The best croissants and breakfast cafés in Paris (including gluten free)

Before you walk through the Louvre, pose at the Eiffel Tower, and ride down the Seine, you’ll need carbs and caffeine. Here’s where to find the best croissants and breakfasts in Paris, alongside their nearest train stations or metro stops.

Image Credit: Getty Images, LordHenriVoton. Image Location: Paris, France

Where to find the best croissant in Paris

The croissant in Paris receives much more attention than the room-temperature hard hunk of bread you get at the breakfast buffet line. If you’re looking for the top-tier croissants in the City of Light, try these three spots first.

Maison Doucet

Closest station: Faidherbe - Chaligny (M8)

Over near the Place de la Nation, Maison Doucet bakes 2024’s best butter croissant in Paris — and that’s according to the association of Paris bakers. Consider Maison Doucet a baker’s baker, beating out other delicious boulangeries like La Tradition, Boulangerie Victoire, and Mildo.

Blé Sucré

Closest station: Ledru-Rollin (M8)

Not far from Maison Doucet, Blé Sucré provides the Quinze-Vingts locals with their morning coffee and croissant. Should you be visiting Paris with kids, you can actually sit and savor your Parisian breakfast; Square Trousseau’s playground is a crosswalk away.

Laurent Duchêne

Closest station: Vincennes

Laurent Duchêne has two locations in the urban core: une in the 13th and une in the 15th. They make a lovely croissant and chocolate croissant, among the many other baked treats your sweet tooth hopes to find at a Parisian pâtisserie. A third location sits just outside the core near the Château de Vincennes, offering a quick and easy breakfast before a castle tour.

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The best breakfast cafés and restaurants in Paris

Breakfast in Paris can look as different as your appetite on a day-to-day basis. You can take-away a croissant in one hand and a coffee in the other — or be so bold as to try one of the best breakfasts at the Latin Quarter’s Breakfast in America. Our suggestion? Make it either an Australian affair or the “full” French breakfast at these restaurants.

Café de l’Église

Closest station: Gare du Nord

Whether you’re waking up for the matches at Stade Roland-Garros or grabbing a speedy meal before hopping a train at Gare du Nord, Café de l’Église’s two locations across the city cater to your plans. Open for the breakfast crowd from 8 AM until 11:30 AM — with a bubbly brunch on weekends — your sunrise options are a simple pastry, coffee/tea, and orange juice or the full spread that includes fried eggs or an omelet.

LouLou

Closest station: Cluny La Sorbonne (M10)

A breakfast from Down Under served up in the streets of Paris? Look no further than LouLou in the Latin Quarter, which includes all-day brunch. This Aussie joint has staples like avocado on toast and acai bowls, as well as Turkish eggs, granola bowls, and their Good Morning Melbourne scramble.

L’Atelier

Closest station: Bercy

L’Atelier is an artisan crêperie that you’ll find from Lyon to Cannes to Île-de-France. Its trio of Paris locations open at 11 AM, appropriate for the local crêpe-crowd — who prefers their crêpe on both the lunch and dinner menu — but still a perfectly acceptable “breakfast” for the Bercy visitor who had a few too many beers at the Accor Arena.

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The best bakeries in Paris

A quick French lesson: a boulangerie is a bakery, a pâtisserie is a pastry shop. However, you certainly might find the best croissant in Paris at a pâtisserie and you might get an amazing éclair at a boulangerie. What we’re trying to say is let your nose lead you into any shop, no matter its specialty.

Stohrer

Closest station: Étienne Marcel (M4)

Stohrer has been one of the best bakeries in Paris since the 1730s. This pâtisserie has the goods: éclairs, puff pastries, tarts, chantillys and more. Should you be staying in one of the best neighborhoods in Paris, like Marais or Pigalle, you’ll find a Stohrer in walking distance.

A. Lacroix Pâtissier

Closest station: Maubert - Mutualité (M10)

Sipping coffee or tea, munching on cakes, and staring at Notre Dame from across the Seine: the view from A. Lacroix Pâtissier is so dreamy, no one will notice that your breakfast traded the eggs and bacon for macarons and cookies.

Au levain des Pyrénées

Closest station: Porte de Montreuil (M9)

2023 was a big year for the Sri Lankan baker running Au levain des Pyrénées: they were crowned the winner of the 30th annual Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville De Paris. Whoever thinks a French baguette isn’t a proper breakfast will change their mind with one visit to this Charonne bakery.

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The best gluten free breakfasts in Paris

Going to Paris and not eating a baguette, croissant, or éclair is just short of criminal. The French won’t let you down, no matter if you have a preference or intolerance. Here are some of the best gluten free options in Paris for your morning meal.

Noglu

Closest station: Rue du Bac (M12)

Not only are there two Noglus, but they’re actually located in convenient places around the city. One is across from the Musée Maillol, making its 100% gluten free bakery and pastry shop easily accessible en route to the Louvre or Eiffel Tower. Noglu’s sibling is in the 11th arrondissement, not a far walk from Place de la Bastille.

Judy Market

Closest station: Rennes (M12)

Judy is a gluten free traveler’s BFF in Paris. Located in the 6th near Jardin du Luxembourg, this restaurant is a breath of fresh air for the insensitive stomach that had a long, hangry flight across the Atlantic. Cure your hunger pangs with cold-pressed juices, naturopathic smoothies, and a generous breakfast menu which features chia pudding, banana bread “French toast”, fluffy paleo pancakes, and tartines.

Café Mareva

Closest station: Château Rouge (M4)

Up in the Montmartre area of Paris, Café Mareva gives you gluten free goodness for breakfast. Sweet potato waffles with fried chicken, a classic American breakfast with stacks of pancakes, and smoothie bowls with homemade peanut butter will start your day (and stomach) off right.

Boulangerie Chambelland

Closest station: Pont Cardinet (M14)

Organic and naturally gluten free, Boulangerie Chambelland is the GF bakery in Paris you want on your radar. A case full of fresh gluten free breads, cakes, and more take the stress of finding a gluten free breakfast off of your mind while filling you up with scrumptious Parisian baked goods. Chambelland comes in clutch, too: it’s got a selection of gluten free grocery items you can take back to your chic Paris boutique hotel.

Map of the best breakfast spots in Paris

What is the ideal French breakfast?

The ideal French breakfast is far from pretentious: a croissant or tartine, buttered and jammed, and a hot drink like a coffee or tea. Maybe add another pastry or a glass of OJ into the mix, but anything more is getting a little heavy for a typical French breakfast.

What do the French not eat for breakfast?

Ask for a “full” French breakfast and you’ll be surprised how empty it is. While many French people do eat the same things you do for breakfast — cereal, eggs, toast, etc. — the traditional breakfast hardly includes any of that. Simple, sweet, and soft on the stomach is the norm; anything else, like a stack of flapjacks, Belgian waffles, or a BEC bagel isn’t the usual order.

Image Credit: Getty Images, Stefania Pelfini, La Waziya Photography. Image Location: Paris, France

Don’t let your breakfast get cold while waiting in the train station kiosk queue. Download the Trainline app and make your way to the best croissants and breakfasts in Paris today.

Still hungry? Fancy a drink? Read these guides to food and drink in Paris next:

Header Image Credit: Getty Images, Alexander Spatari. Image Location: Paris, France

Start your day at the best breakfast spots in Paris