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Little else is as reminiscent of France as the flaky, golden croissant. Anyone who has visited Paris will remember well the streets redolent of baking butter, softly lit by the boulangeries and pâtisseries lining them. While croissants are usually not too difficult to find in Paris, uncovering the best, crispiest—and indeed, butteriest—requires some concerted digging (and taste testing).
What makes a good croissant, you might ask? For me, the sign of a great croissant is how covered I am in crisp, buttery shards of pastry after munching – in my book, the more flakage, the better. Particularly specific in his stipulations for a great croissant is Xavier Bordet, head judge of the Île-de-France region’s AOP competition for the best croissant. “A true croissant is one which weighs 60 grams, with a further ‘tolerability’ of 5 grams,” says Xavier, “and is made of the perfect combination of flour, salt, sugar, water, leavening and butter… lots of butter. Every French person has a memory of going to their local boulangerie as a child, and having a croissant as a goûter [after-school snack]… this flavour is what we’re after.” (Proust can keep his madeleines – we, luckily, have our croissants).
Whether you’re set to bring weighing scales to Paris to ensure your pastry’s five-gram ‘tolerability’ or are simply on the hunt for something flaky, buttery and delicious, we’ve rounded up our favourite croissants across Paris, from the most traditional to the funkiest gluten-free and sourdough variations you can devour in Paris tout de suite.
