Boulangeries Everywhere - Best Boulangeries in Paris

Food diaries from my month in Paris.

Eiffel Tower view from the Jardins de Tuileries

Paris is infamous for its pastries and baked goods, whether from a boulangerie or patisserie. Every tourist who sets foot in Paris makes sure to enjoy their fair share of croissants or pains au chocolat. Granted the possibilities are endless, and the vast variety of options can be very overwhelming.

I spent a month in Paris and after week one I couldn’t really stomach many more patisseries as I am just not fond of desserts but before anyone comes for me there were two specific baked goods I could never turn down. While being in Paris I made it my mission to try as many of these two options from a variety of boulangeries to find my favorite. 

Every boulangerie had something unique to offer and no one ever matched the next. So to preface, the two most traditional options I had were the pain au chocolat and the baguette. Both options you can't go wrong with, and personally if I’m splurging a little on my calorie intake I want chocolate, a croissant just isn’t gonna do it for me. Sue me for having this opinion. With that being said normally in the States I am notorious for acne breakouts when I eat chocolate which I was surprisingly shocked didn’t happen in Europe.

Now my fellow foreign travelers if you are in the city and you pop into a boulangerie, with the exception of Cedric Grolet (which is a shop I did not visit, so I can’t have an opinion on) and you are paying more than 2€; you are paying too much. Specialty or not a traditional pain au chocolat will not run you more than 1€80 and the most expensive one I paid for was 2€.

boulangeries, boulangeries everywhere!

So without further ado, here are my five favorite boulangeries (aka what I consider to be the best boulangeries in Paris):

Atelier P1

157 Rue Marcadet

My favorite pain au chocolat that I enjoyed in the city came from here. As I mentioned I made it my mission to try as many new boulangeries as possible. Generally, I would make it my mission to pop into one a day if possible as it was probably the most inexpensive meal I would have. Atelier P1 is situated at the top of Montmartre behind the Sacré-Cœur now don’t worry you won't have to do the seven-flight trek up the stairs when exiting the metro. This boulangerie is situated one metro stop further than the Abesse stop which will definitely leave you winded. 

The establishment itself is painted a muted mustard yellow, screams the color of wheat, very warm and welcoming. Not too hard to find and a little more hidden than the other places I will mention later on. I tried a specialty pain au chocolat, their praline version. I just couldn’t help but wonder if it tasted as good as it looked. 

Let’s just say it delivered, maybe this is normal but most pain au chocolate that I have the chocolate has since solidified so it doesn’t melt in your mouth. One boulangerie is the exception but with this pastry, maybe it was because it was pralined or maybe it was more fresh than the others I had. Regardless, hours after I purchased this and I made it back to my flat I enjoyed this delicacy and it will forever live rent-free in my head. It was truly amazing. 

Local Parisians who’ve spent their life in Paris may argue there’s a better boulangerie or say it can’t be the top contender because it was praline. Maybe the praline touch gives it a boost so it can't compare to the traditional pain au chocolat. Regardless, I digress and if you’re in the area I would skip Carette and venture off the beaten path to try this very wonderful boulangerie.

Terroirs d’Avenir

3 Rue du Nil

This boulangerie has a special place in my heart. I stumbled across it by pure accident after taking a workout class in Paris. I was tired and needed a little sweetness kick and being in Paris mid-day on weekends you can visualize the city coming to life. All local Parisians flock to their favorite cafe to enjoy a glass of wine or coffee with a light breakfast. 

This boulangerie is nestled in the second arrondissement in a quaint little street that was for sure coming to life at eleven o’clock on that Saturday morning. I passed a myriad of other specialty shops on the way there which included a coffee shop that was so adorable, a cremerie, a chocolatier and so much more all neighboring each other on rue de nil. 

Now onto the star of the show the pain au chocolat, the reason why this boulangerie takes the number two slot is because of the freshness of the pastry. In all my time in Paris no matter the time of day I never received a warm croissant or pain au chocolat, EXCEPT for at this location. Now, can I warm it myself and then judge the quality side by side, sure. That however is not how I judged my boulangerie experience, the pain au chocolat was warm, fresh, and perfectly flaky. I remember I finished it before I grabbed my coffee and I genuinely debated going back for a second one. Did I? No, by that point I had already wandered into the ninth arrondissement but the pastry left an impression.

Ideally, if you find yourself in Paris, I would recommend popping into L’abre à café to grab a cappuccino and then walking over to Terroir d’Avenir for a pain au chocolat which is in my opinion a great way to start your day. 

Boulangerie Polka

38 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud

I stumbled across this place while near Republique, I was there on a different mission which was to send some postcards back home to some very special friends as well as pop into this specialty cafe where I could write to my future self. Intrigued? So was I and I’ve done a lot of reflection this year so it felt right. I popped in here and one of the stellar options that was calling my name was the babka. Very, very tasty and something to consider grabbing. 

With that being said the pain au chocolat was beautifully flaky, perfectly buttery and the chocolat while I can't quite remember if it was perfectly melted, I do remember enjoying it on my walk while exploring this new neighborhood. On a warm spring or summer day, you can enjoy a pastry from Polka on the canal, which in my opinion is the perfect breakfast with a view.

I will say I did very much enjoy the babka with a cappuccino and I still think about it. I was particularly very pleased with the flavor and sweetness balance, especially considering my palette tends to steer towards savory options. 

Mamiche

45 Rue Condorcet

I can’t go to Paris without at least hitting some of social media’s most viral places and so that is how I found myself in Mamiche. Note that on weekends the lines to get in and order something wrap outside of this small boulangerie. I walked past those lines on many occasions while on my way up to the eighteenth. With that being said if you go on a weekday you shouldn’t have that be an inconvenience in your experience. 

I popped in there on a random weekday at about midday and ordered my usual pain au chocolat. Was it delicious, of course! Did it live up to the expectation, I believe so. But that wasn’t what took my breath away or gave me the excitement to want to go back. 

I am a sucker for chou vanille, if I loved sweets that would be my kryptonite. Firstly they’re fairly inexpensive but here they are massive, and the cherry on top is that they’re dusted with confectioners sugar so while a little messy to enjoy worth it in every way. I know this post is supposed to highlight the pain au chocolat but the chou stole the show and that alone would be a reason why I would recommend trying Mamiche.

Leonie

15 Avenue Trudaine

Situated in the 9th I stumbled across this the same way I did all others, a lovely little Google search and an aimless walk in a direction I hadn’t previously been. The service for sure is something that stood out to me only because while in there I heard a lot of English which is very out of the ordinary. While I was in Paris I specifically tried my best to brush off my high school French skills and I was able to get by for the most part.

This location takes the number five slot because one of the lovely American friends I made while abroad said it was one of her favorite pain au chocolat she’s ever had. I popped in here twice during my time in Paris and the quality was definitely there and so was the flakiness behind the pastry which is always what you look for in a good croissant. 

I also did manage to enjoy a chou vanille from there, while sharing a second one with this lovely friend of mine. We’d both say it was a delicious experience while sitting behind the Petit Palais and taking in the sunshine.

Baguette and Cappucino

---

Overall I’m sure there are many more boulangeries that I didn’t get to try but for my month in Paris, these are the ones that made an impression. I will note I did go to Angelina’s to try their infamous chocolat chaud and while not a fan, because I don’t love chocolate (please don’t come for me), their pain au chocolate was quite nice and almost had a caramelized crust that I never saw anywhere else. Not the most traditional crust but I enjoyed it and for 1.80€ I would say pretty worth it. Note, the price does increase a bit to enjoy in the establishment but not enough to discourage. 

I hope this was helpful to those of you in Paris for a few days but more than anything I hope you love these places as much as I did. 

Onto the next food adventure, until then… 

Best,