Deciding which desserts to try when you're in Paris is not going to be easy, especially when you walk into a bakery or cafe and everything looks and smells absolutely amazing. There is a never-ending amount of desserts available for you to try in Paris, but I’ve gathered up a small list of all the sweet treats that I personally tried while visiting. I’ve also provided a few cafes and bakery where you can find some of the best pastries in the city.

Crème Brûlée

This is a traditional dessert that consists of egg yolks, cream, sugar, and vanilla, with toffee crust.

I thought I’ve had good crème brûlée in the United States, but it honestly doesn’t compare to eating one at an authentic Parisian restaurant. The smooth texture of the creamy egg custard topped with the burning glazed sugar is the perfect combination. If you’ve never had crème brûlée I would personally compare it to flan, expect the caramel is blow torched.

This dessert is a classic so it’s found in most restaurants and cafes, but here are a few establishments that have some of the best crème brûlée in the city.

Le Petit Cler, 29 Rue Cler - If you are traveling on a budget but still want to have a high quality experience then I suggest coming here to try their crème brûlée for 7,5 €. This restaurant is quite popular to tourists and locals so it doesn’t hurt to make a reservation ahead of time.

Sacrée Fleur, 50 Rue de Clignancourt - If you are looking for one of the best crème brûlées in Paris that is not only delicious but also has a large portion for only 9 €, then this is the place for you! I advise you to make a reservation since it is very popular.

La Fontaine de Mars, 129 Rue Saint-Dominique - They serve a traditional french cuisine, although this restaurant is more high-end than other restaurants it’s worth visiting at the very least for their crème brûlée for 12 €.

Croissants

Can you name a more delicious smell than a store full of fresh croissants? These flaky, crescent-shaped pastries are best made with slightly sweet dough and pair perfectly with savory and sweet toppings.

Croissants are relatively cheap throughout the city but here are some of the best bakeries that have all sorts of pastries along with croissants.

Gontran Cherrier, 22 Rue Caulaincourt, 75018 Paris, France - Their croissants are 1 €, kouign aman for 1€ and baguettes for 2€. Their desserts are roughly 3€ a piece. If on a time crunch if you are looking for a light lunch or an affordable price this cafe has sandwiches, paninis, quiches and salads for roughly 4.50-12€ that are ready for carry-out.

La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac - Paul Bert, 24 Rue Paul Bert - La Pâtisserie Cyril Ligna is the perfect median between costly and cheap desserts. They have a few high-end items and beautiful cakes but they also have affordable items for a quick breakfast such as chausson aux pommes (french apple turnovers) for 2.20€, Kouign Amann (croissant and muffin hybrid) for 2€ and croissants and chocolatines for 1.40€.

Du Pain et des Idées, 34 Rue Yves Toudic - You can find all sorts of sweets here for great prices, such as eclairs 2.80€, tarts 3.50€, and croissants 1.7€. This cafe does have limited seating but if it’s a beautiful day I suggest ordering to-go and enjoying the view at the river just east of here. There is plenty of benches and trash cans available by the river.

Pain au Chocolat

Also known as chocolatine in southern France, or chocolate croissants in the United States this sweet roll consists of puff pastry with a few pieces of chocolate or chocolate ganache in the center. You can find this chocolatey treat in all the previous cafes I have recommended but here are a few more that are worth detouring to pick these up!

Miss Manon, Rue Saint-Antoine - This is honestly a great bakery, you’ll find all sorts of delicious baked goods such as Pain au Chocolat and croissants for roughly 3€. As well as lunch items like savory baguette sandwiches and colorful sweet treats such as tarts and eclairs are 4.50€.

Des Gâteaux et du Pain Saint Germain , Rue du Bac - This bakery looks like a museum or an art gallery, everything is very nicely organized. Although it looks very nice it’s actually very affordable, their Pain au Chocolats are 2 €, croissants are 1.60 €, and pan perdu (a french toast type of pastry) 2.60 €. They have some unique pastries here, it’s worth picking up a few treats here.

Crêpes

Crêpes are a type of very thin pancakes typically served sweet but can be savory. They’re made from flour, eggs, milk, and butter, once a thin batter they’re poured into a pan and fried.

Crêperie Little Breizh, Rue Grégoire de Tours - If you are looking for a plain and simple sugar crepe you can find them here for 3€. If you are looking for really sweet crêpes you’ll find that they have a whole menu dedicated to sweet crêpes. Some of the sweet options they have are apples with brown sugar served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, chocolate with vanilla ice cream and Nutella drizzled with fruit for roughly 7.50 €. They have plenty of savory options that contain ingredients such as cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, eggs and spices for roughly 9-12€.

Crêperie Brocéliande, Rue des Trois Frères - This crêperie also has some great prices, you can get a butter and sugar for crêpe for 3.50 €. For more intense crêpes with more toppings priced at 9 €.

olga-serjantu-w62wfZYKxUo-unsplash (1).jpg

Pain aux Raisins

Pain aux raisins is a spiral pastry made with sweet dough, raisins and vanilla pastry cream.

Du Pain et des Idées, 34 Rue Yves Toudic - Pain aux raisins are a huge hit at Du Pain et des Idées, they’re priced at 3.60€. I mentioned this cafe earlier as a place to grab croissants, but while you’re there I highly recommend getting a pain aux raisin as well. They have a few different flavors as well, such as blueberry and pistachio.

French Macaroons

French macaroon are sweet meringue-based cookies that are made from egg whites, icing sugar, and food coloring with different creamed fillings. The filling in the middle is light while still crunchy on the outside and chewy in the middle.

Sadaharu Aoki, 35 boulevard Haussmann - Here you’ll find unique flavors that you would never think of having in a macaroon such as wasabi, bamboo, and rose. They have a lot of matcha flavored pastries and I mean a whole lot, so if you’re a matcha fan this is definitely the place for you. You can purchase macaroons individually for 1.50 € each or you can purchase a box of 16 for 24€ or 8 for 12€ .

Jean-Paul Hévin Paris Vendôme Store, côté cour, 231 Rue Saint-Honoré - This chocolatier store is chocolate based so all the pastries you find have delicious chocolate in them or you can even purchase chocolate per gram. As for the macaroons you can choose between 5 pieces for 8.20 €, 10 for 15.90€, or 15 for 24.30€. This chocolatier has some delicious flavors such as crème brûlée, chocolate coffee, and chocolate raspberry.

Éclairs

An éclair is a long pastry with a crispy outside and a soft doughy inside, filled with a cream and topped with chocolate or vanilla icing.

Stohrer, Rue Montorgueil - Here you’ll find a great assortment of pastries, breads, salads, and sandwiches, but their éclairs are to die for! Depending on the éclair the prices vary from 4-6€.

Fun Fact: Stohrer, is the oldest patisserie in Paris, it was founded in 1730 by King Louis XV's pastry chef, Nicolas Stohrer. The interior of this patisserie is breath-taking, you can really see the history by how it’s decorated.

Carette, 4 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre - This cafe is a the perfect balance between elegant dining and affordable pâtisserie. Decently large pastries are 3€, the éclairs themselves are 4.50€ with a large variety of flavors to choose from.

Madeleines

These are buttery cookies with the consistency of a sponge cake are slightly browned and crispy.

Ble Sucre, Rue Antoine Vollon - The Madeleines here are absolutely delicious I highly recommend visiting this bakery at least once. You can purchase a 4 pack of Madeleines here for 3.50€. You can also find ginormous madeleines here for roughly 45 €, they’re about the size of a loaf of bread. You can also get some of the best hot chocolate here! Chocolat viennois (iced) for 4.50 €, or Chocolat chacun (hot) for 4.00 €.

Pâtisserie Gilles Marchal, Rue Ravignan - They’re sold individually, priced at 1.60€ for a plain butter flavored Madeleines or 2€ for any other flavor. They have some fruity and savory flavors such as lemon, pistachio, and orange.

I highly suggest picking up a bag of Madeleines at the grocery store. French Madeleines Bonne Maman and St Michel Madeleines are a few brands that I found to be great quality. They are more buttery than the ones from a pâtisserie but they’re great to travel with, I grabbed a few bags to have in my luggage while traveling.

Tarte Normande

Norman tart is an apple tart made with shortcrust pastry filled with apples, sliced almonds and sugar, topped with creamy egg custard and baked until the topping is slightly caramelized. Tarte Normande apple tart is typically served with a scoop of french soured cream (crème fraîche) on the side, and is best served warm.

Boulangerie Pâtisserie Teillet, 66 Rue Monge - Located in the 5th arrondissement, here you’ll find delicious bread for roughly 90¢, crispy and flavorful sandwiches and a marvelous apple tart. This small bakery is definitely known for their apple tart, I highly suggest buying a full tart to take home and enjoy with your family. If you don’t have room for leftovers then grab a slice or two and enjoy it near the Roman amphitheatre (Arènes de Lutèce, 49 Rue Monge) just a small 3 minute walk.

Pastel de Nata

Pastel de nata is a traditional Portuguese egg custard tart that is fairly popular around the world. This delicious pastry consists of rolled puff pastry and egg yolks. It has a perfectly golden on the top, crispy on the bottom.

Comme à Lisbonne, Rue du Roi de Sicile - The only pastry sold here are the pastel de nata, you can pick some up for 2€ a piece. They have limited seating but you can order lunch here they have some wonderful sandwiches and salads, if there isn’t room for you to sit order to-go and enjoy the atmosphere at Joseph Migneret Garden, 10 Rue des Rosiers.

Use this pâtisserie breakdown before your next trip to Paris, and eat your way through Paris. If I missed one of your personal favorites please let me know in the comments to add for my next trip!