Paris Pastry App
UPDATE:
Welcome to my website. I created the Paris Pastry app guide to feature and highlight hundreds of the best chocolate shops, bakeries, and pastry shops in Paris. Unfortunately the technology of building and maintaining the app eventually exceeded my capabilities and it wasn’t possible for me to update it as often as wanted to. Because of those limitations, and others, I made the difficult decision to remove the app for sale. If you have the app, it should still be functional but I am unable to update it.
For your convenience, I’ve put many of my favorite Paris pastry addresses on this blog and you can find them listed under Paris Pastry and Chocolate Shops. Thanks! – David
At long last, I’d like to introduce you to the Paris Pastry app. It’s a project that I’ve been working on for a while, doing lots of delicious research around Paris, scoping out the best bakeries, chocolate shops, and confectioners in the sweetest city in the world!
In the app, you’ll find hundreds of the best addresses in Paris where to find the most buttery madeleines and financiers, how far you’ll have to go to get the dreamiest salted butter caramels from wherever you’re standing, where is the best cup of rich hot chocolate, and how soon you can get your hands on a scoopendous ice cream.
I visited each shop along with Heather Stimmler-Hall, of Secrets of Paris, sleuthing out the best in the city. And Bryan Pirolli checked to make sure each address, phone number, and opening hours was spot-on.
In addition to the over three hundred bakeries, tea salons, pastry shops, and confectioners listed, there are vivid, full-color photographs of specialties from each and every shop. You can scroll through the photos to find your favorites. And even if you’re not in Paris, the photos will keep you satiated until you do.
We’ll be updating the app as necessary, and you can follow Paris Pastry on Facebook and Twitter for the latest news.
Also included is an introduction and my personal welcome to the app, a glossary in French-English of best-loved pastries and other terms you might need a little help with, a zoomable map feature, a page to store (and share) your favorite addresses, a search engine in case you need help finding exactly what you’re looking for, and a list of my Top 25 Pastry and Chocolate Places in Paris.
So if you have a sweet tooth, or are planning a visit to Paris, or just love French pastries and chocolates as much as I do, check out my Paris Pastry app!
FAQs
I’m old-fashioned and don’t have a mobile device. I want it!
No problem. There’s an e-book that’s available with the same information. Visit the Paris-Pastry website to download it.
Why isn’t this app 99 cents?
You’ll find plenty of free information on my website. However this project required the assistance of a team to compile everything, as well as visiting each and every one of the places listed (I’m not complaining!), confirming addresses, websites, and making sure there were plenty of photographs. This is not an advertising-supported app and absolutely none of the entries are paid submissions.
Because of the electronic format, there are hundreds of full color pictures and other features which aren’t possible in a traditional guidebook. The price is comparable to the cost of a cup of cup of chocolat chaud in Paris…and this app tells you where to get it!
(If you prefers standard guidebooks, I recommend The Pâtisseries of Paris and Le Guide des Boulangeries de Paris (in French) which is out of print, but worth tracking down.)
Can I try it out first?
Sure! You can download the free LITE version of the Paris Pastry app, which has my Top 25 favorite bakeries in Paris listed on it, as well as other features.
Is this app available for the iPad?
We decided that most people will carry a pocket-sized device around the city rather than the larger iPad, however for those with iPads and e-readers, you can download the Paris Pastry e-book and use it on the iPad. The book will also be available in the iBookstore.
Is there a Kindle version of the Paris Pastry Guide?
Yes, you can download the Kindle version at Amazon.
Why isn’t my favorite bakery way up near the Porte de Batignolles on the app?
We included over 370 bakeries, many in the central part of Paris and in the single-digit arrondissements, where there are a high concentration of pastry shops. Although we live in the outer fringes of those areas, we focused on places that people are likely to be visiting when in Paris.
That said, there are quite a few places located in the various neighborhoods, so I’ve included places that I think are worth a special visit throughout Paris, such as a tucked-away confectioner near the Place Gambetta and a terrific ice cream shop behind a bus station in the 17th, where you’d least expect it. And don’t forget about those delicious cream-filled coffee meringues in the 15th.
Are there bread bakeries on the app as well?
Yes, however because there are over 1250 bread bakeries in Paris, we listed just the top ones. There’s plenty of them to satisfy any baguette cravings you might have, but it’s not possible to list each and every one in Paris. Most Parisians pick up bread at their local boulangerie on the corner, so if you have one that’s extra special, you can let us know through the website and we may include it in a subsequent update.
What about other devices and versions?
The Paris Pasty Guide is available as an e-book and will work with most e-readers and other devices, including Android-enabled smartphones. Most information can be found at the Paris Pastry website.
Who is behind this app?
Aside from the team of engineers and designers required to build the app, I worked with Heather Stimmler-Hall, a long-time resident of Paris, tour guide, and publisher of a number of Paris guidebooks. She has also worked with Fodor’s and other companies on their guidebooks. Bryan Pirolli, another Paris resident, tour guide, and student at the Sorbonne, provided assistance with fact-checking and polishing off any extra pastries and chocolates at the end of the day.
Is the app available for all the other mobile devices out there?
Much of this technology is relatively new and changing on a regular basis. I am the owner of an iPhone and understand how it works. So we decided to launch it on the most accessible platform for me at the moment. In the future, we will investigate offering it in other platforms and there is an Android version in the works. We’ll announce those on the Facebook and Twitter pages when available.
