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Don’t waste your time waiting in long lines and eating bad croissants. Here are the 10 most talked-about Paris croissants- tasted and ranked!
I spent a month in Paris (and also ventured to Versailles) and ate my weight in croissants 🙂
I was so excited to try all the best viennoiseries Paris has to offer that I decided to make a Croissant Ranking!
Viennoiseries are pastries that use layered pastries (pâte feuilletée)- just like croissants or pain au chocolat. There are many different kinds of viennoiseries in France, of course, but I decided to compare just the classic croissant to have a more apple-to-apple comparison.
Table of contents
- Don’t waste your time waiting in long lines and eating bad croissants. Here are the 10 most talked-about Paris croissants- tasted and ranked!
- Why croissants?
- 10. Maison Landemaine (Multiple outlets. 41 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris, France)
- 9. Carton Paris (6 Bd de Denain, 75010 Paris, France)
- 8. La pâtisserie Cyril Lignac (Multiple outlets. 24 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris, France)
- 7. Mamiche (45 Rue Condorcet, 75009 Paris, France)
- 6. Ritz le comptoir (38 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris, France)
- 5. TIE: Boulangerie Utopie (20 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris, France)
- 4. TIE: The French Bastards (Multiple outlets. 61 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris, France)
- 3. Aux pains de la ferme (9 Rue Royale, 78000 Versailles)
- 2. Pain pain (88 R. des Martyrs, 75018 Paris, France)
- 1. La maison d’Isabelle (47ter Bd Saint-Germain, 75007 Paris, France)
- Bonus review
- Du pain et des idées
- UPDATE (2024):
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Why croissants?
Creating a ranking for almond croissants or chausson aux pommes, for example, would be much more complicated because we have to consider so many more factors that come into play; the almond paste, the quality of the apples, the texture of the filling, the toppings, and so on.
With croissants, they cannot hide the quality of your laminated pastry dough! It’s used as the base of all of the other pastries, and it’s stripped to its purest factors: fresh butter, flaky layers, and their expertise in handling it. You can taste and differentiate the quality of the flour and fresh butter.
The texture of the dough is vital- a good croissant should be crispy on the outside, soft and airy in the middle. The layers of butter will melt in the oven and create steam, creating the multiple, sinfully good, layers of pastry.
I can wax poetics about the perfect croissant all day, but basically you’ll know whether or not a pâtisserie is good by the quality of their croissants. With a good base, any decent topping can be fabulous.
Thinking about croissants got me hungry! Alas, we have to make a decision; here are the croissants I have tried in Paris, ranked.
10. Maison Landemaine (Multiple outlets. 41 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris, France)
This is a famous boulangerie pâtisserie chain in Paris! Their original store is in the 11th Arrondissement, the Oberkampf area. My professeur told us that at the quality of their baked goods is better at this original location.
I ordered the croissant au beurre (they have another croissant sans butter as well) and a baguette. Unfortunately, the flavor and the texture of their croissant was very.. meh.
Nothing remarkably bad, really, but the other bakeries are just so much better in comparison. Sorry Maison Landemaine, you have to stay at the bottom.
9. Carton Paris (6 Bd de Denain, 75010 Paris, France)
Carton is the winner of 2022’s best croissant competition in Greater Paris (link, check out the 2023 list here). This competition is organized every year and the winner gets to supply the French president with their fresh croissants all year! I was terribly excited to try their croissants!
They are located in the 10th arrondissement, by Gare du Nord. So yes, you can taste the 2022 best croissant winner if you happen to be traveling through this train station.
I came a bit later in the day, at around 11:30 am and there was a long line already formed. I crossed my fingers and got on the very back of the line. Thankfully, it worked! I got the LAST PIECE of the croissant! 🙂
Unfortunately, though, the flavor and texture did not impress me. It was crisp on the outside, but not crispy enough. The flavor was quite nice, but the inside was tough. I would have to rank this second from the bottom.
8. La pâtisserie Cyril Lignac (Multiple outlets. 24 Rue Paul Bert, 75011 Paris, France)
Cyril Lignac is a household name due to his television and media appearances. He has a series of cookbooks that are available in the bookshops all over town. His multiple branches of pâtisseries offer breads, pastries, and entremets- and there will be a line of people waiting to get their hands on them.
I ordered his croissant and entremet- but although his entremet is very, very good, his iconic croissant disappointed me. Its interior is tough and almost bread-y, but its exterior is crisp enough. Where are my flaky layers?! It has good flavor, just the texture didn’t do it for me.
7. Mamiche (45 Rue Condorcet, 75009 Paris, France)
This popular bakery near the Montmartre area always has a line for their creamy vanilla choux. But how does their croissant taste?
To be honest, I did not like the flavor very much, even though it had a good texture. I am curious to see if they use butter or something else, because the butter flavor did not come through very well for me. Their vanilla choux, though, was delicious and I devoured it on the spot!
6. Ritz le comptoir (38 Rue Cambon, 75001 Paris, France)
This patisserie is located by the Ritz Paris, where the best pastry chefs are. Pâtisserie chef François Perret had his own twist on French croissant, shaping it into flaky croissant logs. The crisp outer shell falls apart in crispy bits when bitten. I loved the flavor!
The texture is also novel and it stayed crispy even though I purchased mine in the afternoon. You can tell that they use high-quality products. They also have a dine-in area, which is the perfect place to rest after walking through the heart of Paris.
My only gripe is that this does not feel like a croissant. I think it is so defined by its rolled-triangle shape that experimenting with other shapes just does not cut it. Flavor and texture, though, were great!
5. TIE: Boulangerie Utopie (20 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris, France)
This bakery is also popular for their viennoiseries, especially their sesame roulé. Located in the 11th arrondissement, a line of Parisians forms out of the door in the mornings to get a bite of their breads, pastries, and sandwiches.
Their croissants have good flavor and texture, and I really enjoyed eating the sesame roulé as well. If you swing by, please try their sesame roulé! The black sesame filling was not too sweet and maintains a quality of nutty savoriness, and the crisp pastry compliments the filling very well.
Their pain suisse, although very delicious because of the quality of their pate feuilletée, was not my favorite (needs more filling, imho!).
4. TIE: The French Bastards (Multiple outlets. 61 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris, France)
They have a branch on the 11th arrondissement and you will find a line of people waiting to get their pastries and sandwiches! I love their branding, it’s so cheeky and self-deprecating 😉
Their delicious croissants are well made, and so are their other pastries. Please give them a try! Their sandwiches were not my favorite though, there was not much filling for the amount of bread in the sandwich.
3. Aux pains de la ferme (9 Rue Royale, 78000 Versailles)
This was such a surprise! My friends and I were heading to Versailles in the morning and we got hungry, so I found a boulangerie-pâtisserie with good reviews by the Versailles Rive Gauche station. I didn’t expect their croissant to be good- but they were GOOD! The flavor was amazing and I was happily munching on this buttery goodness on my way to the Versailles Palace.
My only complaint, if I have to nitpick, is the outside is not crispy enough. But the flavor, Mon Dieu, just blew me away! Definitely above ordinary croissants.
2. Pain pain (88 R. des Martyrs, 75018 Paris, France)
This boulangerie-pâtisserie is located near Sacré Coeur, in the Montmartre area (near Mamiche as well!)- so you can swing by after viewing Paris from above and grab some baked goods! Their croissants, incredible.
Their delicious baguettes are incredible as well. I don’t think you can go wrong here if the base of their breads and pastries are THIS good. Amazingly flaky, buttery, crispy, everything you want in a pastry!
1. La maison d’Isabelle (47ter Bd Saint-Germain, 75007 Paris, France)
If the rest are good and excellent croissants, La maison d’Isabelle in Saint Germain-des-Pres is THE BEST. I’ve never been so stunned because of a pastry. NEVER. This place won the first place for 2018’s best croissant competition in Greater Paris. But oh my God, do they deserve it. I think they should win every year, jeez!
It is located at the heart of the Latin Quarter. Come early and be prepared to queue; the first time I came by, it was 3 pm and they were all out of croissants. I came by again after seeing so many raving online reviews, and boy do they not disappoint. They have 2 queues on the Sunday morning I came, one for a narrower selection of croissants and other pastries and one for everything else (quiches, St Honorés, tarte aux pommes, baguettes, etc.).
I bought a croissant and a salmon quiche, took a bite of the croissant on the spot, had an out-of-body experience, and got back in line to try their kouign amann!
To clarify, I do not regret going back to queue one more time- if their croissant is excellent, their kouign amann is heavenly! The roll of freshly-baked pastry is enrobed with crispy caramel on the bottom and the experience was *chef’s kiss* perfection. The contrast of the crisp caramel and tender interior is in perfect balance. If I lived nearby, all my jeans could not have fit me right now.
Bonus review
Du pain et des idées
This iconic bakery near the Canal St Martin has been around for a long time. They were founded in 1875 and is world-renowned for their Escargot Pistache Chocolat and Pain des Amis. They are recommended by the late Anthony Bourdain as well!
I was going to try their croissant, but their Escargot Pistache disappointed me. It was mildly crispy around the edges, but got less and less *croustillant* near the middle. The pistachio filling was marzipan-like and did not have the complexity nor the nuttiness I want from a pistachio filling. I decided to not try their croissant afterwards.
UPDATE (2024):
The 2024 Paris Croissant ranking for the best butter croissants is out! Here are the top 5 patisseries that won:
- Maison Doucet (12th Arrondissement, Google Maps)
- Boulangerie Victoire (9th Arrondissement, Google Maps)
- Le moulin de la Crois Nivert (15th Arrondissement, Google Maps)
Don’t get me wrong, almost all of the croissants I have tried in Paris are good! The quality of their flour and butter are so superior that other pâtisseries I have tried internationally pale in comparison. You cannot go wrong with any of the croissants in the Top 5. Your taste buds will definitely be happy!
La maison d’Isabelle, you changed my life and raised my croissant bar so much. What a blessing and a curse, right? I will make sure to stop by and get a kouign amann every time I am in the city.. until a different bakery takes over your place 😉
P.S. = If you just arrived in Paris and need to get to city center from the Charles de Gaulle (CDG) airport, check out this handy step by step for reference! I know how confusing and disorienting it can be for travelers :’). Once you are in the city, check out our tips and tricks on the Louvre museum!
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