Top Bakeries in France

Pierre Mathieu Patissier Bordelais ★ 4.8 · Bordeaux

saint-pierre · 8 Place Pey Berland, 33000 Bordeaux

Pierre Mathieu Patissier Bordelais on Place Pey Berland is the namesake chef's modern patisserie, opened March 2018 after his five-year run as executive.

Tip: Show up before 11:00 for the Saint-Honore; the Pave Pey-Berland (almond cream, sweet-wine fruit, rum.

Bernachon ★ 4.8 · Lyon

42 Cours Franklin Roosevelt, 69006 Lyon

Bernachon in Lyon's 6e is the bean-to-bar chocolatier founded by Maurice Bernachon in 1953, with a Rue Franklin Roosevelt salon de the and a full pastry.

Tip: The President cake is the order; a slice with espresso at the salon is the form.

Maison Pralus ★ 4.8 · Lyon

Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse, 102 Cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon

Maison Pralus runs the bean-to-bar chocolate house Auguste Pralus founded in 1955, with a Lyon counter at Halles Paul Bocuse for the praluline brioche.

Tip: The praluline (pink-praline brioche) is the dish; a whole loaf travels home.

Four des Navettes ★ 4.8 · Marseille

136 Rue Sainte, 13007 Marseille

Four des Navettes in Marseille's 7e is the oldest bakery in the city since 1781, the boat-shaped navettes baked in the original Roman-model oven and blessed.

Tip: Walk in for a paper bag of navettes; Chandeleur morning is the day to come.

Du Pain et des Idées ★ 4.8 · Paris

34 Rue Yves Toudic, 75010 Paris

Christophe Vasseur's Du Pain et des Idées in Paris's 10e remains the boulangerie every other counter measures itself against. At 34 Rue Yves Toudic.

Tip: Closed weekends. Arrive before 09:00 for the pain des amis; escargots sell out by 13:00.

Baillardran ★ 4.7 · Bordeaux

golden-triangle · 55 Cours de l'Intendance, 33000 Bordeaux

Baillardran in Bordeaux's Golden Triangle is the canele specialist on Cours de l'Intendance since 1988, with the city's most-quoted version.

Tip: Buy two sizes, the small and the regular; eat the regular the day of purchase and freeze the small for later.

Pralus Presqu'ile ★ 4.7 · Lyon

32 Rue de Brest, 69002 Lyon

Pralus Presqu'ile on Rue de Brest in the 2e is the praluline-brioche counter for the Lyon peninsula, with whole loaves of pink-praline brioche from Roanne.

Tip: A whole praluline loaf travels for a day; ask for the freshly-bagged hot one.

Boulangerie du Palais ★ 4.7 · Lyon

5e · 8 Rue du Palais de Justice, 69005 Lyon

Boulangerie du Palais in Vieux Lyon is the praline-rose specialist run by pastry chef Sebastien Bouillet on Rue du Palais de Justice, with a queue that runs.

Tip: Arrive before 11:00 on weekends for the full counter; the box of six small praline tarts is the form.

Maison Auer ★ 4.7 · Nice

7 Rue Saint Francois de Paule, 06300 Nice

Maison Auer on Rue Saint Francois de Paule has sold candied fruits and chocolates in Nice since 1820, two centuries under the Auer family and from 2024.

Poilâne ★ 4.7 · Paris

8 Rue du Cherche-Midi, 75006 Paris

Poilâne in Paris has baked a signature sourdough miche from a wood-fired oven on Rue du Cherche-Midi since 1932. Booking recommended. Reservations advised.

Tip: The half-miche feeds two for a week. Ask for the cocktail-size punitions at the till.

Boulangerie Louis Lamour ★ 4.6 · Bordeaux

golden-triangle · 7 Rue Ravez, 33000 Bordeaux

Boulangerie Louis Lamour on Rue Ravez is the artisan bakery from Louis Vaughan, an Eric Kayser and Grande Epicerie alumnus who reconverted to bread.

Tip: Bread fills the shelves at 08:00; the pain de campagne goes by 13:00 most days and there is no afternoon bake. A second boutique sits at 22 Place Gavinies.

Jocteur ★ 4.6 · Lyon

Halles de Lyon-Paul Bocuse, 102 Cours Lafayette, 69003 Lyon

Jocteur runs a Halles Paul Bocuse counter from the family bakery in Saint-Genis-Laval, with naturally-leavened breads and a long-fermented sourdough loaf.

Tip: Closed Sunday-Monday; pain au levain is the loaf; arrive by 09:00 for the warm batch.

Boulangerie Jocteur Ile Barbe ★ 4.6 · Lyon

9e · 5 Place Henri Barbusse, 69009 Lyon

Boulangerie Jocteur at Ile Barbe in the 9e is Philippe-Marc Jocteur's flagship, he was Best Apprentice of Rhone-Alpes 1981 and the official baker of Bocuse.

Tip: The tarte sablee aux pralines is the order; Halles Paul Bocuse stocks the loaves daily.

Pain Salvator ★ 4.6 · Marseille

32 Boulevard Louis Salvator, 13006 Marseille

Pain Salvator in Marseille's 6e between the Prefecture and Notre-Dame du Mont is Nicole and Etienne Weber's worker-cooperative bakery (SCOP since May 2025).

Tip: Worker cooperative since May 2025; the einkorn loaves go fast on weekends.

Chez Theresa ★ 4.6 · Nice

28 Rue Droite, 06300 Nice

Chez Theresa on Rue Droite has fired socca in a wood burning 1867 oven since 1925, one of only three Nice addresses still cooking the chickpea pancake.

Utopie ★ 4.6 · Paris

20 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris

Utopie in Paris's 11e is the modern boulangerie Sebastien Bruno and Erwan Blanche built into a black-fronted shop with the city's best black-sesame baguette.

Tip: Cash and card both work. The flan vanille is the second pick after the sesame baguette.

Des Gâteaux et du Pain ★ 4.6 · Paris

63 Boulevard Pasteur, 75015 Paris

Claire Damon's Des Gâteaux et du Pain in Paris's 15e is the pastry-architect shop where every tart is signed off as a numbered edition, on display.

Tip: Closed Monday. The Mont-Blanc is autumn-only; the strawberry tart anchors the summer carte.

Patisserie S ★ 4.5 · Bordeaux

saint-pierre · 8 Cours d'Alsace et Lorraine, 33000 Bordeaux

Patisserie S on Cours d'Alsace et Lorraine is Satomi and Stanley Chan's stylish Franco-Asian patisserie, both alumni of Joel Robuchon and Yannick Alleno.

Tip: The signature tarte au yuzu goes by mid-afternoon; the chou au matcha travels well as a takeaway snack.

Partisan Boulanger ★ 4.5 · Lyon

4e · 2 Rue du Chariot d'Or, 69004 Lyon

Partisan Boulanger on Rue du Chariot d'Or in the Croix-Rousse 4e bakes ancient-grain levains: khorasan, einkorn, methil, petit epeautre, alongside walnut.

Tip: The khorasan loaf is the order; closed Monday.

Les Co'Pains d'Antan ★ 4.5 · Lyon

6e · 47 Cours Franklin Roosevelt, 69006 Lyon

Les Co'Pains d'Antan on Cours Franklin Roosevelt in the 6e is the small neighbourhood boulangerie whose pain au chocolat won regional best, with a second.

Tip: Arrive early for the pain au chocolat; the queue is shortest at 08:00.

Antoinette Pain et Brioche ★ 4.5 · Lyon

7e · 117 Rue Sebastien Gryphe, 69007 Lyon

Antoinette on Rue Sebastien Gryphe in the 7e Guillotiere bakes only long-fermented natural-sourdough breads and fondant brioches: no baguettes, no croissants.

Tip: The praline brioche is the order; closed Sunday-Monday; the shared loaf travels for a day.

Patisseries LAC ★ 4.5 · Nice

18 Rue Barla, 06300 Nice

Patisseries LAC on Rue Barla in Nice runs Pascal and Valerie Lac's pastry and chocolate workshop since 1995, the Belle Epoque storefront one of multiple Nice.

Cédric Grolet Opéra ★ 4.5 · Paris

35 Avenue de l'Opéra, 75002 Paris

Cédric Grolet Opéra in Paris is the chef's lemon-fruit-and-flowers museum: every cake a sculpted trompe-l'œil fruit, priced at €18 to €25 a piece.

Tip: Queue starts at 11:30 for the 12:00 opening; book online to skip it for the citron tart.

Mamiche ★ 4.5 · Paris

45 Rue Condorcet, 75009 Paris

Mamiche in Paris's 9e is the Cécile Khayat and Victoria Effantin counter that brought New York-Israeli babka to Pigalle. Open tue-sat 07:30-20:00.

Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Order ahead by phone for a whole babka loaf to take home.

Blé Sucré ★ 4.5 · Paris

7 Rue Antoine Vollon, 75012 Paris

Fabrice le Bourdat's Blé Sucré in Paris's 12e is the bakery David Lebovitz once nominated for the city's best madeleine. At 7 Rue Antoine Vollon.

Tip: Closed Monday. Buy six madeleines in a paper bag; the orange-glazed ones travel best.

Thierry Mulhaupt ★ 4.5 · Strasbourg

Grande Ile · 5 Rue du Temple Neuf, 67000 Strasbourg

Thierry Mulhaupt opposite the Temple Neuf is one of Strasbourg's named pastry chefs, turning out fine tarts, viennoiserie, Alsatian sweets and chocolates.

La Boulangerie Saint-Georges ★ 4.5 · Toulouse

saint-georges · 6 Place Saint-Georges, 31000 Toulouse

La Boulangerie Saint-Georges on Place Saint-Georges has stood since 1840; since 2005 baker Francois Le Galo runs it and the shop is on the 100-best list.

Tip: Over twenty bread varieties plus pastries and made-to-order sandwiches; the pain de campagne is the canonical buy.

La Halle aux Pains Maison Fressinaud ★ 4.5 · Toulouse

saint-aubin · 7 Place Dupuy, 31000 Toulouse

La Halle aux Pains on Place Dupuy was opened by Damien and Heleh Fressinaud in February 2000 and has been entirely organic-flour since 2017. A staple address.

Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday; the pain au levain bio is the canonical buy across the full organic range.

Maison Pillon ★ 4.5 · Toulouse

carmes · 2 Rue Ozenne, 31000 Toulouse

Maison Pillon on Rue Ozenne is the canonical Toulouse patisserie and chocolatier since 1967, famed for crystallised violet candy and the cachous de Toulouse.

Tip: Pick up violet candies and cachous de Toulouse for souvenirs; the apple croustade is the patisserie pick.

Boulangerie Maurice ★ 4.5 · Toulouse

capitole · 8 Grande Rue Nazareth, 31000 Toulouse

Boulangerie Maurice on Grande Rue Nazareth is the activist bakery of Baptiste Chardin, baking exclusively with peasant wheats, stone-ground ancient grains.

Tip: The pain au levain naturel is the canonical buy; cookies and brownies are made with the same heirloom flours.