The best bakeries in Paris (2024)

For all things bread, Alain Ducasse tipped us off that this neighborhood shop, just a hop from Faidherbe metro station, harbours the coolest baker of the moment. At Les Copains du Faubourg, the cheerful and talkative Gérald Auvrez, trained under chef Dan Barber, grinds his own Rouge du Roc wheat in store. The result: a masterful loaf with a crispy crust and a dense, moist crumb, boasting long acidic and roasted notes, or an astounding buttery rye puff pastry, halfway between viennoiserie andbricheton.

Behind this small charcoal black façade, Shinya Inagaki, a living legend of sourdough, indulges in his passion: French bread. To enjoy it, you’ll have to brave Shinya Pain’s restrictive hours (4.30-7.30pm only) and the inevitable queue, but oh, what loaves! These are breads with delicate crusts and a subtle sourdough acidity that enhances the aroma of roasted grains.Our top tip? Try the version with khorasan wheat. Oh, and take a look at its Instagram for daily posts of handwritten notes detailing which breads will be sold that day.

Unless you live in the southern part of the 20th arrondissem*nt, going to Le Bricheton is a bit of an expedition, a pilgrimage that every bread enthusiast must undertake at least once in their life. Maxime Bussy, an uncompromising baker on quality, only works with ancient and organic flours, sourced from small artisanal mills. The result: a very low gluten content, ideal for those with intolerances.

Chef Anthony Courteille, trained as a baker, has transformed his restaurant ‘Matière à’ into Sain Boulagerie, a bakerythat focuses onancient flours, sourdough, and good seeds. His special and original breads (parsley the hazelnut, parsnip, turmeric and butternut squash bread...) remind us that the guy has a cooking background. Also worth noting are the viennoiseries (croissants, pain au chocolat, brioche and the likes), are all made with sourdough, which is a rarity in Paris.

Former interior architect Claire Escalon set up Elements Boulangerieby embracing all the codes of healthier bread: exclusively sourdough, juggling between rye, spelt and rice flours from local stone mills. If you’re looking for baguettes, this is not the place. Instead, try the country bread, highly crusty with reasonable acidity, a bit like the German-style schwarz brot in terms ofdensity, or try the rice, buckwheat and seed version, which is a bit like a gourmet cake.

Arnaud Larher is a timeless (and by this point pretty notorious) pastry chef who has settled in Paris for almost twenty years. And his spot in the 6th district is perfect for revisiting the classics; flaky, caramelised kouign-amann(croissant-like pastry), mille-feuille(a layered pastry slice)with a cloud-like texture, and decadent baba au rhum (rum-soaked cakes) aged in Martinique oak barrels. Classics never disappoint.

Cafe Nata is the (micro)embassy of all thingspastel de nata in Paris: baked fresh on-site the same day, with perfectly crispy pastry, delicately layered and creamy filling, rich in egg yolk and generously dusted with cinnamon. Just as good as in Lisbon, in our humble opinion.

You have to venture a bit outside of Paris to discover this talent in La Garenne-Colombes. Awarded the prestigious title of Meilleur Ouvrier de France in pastry making and confectionery in 2004, the self-proclaimed ‘pope of cakes’ (fruity, chocolatey, with or without gluten) breathes new life into childhood treats at Pâtisserie Nicolas Bernardé. Don’t miss out on the cake of the week, inspired by fresh market finds (100 percent seasonal fruits). Every Saturday you’ll find a new cake announced in advance on his website.