It’s hard not to give in to the sweet temptations of Paris. After all, one can hardly walk a block without passing a patisserie (the French version of a bakery). Rows and rows of delicacies line the window. Macarons, éclairs, tartes, beignets and pain au chocolate. Even those without a sweet tooth easily find much to savor in Paris.
Some of the most famous tea salons in Paris offer up these tasty morsels with utter civility. Sit down at a table in Angelina on the rue de Rivoli, and you’ll be hard pressed to pass up on their famous L’Africain – the impossibly thick hot chocolate that is worth dying for. When coupled with a colorful (and flavorful macaron), you’ll know that you’ve found bliss in Paris.
This rue de Rivoli institution (and not the actress) has been enticing Parisiens and visitors alike with its gourmet delicacies for over a century, including Coco Chanel, Proust and the Parisien aristocracy. Designed by the famous Belle Epoque architect Edouard-Jean Niermans, Angelina remains a testament to a more civilized era. Located just steps from the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde, Angelina is the perfect place to stop for breakfast, lunch or just a delicious snack.
Another quintessential Paris tea salon is Ladurée. There are several locations throughout the city, but its original 1862 location on the rue Royale was a simple bakery. After that shop burned down in 1871, it was rebuilt as a pastry shop. Ladurée gained it’s true fame, however, in 1930, when the Louis-Ernest Ladurée invented the macaron: two mini cake shells joined by a layer of creamy ganache. He transformed the pastry shop into a tearoom, and a legend was born.
If ice cream is your flavor, then you can’t leave Paris without a visit to Berthillon on the Île Saint-Louis. Known around the world for its ice cream, Berthillon (pronounced bear-tee-yone) also has locations around Paris, but the one on the island is the original. People line up for a cone, a cup or, if they’re staying in an apartment, a gallon to take home with them.
A cheap sweet treat can be found on just about any street in Paris: a crêpe. While many Parisians consume crêpes as a fast food lunch (filled with meats and cheeses), a dessert crêpe is just divine. Filled with everything from Nutella to fruit to nuts (and sometimes a combination of all), a crêpe can be enjoyed on the go, or while sitting in one of the many parks and gardens found throughout Paris.