FAVORITE SWEETS IN PARIS
Some people go to Paris for the wine, some for the cheese. However, I go to Paris to gorge on sweets. Here is my ever-growing list of places I like to go when I am in the city of love to indulge in my true love: sugar.
Ladurée
Ladurée has been an institution since 1862, when Louis Ernest Ladurée opened his bakery. Then in 1930, a family member of Louis, Pierre Desfontaines, created what we now know as the iconic macaron, by placing ganache between two macaron shells. There are many Ladurée locations, not only throughout Paris, but also around the world. Maison Ladurée offers classic flavors such as framboise (raspberry), citron (lemon), chocolat (chocolate), dairy free options, and even a couple of vegan options.
Carette
Carette is another place for delicious macarons that has been around since 1927. Open well past many bakeries and sweet shops with a couple of locations, this café is a great place to sit and enjoy a sweet treat. Their caramel macarons are my favorite, and the location in le Marais offers wonderful views of Place des Vosges!
Pierre Hermé
Now if you want macarons with unique flavors, from someone who comes from four generations of Alsatian baking and pastry tradition, head to Pierre Hermé. Starting his career at only 14, Pierre founded his own business in 1996, and continues to revolutionize French pastry. For a time before he broke out on his own, he even worked at Ladurée! And while he has classic flavors like pistachio and vanilla, he also has interesting flavor profiles like yuzu and caramel with crunchy black sesame, cherry with lemon and tonka bean. Pierre Hermé is most famous for macarons and pastries, but I actually go to his shop in the 6th arrondissement for caramels!! I absolutely love the salted butter caramels and the chocolate caramels. They never make it on the plane with me, because I eat them all before I get home! (Please note that as of 2022, Pierre has stopped producing caramels, which is a devastating blow to my psyche, but my waistline is rejoicing.)
Jacques Genin
However, the king of caramels for me is Jacques Genin. Pierre Hermé’s caramels are a bit short and stout, while Jacques Genin’s caramels are more thin and elongated in appearance, with more flavor options. Both are so incredibly smooth and creamy, but oh my goodness the Jacques Genin caramel flavors are divine: coffee, pistachio, almond, ginger, and more. He also makes chocolates and pâtes de fruits (which literally translates to “fruit paste,” but to best describe it, I would say it is little squares of fruit jellies with crystalized sugar on all sides in different flavors like rhubarb, pear, pineapple, and kiwi). Note that these fruit jellies are dairy free. Go for the pâtes de fruits and caramels!
Debauve & Gallais
While Jacques Genin has chocolates, I would save room in your stomach for the chocolates from Debauve & Gallais, a chocolate manufacturer that has been around since 1800. Founded by Sulpice Debauve with his nephew Antoine Gallais coming into the fold in 1823, feel like royalty as you eat these velvety chocolates, as Debauve & Gallais was the official chocolatier of Louis XVIII, Charles X, and Louis Philippe. Get the almond crunches, a favorite of Emperor Napoleon I! One time when I walked out of the store with a bag of chocolates in hand, I heard someone say to their companion, “see, everyone leaves this shop smiling.” It’s true!!
À la Mère de Famille
An even older chocolate mainstay to try is À la Mère de Famille, which was opened in 1761 by Pierre-Jean Bernard. As the oldest candy shop in Paris, stepping into the store reveals a tiled floor, dark wood counters, and chocolate in all of its most delicious forms. Now this chocolate house has expanded to multiple locations, but the quality of their products has not diminished over the centuries. I love their florentines, mendiants, organettes, grignotines, and chocolates (it’s actually very difficult to choose just one thing here) but do not skimp on the florentines and grignotines!
Chocolat Chapon
Chapon has ice creams and chocolate bars and little boxes of chocolate, but what I come here for is the chocolate mousse bar. The decadent treat is in what looks to be ice cream canisters, which makes sense given the fact that the founder Patrice Chapon once supplied ice creams and sorbets to Buckingham Palace. But instead of choosing between ice cream flavors, you get to decide between chocolate mousses made with chocolate of different origins from places like Madagascar and Venezuela. And YES I am still lactose intolerant, but have no fear if you have the same affliction!! There is a completely dairy free chocolate mousse made with almond milk. You will be scooped a healthy portion of mousse and you can take it to go or immediately devour it – the choice is yours!
Note that these next four places make my most loved chocolates in Paris, each establishment creating a different favorite:
Jean-Paul Hévin
I love this chocolate shop for its orangines and its mendiants. (Please note that both of these items are dairy free.) Jean-Paul Hévin opened his first store in 1988, and has since expanded his empire to include stores in Japan and Taiwan. You must stop off here for some chocolates!
Edwart Chocolatier
I love this shop for its dark chocolate grignotines. They are truly addicting (and dairy free)! Another very notable item is the chocolatier’s box of completely vegan chocolates. I picked up a bunch of goodies from Edwart Chocolatier one day during a heat wave, and a shop employee gave me a bag with an ice pack to keep my items from melting!
Le Chocolat Alain Ducasse
Alain Ducasse operates over 30 restaurants and has 21 Michelin stars to his name, but he has also blessed us with the gift of chocolate. I keep coming back to his chocolate store for the elite orangettes and almond dragées (both dairy free). I picked up a bunch of chocolate from one of his stores on a hot day, and a shop employee here also gave me a bag with an ice pack to keep my treats cool!
Maison Bonnat
For me, Maison Bonnat reigns supreme in the chocolate bar category. In particular, Chocolat Bonnat works with 35 different plantations around the world to create bars that spotlight each cacao’s unique flavor. For example, there is one chocolate bar that derives its cacao from the Ivory Coast, another from Mexico, another from Ecuador, Haiti, and so on. Technically the Bonnat chocolatier originated outside of Paris, but there is a store in Paris (and you can purchase bars at La Grande Épicerie, which is what I do!) My absolute favorite chocolate bar is the Chocolat Noir au Praliné Amandes, which is dairy free!
Bältis Artisan Glacier
Bältis is a small shop that is the perfect spot on a hot day, as they make ice cream and sorbet. Their sorbet options are vegan friendly, and I particularly love the combination of one scoop of strawberry with one scoop of lemon. So refreshing!
Berthillon
Berthillon is an institution when it comes to ice cream and sorbets (which are dairy free). I absolutely love their raspberry sorbet as well as their chocolate sorbet, and it is so lovely to grab a scoop and enjoy it while sitting along the Seine.
Fruttini
Just steps away from Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, you can find Fruttini, an ice cream and sorbet shop. However, Fruttini is not just any frozen treat shop. The founders Marie-Laure Pollet and Ollivia Berdah have a unique presentation of their sorbets: fruits are scooped out, turned into sorbet, and then returned to fill up the hollow shell of the fruit. Mangos, mandarins, dates, kiwis, apricots, melons, and more are all for the taking here at Fruttini. Not only are all of the products gluten free, but they are all vegan (except for the ice creams). When I stepped in off the street on a particularly boiling day in Paris, I ordered my strawberry sorbet and sat down, reveling in the air conditioning. I then was presented with a glass of water and a little bowl for my strawberry. Now I wouldn’t eat the outside of let’s say an avocado, but it was so refreshing to eat the frozen outside of the strawberry in addition to the sorbet inside. On my way out, I talked with one of the owners and she was so hospitable and encouraged me to come back, which I absolutely will be doing!
Maison Boissier
Maison Boissier is home to confectionary treats! Little pâtes de fruits, marshmallows, gummies, and more. While they also sell chocolate, I would stick to the chocolatiers on this list to get your cacao fix. I particularly like Maison Boissier because all of their treats come in darling decorative boxes. If you would like to bring home a gift for someone, these sugary dainty containers are sure to delight!
Méert
Another confectionary heaven is Méert. I am cheating just a bit here because Méert’s original store is in Lille and has been since 1761. However, as there is a location in Paris, I had to add it to this list! Méert makes high-quality sweet treats and I absolutely love everything that they offer. I can’t stop eating their gaufres fourrée (thin waffles stuffed with a choice of a number of flavors, I myself love their spéculoos variety), caramels, and pâtes de fruits. (Méert HANDS DOWN has the best pâtes de fruits that I have ever eaten.)
Pralus
Pralus, similar to Méert, is a Paris transplant. Pralus hails from Lyon, and their iconic product is the praluline, a brioche stuffed with incredible praline chips. Since this product was first released in 1955, the recipe nor the love for this sweet treat has changed. The brioche lasts a couple of days, so if you are headed home and want to bring something back for someone to try, this is a wonderful option (if you don’t eat it first)! You can also separately purchase the pink pralines that they put in their brioche (they are fantastic and another great gift option)!
Maison Pariès
Maison Pariès is another Paris transplant, originating in the Basque region. This family run business has a hand in chocolates, confectionary, and basque cakes, but what I love Maison Pariès for the most are their mouchous. They are often confused for Parisian macarons, and I can see why. They look like macaron shells, except they are soft, tender, and have a really subtle flavor. In Basque, Mouchou means, “kiss,” and I assure you – they never leave my lips!! They are dairy free, and come in chocolate, hazelnut, coffee, plain (almond), and pistachio. I myself adore the plain flavor, and have bought several boxes!
Happy eating! Please note that it is important to check on any allergen updates on store websites, as they are subject to change.
