to create that famous crunch as you take the first bite.
While you're there, it would be a shame to miss out on the assortment of fresh cakes and tarts on offer, including the mango tart, and the Chausson au citron.
La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac
133 rue de Sèvres, 75006, Paris, France
La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac has 5 locations throughout Paris, but that doesn't mean the quality has been sacrificed.
This bakery is known for creating extremely buttery croissants that leave oily stains on the paper bag and will cause you to lick your fingers as you devour the pastry on a park bench in the heart of Paris.
The croissants can sell out fast, so make your way down to the bakery early and join the queue eagerly awaiting their breakfast, still warm from the oven.
The Equinox from La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac is also well-loved and highly rated.
Best Almond Croissant In Paris
Stohrer
51 Rue Montorgueil, 75002 Paris, France
If you want pastries fit for a king, look no further. Stohrer was founded back in 1730, by King Louis XV’s pastry chef, Nicolas Stohrer, so you can be assured of the quality of this bakery.
No list of the best croissants in Paris would be complete without mentioning the delights of Stohrer. It holds the title for the oldest pâtisserie in Paris, but that doesn't mean you can only find traditional croissants here.
What Stohrer is famous for is its almond croissants. Full of rich and delicious almond cream, these croissants are a decadent treat to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon whilst wandering the streets of Paris.
You can also find a wide variety of pastries and cakes here, and the tarts are especially good, with lots of flavors to choose from, including raspberry, chocolate, and lemon.
Best Chocolate Croissant In Paris
Laurent Duchêne
238 Rue de la Convention, 75015, Paris, France
As a pastry chef, if you want one award to your name, it's the highly esteemed Meilleur Ouvrier de France title, which recognizes the best craftsmen in the whole of France.
This makes Laurent Duchêne a worthy contender for the best croissant in Paris and is especially popular with chocolate lovers.
How does a chocolate-filled croissant sound to you? Trick question, divine of course. But, add praline into the mix, and you'll feel like you might have died and have gone to croissant heaven when eating this pastry which can only be described as the crème de la crème of croissants.
The bakery was featured by Paul Hollywood in his YouTube travel series, and if there's one person that knows pastries, it's Paul.
As well as the chocolate croissant, the croissant au beurre (butter croissant) is also raved about.
Le Moulin de La Croix Nivert
39 Rue de la Croix Nivert, 75015 Paris, France
When it comes to the best pain au chocolat, Le Moulin de La Croix Nivert must get a look in as well. The sure sign that this is one of the finest bakeries in Paris is the regular influx of not just tourists, but of locals too.
In 2015, the bakery won the prestigious award for the second-best pastry shop in the île de France.
The croissants are made using GMO-free flour, which makes having a croissant addiction seem almost healthy (worth a shot, eh?!). Health notes aside, the pain au Chocolat is all the things you'd hope for- flakey, buttery, and full of scrumptious chocolate.
The almond croissant is also a firm favorite, as are the many quiches on offer.
Best Filled Croissant In Paris
Café Pouchkine
16 Pl. de la Madeleine, 75008 Paris, France
Café Pouchkine is a regular on the list of top croissants in the city. It is currently closed and undergoing maintenance, with no date set for reopening, but we had to mention it on our list, as once it reopens, we'd hate for you to miss out on the best vanilla croissant in France.
The croissant à la vanille is the star of the show at Café Pouchkine and is laced with bourbon and, you guessed it, vanilla.
The decor needs its own shout-out. If you're looking for a classic French pâtisserie, to enjoy a coffee and a croissant while taking part in a spot of people watching, this is the place.
Alongside the croissant à la vanille, there is a wide selection available on the menu, so it's a great cafe for lunch.
Final Thoughts
Are you hungry yet? Our stomachs are rumbling and we're DEFINITELY NOT obsessively Googling flights to Paris, just to get a taste of an all-butter croissant (ok, you caught us out). These 8 bakeries serve some of the best croissants in Paris, and with so many to choose from, you'll be spoiled for choice, and very full, but very happy. If you have been to Paris and have had some exceptional croissants at locations you’d like to share with us, we would LOVE to know! Come join us here at Wander and Soul and be part of a fantastic female travel community.