There are a few flavors that I’ve always loved that I’ve found most French people can’t stand. Most of them are artificial: the bright orange cheese powder used to make Kraft mac and cheese, or the brightly colored rainbow sprinkles we add to funfetti cake. But some are natural: chili, for one, and cinnamon, for the other.
In all of my time in France, any dessert that I would typically see made with cinnamon back home – apple tart, doughnuts – tends to be made with vanilla. But that’s all changing thanks to Circus Bakery.
This bakery opened at the end of last year in the Latin Quarter, not far from the Shakespeare and Company bookshop. Lauded immediately for the buttery, rich cinnamon buns, it’s been on my radar for months. And since my naturalization appointment was in the area, I finally decided to treat myself to one of them.
It did not disappoint. Buttery and moist and full of cinnamon flavor, I absolutely understood the hype.
But cinnamon buns are not the only thing this bakery has mastered. Hearty country loaves and delicate apple tarts, and when I heard that the bakery was now also offering pizza… well… I had to see for myself if it lived up to the hype.
For science.
Friends, as a native New Yorker of Italian extraction, it is difficult for me to say this is the best pizza I’ve ever tried, but that’s the honest to goodness truth.
The crust is made with a sourdough base that lends it an almost custardy richness. It’s not as thin as my favorite pizzas back home, but I don’t mind in the slightest. The tomatoes taste fresh off the vine (even in March!) and the scant scattering of mozzarella and basil is just enough to bring it together. The hearty drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil over the top, though, really took the proverbial cake. (Er… pie?)
Vegan friends will be happy to hear, by the way, that a vegan “marinara” option with garlic and tomato is also available.
This pizza has quickly gained such acclaim in Paris that people line up starting at five, when the first pies come out of the oven. I’ve seen on Instagram that they sometimes stop serving at 8:30, when there are no more fresh ingredients. (It bears mentioning that I refused to miss out, and so I showed up promptly at 5:01 to get the very first out of the oven.) There’s not much in the way of seating area in which to enjoy it, but as good weather arrives on the horizon, I’m happy to tap into my inner New Yorker and eat it on the street, overlooking Notre Dame.
Or, you know, on the sidewalk.
Circus Bakery – 63 Rue Galande, 75005