France is known for its bakeries, and for good reason. There are over 30,000 boulangeries in the country! Almost every town has one (except for the reeeeeallllly tiny ones), cities have them on every block, and every person living here has their local favorite where they buy their daily baguette (yes, for most people - daily!)
Finding a great boulangerie in Paris is part of the experience. While we’re strong believers that a baguette or a croissant from a lower quality bakery will still taste delicious when arriving in Paris from elsewhere, why settle for less when you can have the best?
In this blog, we’re going to share eight of our favorite bakeries in Paris - and why we love them. That said, Paris is a big city, with multiple bakeries in each neighborhood. If you’re staying for a while, we highly encourage you to try out all the local boulangeries around you to find the best one. There are hundreds of high quality bakeries here - you don’t have to go out of the way to hit up one of these (though if you do, you don’t be disappointed). Bakeries are great options for breakfast or if you’re not in the mood to find a fancy please for brunch. Grab a croissant, and head out!
But head out to where? If you’re unsure what to do in Paris, or how to plan your day, that’s what we’re here for. In addition to our free blogs, we actually have a guide. With the purchase of the Paris in My Pocket Base Guide, you’ll get access to even more articles to help you in planning your trip, as well as hundreds of recommendations on places to eat, drink, and see. We’ve taken over a decade of Paris knowledge and put it into one website for you. It’s all you’ll need to have the best possible time in Paris.
8 Bakeries We Love in Paris, France
What Is French Bakery Culture Like?
French bakeries are a staple of daily life. Most locals pass by their favorite boulangerie for their daily bread, saying hello to the familiar faces behind the bar. It’s such an important part of French culture that there used to be regulations in place to keep prices of baguettes from rising! That changed in the last 70s, but due to high demand and cultural significance, most bakeries have surprisingly stable prices, even in times of inflation. It’s a part of French culture that’s meant to remain accessible.
The Best Bakeries in Paris
We’ve selected eight of our favorite boulangeries in Paris for you to visit on your trip. Some of these are on the beaten path, others are quite a ways off it. While most boulangeries will have a delicious croissant, and it’s rarely worth crossing town to visit a bakery, if you find yourself in the area of any of the ones below, definitely be sure to stop in and grab a nibble.
Milligramme
Milligramme is a boulangerie tucked away in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, near one of our favorite parks, Buttes-Chaumont. In fact, it’s so close to this park, that we recommend taking your pastry and finding a nice place to sit in the grass or on a bench before digging in. You can nab something for lunch here - they do delicious sandwiches - or opt for a pastry instead. Milligramme uses ancient grains and organic flour, as well as naturel yeast. The care they put into their food is obvious, and they often have fun seasonal offerings. Get directions.
Boulangerie Utopie
Utopie has swiftly become a well known bakery among locals and travelers alike. Located in the 11th arrondissement, you’ll want to hit them up earlier in the day, as they can run our near the end of the day. One of their most beloved and unique offerings is a creamy black sesame éclaire, and it’s absolutely decadent. This is a great bakery to check out if you find yourself in the République area of town. Get directions.
GINKO
Okay, GINKO isn’t technically a bakery (boulangerie), but rather a pâtisserie (sweet treats only!) Still, we had to include it on the list because it is amazing. Also located in the 19th arrondissement, this is a fantastic spot if you’ve just had lunch or ar picnicking in the park and know you’ll want something fancy for dessert. Their pastries tend to have an international twist for some really unique flavors. Be sure not to miss out on the Saveur d'Orient, a creamy, fruity pastry with an amazing crumble base, it’s one of our personal favorites. Get directions.
Seraphine
Hopping across town to the 16th arrondissement, you’ll find Seraphine. You’ll find some delicious desserts here (little tarte au citrons - lemon tarts - with perfect meringue on top!) but we tend to love it for it’s viennoiseries - its simple, breakfast leaning baked goods. You can’t go wrong with a pain au chocolate or a croissant, but if you’re planning on trying a chausson aux pommes in Paris, don’t skip on the one they offer. It’s divine! Get directions.
Enjoying these recommendations?
You can find them all, and more, in our Guide to Paris. Paris in My Pocket is a webapp that exists entirely online (no printed guides here)! We’ve designed it this way so that we can update it constantly. Found a new bakery? Add to the guide! One of our old recommendations closed? Take it out! Has quality shifted? Update the guide! We work on the guide weekly and do our best to keep you up to date in this ever shifting landscape that is the Paris food scene. Learn more.
Atelier P1
Located in the northern part of the 18th arrondissement (beyond Montmartre), if you make it this far, you are a true explorer! But wandering off the beaten path will make you hungry, and thankfully Atelier P1 is well worth the visit. It’s a rustic bakery serving up both sweet and savory, if you like what you taste here, you’ll also want to check out P1 Bouche, their partner cantine. There, you can get heartier breakfasts and lunches, all made with fresh produce and homemade baked goods. Are you getting hungry yet? Here are more places to eat like a local. Get directions.
Du Pain et des Idées
Like Utopie, du Pain et des Idées has fast become one of the most popular boulangeries in Paris with one of the best pain au chocolats. That said, they’re worth it, so we still wanted to include them. This is a great option for the classics - pain au chocolate, croissant, pain suisse (pastry with cream and chocolate chips), and escargot (sugary spiral roll with raisins). Get directions.
Atelier Auger
First recommended to us by one of our friends Janelle, founder of My Paris Portraits, we quickly realized what a gem this boulangerie is. Delightful sweet tarts, and they even offer those viral hyper realistic pastries that look like fruit - but without the huge line.
Oh, and speaking of My Paris Portraits, if you’re looking for a photoshoot in the city of light, you won’t want to book with anyone else. Their team is filled with talented and fun photographers, and they have experience with shoots covering anything from romantic engagements to family fun in the park. We have personally been working with them for over five years now, and highly recommend them.
Blé Sucré
Blé Sucré, in the 12th arrondissement, is a fantastic option for a sweet treat if you’ve spent the morning pursuing the Bastille Market. Just a short walk from the market, the reward is a creamy or chocolatey or sugary delight. Yes, you can get regular baked goods here, but as the name implies (literally: sugary wheat), they specialize in the sweet stuff!
Need a Gluten Free Bakery?
Being gluten free in Paris is notoriously difficult, but getting easier. While we don’t have much expertise on the subject, though we’re learning, we do know one solid spot for gluten free baked goods that has been around for a long time: Chambelland Bakery, in the 11th arrondissement. With a place to sit in, you can swing by for lunch (they do banging focaccia sandwiches!), or for dessert (fruit tarts, even eclairs!). For something to grab and go for later, try their rectangular sugary sticks - the best is orange flavor (fleur d’oranger) with chocolate chips. Chewy, delicious, and not even a little dry.
Plus, if you’re a coffee fan, the specialty coffee shop next door is a true hidden gem. Kott Café offers a great cup of joe, and even a vanilla latte with homemade vanilla syrup (hard to find in really good coffee shops!)
For more itinerary advice like the above, you’ll want to grab our Guide+. The Guide+ not only gets you access to everything in our base guide (hundreds of recommendations, a map, dozens of articles to prepare for your trip), but will unlock access to three full day itineraries of Paris, and, for apple users only at this point, an audio tour guide that Jay created.
What to Order at a Paris Bakery
We mentioned a lot of pastries you can buy in our list above, and you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed. Here are some must-try items that you’ll find in many French bakeries that we recommend:
- Croissant au beurre: If you have the option of a croissant or a croissant au beurre, go for the latter. It’ll be flakier, as it’ll be loaded with butter.
- Pain au chocolat: Like a square croissant, loaded with chocolate inside. Not all are created equal, so prioritize the bakeries above that we recommend for a pain au chocolat.
- Pain suisse or torsade: A pain suisse is pastry dough that’s been layered with cream and chocolate chips inside. A torsade is over a twisted version of this.
- Pain au raisins or escargot: Pastry dough twisted into a spiral with raisins and huge flakes of sugar. Sometimes these come in other flavors!
- Chausson aux Pommes: Pastry dough filled with stewed apples and sealed.
- Tarte au citron: Delightfully tangy. Sometimes with something without meringue, so make sure you find the one you want before buying it.
- Eclair:- also not created equal. We recommend trying a few different ones from different bakeries - you’ll notice how sometimes the cream inside is more of a custard, and sometimes it’s light and fluffy.
- Fraisier: Seasonal, but a little pasty with strawberries and cream.
- Fresh baguette: Because, duh. Note: Baguettes will harden into literal weapons by the next day, so only buy one if you plan to eat it.
Tips for Visiting Paris Bakeries
Visiting a bakery in Paris can be a bit overwhelming. It’s one of the top places you’ll run into locals, who go nearly daily for their fresh bread!
- Enter the boulangerie. Say bonjour loud and clear!
- You’ll see a line. Pop in it! You can obviously have a look around first.
- Eventually the line will move and/or someone will come to you. At this moment, say bonjour again. Then they’ll ask you something along the lines of “qu’est-ce que vous feriez plaisir” - what would you like.
- At this point you can point and grunt, read the signs, and practice your french numbers! Smile and laugh and you’ll get through it.
- They’ll inevitably ask you “avec ça?”. That means “what else?” and you can keep ordering, or just say, “c’est tout!” - that’s all.
- Pay par carte or en espèces (cash)
- Don’t forget your merci, au revoir, and that’s it!
Things to note:
You can order half loaves! Yes, this goes for baguettes as well. You can order things like “a demi pain au maïs” - a half a loaf of corn bread. Even a demi baguette. You’ll also hear the French ask for more specific baguettes like “bien cuite” (well baked) or “pas trop cuite” (less baked”). Baguettes can get quite crispy, so there’s often both options, if it matters to you.
Take your time! Things can move fast in the boulangerie line. You still deserve time to decide, ask questions, and make the right choices. Don’t let yourself feel too rushed.
