Desserts & tea rooms: Paris’s sweet side.

Paris sweets with the JARI community.

What to try, where to find it, at what price: ask the community and the JARI pros.

The classics to know.

• Mont-Blanc — chestnut cream, chantilly, meringue. The autumn-winter sweet.
• Éclair — choux with pastry cream (chocolate, coffee, vanilla).
• Paris-Brest — a ring of choux and hazelnut praline, the richest.
• Mille-feuille, religieuse, Saint-Honoré, lemon meringue tart, macaron — every house has its signature.

The legendary tea rooms.

• Angelina (226 rue de Rivoli, 1st) — the Mont-Blanc and the "l'Africain" hot chocolate, thick as a sauce. ≈€9–15.
• Carette (25 place des Vosges, 3rd; also Trocadéro) — a chic afternoon treat, Mont-Blanc and macarons.
• Ladurée (16 rue Royale, 8th) — macarons and rococo décor, the touristy institution.
• Le Loir dans la Théière (3 rue des Rosiers, 4th) — less crowded: homemade tarts and a cult giant meringue.

Patisseries worth the splurge.

• Cédric Grolet Opéra (35 av. de l'Opéra, 2nd) — the trompe-l'œil fruit, queue at opening.
• Pierre Hermé (72 rue Bonaparte, 6th) — the Ispahan (rose, lychee, raspberry) and macarons.
• Bontemps Pâtisserie (57 rue de Bretagne, 3rd) — delicate sablés and tarts, a charming address.

Old-fashioned hot chocolate.

Nothing like a powder: melted chocolate, almost a liquid dessert. Try it at Angelina or the chocolate specialist Un Dimanche à Paris (4-8 cour du Commerce Saint-André, 6th).

Ice cream.

• Berthillon (31 rue Saint-Louis en l'Île, 4th) — the benchmark: clean flavours (chestnut, fruit) and sharp sorbets.
• Une Glace à Paris (15 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 4th) — creative scoops (toasted caramel, smoked vanilla). Peak season April–September, but the best stay open year-round.

The 4pm goûter ritual.

In France, the late-afternoon goûter is an institution for kids and adults alike — and the calmest time for a pastry.

JARI tip.

Angelina and Cédric Grolet get queues: aim for opening or end of day, or use the takeaway counter. Many museum cafés (Versailles, Musée du Luxembourg) hide a quiet tea room.

Useful links.

• Réserver — TheFork