Parisians have been making the Carette choice since 1927

Looking for a satisfying croissant or pain au chocolat (don’t call it a chocolate croissant when in France) is no easy feat when you’re not a local. Trying your luck at a random boulangerie may give you either the best pastries or the driest. 

Life’s short, so don’t waste it eating bad pastries – especially in France. If mint-green Ladurée is a picture-perfect patisserie, I like going to Carette, an institution founded in 1927 that feels a lot more authentic. 

Their restaurant, which is located on the lovely square Place des Vosges in Le Marais, offers deliciously crispy yet soft buttery croissants. And if you want to try something a little different, go for a kouign amann, a sweet cake from Brittany made with a crazy amount of butter, or a religieuse (which means ‘nun’), which comprises two choux pastry cases. Filled with crème pâtissière, it tastes similar to éclairs, but looks a lot cuter. 

The Place des Vosges, a chic square in Le Marais.

 

 

The delicious cakes found at Carette. Try a “religieuse”, the first pastry in the foreground full of homemade whipped cream.

 

The café facing Place des Vosges.