The counters in Montpellier worth queuing for: bread, pastry, and the morning ritual.
Bakery counters in Montpellier worth queuing for: levain breads, laminated pastry, regional bakes and the morning ritual.
Pain Brut bakes organic sourdough behind the opera in Montpellier, rye, spelt and Khorasan loaves plus gluten-free rice and buckwheat breads.
Tip: The late opening is deliberate: loaves come out for the afternoon and evening trade, so do not turn up at 08:00.
Worth the queue: Le Brut sourdough loaf
Des Rêves et du Pain bakes naturally leavened loaves in an 18th-century wood-fired oven on Rue Eugène Lisbonne, in the middle of the Montpellier Ecusson.
Tip: The wood-fired oven predates the Revolution; come before the early-evening rush for the fullest bread wall.
Worth the queue: Wood-oven levain loaf
Aux Délices du Faubourg is Boutonnet's neighbourhood bakery in Montpellier, country loaves, grain breads and pastries for the student faubourg.
Tip: Open Sunday morning, which most of the city's artisan bakeries are not; the country bread sells through by noon.
Worth the queue: Country loaf
Maison Bonnaire runs a bakery and pastry counter at 45 Rue Saint-Guilhem in Montpellier, with its chocolate shop further up the same street at number 62.
Tip: The éclair range rotates; the chocolate boutique at number 62 keeps different, shorter hours than the bakery.
Worth the queue: Éclairs
Ô Pain Délicieux has baked organic natural-leaven campagne, complet and olive breads on Rue Bernard Délicieux in the Beaux-Arts quarter since 2016.
Tip: It closes over lunch on weekdays, so time your visit for the afternoon bake from 16:00.
Worth the queue: Pain aux olives
Maison L'Œuf bakes organic breads, quiches and sculptural fruit pastries on Rue du Faubourg de la Saunerie in Montpellier, open every day of the week.
Tip: Seven-day opening makes it the Sunday-afternoon pastry answer when the Écusson's counters are shuttered.
Worth the queue: Seasonal fruit entremets
Clara Jung bakes Tropéziennes, Paris-Brest and kanelbullar at her pastry shop on Rue du Palais des Guilhem, a quiet lane in the Montpellier old town.
Tip: Number cakes and larger pieces need pre-ordering; the kanelbullar usually sell out before the evening.
Worth the queue: Kanelbullar
Gabriel Créateur de Gourmandises works classic French pâtisserie on Boulevard Louis Blanc in Montpellier, tarts and entremets in short daily runs.
Tip: In January the frangipane galette is the reason locals queue here; Sunday mornings sell through fast all year.
Worth the queue: Galette frangipane in season
Maison Scholler has been a pillar of Montpellier pâtisserie since 1962, vanilla and pistachio flans at 7 euros beside entremets and travel cakes.
Tip: The Avenue de Lodève shop is the handy branch for the Arceaux market; a second Scholler bakes out in Aiguelongue.
Worth the queue: Vanilla flan
Station Sucrée bakes alfajores, brookies and dulce de leche pastries on Rue de l'Université in Montpellier, billed as France's first Argentine pastry shop.
Tip: The alfajores travel well and keep for days, which makes this the smart edible-souvenir stop in the old town.
Worth the queue: Alfajores
Au Rythme du Pain ferments organic sourdough slowly on Rue du Faubourg Boutonnet in Montpellier, its loaves also stocked by the La Cagette co-op.
Tip: Boutonnet has two serious bakeries on one street; try this one for levain and Aux Délices for the Sunday pastries.
Worth the queue: Long-fermentation levain loaf
Boulangerie Daveloza bakes certified organic levain breads on Rue du Grand Saint-Jean in Montpellier, with cereal loaves and gluten-free options.
Tip: Stocks run in two waves, morning and late afternoon; the gluten-free breads go quickest on Saturdays.
Worth the queue: Butter-free viennoiserie
Ikonka runs a pastry counter and café on Rue du Faubourg du Courreau in Montpellier, layered croissants, weekly quiches and a lime-ricotta cheesecake.
Tip: Open Sunday morning with a small terrace; the savoury tart menu changes weekly, so check the counter first.
Worth the queue: Ricotta and lime cheesecake
Les Demoiselles de Montpellier bakes an entirely vegan and gluten-free counter on Rue de la Carbonnerie, cakes and gateaux alongside a short lunch card.
Tip: The kitchen shuts at 14:00 but the cake counter and coffee carry on until 18:30.