Viennoiserie - French Pastry

Viennoiseries is the term used for all those delicious pastries, such as croissants, pain aux raisins, pain au lait, brioches, chausson aux pommes and pain au chocolat. You normally eat them for breakfast or as snacks, like at goûter.

In the 1830s August Zang, an Austrian artillery officer, opened up a bakery in Paris. Here he made and sold Austrian pastry, including the kipferl, which later in France, through imitation, became the French croissant, the name deriving from the shape of this buttery pastry.

Most people in Paris can probably tell you where the best croissants are made and sold, and there are probably as many opinions as there are Parisians.

My personal favorite is:

Moulin de la Vierge in the 7th., which is one of the best bakeries in the 7th. - On the weekends it is best to arrive early in the morning, since this bakery is very popular in the neighborhood, and service is therefore very fast when the queue is long, and not all the young women working there speak English. So if you need to use hand-signals to do your shopping, be there when it is not crowded. Service is very polite and friendly, even when the queue is long.

64 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris. Open everyday, except Tuesday, from 7:30 - 20:30.

There are so many bakeries in Paris to chose between, and only one life to do it in.

When in Paris, go for the best bread and pastry. This you will find in the bakeries listed below. This is just a list of some of those considered to be the best, there are of course many, many more; but these are well-known, and you won't leave disappointed, or hungry.

Moulin de la Vierge: see above; this bakery can also be found on another address: 166 avenue de Suffren, 75015 Paris, open Friday-Wednesday.

Miss Manon, 87 Rue Saint-Antoine, 75004 Paris (in Le Marais); Open Tuesday-Sunday.

Maison Kayser, 87 Rue d'Assas, 75006 Paris; Open Monday-Saturday. This bakery is also found on other addresses: 10, Rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie, 75006 Paris and 85 bd Malherbes, 75008 Paris, and 49 rue Linois, 75015 Paris, open Friday-Wednesday.

Boulangerie Julien, 85 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris; Open Monday-Saturday.

Pain d'Epis, 63 Avenue Bosquet, 75007 Paris; Open Monday-Friday

Boulangerie Dupuy, 13 Rue Cadet, 75009 Paris; Open Wednesday-Monday.

Du Pain et des Idées, 34 Rue Yves-Toudic, 75010 Paris; Open Monday-Friday

L'Artisan du Pain, 104 Rue Bobillot, 75013 Paris; Open Tuesday-Saturday

Aux Délices du Palais, 60 bd Brune, 75014 Paris; Open Thursday-Tuesday

La Fournée d'Augustine, 96 rue Raymond-Losserand 75014 Paris; Open Monday-Saturday

Bonneau, 75 rue d'Auteuil, 75016 Paris; Open Wednesday-Sunday

Raoul Maeder, 158 bd Berthier, 75017 Paris; Open Tuesday-Sunday

Please note that a lot of bakeries, like a lot of other stores in Paris close for 2 - 4 weeks in the summer. So, if you are in Paris in July or August, some may be closed.