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By Sukriti Wahi Entertainment 05.06.2024

These 16 Pâtisseries Are the Crème de la Crème of the Baking World

From Paris’ Stohrer to Los Angeles’ Artelice, these buzzy cosmopolitan bakeries are a pastry lover’s paradise.

If asked what would top our list of ‘favourite things’ – besides the feeling of fresh linen bedding – pastries and travel would have to be right up there.

While fun on their own, they’re even better together, with food capitals around the globe just brimming with butter-kissed treats waiting to be devoured. And if the notion of an international croissant crawl or bakery bucket list appeals to you, you’ve come to the right place.

From Paris’ oldest pastry shop to the top viennoiserie in Tokyo and Copenhagen’s most-wanted croissant – we’ve done the hard work and rounded up some of the best pâtisseries in the world for a carb-led trip you won’t regret.

Read on – you’re in for a treat.

1. Stohrer, Paris

Said to be the oldest pâtisserie in Paris, Stohrer has been serving up delectable treats since it was founded in 1730 by its namesake and King Louis XV’s pastry chef, Nicholas Stohrer. Located in the bustling Les Halles neighbourhood in the heart of the city, head in for quintessentially French pastries crafted with precision. While everything is worth sampling – more than once – be sure to try their “Baba au Rhum”, a rum-soaked cake finished with a swirl of Chantilly cream, as the iconic French dessert was created by Stohrer himself.

2. Tapisserie, Paris

Doling out specific treats by the hour – the day’s serving schedule is scrawled on the shop wall – you have to be quick to get your hands on Tapisserie’s fresh-from-the-oven delights, but it’s worth the hot pursuit. Established by a pair of Michelin Star restaurateurs, with shops in Paris’ Charonne and Rive Gauche neighbourhoods, Tapisserie offers a seasonal rotation of baked beauties as well as a set of much-loved signatures. Our recommendation for your first trip (because there will be multiple): the Parisian vanilla flan, and the rustic pear financier, where the fruit is poached in vanilla syrup, hazelnut almond powder, hazelnut butter and grated almonds. Divine.

3. Birley Bakery, London

Accurately self-billed as a “haven of pastry perfection”, Birley Bakery boasts the likes of Nigella Lawson and renowned chef Pierre Koffmann amongst its foodie fans. Drawing on the traditional French boulangerie-pâtisserie concept, it’s a place where beloved French treats reign supreme. Think: the classic plain croissant, which ranks amongst the shop’s bestsellers – arguably the mark of a pâtisserie worth its dough – a lemon cream-filled Tarte Tropézienne and the Paris-Brest, a choux pastry ring with praline cream centre. If that wasn’t enough, the alluring décor only enhances its old world charm, with the Japonisme-inspired gilded murals a vibrant accompaniment to the flavours on your plate.

4. Peggy Porschen, London

If Barbie had a bakery, it would be Peggy Porschen in London’s Belgravia neighbourhood. But don’t let the pink cacophony of falling florals and colourful confectionary distract you – the Instagrammable institution doesn’t skimp on the quality of the baked goods, with their candy-hued cupcakes named the world’s best in Vanity Fair. While their seasonal cake selection is always impressive, don’t miss their award-winning lemon, raspberry and rose classic, comprising a lemon sponge with raspberry and rose meringue buttercream and raspberry jam, topped with a fresh raspberry and edible petal confetti.

5. Flour and Stone Pantry, Sydney

Be warned: the weekend morning queue outside Sydney’s Flour and Stone Pantry is a Herculean test of your patience – and oh-so worth the wait. To avoid being overwhelmed when you are finally greeted by the almost-hole-in-the-wall establishment’s array of flaky, crumbly and doughy delights, we have two recommendations. Firstly, visit their website to peruse the menu or order online to save yourself from on-the-spot selection. Secondly, when in doubt, opt for the signature panna cotta lamington. An Australian classic with an Italian aura, it features a layer of creamy panna cotta encased in sponge cake, wrapped in chocolate and coconut coating.

6. Rollers Bakehouse, Sydney

Riffing on traditional French pastry techniques, Rollers Bakehouse founder James Sideris prefers to keep things simple yet supercharged on the flavour front, which is exactly what makes the Manly eatery a Sydney institution. While they are best known for their rotation of inventive croissants – pandan coconut, twice-bake carrot cake and apple pie have all had starring roles – they also dish out staples like pain au chocolat and cinnamon scrolls alongside a selection of savoury goodies, all served against a pink Palm Springs-inspired décor.

7. Pâtisserie Asako Iwayanagi, Tokyo

About 20 minutes from Shibuya City in Tokyo’s Setagaya ward lies Pâtisserie Asako Iwayanagi, the unsuspecting ultra-modernist home of heavenly pastries and parfaits that are, well, parfait. The brainchild of acclaimed pastry chef Asako Iwayanagi, it’s a must-stop for the artful fusion of French techniques with Japanese aesthetics and ingredients. Known for their aforementioned seasonal parfaits that resemble tiny terrariums almost too beautiful to eat, each one comes with its own diagram illustrating all its components – of which there can be as many as 20, including gold leaf, smoked matcha, Taiwanese pine, rose jasmine macarons and so many more.

8. Pâtisserie Sadaharu AOKI paris, Tokyo

Founded by award-winning pastry chef Sadaharu Aoki, this beloved Tokyo pâtisserie also blends traditional French fare with Japanese flavours like yuzu, cherry blossom and matcha to mouth-watering effect. Situated in the prestigious Marunouchi business district, come here for the rich yet earthy sweetness of their signature matcha éclair, which stars a creamy matcha filling made of green tea imported from Uji, Kyoto – widely regarded as the highest grade of matcha in Japan.

9. Juno The Bakery, Copenhagen

Located in Copenhagen’s upscale Østerbro neighbourhood, Juno The Bakery was founded by pastry chef Emil Glaser, formerly of Noma restaurant – a three-Michelin-Star fine-diner repeatedly ranked the best in the world. Here, the proof is in the Nordic pastry-making prowess, with lo-fi treats centring high-quality ingredients leading the charge, from seasonal tarts centring local fruits to an assortment of Danish breads. However, no visit is complete without sampling their world-famous cardamom bun – a full, fluffy twine of dough oozing with cardamom and sugar. And if you need more convincing, the uber-minimal Danish décor offers plenty of Scandi-interiors inspiration while you enjoy the buttery aroma wafting towards you.

10. Hart Bageri, Copenhagen

Another hotspot with a Noma connection, legendary baker Richard Hart founded Hart Bageri in partnership with Noma co-owner and chef René Redzepi in 2018, and it’s since become a go-to for modern Danish delights. For a year-round favourite, it doesn’t get better than their coveted cardamom croissant, made from leftover scraps of croissant dough and blended with cardamom sugar. During the summer months, which marks the country’s strawberry season, try their take on the classic Danish jordbærstærte, comprising a caramelised, buttery marzipan base dipped in dark chocolate with a crown of whipped thick custard, homemade strawberry jam and strawberries glazed in rose vinegar syrup and fresh foraged elderflower.

11. Lune Croissanterie, Melbourne

Dubbed as having the “finest” croissant “you will find anywhere in the world” by T: The New York Times Style Magazine, no list of globally acclaimed pastry shops would be complete without Melbourne’s Lune Croissanterie. While the famed institution now has multiple locations around Australia, nothing beats a visit to their flagship Fitzroy joint to see the iconic pastries being made at the source – a climate-controlled glass cube in the middle of the room. As for what you should order? Well, far be it from us to limit you. Get one of everything and take the leftovers home – you’ll only regret it if you don’t.

12. Bibelot, Melbourne

If your sweet tooth is on the bougie side, Bibelot in South Melbourne is the place to satisfy. An opulent homage to the traditional French pâtisserie, their vast range of petit and grand gâteaux, macarons, tarts and bonbons keeps to classics territory as far as flavours go, but each one beckons from behind the glass like a work of art. Chocoholics will find their fix in their signature chocolate tart, but if you favour a fruit-focused palate, treat yourself to the strawberry and rhubarb gâteau – a dreamy layered dome of lemon jaconde, velvety strawberry cream, white chocolate mousse and crunchy almond praline.

13. Artelice Pâtisserie, Los Angeles

Crafting exquisite French confections from the finest ingredients, it’s no surprise that Artelice has played the official pastry partner to the Grammy Awards on multiple occasions. Whether you visit their West Hollywood or Burbank location, a plethora of pretty pastries honouring their French roots await, like their crowd favourite Saint Honoré – a caramelised puff pastry tart filled with Madagascar vanilla pastry cream and salted caramel, topped with a Madagascar vanilla ganache that’s been infused for 24 hours. Artelice is also vegan-friendly, offering plant-based treats like plain, chocolate and almond croissants that are just as flaky and airy as their dairy butter counterparts.

14. Chaumont Vegan, Los Angeles

A cornerstone of LA’s vibrant plant-based food scene, Chaumont Vegan has built a cult following for taking traditional viennoiserie and making it – as the name suggests – vegan. Made using European-style cultured plant-based butter, you’ll find all the usual pastry suspects and then some at both the Santa Monica and Beverly Hills locations. It’s particularly popular for its wide selection of croissants, with flavours spanning the original to the unexpected, with the latter including rosewater, ube, Earl Grey and zaatar, among others.

15. Dominique Ansel Bakery, New York

Remember the viral cronut that flooded Instagram feeds everywhere in 2013? You can thank Dominique Ansel – French pastry chef, cronut creator and the namesake of one of New York’s most flocked-to bakeries. And while he may be French, many of the bakery’s signature delights take France’s traditional pastry-making techniques then veer distinctly American in flavour. Case in point: the Frozen S’more, which features a vanilla ice cream centre and a crisp chocolate feuilletine outer hugged by a honey marshmallow and torched to order on a smoked willow wood branch for the warmth of a campfire in every mouthful.

16. Supermoon Bakehouse, Los Angeles

Slow and steady is the name of the game at Supermoon Bakehouse, with every treat in this Lower East Side hangout hand-rolled and hand-crafted to a sublime, near-laminated finish. Taking three to four days to make their croissants, they release their pastries in weekly drops – you can see the month’s menu in advance to prepare your orders and avoid missing out. And with the flavour combinations always fun and fanciful, like chai, rose and pistachio cruffins and caramel, Kahlua and espresso éclairs – you definitely don’t want to miss out.

Image courtesy of Birley Bakery London.

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