Eiffel, shmeiffel. I seek Kouign-Amann!
August 12, 2018 10:08 AM   Subscribe

My family and I are taking our first trip to Europe next month (specifically, a week each in Amsterdam and Paris). Given my fixation with The Great British Baking Show, my biggest desire is to visit some high quality patisseries. Any local knowledge on this topic would be greatly appreciated.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI to Food & Drink (10 answers total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 


That was all, of course, assuming that you already know about appeltaart at the Winkel.
posted by humboldt32 at 10:37 AM on August 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


I can't vouch for these personally (haven't done my pastry trip yet!) but David Leibovitz maintains a Paris pastry shop list for people like us... (or maybe this one is the more recently updated? Seems to be current --
posted by fingersandtoes at 10:49 AM on August 12, 2018 [5 favorites]


It's possibly more commercial than you're looking for, but my London friend made it a point to take me to Laudrèe when we visited Paris together for macarons and fancy pastries, and it was pretty much exactly what I imagined out of a fancy patisserie.
posted by Caravantea at 1:19 PM on August 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


Clotilde Dusoulier is a food writer who has maps and lists of her recommended Parisian restaurants and shops. She also apparently can be hired for walking tours or custom itineraries focused on food.
posted by bethnull at 2:43 PM on August 12, 2018 [2 favorites]


A close friend who lives in Paris and is rather... demanding in terms of pastry recommended Ladurée and Hugo & Victor, which are both on the list suggested by fingersandtoes!

I made a custom Google Map for you with all of those addresses (from David Leibovitz). You should be able to open it on mobile and the points will appear in the Google Maps app (it's also viewable on Desktop, of course)

Enjoy!
posted by vert canard at 2:46 PM on August 12, 2018 [11 favorites]


While nearly every bakery in Paris I’ve visited was good at least, if not great, the one that just blew me away is Du Pain et des Idées. Not sure where I heard of it, probably Leibovitz or Le Fooding, but it’s a must visit for the Escargots alone (pastries, not snails). It’s near Republique and the Canal Saint-Martin, so a great neighborhood to hang out in and snack by the canal.
posted by Special Agent Dale Cooper at 5:31 PM on August 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


Sadaharu Aoki in Paris
posted by mathiu at 11:18 PM on August 12, 2018 [1 favorite]


I see some Ladurée recommendations, but I'd go for Pierre Hermé. He's known for his unusual macaron combinations and there are several outposts scattered around Paris. George Larnicol does mainly chocolates, but also has a ton of Kouign Amann varieties.
posted by pianohands at 5:24 AM on August 13, 2018 [2 favorites]


I am American, living in the Netherlands, and I am lucky to spend several weekends a month in Paris. Absolutely try the appeltaart (with slagroom, of course) in Amsterdam. Winkel 43 is the gold standard, but it's pretty hard to find bad appeltaart. You should also get a fresh stroopwafel from a street market. The pre-made ones in the package are fine, but nothing compared to a warm, gooey, fresh stroopwafel. The Albert Cuyp market has my favorite in Amsterdam. Sandwich bread is usually good (multigrain, lots of seeds and nuts), but save the "high quality" pastries for Paris. Amsterdam is not a "foodie" place in the way you may be expecting. I find the Dutch to be very pragmatic about food.

Lot of good suggestions in Paris already, but I'll add: Boulangerie Utopie (the black sesame eclair is my favorite). I also love the Food Hall at the Galleries Lafayette, which gives you an opportunity to browse a lot of variety in a (relatively) small area.
posted by PosterGirlwithNoPoster at 5:35 AM on August 14, 2018 [1 favorite]


« Older Too hot, too cold to sleep...   |   how does insurance work when you're driving... Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.