Cyril Lignac is a household name in France and a regular on the
nation’s TV screens. Spread between the 6th and 17th
arrondissements, his five pared-back boutiques use only the finest
Moulins Viron flour and Charentes-Poitou butter. Order the
signature “equinoxe”, a single-portion, cake flavoured with salted
caramel and praline – just don’t be put off by its grey
exterior.

Though unassuming from the outside, Boulangerie Utopie is hailed
as Paris’ best bakery. There will likely be a queue out the door at
this 11th-arrondissement spot, where locals get their fill of
classic breads and pastries upgraded with inventive flavours – look
out for a combo of black sesame and charcoal, dustings of matcha
and loaves dyed purple with hibiscus.

No such round-up would be worth its weight in flour without a
nod to the world-famous chef Pierre Hermé, “the Picasso of pastry”.
He has revolutionised the art of pâtisserie with pioneering
techniques and flavours such as his signature blend of lychee,
raspberry and rose. While it’s impossible to order badly in his
outlets, we recommend the nutty plaisir sucré, an Ispahan
croissant, the 2,000-layered pastry and any of the technicolour
macarons.

Grenier a Pain was awarded the coveted title of “Paris’s best
baguette” in both 2010 and 2015, meaning that the long, thin loaves
take centre stage at this boulangerie. Expect a golden-brown crust,
slightly acidic dough and plenty of air bubbles. Snag one fresh
from the oven before hunting down picnic fodder from Montmartre’s
artisanal markets and producers.

Sweet tooth? Make a beeline for Popelini, a veritable temple to
the chou à la crème (aka the cream puff) where founder Lauren
Koumetz has given the 16th-century treat a 21st-century spin.
Classic flavours – coffee, chocolate, vanilla – are joined by
fruity numbers (try the rose and raspberry or the lemon custard)
and seasonal specials such as candied chestnut.

Nicolas Stohrer, pastry chef to King Louis XV, opened his
namesake store in 1730, making this the oldest bakery in Paris.
Admire murals by a student of 19th-century French painter Paul
Baudry (who decorated the Palais Garnier) before ordering the a rum
baba (invented by Stohrer himself), traditional religieuses and
puits d’amour. Meaning “well of love”, the latter’s caramelised
puff pastry gets our hearts beating with its rich crème pâtissière
filling.

Pastries are treated like jewels in Philippe Conticini’s chic
Left-Bank store. This so-called “Pastry Shop of Dreams” touts
highly styled, minimalist interpretations of old classics (think:
black-forest gâteau shaped like a high-gloss cherry and a saint
honoré that looks like a work of art). Like this? Visit
neighbouring Des Gâteaux et du Pain, where Claire
Damon crafts haute pâtisserie in a boutique setting – try a
chausson aux pommes or the “lipstick” fruit tart.

Sure, you can now buy Poilâne’s naturally leavened, tangy
sourdough at your local Waitrose and even across the Atlantic, but
it’s well worth making a pilgrimage to the original bakery which
has been a stalwart the Cherche-Midi since 1932. Bag a pain de
campagne and an oven-fresh apple turnover to go – the flaky,
buttery pastry sets them among the city’s best.

While the chocolate bread from this self-proclaimed “creative
boulangerie” has gained cult status on social media, Bo&Mie’s
laminated pastries, pistachio-filled cookie shots and
salted-caramel mille-feuille also get thumbs double tapping. Run by
two former students of the Ferrandi culinary school, this bakery
prioritises quality ingredients and affordable prices so you can
have a delicious feed both on Instagram and IRL.

Don’t have the time, budget or waistband to make it to all of
Paris’s 30,000 bakeries? Visit Fou de Pâtisserie, where select
gâteaux, chocolates, biscuits and the like from some of the city’s
big names – Pierre Hermé, Cyril Lignac – as well as up-and-coming
pastry prodigies are delivered fresh daily. NB. Rue Montorgueil is
a good one-stop for flavour-first travellers.

Pain Pain is the hipster child of Paris’s ever-growing family of
boulangeries and pâtisseries. Thankfully chef Sébastien Mauvieux’s
Montmartre bakery, which opened in 2015, has substance as well as
style – his baguettes have been ranked among the city’s best. Chow
down apple and cinnamon turnovers against an à la mode backdrop of
bold graphics, marble countertops and a palette of French blue and
gold.

Chef Sadaharu Aoki honed his pastry skills in Japan and France –
and now he’s fusing the two countries’ culinary sensibilities in
his eponymous bakery. Expect quintessentially French confections
crafted with Japanese ingredients such as green-tea opera cake,
yuzu cream puffs and eclairs subtly accented with cherry
blossom.

Set in a shop that dates from 1870 – think: gilded mirrors and a
painted-glass ceiling – Christophe Vasseur’s bakery prioritises
good-quality, natural ingredients made well. Try the slow-risen
pain des amis which has a kick of chestnut or the Danish-style
“escargot” pastry (filled with chocolate and pistachio, not
snails). Be prepared to queue.