Paris is home to hundreds of boulangeries and pâtisseries, so it can be tough to know which ones to frequent. Stohrer’s however, somehow manages to attract more than a handful of visitors: not just because it’s in the pedestrian rue Montorgueil, but because it’s one of Paris’ oldest pastry shops.
Stohrer dates back to 1725, when the future Queen Marie Leczynska (wife of Louis XV) came to Paris with her pastry chef, M. Stohrer. Five years after his arrival, Stohrer opened this shop on the rue Montorgueil, and the rest, as they say, is history.
The shop boasts classic 18th century décor, a contribution from painter Paul Baudry, known for his work in the Garnier opera house.
The shop boasts a beautiful painted ceiling, the likes of which you’ll see in only a handful of the city’s pastry shops.
Of course, most visitors aren’t here for the painted façade or mosaic floors: they’re here for the pastries. Stohrer has not become a victim of its celebrity in that area: its pastry window is as delicious as it is beautiful, and I often see people stumble over which cake to choose.
If you’re looking for suggestions, stick to the classics: Stohrer is famous for its éclairs, which have won the shop numerous awards. These choux pastry marvels can be filled with classic coffee or chocolate pastry cream, as well as passion fruit (my personal fave).
The other two pastries in this box are perhaps even more evocative of this particular shop: Stohrer has been making baba au rhum and puits d’amour since it first opened almost three centuries ago.
The former isn’t for the weak-hearted: it’s more rum than baba, and one taste left Little Sister feeling a bit loopy as she went off to babysit. The puits d’amour, however, lives up to its name: translated as a “well of love,” this little pastry is a marriage between a crème brûlée and a flan pâtissier, with a flaky pastry shell enveloping a thick crème pâtissière, all topped with a caramelized sugar crust. It’s not the easiest (or most delicate) pastry to eat, but it’s well worth the mess.
Stohrer -Â 51 Rue Montorgueil, 75002