Paris, oh Paris… my favorite city in the world. There is something about this city and its magic that captivates me every time and makes me want to return to it again and again. Who of you is following me? Facebook page Happy in the Kitchen probably knows that last May I visited the City of Lights,
Which I dedicated to the field of confectionery, which means visiting as many confectioneries, specialty stores, food courts, lots of shopping (and not for clothes and shoes), and returning with a sweet, sweet taste in my mouth from all the cakes I tasted (with great pleasure).
A trip to Paris – must-see stops (or in short – my top 5)
Lafayette Gourmet
48 boulevard Haussmann Metro: opera, saint lazare, Caussee d'antin la fayette
I chose to open my recommendations with a place dedicated to food rather than a specific pastry shop, simply because I found myself visiting the place almost every day I was in Paris (well, not a bad idea, my hotel was close to it, and for good reason), and if I could move there, I would 🙂 It's actually the gourmet section of the stunning department store. Galeries Lafayette Which is a one-stop shop for foodies. Imagine a large, 2-story hall with stalls of all the best patisseries in Paris, a gourmet supermarket, a delicatessen, food stands (let's call it gourmet fast food), and where you can find everything from everything.
In my opinion, one of the biggest advantages of the place lies in the fact that it has stalls from the best pastry shops in the city (or at least most of them). Since I planned to visit a lot of pastry shops on my trip to Paris, the place simply saved me from running around the city. Who isn't there? Pierre Hermé – with a branch dedicated to macarons, Eclair de Genis, Aoki, Jean Paul Habin and more. Only Dora is missing a name, and that's because Dora has stalls all over the competing department store, Printemps, which is located next to Galeries Lafayette – so it's close by anyway. Beyond the pastry shops, there are gourmet fast food stalls that you can buy and eat on the spot, and of course you can go downstairs and get the gourmet supermarket that every foodie dreams of. What's not there?? There are entire areas dedicated to salt, tea, various chocolates, candies and even sugar "cubes" designed for tea. In the picture above you can see 2 examples of this (the colorful balls and the angels). On my last day in Paris I did a big shopping trip there and bought everything there. Tea, salt, the beautiful candies in the jar you see in the picture above (the kids went crazy for them and they reminded me of the Joules candies of the past), Angelina's chocolate Shaw sold in a bottle (and I can taste it at home when my body is not in a sugar attack from all the sweets I've tasted), Angelina's caramel candies sold in a gorgeous box, balsamic vinegar with truffle oil and more and more. The selection there was simply huge and I spent hours there debating what not to buy (because I wanted to buy everything of everything...).
Pierre Herma
72 Rue Bonaparte Metro: Saint suplice; Saint Germain des pres
Of all the patisseries I visited in Paris, there is no doubt that visiting the flagship branch of Pierre Hermé will remain in my memory as one of the most memorable experiences from Paris. I couldn't stop marveling at the stunning selection in the shop and I certainly had a hard time choosing what to take with me for tasting. So I decided not to choose and took no less than four desserts and more croissant One (and yes.. I ate them all together with my mother, it only took us a day or two to master all this sweetness but it was worth every bite). Each of the desserts I tasted was like a work of art in itself. They pay attention to the smallest detail and the taste?? A real paradise. Since there is no seating in the branch, it is recommended to take the cakes to the square Saint-Sulpice The beautiful thing is to sit on a bench in front of the fountain and enjoy all these delicious sweets, or walk a little further to the Luxembourg Gardens and enjoy the cakes there while sitting on loungers and watching all the beauty the gardens have to offer (fountains, gardens, etc.).
From right to left: Pleasure Sugar, Isfahan, profiteroles filled with mascarpone and berries, and an endless vanilla tart
In addition to the cakes, I had to try Pierre Herme's famous Isfahan croissant and it did not disappoint. It is the best croissant I have tasted in Paris (and I have tasted many, both from high-end and unknown confectioneries in the area of my hotel, they are all good but this was the best). And what is so special about it? Beyond the soft texture and rich flavor, it contained a berry filling that blended perfectly with the rich and buttery shell of the croissant. It also included a decoration of candied rose petals that not only added to its beauty but also added to the flavor (and I am not a fan of rose flavors in my cakes).
In addition to all the desserts I described earlier, Pierre Herma has an amazing line of macarons, which I also got to taste. It is important to know that in addition to the flagship branch, there are branches that only sell macarons (such as Lafayette Gourmet, which I will explain later), so if you feel like splitting your shopping, you can always taste macarons at other branches.
LADUREE
16-18 rue Royale Metro: Concorde, Madeleine
75, avenue des Champs Elysées Metro: Georges V
Paris is not Paris for me without the magnificent La Dora storefronts, which I encountered almost everywhere, whether as luxurious cafes (such as the one located on the Champs Elysees) or as sweet stops throughout the city and especially in the luxurious Printemps department store. In each window there is a devastating display of macarons and other pastries that together create a look that is typical of La Dora. Soft pastel colors, the unique logo with the flourishes and, above all, beauty that was visible from everywhere.
Their cake display is no less impressive than Pierre Hermé’s, and in fact, during my visit there, the salesperson insisted to me that Isfahan was actually invented by them and not by Pierre Hermé. After much deliberation, we chose two sumptuous desserts – a personal Saint Honoré, which included profiteroles with a creamy caramel coating and the kind of thick vanilla whipped cream you don’t want to stop eating, and a chocolate dessert called Elysée, which included layers upon layers of chocolate. Both were nothing short of amazing (and the fact that we devoured them on a bench on the Champs-Elysées certainly added to the atmosphere). Hmmmm…
Beyond the wonderful macarons and amazing cakes, Ladora has an entire industry of products sold in branches, including macaron-shaped key chains for a “symbolic” price of 45 euros and the corresponding books that come in a luxurious box. Since I already returned with a separate suitcase for all my shopping, I preferred not to carry the book with me and simply purchased it online and miraculously, just today, as I was writing this post, it arrived :-).
The flash of genius
14 rue Pavee Metro: saint paul. In addition, or instead, we highly recommend visiting the branch at the Lafayette Gourmet store, opposite Galeries Lafayette.
I’ll start by saying that for me this is a must-stop in Paris and that they’re not called the Eclairs of the Genius (“A Spark of Genius”) for nothing. These are the best eclairs I’ve ever tasted in my life and I can only hope that one day they’ll open a branch here, so that I don’t have to travel all the way to Paris to enjoy them again. This is a concept store that specializes in… eclairs – which are elongated puffs filled with dreamy creams and with a variety of toppings. The place also sells other sweets, but there’s no doubt that the highlight is the eclairs. And there are lots of them.
Christophe Adam is the pastry chef behind the eclairs, and every time he comes up with a new and exciting concept. A visit to the place's Instagram page reveals, for example, special collections with a variety of designs, such as eclairs with a white veil and... a mustache, eclairs with flag colors France In honor of Bastille Day and a host of other special decorations. Another collection that caught my eye is actually of elongated tarts that look like open eclairs but are based on shortcrust pastry. They also come with a host of fillings and decorations. Since when I arrived at the store I was on a sugar attack from all the places I had visited before, I settled for a salted caramel eclair which was simply amazing. Later, I returned to the store at the Lafayette Gourmet branch and tasted another eclair, before a praline, which was also wonderful. There is no doubt that I was left with a taste for more, and in the meantime I am trying to recreate that special taste and texture at home. When I succeed, I promise to share the recipe on the blog.
Eclair Praline from the Eclair Genius
Pushkin Cafe
64 boulevard Haussmann Metro: Havre Caumartin, Saint Lazar
Please note that there is also a larger branch. In Saint-Germain Opposite Cafe Flor and another cute branch nearby Vosges Square.
Café Pushkin is a relatively new café in Paris, located next to the stunning Printemps department store (the one next to Galeries Lafayette and highly recommended). I will admit that I have walked past it a few times and didn't even notice the place until I went looking for it specifically. It is a relatively small shop, with a few seats, but when you see the display of cakes, you can't help but be amazed.
The best way to describe it is Russian luxury and style combined with the secrets of French pastry. Every dessert there looks so different and special and invested. The Russian design is different from the other designs I saw in Paris and if that wasn't enough, the flavors also combine all kinds of Russian classics. For example, the two dishes I tasted were very unique. One is called Rose Printen on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the department store, whose logo is a rose.
Beyond the amazing appearance of the rose, when you taste it you discover the breathtaking combination of cherries and berries with sour cream. Amazing in every bite. So of course I couldn't resist and took a picture of the rose for you in its entirety and also in a cross section that shows all its amazing layers.
I also tasted the Saint Honore which instead of the usual whipped cream contained Tuborg cheese cream (appears on the top right in the split photo above). Very Russian. Unfortunately I am not a fan of cream cheese so I liked it less. But those who like cakes Cheese He'll swoon over this dessert. In short, I included Pushkin in my list of my five favorite places in Paris simply because it has something special and different from other patisseries, and if I could, I would taste many more desserts from it.
Other patisseries/boutiques worth visiting
Jacques Genet
133 rue de Turenne Metro Republique
Beyond the fact that the place also sells confectionery products, it is actually a boutique that sells a variety of chocolate products, most notably stunning pralines, caramel candies in any flavor you could want (and believe me, I tasted almost all of them, some only after I returned to Israel), and marmalades in a variety of flavors (I also tasted almost all of them, I simply took a box with me and devoured them to my heart's content when I returned to Israel). The store looks like a paradise to Ami and Tami with lots of beautiful sweets that beckoned to me from every corner. The service I received was also very kind, and thanks to it, I was also able to take quite a few photos there as the staff happily cooperated with me. And apparently the place liked the photos too, because a little while after I returned to Israel I discovered that the place's Instagram page liked the photo I shared of the marmalades 🙂 I liked the fact that everything I bought there was well preserved and held up well, so I could also take them back to Israel with me and enjoy them here (and you already understood that in Paris I lived mainly on cakes...).
Patrick Roget
When I entered Patrick Roget's store, the first thing that struck me was the wonderful smell of chocolate. It actually took me a while to enter the store, and I walked past it several times looking for the place, simply because I was sure it was a jewelry store. It was only after I asked for directions that I went in and realized that all the jewelry boxes in the store were actually boxes of chocolates 🙂 At the entrance to the store stands a chocolate sculpture designed by Patrick Roget, who is first and foremost a chocolate artist. It's a changing display and every time you come across a different sculpture. I'll admit that I was a little disappointed that it wasn't a sculpture of some kind of animal (in the past there were a giant hippopotamus and a monkey), but the sight was stunning and the smell was amazing. To the seller's credit, since we were hesitating what to get, she offered us a small taste of the pralines.
The boutique sold a hysterical selection of pralines in a variety of flavors and textures and with a spectacular appearance. We were especially enthusiastic about the pralines that looked like large jelly beans with a shiny colorful coating. The choice was not easy, but in the end I left with a bag containing a wonderful selection of pralines. Here too, I managed to resist and returned to Israel with some of the pralines (I had to taste some immediately 🙂 ). So if you are a chocolate lover, don't miss a visit to the place. The pralines were amazing, and the appearance of the place is so special. And in general, it is in an area that is fun to walk around (the Saint-Germain district) and in its vicinity I found some really nice shops for household items, some of which are not even expensive.
Bella Sucre
72 rue Antoine Vollon Metro: Ledru-Rollin
Every search I did about Paris, I came across a recommendation for this lovely pastry shop. Many places claim that their croissant is the best in Paris. I'll go ahead and say that the croissant is really excellent, but in my opinion it doesn't surpass Pierre Herme's Isfahan croissant. The shop itself looks relatively small and lovely and is within walking distance of Place de la Bastille. And back to Bella Sucre. Another amusing bit was that on the way I took the advice of someone from the area and when I told her that it was a well-known and well-known pastry shop, she was almost in a state of shock and told me that she lives near the place and buys a lot there and never imagined that it was a "famous" place. Apparently this has to do with the modest appearance of the place, which really looks more like a neighborhood pastry shop with a relatively small display case menu and without much "pose" but is definitely tempting and invested in terms of the quality of the desserts.
This time I chose to focus on the local croissant (as mentioned, very good), the yeast pastry with apple filling (incredibly delicious), and the madeleines, which personally were not to my taste (but they looked beautiful).
Bon Marche
38 rue de Sevres
בSaint-Germain district There is one magical street with lots of attractions – rue de bac and at the end is the food hall Le Bon Marche. What isn't there? Everything you would find in a regular supermarket, only in Gourmet (fruits, vegetables, raw materials and anything you could possibly want to buy) but beyond that there are additional floors full of equipment, appliances, pots and utensils. Everything is of course expensive but of high quality and prestigious. I personally was more enthusiastic about Lafayette Gourmet but there is no doubt that this is a completely respectable foodie stop and is worth a visit (and thanks to Mickey Shome for the recommendation, both on Rue Bac and with Le Bon Marche).
In conclusion
So that was my experience in Paris and these are the recommendations I am happy to share with you. Paris is a city where you can spend hours around food temples. Since my first visit I have managed to visit Paris again and revisit places I loved, as well as get to know new places, the best of which is Michalak's patisserie behind Hotel de Ville And Arnaud Larrer's pastry shop, which included beautiful cakes in special designs. If you are a foodie planning a trip to Paris, I suggest that you prepare yourself for endless eating of sweets, and to that end, it is advisable to focus on 2-3 pastry shops a day, preferably with partners who will taste the dishes with you. Of course, it is also advisable to balance all the sweets with various savory dishes, and there is nothing like a fresh baguette with a piece of good cheese to cleanse the palette and leave with a huge smile on your face.
A few words about Ruth Ofek
Ruth Ofek is a lawyer who really loves baking. On the lovely blog She shares with the crazy people her love for the field and what she reads in her kitchen.