David Lebovitz has lived in Paris for 21 years and has eaten all the baked goods. Here are his favourite bakeries, from croissants at Tout Autour Du Pain to babka at Mamiche. Visitors heading to Paris this summer may have Olympics fever, but no trip to the City of Light is complete without trying its famous pastries.
Luckily, you can find a boulangerie and pâtisserie on almost every block. What's the difference between these two kinds of bakeries? American expat baker and pastry chef David Lebovitz explains: " A pâtisserie makes fancy pastry chef-style pastries, like gâteau St-Honoré, w hereas a boulangerie makes baker-style pastries, like madeleines ." Lebovitz, who has lived in Paris for the past 21 years, is the author of an award-winning blog where he shares recipes and stories, extolling the virtues of Paris's beloved baked goods.
In the past decade, this Parisian bakery expert has noted a palpable shift in Paris's bakery scene. "These younger bakers are influenced by what's happening in other countries, and as a result, they are a lot more fun than the old guard," explains Lebovitz. "They are experimental, adding things like seeds and grains to brioche, which in the old days everyone would say, 'you can't do that'.
" Which isn't to say that everything new is the best. "More often than not, I just want a delicious, buttery croissant or a palmier to snack on," says Lebovitz. "Traditional French pastries have stood the test of time and while it’s fun to venture outside the box, I often find myself craving the classics.
" Here are Lebovitz’s favourite old-school and new-school bakeries in Paris. Paris has so many pastries that for some, it might be hard to pick the best one, but Lebovitz doesn't waver about his favourite: the Paris-Brest at Jacques Genin . The round pastry is named after the bicycle race that runs between Paris and the city of Brest and is meant to resemble a bicycle wheel.
A Paris-Brest is traditionally made with pâte à choux (a dough used to make eclairs and cream puffs) that's piped into a ring then sliced horizontally and filled with praline mousse. "At Jacques Genin they make the pastry to order, so don't be in a hurry when you go," advises Lebovitz. It's worth the wait.
"It's the most magnificent dessert in Paris, such a classic. The crunchy fresh-baked dough is piped with an amazing hazelnut praline cream, then topped with roasted Piedmontese hazelnuts," says Lebovitz, adding, "and it's not too sweet." Once you've picked up the Paris-Brest, don't miss out on the other confections, like Genin's super flaky mille feuille (puff pastry layered with pastry cream), pâtes de fruits (fruit jellies ) , cream puffs and eclairs.
And his outstanding caramels. "Genin's caramels (aka buttery bombs) are super famous," Lebovitz says, "but I especially love the passionfruit and mango caramel. Normally I don't like flavours in caramels, but these are incredible.
" Website: https://jacquesgenin.fr/ Address: 133, rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris (multiple locations) Phone: +33 1 45 77 29 01 Instagram: @jacquesgenin "It's nearly impossible to say where to get the best croissant in Paris," says Lebovitz, who nonetheless cites baker Benjamin Turquier's Upper Marais boulangerie, Tout Autour du Pain , as his favourite. "It's not a fancy place and the croissant is not super flaky or oversized, but when you bite into it, it's just right," he says.
"You can taste the really good butter; it's the perfect croissant." Lebovitz's choice is well-informed. Turquier has won the city's best croissant competition and been among the top-10 winners of the best baguette in Paris several times.
But in addition to his award-winning croissants and baguettes, Lebovitz is a big fan of Turquier's pain d'epices , a French spice cake with hints of orange marmalade and a texture that falls appealingly between cake-like and rubbery. "The pain d'epices are sold by the slab and they hover over the loaf with a knife when you go to buy some," says Lebovitz, " and you just say 'yes' when to cut or let them know if you want more." Address: 134, rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris Phone: +33 1 42 78 04 72 Instagram: @toutautourdupain The French Bastards , a self-proclaimed "bakery and bastarderie" was created by three hip, young French friends – one of whom trained in Australia where he was "jokingly dubbed the French bastard in the kitchen", says Lebovitz.
Their goal when opening in 2019 was to redesign the traditional bakery by reimagining the classics and adding what they call "a healthy dose of food porn". The irreverent trio was heavily influenced by what was going on in the US at the time and included items like cruffins and caramelised croissant "waffles" on their menu, alongside more traditional croissants, pains au chocolat, pains Suisse and more. Of all the baked goods on the menu, Lebovitz is partial to their lemon tart.
"It's really tart," he explains. "A lot of lemon tarts in France don't have that tanginess. This version tastes like lemon, with a thick layer of meringue on top and an especially tender pâte sucrée crust.
" Their babka is a crowd favourite, and they do seasonal spins on Saint-Honoré cakes called Le St-Ho. During the summer, look for their new line of B*astards ice cream cookies. Website: https://thefrenchbastards.
fr/en Address: 61 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris (multiple locations) Instagram: @the_french_bastards There's always a line at Mamiche , a relative newcomer (the first location in the 9th arrondissement opened in 2017) on the bakery scene from female co-owners Victoria Effantin and Cécile Khayat. But Lebovitz says that the lines are long for a reason, and it's not just the abundance of social media hype. Their best-selling babka, a twist of golden brioche dough with a whorl of bittersweet chocolate, is currently one of the best in Paris, and their take on this beloved Jewish dessert is great example of how the young duo embraces a global approach at their three shop locations.
When Lebovitz goes to Mamiche, he seeks out two specific things in addition to the babka. "They have the most delicious, seedy pain de mie aux grains (fluffy wholegrain bread)," he says, "and I love their pain Suisse (Swiss bread) – croissant dough folded over with bits of chocolate chips held together with pastry cream." Website: https://www.
mamiche.fr/ Address: 75 Rue Condorcet, 75009 Paris (multiple locations) Phone: +33 1 53 21 03 68 Instagram: @boulangeriemamiche "This isn't a usual suspect, like Ladurée," says Lebovitz about Plaq , an artisanal bean-to-bar chocolate company opened by Sandra Mielenhausen and Nicolas Rozier-Chabert in 2017 when they realised the world's best chocolate was no longer French. Inspired by the old French word for a chocolate bar, plaque, the couple chose to name their modern company Plaq.
Alongside a variety of chocolates, Plaq sells a robust selection of cakes, cookies and tarts made by pastry chef Céline Lecoeur. "They make the most delicious fresh chocolate pastries," says Lebovitz, whose favourite is Le Fondant Ultra Chocolat. "It's a rectangle of pure baked chocolate ganache that you eat with a fork," he explains, "and is truly the best rectangle of chocolate you’ll ever put in your mouth.
" Cookies might not be a French thing, but Plaq's are sublime. "People in Paris don't quite get cookies, but Plaq gets it," says Lebovitz. "It might seem strange to come to Paris for an American-style cookie, but their chocolate chunk pecan cookie is exceptional.
" Plaq's gluten-free buckwheat cookie is another stand-out. Lebovitz says the prices can be a little high, but making their own chocolate justifies the expense. Website: https://plaqchocolat.
com/ Address: 4 Rue de Nil, 75002 Paris Instagram: @plaqchocolat In 2012, Nathaniel Doboin and Thomas Teffri-Chambelland, a biologist-turned-baker, opened their first Chambelland shop. Teffri-Chambelland had previously founded École Internationale de Boulangerie , a renowned bread baking school in the village of Noyers-sur-Jabron. The pair opened Chambelland as a natural, gluten-free bakery with a very clear commitment to sustainability, going so far as to build their own mill in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, making fresh-milled flour from organic rice, buckwheat and chestnuts.
"You don't have to be gluten-free to love Chambelland," says Lebovitz. While their signature product is an organic, naturally gluten-free rice bread, Lebovitz is very fond of their lemon tart, which is bright and tart with an extra-crispy rice flour crust. "They also have a wonderful pastry called pain de sucre , a thin loaf of dough that's rolled in orange flower syrup and sugar, so it develops a crisp, light crust when it bakes.
" Website: https://www.chambelland.com/en/ Address: 43 Rue Brochant, 75017 Paris Phone: +33 1 40 25 04 68 (multiple locations) Instagram: @chambellandparis One of Lebovitz's most frequently requested recommendations is for tarte tatin , France's classic, rich, caramelised apple tart.
"People always ask and I tell them that you can't buy a whole tarte tatin – they're eaten warm, so bakeries don't make them," he says. Instead, the way to enjoy tarte tatin is by the slice. It may come as a surprise, but Lebovitz's favourite option is from the Tea Salon at Berthillon , famous not for tarts and pastries but for its ice cream.
The original location, located on the Île St-Louis and surrounded by tourists, is the only place to get it. "Their tarte tatin is tall, with a solid wall of well-caramelised apples and it's served with their incredible ice cream," he says, adding, “it's hard to go wrong with that." While you might be able to buy a less expensive slice elsewhere, Lebovitz believes it's worth the price because the tearoom is one of the swankiest salons in Paris.
Website: https://berthillon.fr/ Address: 31 rue Saint-Louis en l’Ile, 75004 Paris Phone: +33 1 43 54 31 61 Instagram: @berthillon_officiel BBC Travel's The SpeciaList is a series of guides to popular and emerging destinations around the world, as seen through the eyes of local experts and tastemakers. -- If you liked this story, sign up for The Essential List newsletter – a handpicked selection of features, videos and can't-miss news, delivered to your inbox twice a week.
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