The Best Croissants in Paris: 15 Must-Try Spots

Discover 15 of the best croissants in Paris. They're all flaky, delicious and mandatory for any food trip to the City of Light.

Croissant in ParisPhoto by2foodtrippers

Eating a freshly baked croissant in Paris is something you can and should do every morning when you visit the City of Light. Yes, every morning. You won't be alone - many Parisians do the same exact thing. Don't worry about getting bored - popular options include classic plain croissants (i.e. croissants au beurre), chocolate croissants (pains au chocolat) and almond croissants (croissants aux amandes). Plus, with the proliferation of boulangeries throughout the city, some bakers have expanded croissant flavors to include raspberry, hazelnut and even salted caramel.

However, while there's an abundance of excellent croissants at the city's many pastry shops and boulangeries, some croissants are better than others. Sure, you may need to walk a bit or even take a metro in your noble quest to find and eat the best croissant in Paris. But you'll be glad you made the effort when you take your first and last blissful bites.

Fun Fact: Parisian bakeries have epanded the croissant concept with hybrids that include the brookie, crookie and cruffin. The crookie hybrid that melds American chocolate chip cookies with French croissants is currently having a moment on TikTok. In our opinion, the crookie is a fad, so consider yourself warned.

Our Favorite Croissants in Paris

The French didn't invent croissants - that honor goes to the Austrians. (Croissants fit into a group of flaky pastries which the French call viennoiseries.) However, although Vienna's crescent-shaped kipferl debuted first, France's refined version is the one that thrived and conquered the world.

Over time, French croissants have become a global breakfast staple. We've eaten fine versions in America as well as in Denmark and Vietnam. However, there's nothing like eating buttery, flaky croissants in Paris. They're literally all over the city with literally thousands of boulangeries producing fresh croissants each morning. Much like pizza, which is having a moment in Paris, each Parisian croissant is an expression of the baker. Some croissants are buttery, some are airy and some have a magnificent flake and crunch. And, while the freshest croissants are usually the best croissants, some croissants are simply better than the rest.

We've done the research and we've eaten a LOT of croissants during multiple trips to Paris. These are our favorite spots to eat hot-out-of-the-oven croissants in Paris:

1. Stohrer (2nd Arrondissement)

People flock to Stohrer, Paris' oldest bakery, to eat a boozy baba au rhum (we're partial to the version topped with a lovely cloud of chantilly cream) though some opt instead for a creamy saint-honoré or a tangy lemon tart. However, ruling out Stohrer's croissants would be a mistake since one bite into a Stohrer croissant reveals countless layers of buttery goodness.

This historic patisserie has sold croissants and other magnificent, textbook viennoiseries for over 100 years. If Stohrer's croissant isn't the best croissant in Paris, it's certainly a top contender.

2. Mamiche (9th and 10th Arrondissements)

Thanks to their decadent chocolate babka and addictive vanilla choux crème pastries, female chefs Victoria Effantin and Cécile Khayat achieved fame soon after they opened the original Mamiche boulangerie in 2017. We understood the hype after we finally visited Mamiche seven years later and ate two croissants. The hefty pastries left a buttery trail in our mouths that we savored long after the croissants were gone.

3. Bontemps Pâtisserie (3rd Arrondissement)

We discovered Bontemps' croissants during a leisurely brunch in the pâtisserie's charming outdoor space. While they didn't have thousands of layers or fancy fillings, those croissants were wonderfully executed with a crunchy caramel brown layered exterior that opened to an airy yet even web of pastry. While great croissants are easy to find in Paris, Bontemps' version ranks as one of our favorites.

Pro Tip: Weather permitting, eat your Bontemps croissant in the pâtisserie's 'secret' courtyard and pair it with a glass of champagne or a mimosa.

4. Carton Paris (10th Arrondissement)

We discovered Carton Paris when we needed a quick bite before boarding a train at Gare du Nord - the boulangerie is less than a five minute walk from the station. However, we were far from the first. Not only has Carton been open since 1956, but its butter croissant won the title of Best Croissant of Île-de-France in 2022. We're partial to Carton's raspberry croissant. While it's not the croissant that won the award, it's a colorfully crispy bauble that's jam packed with sweet raspberry jam.

Pro Tip: Carton is an excellent stop if you're traveling to one of the Paris' airports or If you have time to kill before boarding the TGV at one of the 'deux gares'. Once you've enjoyed your croissant break, you can then take the RER B and/or Metro to Charles de Gaulle or Orly.

5. Boulangerie Utopie (11th Arrondissement)

Boulangerie Utopie is famous for its carbonized black breads and pastries but don't count out the bakery's finely crafted croissants. Utopie's chefs follow a three-day process to make their beautiful multilayered crescent pastries using a sourdough starter and special Montaigu butter sourced from Eastern France. The flaky result is nothing short of wonderful.

6. Du Pain et Des Idées (1oth Arrondissement)

Although the queue at Du Pain et des Idées often snakes around the corner, most people aren't necessarily there for the boulangerie's well-structured croissants. Instead, they come for the über-popular chocolate pistachio escargot that they saw on social media. We tried that famous escargot and it was great as was the boulangerie's legendary pain des amis.

The croissant we ate was pretty awesome too. Handcrafted with organic ingredients, the flaky, hand crafted viennoiserie was light, airy and special.

7. L'Éclair de Genie (Multiple Locations)

A destination for éclair fans since it opened in 2012, L'Éclair de Genie's made the oblong choux pastry exciting with flavors like blood orange, sesame and passion fruit. Christophe Adam applied similar culinary finesse to crescent shaped pastries when he started filling croissants with chocolate, pistachio, raspberry and vanilla cream.

Topped with white chocolate swirls, the vanilla croissant we shared was decadently delicious. In fact, it was so rich and luxurious that we recommend eating one as an afternoon dessert instead of for breakfast.

8. Hugo & Victor (7th Arrondissement)

Regardless of any reference, intentional or otherwise, to the heavy themes in Vicor Hugo's opuses, Victor Pouget infuses positive energy into the contemporary pastries he bakes and sells at Hugo & Victor. In fact, we felt the opposite of miserable when we ate one of his croissants thanks to its glossy shell and buttery, flaky layers.

9. SAIN Boulangerie (3rd and 10th Arrondissements)

SAIN Boulangerie's Anthony Courteille's is fully commited to organic ingredients. He's been baking SAIN's signature sourdough croissants with milk sourdough, AOP butter, unrefined sugar and organic T65 flour since opening the original shop in 2018. He adds an additional ingredient to SAIN's pain au chocolate recipe - lecithin-free chocolate. We approve of both of those dense yet flaky pastries as well as the smart cookie, topped with dark chocolate and candied ginger, that we taste tested too.

10. Cédric Grolet Opéra (2nd Arrondissement)

Open since November of 2019 and located near the epic Palais Garnier, Cédric Grolet Opéra has a permanent line that forms before the shop opens in the morning and ends when it closes (or sells out). We celebrated surviving a seemingly endless queue by ordering a fleur-brest pastry shaped like a flower, a vanilla pod trompe-l'oeils and a seemingly simple croissant during our visit. Easily the most stunning croissant in this guide, it was solid choice to eat a la minute while saving the shop's more ornate pastries for later.

11. Liberté (Multiple Locations)

The culinary team at Liberté sources its flour from nearby Verdelot, its dairy products from Normandy and its butter from Nouvelle-Aquitaine. They put those products to good use when they bake textbook croissants and sell them at shops located in eight different Paris arrondissements.

While American patriot Patrick Henry demanded either liberty or death back in the day, leisurely eating one of Liberté's freshly baked croissants is our personal version of freedom.

12. Tapisserie (11th Arrondissement)

Not to be confused with a textile shop despite its locale in a former tapestry neighborhood, Tapisserie (a fun play on the word pâtisserie) bakes one of our favorite Paris pastries - the tartelette au sirop l’érable. However, it's not the only worthwhile pastry to eat at the pastry shop opened by the Septime team in 2020.

Tapisserie's croissants and pains au chocolate are so good that they tend to sell quickly each morning. We recommend pairing one or both with a cup of coffee. Yes, Tapisserie serves good coffee too.

13. The French Bastards (Multiple Locations)

Despite its tongue-in-cheek name, The French Bastards is an excellent boulangerie/pâtisserie hybrid that's devoted to baking great bread and magnificent pastries. We met the owners (i.e. bastards) when the shop was new in 2019 before it grew into a trendy chain. Even back then, the bakery pushed the envelope with its tartes au charbon (charcoal black tarts), mini babkas and puffy cruffins.

However, both then and now, the three 'bastards' haven't neglected the simple pleasure derived from biting into a freshly baked baguette or a well crafted croissant. Their croissants are airy yet firm with just the right amount of butter.

14. KL Pâtisserie

True confession - we journeyed to KL Pâtisserie near the Wagram metro station specifically to try one of Chef Kevin Lacote's special à la minute creations, namely his version of Spanish churros. However, that mission didn't stop us from trying the chef's pain au chocolate too. While the churros were the star of the show, Lacote's more traditional viennoiserie was excellent in its own buttery way.

15. Boulangerie Poilâne (Multiple Locations)

A Paris institution since 1932, Boulangerie Poilâne has retained a sense of modernity despite its octogenarian status. Original owner Pierre Poilâne was clearly ahead of his time when he devoted himself to baking artisan bread in a wood-fired oven. Two generations later, after the untimely death of Pierre's son Lionel in 2002, granddaughter Apollonia took over the business at just 18 years old and has since grown the bakery into one of Paris' most succesful boulangeries.

Poilâne's pastry chefs bake their croissants using traditional methods. They also fill their pains au chocolat with dark chocolate that's locally produced by chocolatier Michel CLUIZEL. The extra efforts speak for themselves after just one bite.

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