Where to find the best pain au chocolat in Paris
There’s nothing more delicious than a warm, freshly baked pain au chocolat (or chocolatine, as the southwestern French would call it) in the morning alongside a delicious cup of café au lait. After five years of living in France, I estimate having eaten more than 7000 viennoiseries (generic name given to classic puff pastries like croissants, pains au chocolat and escargots aux raisins -raisin snails-), always with a good cup of coffee and a splash of milk.
A bit of advice before the first boulangerie on the list: arrive early, Parisian brasseries are serious about their meal times. It is fairly common to walk hungry into a coffee shop in the middle of the morning to find they just ran out of chocolatines and croissants. If that happens, be as charming as possible and ask for a life-saving tartine: baguette with jam and butter. Remember: café au lait has more milk, café crême has less milk and it’s foamy like a cappuccino, and café allongé is a longer espresso with more water.
Here’s the list of my favorites for your next visit to Paris, in no particular order:
The star legend of the Marais: Tout Autour du Pain
At the border of the most bohemian Paris neighborhood remains this glorious pastry shop famous for its perfect croissants (look closely to see the multiple foldings to the dough). This surviving French boulangerie which has also been awarded several times for their baguettes, sells truly amazing pains au chocolat. They don’t have a sitting area to enjoy the pastries, but you’re walking distance from the beautiful Place des Vosges. Address: 134 Rue de Turenne, 75003 Paris (métro Oberkampf).
The financial neighborhood’s favourite: Le Moulin de la Vierge
I used to work two steps away from this charming bakery that also has tables to drink your coffee with views of the imposing Our Lady of Victories basilica. Quite close from Paris’ stock market, known as la Bourse, this place is frequented by real Parisians before their day starts. The very best tip is to arrive by seven when they open: the still warm pains au chocolat are buttery in taste, perfect in consistency and filled with a great chocolate blend inside. Address: 10 Place des Petits Pères, 75002 Paris (métro Bourse).
The new (creative) kid on the block: Ritz Paris Le Comptoir
Inspired by the world’s street food eaten on the go as you walk (think of a long Mexican taco), chef pâtissier François Perret reimagined the pain au chocolat stretching the dough and filling it with high-quality chocolate, achieving a longer, thinner version of the classic. It is sold at the gorgeous pastry counter signed by the Ritz, alongside delicious treats -try the madeleines- worth tasting and instagramming. Address: 38 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris (métro Madeleine).
A butter overload close to the Eiffel tower: La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac
Signed by one of the most beloved celebrity chefs in France, the likeable Cyril Lignac, this pain au chocolat is pure perfection in terms of ingredients (it tastes like butter) and technique. Sold from a very modern, smartly decorated boutique alongside other beautiful cakes and sweet buns, it can be bought and carried through a short walk passing by the edgy Palais de Tokyo museum to the Pasarelle Debilly, to eat it with views of the Seine river and the Eiffel Tower (good luck not eating it on the way). Address: La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac Chaillot, 2 Rue de Chaillot, 75116 Paris (métro Iéna).
*A good recommendation if you’d like to take a sit and enjoy views of the nice Galliera palace and the tip of the tower, just head nextdoor from the boulangerie into Le Galliera brasserie, where they source their viennoiseries from Cyril Lignac’s and serve delicious café crèmes. Address: 15 Avenue Pierre 1er de Serbie, 75016 Paris (métro Iéna).
The royal, gorgeous one at the George V
This well-combed handsome pain au chocolat is already an icon at one of the most emblematic Parisian Palaces (a category designed for hotels of even more than 5 stars) located at a stone’s throw from the Arc du Triomphe and the Champs Elysées. The super lavish environment can even be intimidating: walk past an impressive living floral arrangement into a gallery full of carpets and ancient fine royal decorations where you are to order a viennoiserie basket. Make sure you specify you want their famous version with the elegant traces of a feuilleté dough vertically worked. Address: Four Seasons Hotel George V, 31 Av. George V, 75008, Paris (métro George V).
