Part of the strip of shops on Rue du Nil that make up the sustainable agriculture organization Terroirs d’Avenir (terroirs of the future), this boulangerie serves sourdough breads inspired by the organization’s mission. Focaccia, multigrain tin loaves, and all manner of breads are on offer. The boulangerie is only a stone’s throw from the primeur (fresh market), a fish shop, and a butcher, so you can have dinner sorted out before you reach the end of the block. Located in the 2nd arrondissement.

The baguette at Tout Autour du Pain is a classic option for picnics, parties, or just a midday snack. Perfectly golden and crisp, it’s the platonic ideal of a baguette. Buy one for later and one to eat immediately in the petite plaza directly across from the shop. Enough said. Located in the 3rd arrondissement.

While not every visitor to Paris has the time or money to visit the historic Tour d’Argent restaurant, the operation’s next-door bakery, Le Boulanger de la Tour, is more than sufficient as a backup. A rotating menu of breads is available from the famed restaurant’s bakers. They’re so good, you can close your eyes and almost imagine you’ve nabbed a seat in the restaurant’s historic waterfront dining room. Located in the 5th arrondissement.

With six locations across Paris and a name that’s fun to say, the French Bastards’ bakeries could get by on novelty alone. Thankfully that’s not the case. Breads incorporate ingredients like honey with figs, hazelnuts, plentiful seeds, rye flour, and more. Take a hearty loaf to go, and eat a caramel eclair on the way home.

You’ll likely encounter a line when visiting the original outpost of Cécile Khayat and Victoria Effantin’s wildly popular Mamiche bakery, but the wait is worth it. Using natural leaven, the duo produce excellent breads, from the hearty pain de campagne to the lightweight pain de mie, as well as a traditional miche. Don’t miss the babkas and viennoiserie, too. You can’t go wrong with any of it. Located in the 9th arrondissement.

While many boulangeries around Paris will sell bread, pastries, and viennoiserie, most excel at one area or another. Not so at Utopie in the 11th. It’s safe to pick between any of the sourdough croissants, elegant pastries, brioche, and inventive breads made with ingredients like sesame and curry powder, kalamata olives, and guava with cranberry. If you’re overwhelmed by choice, just remember that in 2024, head baker Xavier Netry won the competition for the city’s preeminent baguette, Le Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris. Located in the 11th arrondissement.

Chambelland, a gluten-free bakery, crafts an array of breads, focaccias, cookies, cakes, and pastries. The throughline is the bakers’ commitment to purity. In order to guarantee zero cross-contamination with gluten, the bakery sources house blends of buckwheat, rice, sorghum, and millet flours from a mill in southern France. Chambelland attracts all types of customers, including those who enjoy gluten. They come for baked goods, as well as lunchtime vegan and vegetarian focaccia sandwiches with fillings like artichoke with tuna, or a veggie-packed rendition of cabbage, green beans, onions, and mesclun with soy cream, paprika, cumin, honey, and lemon juice. They also offer a pissaladière (flatbread topped with olives, onions, and anchovies), bruschettas, and pizza. Located in the 11th arrondissement.

As the name implies, the theme at Fermentation Générale in the 11th arrondissement is fermentation. From kefir and kombucha to natural wines, ciders, and pickles, the menu is a dream for anyone who loves sour flavors. Sourdough fits perfectly in that mix. Every bread is tangy and tart, with a depth of flavor reminiscent of San Francisco sourdoughs. Located in the 11th arrondissement.

Shinya Inagaki has made bread for some of the most beloved sourdough bakeries in Paris, like Fermentation Générale and Terroirs d’Avenir. At his own operation in Montmartre, Inagaki is making sourdough breads his own way. Olive focaccia, brioches, multigrain breads, and scones are just some of the specials you might find scrawled on butcher paper at his tiny storefront on Rue des Trois Frères. Note: The bakery is only open Thursday to Saturday from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Located in the 18th arrondissement.

With 18 locations in Paris, plus four in Tokyo, Maison Landemaine might not fit your image of a small, artisan boulangerie, but the hits at this international chain still hit. The traditional baguette is crusty and chewy in all the right ways, especially paired with cheeses from the nearby Laiterie cheese shop on Rue des Poissonniers. Located in the 18th arrondissement.

It’s not uncommon to see lines stretching down the street at one of Urban Bakery’s eight Parisian locations. Emerging in 2021, when sourdough and focaccia were entirely in vogue in the city, Urban Bakery exclusively utilizes 100-percent organic flour from France in its bread and baked goods. Join the queue to pick up an iconic “titi” baguette (each location sells up to 1,000 per day), the sourdough wheat “baby meule,” or the butter- and milk-free braided brioche. Located in the 20th arrondissement.