Stohrer, Paris

The Venue

A great thing about cities like Paris is that every once in a while, you get to do something that people did 270 years ago in pretty much the same way. This exact storefront for Stohrer was opened in 1730—it’s the oldest continuously operating patisserie in Paris. You go in there, like they did back in the 1700s, get your pastries, and contemplate revolution. This place has withstood culinary and actual revolutions for good reason (hopefully there’s no currently-unknown terrible backstory that explains why they’ve been around which will in a few years’ time make this sentence one that I regret).

They also do savory stuff—we didn’t try those, but the sweets looked more appetizing in any way. As a side note, there’s no seating, so you take your goods to go.

Pastries from Stohrer—enjoyed on the patio of a hotel bistro that begrudgingly allowed us to bring in pastries

The Food

Desserts

Lemon Tart

Tastes a bit like a key-lime pie, but it’s a tart, so not as moist. Zesty, citrusy and lovely. The shortcrust pastry base is filled with a yuzu and lime cream, all topped with vanilla lemon confit.

Chocolate Saint-Honoré

Puff pastry base, with chocolate-covered choux pastries, complemented with chocolate cream, hazelnut praline, and chocolate Chantilly cream. Very rich.