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How to spend a day in Paris with a sweet tooth

How to spend a day in Paris with a sweet tooth

A list of some of the best desserts (and some savouries) to grab on the go in the city of love.
Updated 01 Feb, 2025

It is difficult for a true connoisseur of food to be choosy when it comes to trying out new cuisines, sampling traditional dishes and doing justice to the palate by not ignoring any treat — sweet or savoury — especially while travelling abroad. I plead guilty on this count. Landing in Paris during the winter vacations, our itinerary was packed.

We had miles to go before we slept — the city of lights was in full bloom, with every nook and corner decorated with fairy lights, shop windows coming alive with colourful displays, and the signature decorations suspended from every other streetlamp in Paris. It was also a tough competition on Christmas tree decorations. Gigantic, gorgeous sparkling fir trees lined famous boulevards, bearing flowers and hanging figurines of fantastical creatures. Trees were lit up at famous high end shopping malls and music playing across the city brought a touch of magic to the French capital.

However, all those decorations are rather meaningless to a foodie unless they’re accompanied by the sight of delicious food. Parisians love to munch at all times, trying out sweet delicacies, drinking espresso and hot chocolate on cold winter evenings, churro and macron bags from food markets clutched in their hands. When in Paris, we decided to do as the Parisians do and check out all the food we could get our hands on.

Kicking it off with French onion soup

The long walk on the Champs-Élysées and window shopping at the multi-storey Galleries Lafayette left us craving a traditional French onion soup to satiate the pangs of a hungry tummy. We found a café that was the perfect spot to step into — a warm and cozy heated environment on a chilly day. The server took 15 minutes to serve our order, which came in a porcelain lion head soup bowl with a warm, sliced French loaf and butter. The crust of the French onion soup was all golden-brown burnt cheese and the crack to cause fissure in the bowl reminded me of crème brûlée.

Boy, oh boy, the first spoon was accompanied by a heaping of caramelised onions, broth, morsels of bread and three cheeses for maximum decadence. It was too good to be true. The toasted French bread with butter slathered all over added to the taste of this classic French delicacy gratinéed to rich, gooey perfection.

The body all warmed up and fed just enough to tantalise the tastebuds, it was the perfect time to embark on a culinary escapade through the Parisian food markets.

The stalls on the food streets were overflowing with local delicacies and fresh produce and seeing epicureans enjoying treats and indulging in deep conversations at small cafés, take-away kiosks and ice-cream parlours was a true delight. The two famous food markets in Paris — the Marché Couvert des Enfants Rouges and Marché Bastille — were brimming with a myriad of sweet and savoury items, showcased like the work of a true craftsman.

Cheese galore

Naturally, our first stop without any thought was a cheese shop. Soft, hard, blue-veined and fondue, it was too cheesy a place to describe. There was no doubt left in my mind that cheese plays a central role in the culinary culture of France, as I could see the immense diversity of varieties. Choosing what to buy was a very difficult decision, so I tried to seek some help from the person already digging in the at the charcuterie board. “There are more than 1,200 varieties of cheese; cow, goat or in sheep’s milk! Which ones do you like?” he asked.

Lost in transaction, I ordered brie, roquefort, crottin and ossau-iraty cheeses that came accompanied by bread, nuts and honey. The brie made from cow’s milk had a very creamy texture but mild flavour. As I cut a slice to try, a neighbouring patron instantly suggested I spread it on the crackers in the platter and pair it with a bunch of grapes. This was uncharted territory for me but worth experimenting. Ossau-iraty, which I could not even pronounce, is sheep’s milk cheese. It had a pungent, gamey aroma, melting in the mouth but slightly oily textured.

Last but not least was the goat milk cheese, crottin. Two words for this goat milk cheese — tangy and creamy, striking a perfect balance. It was not too difficult to judge that for French people, cheese is much more than just a food.

Then we were out of the savoury and into the sweets. Our mouthwatering bucket list included macarons, pastries chocolate croissants, crepes, churros, ice-cream and, of course, crème brûlée.

More macarons please!

The first name that comes to mind when you say macarons is undoubtedly Ladurée. Although macarons need no introduction as they are can be found in every nook and corner shop in Paris, this century-old boutique is world famous for its macarons all over the world. Blackcurrant, caramel, lemon, raspberry, chocolate or violet, you name it and they had it. One can eat Ladurée macarons till their teeth rot out of their head!

Two small meringue halves, crafted out of icing sugar and egg whites, and sandwiched together are the main characters of this dessert, coming in different colours and flavours, held together by a delicious ganache. The Ladurée macarons were sinful — a moist centre, crispy shell and sweet filing, irrespective of the flavour you pick.

Paris’ tarts and pastries

Walking into a patisserie was indeed a test of nerves. The colourful, specular array of delicious cakes, pastries and desserts in the vitrine makes you wonder which to point your finger at. It was both the appearance of the desserts as well as some past delectable experiences that forced our minds to stop wandering and make a decision. The short list included éclair, opera cakes, canelé, tarte tatin, pie and tarts all falling in the linage of pastries, some to try and the rest to go.

The citron tart was a crust base filling with lemon making its presence known in every bite. The crust was hard, but soft enough to be sliced smoothly.

The must-have opera cake was just divine. I have tried many an opera cake, but this was a different story altogether. A perfect amalgamation of coffee and chocolate soaked with almond sponge, buttercream and chocolate ganache, topped with rich chocolate that makes your tastebuds tingle. It just slipped away in nanoseconds, leaving the tastebuds crying for more.

The tarte tatin was a new introduction to my palate, although it is the quintessential French upside-down cake with sliced caramelised apples baked in a shortcrust pastry. Since it was served upside down, the caramelised apples made their entry into the mouth first and overpowered the presence of the pastry crust. It was hard to decipher the pastry in totality as the caramelised apples, moist in texture and gooey due to the crust with a hint of sugar, refused to give way to any other flavours.

Washing it down with some coffee

For Parisians, coffee has been in vogue for a good decade. It is not just a drink but a form of art, a true sensory experience and at the same time an indispensable daily habit. It was a big surprise for me not to find a menu at a French bistro. I was told that a French coffee aficionado does not need one as they exactly know what to order.

With that in mind, we started off with a shot of espresso, went on to a full-bodied espresso, café au lait (creamy latte) and also ordered a café crema (cappuccino), the place was a paradise for coffee lovers. The subtle aroma in this cozy milieu, French roasted coffee in colourful mugs, the sound of brewing and grinding of coffee called for nothing more than a novel by your favourite author to go read with it.

The crème de la crème — crème brûlée

If one has still not tasted crème brûlée after being in Paris for more than 24 hours, then it is an unforgiven sin. This classic silky, smooth rich velvety custard topped with a thin pane of crunchy toffee is a must-have. An amalgamation of cream, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla, the devil is not in the details rather upfront, in the solid brittle crust created by the torch. I was served cold crème brûlée in a standard size ramekin. The two contrasting layers of luscious vanilla cream under a crackly caramelised sugar top was a match made in dessert heaven.

Italian gelato in Paris, France

It was hard to resist a French ice-cream parlour when roaming the streets of Paris. If ice cream is what you seek, Amorino Gelato is the place to be. This French ice cream parlour is well known around Europe as well as in North America with over 200 branches around the world. Their unique selling point is their delicate flower shaped cones with delicately crafted petals that looked like the work of a seasoned florist.

Their menu is now diversified and features their new invention — gelato-filled macarons. Frozen desserts have carved a very powerful impact amongst those with a sweet tooth as the flavours are very creamy, dense and rich. Warm waffles with cream and nuts topping, churros dressed in cinnamon sugar and freshly made Nutella crepes — Paris has a little bit of everything.

Comments

Multani Jan 31, 2025 05:17pm
Will need millions of euros to buy all that and get diabetes, our own sweet dishes are cheaper and better.
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Gurcharan Gulati Jan 31, 2025 05:22pm
Just superb.
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Gurcharan Gulati Jan 31, 2025 05:23pm
Just superb.
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Laila Jan 31, 2025 05:37pm
I singlehandedly petition to fire Mr Bilal Agha as writer, because it must be criminal to write such mouth watering articles about delicious foods I haven't even ever tried. I have sweet teeth. Not tooth.
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Afzal Jan 31, 2025 05:57pm
Wow, amazing! This is just the sight of the goodies. How would it be to enjoy them in real.
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Amjad Ali Awan Jan 31, 2025 07:27pm
So cruel of you Bilal Agha. Beautifully written text adorned with perfect snaps of the food made me maaaaaaaad
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Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Feb 01, 2025 12:08am
Looks delicious and mouthwatering.
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Dr. Ayesha Siddiqui Feb 01, 2025 12:13am
What a mouth watering rendition of such delectable eateries! My commendations to the author for a most concise and bijou narration, as well as a virtual feast of photographs!
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shaukat memon Feb 01, 2025 01:52am
I did enjoyed almost everything in summer 2023 , Amazing and nice experience .
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Anonymouseee Feb 01, 2025 02:00am
Instead of wasting money on Paris trips, donate to the Palestinian cause.
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Matt Jane Feb 01, 2025 07:22am
Any word on cost of these? Were you on an expense account or paid on your own? And, puhleeze, it’s espresso not expresso.
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Faiza Feb 01, 2025 08:54am
I loved the photos as they look so real as If, I was eating the croissant and also the honesty of the author when he wrote ‘I can’t even pronounce the name ‘. So true .. I wish he had put some pics of the city as well as the detail description demanded
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Faiza Ahmed Feb 01, 2025 10:54am
Great article. It made me feel like I was in Paris ☺️
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Manal Feb 01, 2025 11:53am
The food looks amazing!
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Abdul aziz Feb 01, 2025 01:09pm
Paris is a city of love and the author has done justice too as detailing the readers with ambience before embarking on the gastronomical journey. Good reading
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NYS Feb 01, 2025 01:10pm
On this way we can get to know the sweet delicacies of romantic country Paris .Many of them are now available in native land .Suggested to be reserved briefly
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Laila Feb 01, 2025 02:55pm
@Anonymouseee Just because there are wars in some places, does not mean people stop living or donate everything to that (apparently one single, in your case) cause. Palestinians and others go out, work, study, hang out for their friends, party, celebrate weddings, birthdays, romance, date, travel, save money, attend fashion shows, go to gym, shop etc. It's not wasting money. It's living. You are more than welcome to take and invest all your wealth into the Palestinian cause. Let mr Bilal Agha spend his money on travel, foods etc. If you are on social media can you go and ask DJ Khaled why he is silent about Palestine and carrying on enjoying his life and flaunting his extreme wealth while his people are struggling? Imagine how many house and hospitals he can rebuild? How many he can feed?
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Laila Feb 01, 2025 03:04pm
@Multani Millions of euros to enjoy Parisian foods? Are you eating gold and diamonds? You'll need a couple of thousand euros. Not every person has the same preference as you. Our sweet dishes are not better but saturated in oils (not fit for human consumption) and sugar. That paired with lack of exercise is why diabetes is common in Pakistan. Parisians don't have that same issues. You don't get diabetes from occasional travel and sweets consumption.
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Mubashra Feb 01, 2025 03:11pm
This article transported me back to my first trip to Paris. What a perfect way to encapsulate your experience
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Taj Ahmad Feb 01, 2025 05:31pm
We need to eat sweet foods sometimes but there should be some limits to it specially old age people, dark chocolate candy or cakes are most likely people of all age prefer to eat.
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Emaan Feb 02, 2025 01:23am
The whole article is so well written that it makes me almost feel like I was teleported to Paris, and tasted all these treats myself! Definitely gonna put Paris on my bucket list now
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Emaan Feb 02, 2025 01:23am
Amazing article!
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Hazem Feb 02, 2025 01:25am
As always, very eloquently written, and even though I don’t have a sweet tooth, this makes me crave all the treats that were mentioned here. You captured your experience so well that it feels like I myself was present there with you even though I’ve never been to Paris
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Laila Feb 02, 2025 03:53pm
@Taj Ahmad I think 230 million people have different taste and preferences. Also dark chocolate is not commonly available accessible or affordable in Pakistan...
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