I lived in Paris for 7 months as a pastry student, and one of my favorite things to do was travel around the city and try pastries. And believe me when I say that I ate A LOT of pastries during my time there.

Below is a list of the patisseries and boulangeries that I visited. I hope you’ll get the chance as well!

What is the difference between a patisserie and a boulangerie?

When visiting Paris, you may notice that some shops are listed as “patisserie” while others are a “boulangerie.” While there is overlap between the two, there is a distinction in the items that they specialize in.

A patisserie is a pastry shop, selling items like cakes, entremets, flaky pastries, and more. In a patisserie, you will find items that need to be refrigerated. In a pure patisserie, you likely won’t find items like plain loaves of bread or baguettes.

A boulangerie is a bakery, selling items like bread, baguettes, croissants, and more. In a boulangerie, you will find items that are shelf stable at room temperature . In a pure boulangerie, you likely won’t find items like creamy entremets or elaborate cakes.

Examples of items you might find in both a patisserie and a boulangerie include croissants, pain au chocolat, pound cakes, or madeleines.

It’s also quite common to find shops that are a hybrids, selling everything from baguettes to entremets.

Pastry shops I visited in Paris

1 – Cyril Lignac

What they sell: Cyril Lignac sells a variety of pastries and breads, from intricate entremets to croissants to baguettes.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? There is no seating at many locations

My opinion: I visited multiple times throughout my time in Paris, and always found the pastries and breads to be dependably fresh and delicious. My personal favorites were the chausson aux pommes and the pain viennois. The famous Equinox entremet I found to be a bit disappointing.

2 – Des Gateaux et Du Pain

What they sell: True to its name, Des Gateaux et Du Pain sells a mix of cakes and breads. You can find everything from seeded loaves of bread to puffy croissants to delicate tarts and entremets.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? There is not seating at many locations

My opinion: Every pastry is made with high attention to detail, and it’s definitely a high end shop. One of my favorite pastries during my time in Paris was the chausson rhubarbe from Des Gateaux et Du Pain.

3 – French Bastards

What they sell: French Bastards is primarily a boulangerie, selling a variety of breads, babkas, flaky pastries, and sandwiches.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? There is limited seating at some locations

My opinion: The charcoal rose roll is their standout item, with a striking black laminated pastry base that is filled with caramelized nuts. Other items I’ve tried include the pistachio babka, croissant, pain au chocolat, and baguette, and they were all pretty good.

4 – Mori Yoshida

What they sell: Mori Yoshida specializes in entremets and desserts with a Japanese-French fusion twist. They are more a patisserie than a boulangerie

Location: 7th Arrondissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: All of their creations are very delicate and beautiful, and their cheesecake is one of my absolute favorite cheesecakes – light but still rich and creamy.

5 – Sadaharu Aoki

What they sell: Sadaharu Aoki specializes in Japanese-French fusion pastries with vibrant designs.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? No

My opinion: Sadaharu Aoki is known for his very bright, colorful, and modern designs. If you’re looking for a matcha dessert fix, this is a great place to go.

6 – Boulangerie Utopie

What they sell: Boulangerie Utopie has a wide range of products, from crusty breads to creamy entremets to creative eclairs.

Location: 11th Arrondissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: I love their selection of pastries and breads, and everything is thoughtfully done. They have a lot of breadth, both in the types of products they make and the flavors they employ. A visit here is sure to satisfy.

7 – Butterfly Patisserie

What they sell: Butterfly Patisserie sells elegant sweets for takeaway or to enjoy in their tea room.

Location: 8th Arrondissement at the Hotel de Crillon

Is there seating? Yes, there is extensive seating in the tea room

My opinion: Their vanilla flan was one of my favorite flans that I had in Paris – light and flavorful without the stodginess I sometimes find in Parisian flan. They are on the more expensive side, so you’re paying for the ambiance as well as the pastry.

8 – Patisserie Tomo

What they sell: Patisserie Tomo sells Japanese-French fusion sweets. They specialize in creative dorayaki and often use dorayaki pancakes in their entremets. They also have a range of high quality teas and beverages.

Location: 2nd and 6th Arrondissements

Is there seating? Both locations have seating. The 2nd Arrondissement location is larger, but I’ve noticed it’s often busier.

My opinion: Patisserie Tomo was my favorite place to relax with tea and a pastry. Their creations are delicate and not too sweet, and the ambiance is perfect.

9 – Maxime Frederic at Louis Vuitton

What they sell: Maxime Frederic at Louis Vuitton sells beautiful entremets and eclairs emblazoned with Louis Vuitton iconography.

Location: 1st Arrondissement

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: The pastries are gorgeous and clearly convey the Louis Vuitton brand. The whole experience, from the cafe setting to the pastries, is very luxurious – which is certainly reflected in the price! I wouldn’t say these are the best pastries in Paris (my entremet came slightly freezer burnt), but the ambiance is beautiful.

10 – Aki Boulangerie

What they sell: Aki Boulangerie sells Japanese-French fusion breads and sweets. They also have a range of beverages, including matcha and hojicha lattes.

Location: 1st Arrondissement

Is there seating? Yes, there is limited seating both indoors and outdoors

My opinion: The creations are very cute and fun, and I love the Japanese influence. I wouldn’t say they’re the most intricate or delicate, but the flavors are delicious.

11 – Patisserie Gilles Marchal

What they sell: A classic patisserie selling entremets, tarts, cakes, and confectionary.

Location: 18th Arrondissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: I was disappointed with Gilles Marchal, as I thought their selection lacked creativity. The chocolate entremet I chose was good, but nothing noteworthy.

12 – Ritz Paris Le Comptoir

What they sell: The Ritz Paris Le Comptoir is a luxury patisserie selling a variety of elegant pastries. They’re well-known for their creative madeleines.

Location: 1st Arrondissement

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: The Ritz Paris Le Comptoir is an iconic shop and epitomizes luxury pastry. It’s worth a stop, but be prepared for the high prices.

13 – Patisserie Tourbillon

What they sell: Patisserie Tourbillon sells a variety of beautiful entremets, along with flans, cookies, cakes, and more.

Location: 4th Arrondissement

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: Patisserie Tourbillon was one of my favorite shops for entremets. There were so many vibrant and creative flavors and components packed into each one, yet they came together in a cohesive whole.

14 – Le Fournil de Vaugirard

What they sell: Le Fournil de Vaugirard sells a variety of breads, viennoiserie, and cakes.

Location: 15th Arrondissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: I have a soft spot for Le Fournil de Vaugirard because it was my local neighborhood bakery. I’d often run across the street to pick up a baguette or pain au chocolat. While they are not the most fancy pastries, they are dependably tasty.

15 – La Grande Épicerie de Paris

What they sell: Le Grand Epicerie de Paris is located in the Bon Marché. It has both a patisserie section, devoted to cakes, cookies, and entremet, and a boulangerie section that sells breads, brioches, and more.

Location: 7th Arrondissement

Is there seating? Yes, at the coffee shop

My opinion: Le Grand Epicerie de Paris is certainly worth a visit if you’re a food lover, not just for the pastries but for the gourmet grocery store. I would say their pastries and bread are solid, but not stand out

16 – Pierre Hermé

What they sell: Pierre Hermé is best known for its macarons, but it also sells a variety of pastries and entremets.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: Pierre Hermé is an icon in French pastry, and a stop to one of his shops is a must for a pastry lover. Personally, I would skip the macarons and get the Tarte Infiniment vanille instead, which is truly a celebration of all things vanilla.

17 – Bread and Roses

What they sell: True to its name, Bread and Roses sells a variety of breads and viennoiserie, along with a selection of sweets.

Location: 6th Arrondissement

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: Bread and Roses is a fairly standard shop. I tried the pain au chocolat, brioche, and croissant. All were good but none were standout.

18 – Copains

What they sell: Copains specializes in gluten free and vegan pastries.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: Copains does an excellent job with gluten free and vegan pastries. Their gluten free puff pastry is impressive, and while their vegan tarts and cookies are on the dense side, they are not lacking in flavor.

19 – La Maison d’Isabelle

What they sell: La Maison d’Isabelle is a classic boulangerie, selling breads, pastries, quiches, sandwiches, and more.

Location: 5th Arrodissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: La Maison d’Isabelle is well-known for their croissant, which is very buttery and crispy. There’s usually always a fast-moving line, which means that the croissants are likely to be fresh.

20 – Brigat’

What they sell: Brigat’ is a boulangerie-patisserie that sells modern and trendy pastries and breads

Location: 5th Arrodissement

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: Brigat’ has a selection of beautiful and well-made pastries. It didn’t leave a strong impression on me, but I did enjoy the chocolate mille feuille.

21 – Tapisserie

What they sell: Tapisserie was created by the same team as Michelin star restaurant Septime, and serves rustic yet elegant pastries, tarts, breads, and more

Location: 7th and 11th Arrondissements

Is there seating? Yes, though limited

My opinion: I love how Tapisserie brings a rustic element to their pastries without forgoing an elevated design. I enjoyed the non-traditional twist on a Paris Brest made with peanuts instead of hazelnuts.

22 – Bo&Mie

What they sell: Bo&Mie sells a vast range of items, from pastries and cakes to sandwiches, to creative drinks. They are well-known for their New York Rolls.

Location: Multiples locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: Bo&Mie strives to make pastry accessible, and have expanded rapidly in the past few years. I love their ethos, but I found my raspberry croissant to be lackluster, and the general ambiance feels more commercial.

23 – Stohrer

What they sell: Stohrer is the oldest pastry shop in Paris, and sells very traditional, very classic pastries.

Location: 2nd Arrondissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: If you want a very traditional French pastry, then Stohrer is the shop to visit. I don’t find their pastries to be very exciting, but they are classic and steadfast. My favorite is the lemon tart.

24 – Liberté

What they sell: Liberté is primarily a boulangerie selling a range of bread and laminated pastries.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? Yes, though limited

My opinion: I found their selection to be rather limited, but it’s possible that is because I visited a smaller location. The pain aux chocolat raisins I got my very fluffy and well made.

25 – Mamiche

What they sell: Mamiche is primarily a boulangerie, selling breads, donuts, babkas, sandwiches, and more.

Location: 9th and 10th Arrondissements

Is there seating? No

My opinion: Mamiche has gotten quite a bit of social media hype, and with good reason. Everything I got from there was excellent, and I would definitely go out of my way to visit again.

26 – Boulangerie La Parisienne

What they sell: Boulangerie Parisienne sells breads and laminated pastries, along with tarts, eclairs, and cookies.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? No

My opinion: I picked up a pistachio laminated pastry and found it to be a bit stale, without a strong pistachio flavor. It was pretty disappointing.

27 – Takumi

What they sell: Takumi sells Japanese-French fusion desserts, such as choux pastries, cheese tarts, and fluffy cheesecakes.

Location: 1st and 6th Arrondissements

Is there seating? No

My opinion: I was attracted by the cute ambiance of the shop, and picked up a matcha cheese tart. While it was beautiful, I found the flavor to be lacking.

28 – Jeffrey Cagnes

What they sell: Jeffrey Cagnes shops carry entremets, tarts, viennoiseries, and chocolates.

Location: Multiple locations throughout Paris

Is there seating? Yes

My opinion: I love the design of the pastries – they’re both modern and structured yet organic, with a strong visual continuity throughout. The taste is great as well.

29 – Le Boulanger de la Tour

What they sell: Le Boulanger de la Tour sells bread and viennoiseries

Location: 5th Arrondissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: Le Boulanger de la Tour had the best pain au chocolat that I had in Paris, and their chausson aux pommes was exceptional as well. Definitely worth a stop if you love laminated pastries.

30 – Christophe Louie

What they sell: Christophe Louie sells a variety of breads, cakes, and viennoiseries, but they are most known for their panettone. They even have a panettone ice cream!

Location: 3rd Arrondissement

Is there seating? Yes, but limited

My opinion: If you love panettone, you must visit Christophe Louie. They are pricey, but in my opinion worth it for the quality and the labor that goes into making it.

31 – Du Pain et Des Idees

What they sell: Du Pain et Des Idees is primarily a boulangerie, selling breads and laminated pastries. They are well-known for their large escargot rolls.

Location: 10th Arrondissement

Is there seating? No

My opinion: Du Pain et Des Idees is a very popular bakery, with good reason. Their pastries are well made and delicious. However, they are on the pricier side for a boulangerie, almost twice the price of other boulangeries.