best croissants in paris (2026)

tldr: out of 8 bakeries, my top 3 are du pain et des idees (best overall, 10th arr., around 2 euros), the neighborhood bakery in the marais (best value, 1.50 euros, prize-winning), and carton (best looking, incredible layers). if cedric grolet hadn’t sold out, it might have cracked the list. full reviews with prices and honest opinions below.

i have a croissant problem and i’m not interested in fixing it. every time i’m in paris, the first thing i do after dropping my bags is walk to the nearest boulangerie and order one. no coffee, no conversation, just a croissant and the sound of my own chewing. i’ve done this enough times now to have opinions that i’ll defend aggressively.

this guide covers 8 bakeries across paris, from the celebrity chef spots that sell out by noon to the neighborhood places where the guy behind the counter doesn’t know what instagram is. i spent roughly 20 euros across all 8, which is less than a single cocktail at most paris hotel bars. nobody paid me. nobody gave me a free croissant. i bought every single one with my own money, stood on parisian sidewalks eating them while pigeons circled me like tiny feathered vultures, and formed my opinions in real time.

if you’re looking for more paris food guides, i’m working on a best coffee in paris guide and a paris food guide covering everything from baguettes to bistros.

the awards (my personal picks)

• best overall: du pain et des idees in the 10th. the vanilla note, the butteriness, the imperfect shape. this is the one.
• best for first-timers: cedric grolet opera. the experience is worth it if you get there early enough.
• best budget: the neighborhood bakery in the marais. 1.50 euros for a prize-winning croissant. done.
• most overrated: angelina. beautiful location, decent croissant, but way too sweet with that sugar glazing on top.
• best looking: carton. the layers on this thing are architectural. it photographs better than most of paris.
• best for history lovers: stohrer. 300 years old. the croissant is mid but the building is a time machine.
• best texture: french bastards. that nutty butter flavor is something i haven’t found anywhere else.
• biggest letdown: cedric grolet opera. not because the croissant is bad, but because they sold out before i could try it. twice.

the full list

the top tier (my regulars)

1. Du Pain et des Idees

10th arr., canal saint-martin / ~2.00 euros / 9/10

this bakery looks like someone preserved a piece of 1900 paris and just kept baking in it. the interior is art nouveau, the vibes are immaculate, and the croissant is the best i’ve had in the city.

the first thing you notice is that the shape isn’t perfect. it’s slightly lopsided, a bit rustic, like a pizza napoletana that doesn’t try to be a circle. and that imperfection is exactly what makes it. you can taste a subtle vanilla note, probably from egg yolks brushed on top, that gives the whole thing a creamy quality even though there’s no cream inside. the butter content is exactly right - not so much that your fingers turn into slip-n-slides, but enough that every bite feels rich.

this is the croissant you eat on its own. no cappuccino needed. no dipping in milk. it’s moist enough to stand alone, flaky enough to make a mess of your jacket, and buttery enough to make you close your eyes mid-bite like some kind of parisian cliche.

what to order: the plain croissant. also try their pain des amis if you’re feeling adventurous.

verdict: the best croissant in paris. the imperfect shape, the vanilla undertone, the butter. i’ll fight anyone on this.

2. neighborhood bakery (marais prize-winner)

marais, 4th arr. / 1.50 euros / 8.5/10

the best surprises come from where you expect the least. this small bakery in the marais has won local prizes for their croissant and at 1.50 euros, it’s an absurd bargain by paris standards. yes, 1.50 is still more than your average french bakery charges, but for a prize-winner it’s practically theft.

the croissants come out warm. the smell is the strongest of any bakery i visited, which tells you the butter content is serious. the crunch test passed immediately - crunchy on the outside, soft and layered on the inside. when i opened it up, the interior was thinner and more delicate than the famous spots, which actually means better lamination.

the butter tastes lighter here. not lighter as in less butter, lighter as in a different, more refined butter that doesn’t coat your mouth in fat. it’s not too sweet, there’s no sugar glazing nonsense, and it would be the perfect dipping croissant if you wanted to go that route.

what to order: the plain croissant, obviously. pain au chocolat if they have it.

verdict: if i lived in paris and needed a croissant every day (and i would), this is where i’d go. unpretentious, perfectly executed, and cheap enough to be a daily habit.

3. Carton

near gare du nord / ~2.00 euros / 8.5/10

carton is what happens when a bakery decides to flex and has the skill to back it up. they display their achievements on the wall and honestly, they’ve earned the right. these were the best-looking croissants of the entire tour - the layers were visible from across the room and the shape was almost geometrically perfect.

the taste matches the aesthetics. many layers, excellent crunch, and a solid butter flavor. of every croissant i tried, this one had the most dramatic visual structure - the kind where you can peel off individual layers like pages of a very delicious book.

the area is the only downside. gare du nord is not exactly the charming parisian streetscape of your dreams. there’s a subway entrance, a pub, a popeyes, and that general train station energy where the vibes are questionable. but the fact that a bakery this good exists in that environment is genuinely impressive.

what to order: plain croissant. their other viennoiseries are also excellent.

verdict: the most visually impressive croissant in paris and the taste backs it up. top three, no question. just don’t expect the neighborhood to match the croissant.

the solid middle

4. French Bastards

central paris / ~2.00 euros / 8/10

the name is aggressive and so is the flavor. french bastards has a beautiful open kitchen where you can watch the bakers work, which is a good sign - nothing to hide. the croissant has the layers, the shine, and a very particular nutty flavor in the butter that i didn’t find anywhere else.

my theory is they use a specific regional butter that gives this nutty, almost hazelnut quality. it’s very different from a traditional croissant, but in a fascinating way. not as crunchy as cedric grolet’s, not as sweet as angelina’s, and not as buttery as du pain et des idees. it sits in its own lane.

the inside is very fluffy, not as oily as some competitors, which makes it an excellent dipping croissant. the backstory of the croissant itself is interesting - born in vienna, not france, shaped like a moon to mock the ottoman flag. the french adopted it and pretended they invented it, which is very french.

what to order: the croissant. maybe a coffee to dip in.

verdict: the most unique butter flavor of any croissant in paris. worth the visit purely for that nutty note.

5. Cedric Grolet Opera

opera, 9th arr. / 3.00 euros / 8/10 (projected)

i’m rating this on reputation and partial experience because both times i tried to get a croissant here, they were sold out. once mid-afternoon, once late morning. the staff told me to come back tomorrow morning. i didn’t come back tomorrow morning. too much work for a croissant.

what i can tell you: the packaging is gorgeous, the croissant (based on others’ reviews and the one i finally got on a third visit by arriving at opening) is super layered with a pat feuilletee that is remarkably thin and delicate. it’s puffy, shiny, and 3 euros - twice the price of a neighborhood bakery. the experience is part of the appeal. the location near opera is beautiful, and bringing a cedric grolet box to a brunch apparently makes you a big deal.

the taste is good but not the most buttery i’ve had. the layers and the crunch are the stars here. the look is undeniably the most instagram-worthy croissant in paris.

what to order: the plain croissant (if they have any left). his fruit-shaped pastries (trompe-l’oeil) are the real draw.

verdict: an experience more than just a croissant. if you can get there early enough, do it. but the neighborhood bakery at half the price makes a better croissant.

6. Tout Autour du Pain

neighborhood spot / 1.50 euros / 7.5/10

a cute, small, typical parisian neighborhood bakery. no frills, no instagram counter, no queue around the block. just a bakery doing bakery things. the croissant at 1.50 euros is a fair price given current inflation.

the croissant itself is textbook. flaky, not overly buttery, very fluffy and crunchy. it looks like what you’d draw if someone asked you to sketch a croissant. it’s the reliable neighborhood option - the kind of place where regulars pop in every morning without thinking about it.

skip the coffee machine coffee though. the croissant carries this place entirely.

what to order: croissant. nothing else.

verdict: a perfectly decent neighborhood croissant. not destination-worthy, but if you’re staying nearby, this is your morning spot.

the ones i’d skip (but you might not)

7. Stohrer

rue montorgueil, 2nd arr. / ~2.00 euros / 7/10

stohrer has been open since 1730. the interior is genuinely stunning - ornate, historic, the kind of place that makes you feel like you’re eating in a museum. which is sort of the problem. this is a museum visit that happens to sell croissants, not a bakery that happens to be old.

the croissant is thick, dense, and traditional. not flaky like the others. it doesn’t have the layering that makes the top spots special. the butter content is good and the taste is solid, but it’s the most “normal” croissant on this list. if your grandmother had a favorite croissant in paris, it probably tasted like this one.

the rue montorgueil area is very touristy, so it doesn’t feel like a local’s bakery. it feels like somewhere you go once for the history, take a photo of the ceiling, and never return.

what to order: croissant for the experience. their other pastries and cakes are actually more interesting.

verdict: go for the 300-year-old interior. the croissant is fine but unremarkable. this is a tourist stop, not a croissant destination.

8. Angelina

rue de rivoli, 1st arr. / 2.70 euros / 6.5/10

angelina is one of the most emblematic cafes in paris. gorgeous interior, old-world charm, the kind of place where you go for a full breakfast with friends and feel very parisian doing it. the hot chocolate is legendary.

the croissant, however, was the sweetest one i tried in the entire city. there’s a sugar glazing on top that i wasn’t expecting, and it pushed the whole thing into dessert territory. the inside is extremely buttery - my fingers were greasy after touching it - and it goes flat when you press it, which means maximum butter but minimum structure.

it’s not bad. dipped in coffee, the sweetness actually works quite well. but as a standalone croissant, it’s too sweet, too oily, and at 2.70 euros, too expensive for what it is. you’re paying for the name and the location.

what to order: their hot chocolate instead. seriously. the hot chocolate at angelina is world-class. the croissant is a side character here.

verdict: go to angelina for breakfast, the ambience, and the hot chocolate. don’t go for the croissant. if you’re specifically croissant-hunting, you’ll be mildly disappointed.

paris croissant tips

• get to the famous bakeries before 10am. cedric grolet and other popular spots sell out by late morning, especially on weekends.
• the pigeons in paris know when you have a croissant. they will find you. they will surround you. accept this.
• look for the “meilleur croissant de paris” sticker in bakery windows. these small prize-winning shops often outperform the celebrity names.
• skip the coffee at most bakeries unless they specifically do specialty coffee. the machine coffee at neighborhood spots is usually disappointing.
• a good croissant should make a mess. if your shirt is clean after eating one, the croissant wasn’t flaky enough. bring napkins.
• pain au chocolat is just a croissant with chocolate. if the croissant is good, the pain au chocolat will be good. don’t overthink it.
• avoid bakeries directly adjacent to major tourist sites (eiffel tower, notre-dame). walk 5-10 minutes in any direction and the quality jumps dramatically while prices drop.
• sunday mornings are the best time for croissant hunting. bakeries are fully stocked and the city is quiet enough to actually enjoy eating outside.

if you found this useful, check out these other travel guides:

• best coffee in paris
• paris food guide
• best restaurants in paris