where jess ate

If it’s your first time in Paris, chances are, you won’t be staying in the 10^th arrondissement. But trust me, Du Pain et des Idées is worth the trek!

This bakery opened in 2002 and the man behind it all is Christophe Vasseur. It’s an interesting story – he actually started off his career in fashion. At the age of 30, he had a change of heart and decided he wanted to become a baker. He’s come a long way since then and in 2008, he was named the best baker in Paris by Gault & Millau, an influential French restaurant guide. Impressive, eh?

Du Pain et des Idées is open Mondays to Fridays from 6:45am to 8pm. So don’t try to come here on the weekend because you’ll be very disappointed!

Both the exterior and interior have a charming, old-fashioned feel to it. There is no seating inside but they have a large wooden table in front of the bakery where we devoured our purchases.

Du Pain et des Idées has an extensive selection of bread as well as other delectable baked goods. I don’t believe they sell coffee but if you need your caffeine fix, I recommend walking over to Ten Belles for a fantastic cup of joe. Their macchiato’s are incredible.

My first purchase was the Croissant. It had a nice buttery taste to it without being greasy and had a good flakiness to it. It was a delicious croissant but in comparison to the croissant I had at Blé Sucré, Blé Sucré takes the cake!

Next up was the Pain au Chocolat et Banane. It was definitely the best pain au chocolat I’ve ever eaten…which probably has something to do with the fact that chocolate and bananas are one of my favourite sweet combinations.

It had the same flakey layers as the croissant and the filling was top notch. I highly recommend ordering one of these.

For something on the fruity side, we also purchased a Chausson à la Pomme Fraîche aka an apple turnover. The label at the bakery explicitly said it was made with fresh apples as many other bakeries will use jam instead.

The turnover had a gorgeous brown exterior with half a baked apple inside. Since they used fresh apples, it wasn’t overly sweet nor artificial tasting. This was another big hit for us.

Du Pain et des Idées has quite the selection of Escargots, pastries made with puff pastry that’s shaped like a snail’s shell. The selection included rum & raisin, pistachio & chocolate, praline and berries & cream cheese. I went with the latter which had a delicious Danish-like filling. Like the chausson à la pomme fraîche, this had just the right amount of sweetness.

When biting into it, don’t be surprised if you become covered in flakes – their escargots are wonderfully flakey and crispy. I ate a lot of escargots in France and this was my absolute favourite!

To round out our “light” breakfast, we purchased a loaf of their famous bread, Pain des Amis. We purchased the smallest size it came in, a quarter loaf.

The bread has a very thick crust and a nutty taste to it. With some meat and cheese, this would make the perfect meal.

Like I said, even if you’re not staying close to this bakery, it’s definitely worth the trek!

At a glance:
• Opened by Christophe Vasseur, named best baker in 2008 by Gault & Millau
• Located in the 10th arrondissement near Canal St-Martin
• If you love baked goods, this is a must visit
• No seating inside but there’s a large wooden table outside
• Highlights include: pain au chocolat et banane and the berry/cream cheese escargot
• Open Monday to Friday 6:46am to 8pm; closed on weekends

Ratings (out of 5):
• Food: 4.5 stars
• Service: N/A
• Atmosphere: 3 stars