Best of: Food (Part 2)

 Paris may be the city of lights, love, and the Eiffel Tower, but we all know what this city is really about: baked goods. Here is a selection of my favorite breads, pastries, and dessert places in Paris, each tested and tasted with loving care.

1. Ladurée – The original French macarons, this little cream-filled wafers come in ever-changing flavors that pack a huge punch. Located at Place de la Madeleine, the Champs Elysées, and Rue Bonaparte.

(Image credit: www.laduree.fr)

2. Berthillon – This little salon at the end of Ile Saint-Louis serves up ice cream masterpieces that surpass anything else like it in Paris. Make sure you go to real Berthillon, and not to one of the many cafés selling their ice cream on the same road.

3. La Parisienne – Located in the Latin Quarter on Rue Monge, they might have my favorite Parisian baguette (and their pastries aren’t shabby, either).

4. Eric Kayser – The one chain where quality does not suffer, Eric Kayser bakeries are located all over Paris, and each has their own particular specialties. The original is on Rue Monge. Warning: avoid the baguettes. The rest of their bread is extraordinarily good, but the baguettes are surprisingly substandard.

5. Le Moulin de la Vierge – I sadly haven’t been back here since our single, glorious encounter last September. Close to the Eiffel Tower on Rue Vercingétorix, their chocolate-almond croissants are to die for.

6. La Fournée d’Auguste Vavin – A late discovery on Vavin, near the Luxembourg gardens. Their bread is informally excellent, particularly their dark, multigrain brød, which is a bit of a novelty in white bread-obsessed Paris.

7. Georges Larnicol – Here, it’s all about the kouignettes, buttery, flaky swirls of deliciousness (and you can thank your lucky stars that they don’t sell the full-size Kouign Amann, Brittany’s version of heart failure). Take the time to marvel at the chocolate sculptures, too. Place Odéon.

8. Stohrer – The oldest patisserie in Paris, on Rue Montorgueil, everything they sell looks incredible. I wouldn’t know, having always gone straight for the chocolate éclairs, universally acknowledged as the best in Paris.

9. Rue de Rosiers – The “Jewish” road in the Marais, and the home of numerous bakeries selling challah, cheesecakes, rugelach, and bagels. My favorites are Sacha Finkelstein and Murciano.

10. Mosquée de Paris – I also covered this under “lunch spots,” so I am obviously a huge fan. In addition to the actual tea room/restaurant, the Mosquée has a beautiful little courtyard where visitors can enjoy Middle Eastern pastries and tea. Just beware of the birds!