A Sweet Taste of Paris: Cedric Grolet, Giant Croissants & Pastry Finds

It’s Suzanne here. After a quick stop on Rue Rivoli I headed to Cedric Grolet to buy some of those instagramable pastries. Alas, I arrived so late that there was only this Chocolate/Vanilla cake left so bought it anyway and then proceeded around the corner to buy some of the “cookies”. They are more like slices of a pie than a traditional cookie and come in five flavors. Dark chocolate, milk chocolate, pistachio, caramel and a combination of all.

Then I headed towards Paris Galleries Lafayette Gourmet in search of the ginormous croissant and pain au chocolate. Let’s say this about that. They are big enough to feed the entire Brady family and at 37 Euros are hardly a bargain. But I wanted to see what they tasted like so in the bag they went.

Balancing four shopping bags (two in each hand) and two canes was quite the feat and a testament as to have far my mobility has come. Yeah me!!

I returned to the hotel to both take photos and taste and I thank the team at FAUCHON L'HÔTEL PARIS for allowing me to disrupt the tea garden!

So what’s the verdict? Cedric Grolet is way over rated in my opinion. The cake was dry and the icing icky sweet. My suggestion. Go early and watch the performance bakery art, take photos and go about your day. This is nothing more than a tourist trap promoted by Instagram and smart marketing. Hey - I fell for it so who can blame them.

The croissant and pain au chocolat were created by master baker Philippe Conticini and hit the mark exactly. Buttery, flakey and surprising just like their little siblings! If you have a large crowd I would suggest you buy one, some cheeses, some jambon, a fig jam and a bottle of wine and go to a nearby parc and have a picnic. Nothing more French than that (and yes I know you usually do that with a baguette but heck - change it up a bit!)

I had a great time searching these things out. I love Paris!!!

Cedric Grolet Cédric Grolet Opéra Paris Galleries Lafayette Philippe Conticini #lhwtraveler #travelandleisure #adventuretravel #luxurylifestyle #Paris2024 #parisfrance #solotraveler #luxurytravel #adventure #gourmetfood