The best desserts in Paris, according to The World's Best Pastry Chef

Plénitude's Maxime Frédéric on where to go for a sweet treat in the capital.

Although many of the world's hubs are filled with first-rate bakeries and patisseries, Paris remains top for anyone with a sweet tooth. In few cities is pastry elevated to such revered status, whether in chocolate shops that look more like luxury fashion stores or in fine-dining haunts showing off the art at its most cutting edge.

Chief among patissiers is Maxime Frédéric, named The World's Best Pastry Chef in 2025 and head pastry chef at Plénitude, which sits at No.14 on The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 list. The flagship restaurant of Cheval Blanc Paris (ranked No.21 on The World's 50 Best Hotels 2025 list) is a heavy-hitter among the capital's best places to eat. Frédéric, who grew up on a Normandy dairy farm, joined the hotel in 2019 and has since earned a reputation for his elegant, technically accomplished desserts – particularly his cult favourite millefeuille. Here, he guides us through his essential desserts spots in the City of Light, from revered institutions to bakeries offering fusion flavours and nostalgic throwbacks. 

The matcha tart from Les Trois Chocolats


Run by third-generation chocolatier Emiko Sano and her husband Sho Kimura, Les Trois Chocolats is one of several standout Japanese-inspired patisseries in Paris. Here, Japanese flavours are layered in excecuted French pastry, and Frédéric pays homage to their "deeply evocative" matcha tart – a buttery pastry base topped with smooth, earthy matcha cream and white chocolate. "It genuinely surprised me," he says. "Matcha is so fashionable now, and this is exceptional quality – intense yet expertly balanced". Keep an eye out for the Barre au Matcha too, a gluten-free bar with matcha ganache, matcha praline and matcha shortbread.

Shortbread biscuits from Bontemps Patisserie


"Growing up next to Maison du Biscuit in Normandy, these evoke my youth," says Frédéric of the shortbread sablé biscuits at Bontemps, a little patisserie in Le Marais, led by pastry chef Fiona Leluc. The shop is very well known for them – always freshly baked and with lemon cream, vanilla and chocolate praline fillings, or deliciously plain. "The texture is nostalgic," says Frédéric, "you can really taste the butter." Grab a box for later, or kick back with afternoon tea in the shop's adjacent Secret Garden restaurant.

Jacques Genin's Galette des Rois


Every January, patisseries across Paris prepare galette des rois (king cake) to celebrate Epiphany, which marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas. The classic puff pastry cake, filled with almond frangipane, is a seasonal staple, but self-taught chocolatier and pastry chef Jacques Genin's is exceptional. "The frangipane is excellent quality, and the puff pastry is masterfully executed," says Frédéric. "It's a wonderfully generous bake." Alongside the traditional version, Genin also produces a chocolate-almond variation layered beneath perfectly crisp, golden pastry.

The croissants from Du Pain & Des Idées


Du Pain & Des Idées opened in 2002 by baker Christophe Vasseur, though  the on-site bakery has existed since 1875. Classified as a Historic Monument, many of the original interiors remain, including painted glass ceilings, bevelled mirrors and period woodwork. "It couldn't feel more Parisian," says Frédéric, with an intentionally short menu that places focus on quality, organic ingredients. This is the place for "crisp, buttery croissants", he says, which come baked in a natural stone oven, and Le Pain des Amis – a rectangular loaf made from heritage grains – is "among the best bread in the city".

The caramel rocher at La Chocolaterie William Artigue


William Artigue is one of the brightest young chocolatiers in Paris, according to Frédéric. Operating out of a minimalist, contemporary boutique in Canal Saint-Martin, the shop could easily pass for a high-end fashion boutique. Artigue's creations range from jellies and seasonal chocolates to ice cream bars, but Frédéric hails the signature caramel rocher: almond-hazelnut praline, soft salted caramel and caramelised hazelnut, wrapped in dark chocolate. "They are a perfect bite both in texture and flavour."

The millefeuille from Relais Louis XIII
In a city full of classic restaurants, it doesn't get much more classic than Relais Louis XIII, a historic Michelin-starred restaurant built on the cellars of the former Grands-Augustins convent, where Louis XIII learned he was the new king of France in 1610. To match its setting, the restaurant's signature dessert is a millefeuille, with light Tahitian vanilla cream, assembled a la minute before being served. "What stands out are the textures, the restaurant's setting and the exceptionally welcoming chef Manuel Martinez," says Frédéric.

The profiterole from Café des Ministères
"As my mother's favourite dessert, featuring a profiterole on the menu was a priority when opening Cheval Blanc Paris", says Frédéric. His own are on offer at Le Tout Paris (located on the seventh floor of Le Cheval Blanc) but Frédéric points to the profiteroles with vanilla ice cream and Caribbean chocolate sauce at Café de Ministères, a small traditional bistro near the National Assembly. "Truly good profiteroles are a rarity in Paris, but this one is delicious, generous and perfect for sharing".

Header image credit: Sylvie Becquet

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