The Best Croissants in Paris: A Buttery Investigation
The croissant quest never ends in Paris.
We’re talking croissants that crackle when you squeeze them. Layers so delicate they scatter across your lap. Butter content so high your fingers need wiping—the real deal.
Here’s my local guide to our favorite croissants in Paris, featuring the 2025 official competition winners with consistently excellent bakeries that I’ve been visiting for years.
Understanding the Rankings
The 2025 Official Winners come from the Meilleur Croissant au Beurre Charentes-Poitou competition—the most prestigious croissant contest in greater Paris. Every baker must use the same PDO butter. Judges evaluate appearance, color, layers, texture, smell, and taste. These aren’t opinions; these are professionally validated champions.
The Consistent Favorites earn their spots through years of local devotion and my own personal endorsement! Some rank higher in independent tastings than in official competitions. All deserve your attention.
The 2025 Competition Winners
1. Des Racines et du Pain (Winner)
Why it won: Basile Fourmont’s curved croissant impressed the entire jury with perfect lamination, ideal butter ratio, and flawless execution. This is the croissant that beat 100+ competitors. Fourmont also won best baguette in Greater Paris the same year—a rare double victory.
The experience: Located in Clamart (just outside Paris proper), this requires a journey. Worth it for croissant completists chasing championship-caliber pastry.
Location: 1 Place du Panorama, 92140 Clamart
Metro: Take Line 13 to Mairie de Clamart, then the bus
Note: Plan your trip; this isn’t a casual drop-by
2. La Parisienne (2nd Place – 10th arr.)
Why it won: Mickaël Reydellet’s croissant took second in the 2025 competition. But here’s the real story: Reydellet also won best baguette in Paris 2025, AND his pastry chef won best pastry. La Parisienne basically swept the 2025 awards.
The experience: Professional execution across everything they make. The croissant delivers proper flakiness, rich butter flavor, and that satisfying exterior crackle. Located on a street packed with restaurants and bars near the Grand Rex cinema—easy to build into a morning wander.
Location: 12 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75010
Metro: Bonne Nouvelle (Lines 8, 9) or Grands Boulevards (Lines 8, 9)
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 7am-8pm
3. Mille et Un (3rd Place – 6th arr.)
Why it won: Yongsang Seo’s croissant earned bronze in the 2025 competition. Located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, this bakery combines championship technique with Left Bank convenience.
The experience: Classic Parisian bakery executing fundamentals perfectly. The croissant shows proper lamination, balanced butter content, and consistent quality.
Location: 32 Rue Saint-Placide, 75006
Metro: Saint-Placide (Line 4) or Montparnasse (Lines 4, 6, 12, 13)
The Consistent Favorites
4. Mamiche (9th & 10th arr.)
Why locals love it: Tender interior, satisfying (though not extreme) crispness, exceptional butter flavor. Woman-owned by Cécile Khayat and Victoria Effantin since 2017.
The experience: Expect lines. The croissant delivers on the hype. Not as shattering-crisp as some purists want, but the buttery flavor and tender chew create balance many prefer. For me, their cinnamon rolls rival anything in Paris—rare for a city that doesn’t specialize in American pastries.
Pro tip: Visit the 10th location near Marché Saint-Martin for a quieter experience than the 9th.
Locations:
- 34 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010 (Metro: République or Jacques Bonsergent)
- 47 Rue Condorcet, 75009 (Metro: Anvers or Poissonnière)
5. Blé Sucré (12th arr.)
What makes it special: I personally love that Fabrice Le Bourdat’s croissants taste sweeter than most Paris croissants—almost honey-like. The dough shows countless frilly layers, a properly bronzed exterior, and an overwhelmingly buttery flavor. The pain au chocolat might be even better—dark, almost smoky chocolate that doesn’t sap moisture from the pastry.
The catch: They sell out early. Really early. By 10:30am on weekends, you’re looking at empty baskets. Weekdays offer better odds.
Location: 7 Rue Antoine Vollon, 75012
Metro: Ledru-Rollin (Line 8)
Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 7am-8pm (6pm Sunday), closed Monday
Pro tip: Visit after the Aligre market
6. Du Pain et des Idées (10th arr.)
The reality: This bakery is Instagram-famous for their escargot pastries (croissant dough spirals filled with pistachio-chocolate, berries, etc.). The plain croissant is beautifully crafted.
Why visit anyway: The escargots ARE exceptional. The building (operating since 1875) is gorgeous. The location near Canal Saint-Martin makes it perfect for a canal-side breakfast.
Location: 34 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010
Metro: Jacques Bonsergent (Line 5) or République (Lines 3, 5, 8, 9, 11)
Note: Closed weekends; long lines weekday mornings; they now have a side window for faster service
7. La Maison d’Isabelle (5th arr.)
Championship pedigree: Won the top prize for best butter croissant in Paris in 2018. The awning still displays the distinction proudly. When you press the croissant gently, you hear a slight crackle—the telltale sign of proper lamination.
The experience: I love my croissants on the crisper side. Here, you’ll find a deeply golden brown, properly crispy exterior and a soft, fluffy interior. Located in the Latin Quarter near Boulevard Saint-Germain. Less touristy than you’d expect given the location and awards.
The advantage: Unlike some famous bakeries that run out by 9am, La Maison d’Isabelle produces croissants throughout the day. You won’t face empty baskets at 11am.
Location: 47 Bis Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75005
Metro: Maubert-Mutualité (Line 10) or Cardinal Lemoine (Line 10)
8. Boulangerie Utopie (11th arr.)
The twist: Uses sourdough in their croissant dough, creating a subtle tang alongside rich butter flavor. Softer exterior than most—you won’t get the same crackly crust, but the interior shows beautiful honeycomb structure.
Who it’s for: People who enjoy interesting takes on classics. The sourdough approach divides opinion—I love the complexity, others miss the traditional profile.
Location: 20 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011
Metro: Parmentier (Line 3) or Oberkampf (Lines 5, 9)
9. Tout Autour du Pain (3rd arr.)
Competition regular: Systematically ranks in the top 10 of Île-de-France’s annual contest. The croissant feels squishy—almost like a jet-puffed marshmallow—but delivers delicate honeycomb texture and malty sweetness that keeps butter center stage.
The space: Tiny Marais bakery, where you can barely turn around. Good thing there’s a bench-lined square across the street for eating your prize.
Location: 9 Rue du Pas de la Mule, 75003
Metro: Saint-Paul (Line 1) or Chemin Vert (Line 8)
10. Le Boulanger de la Tour (5th arr.)
Local favorite: Delicious, well-executed croissants in the Latin Quarter. Popular enough that they sold out by 9:30am when we visited. Excellent if you’re in the neighborhood.
Location: 1 Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, 75005
Metro: Maubert-Mutualité (Line 10) or Cardinal Lemoine (Line 10)
11. Maison Landemaine (Multiple locations)
The network: Rodolphe Landemaine opened his first bakery in 2007 and now runs multiple Paris locations. Consistently good croissants with proper flakiness and butter flavor. The brioche with pralines deserves attention, too.
Why it works: Reliable quality across locations—rare for a mini-chain. When you need a guaranteed good croissant and one of their seven Paris shops is nearby, you won’t be disappointed.
Flagship location: 34 Boulevard Beaumarchais, 75011
Metro: Bastille (Lines 1, 5, 8)
Other locations: Check website for full list
12. Leonie Bakery (9th arr.)
Expert pick: Located on the same street as Mamiche (rue des Martyrs), you can easily hit both on a croissant crawl down Montmartre.
The advantage: Slightly less crowded than Mamiche but similarly high quality. Sometimes you catch them warm which I love—a total game-changer.
Location: 18 Rue des Martyrs, 75009
Metro: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette (Line 12) or Saint-Georges (Line 12)
The Croissant Science
What makes a perfect croissant:
Visual: Individual buttery layers should be visible. Look for that spiral of laminated dough creating distinct striations.
Sound: Squeeze gently near your ear. You should hear crackling. If it’s silent, the crust isn’t properly crisp.
Smell: Butter first. Maybe flour. Never yeast—if it smells yeasty, the dough didn’t proof properly.
Exterior: Golden to deep amber, with no pale patches or burnt tips. The “ears” (narrow ends) should be extra crispy.
Interior: Evenly spaced air pockets. Should stretch slightly when pulled apart, showing all those delicate layers.
Taste: Rich, buttery, balanced. A hint of salt. Maybe subtle nuttiness from the bake. Should stop conversation mid-sentence.
Ordering Like a Local
Walk into any Parisian bakery and start with “Bonjour madame” or “Bonjour monsieur.”
Then: “Je vais prendre un croissant au beurre, s’il vous plaît.”
(I’ll take a butter croissant, please.)
Or simply: “Un croissant au beurre, s’il vous plaît.”
Why “au beurre” matters: Some bakeries sell “croissant ordinaire” made with margarine or oil. You want the real thing—the butter croissant. Always specify.
Timing strategy: Croissants are made early morning and sell out. Popular bakeries run out by 10am, sometimes earlier on weekends. Some produce additional batches in late afternoon for after-school crowds, but morning is prime time.
The price reality: Expect €1.10-€1.90 for a butter croissant. Anyone charging €4+ better have an exceptional reason (they usually don’t). Paris keeps croissant prices democratic.
The Croissant Crawl
Montmartre Route:
Start at Mamiche (9th) → Walk to Leonie Bakery (same street) → Continue to Chez Isaac in upper Montmartre if you’re still standing
Canal Saint-Martin Route:
Du Pain et des Idées → Coffee at nearby cafés → Walk the canal → End at Mamiche (10th location)
Left Bank Classic:
La Maison d’Isabelle (5th) → Walk to Mille et Un (6th) → End at Des Gâteaux et du Pain (15th or 7th location)
Bastille-Marais Route:
Blé Sucré (12th) → Maison Landemaine (11th) → Tout Autour du Pain (3rd)
The Honest Croissant
You can find excellent croissants in dozens of Paris bakeries. The places on this list represent the consistently exceptional—bakeries where quality never drops, where locals queue even when tourists don’t know the name, where the fundamentals are executed so well that the croissant becomes something more than breakfast.
But here’s the secret: A warm croissant from a decent neighborhood bakery at 7:30am, eaten on a bench watching Paris wake up, will often beat a cold award-winner at 11am. Timing and temperature matter as much as technique.
The best croissant in Paris might be the one you stumble upon, fresh from the oven, in a bakery whose name you’ll immediately forget. That’s the magic of this city—perfection hiding in plain sight, waiting for you to walk through the door at exactly the right moment.
That said, the 12 bakeries above minimize risk. You’ll rarely be disappointed. And honestly? That’s worth something when you’re spending limited Paris mornings chasing the perfect breakfast.
Now go forth and make your fingers greasy. That’s the only acceptable way to eat a proper Parisian croissant.
