Stohrer

Stohrer is the oldest pâtisserie in Paris, founded in 1730 by Nicolas Stohrer, a pastry cook who came to France in the household of Marie Leszczyńska, the Polish-born wife of Louis XV. Its historic shop at 51 Rue Montorgueil has been in business on the same street for almost three centuries, and the house credits its founder with inventing the baba au rhum. The narrow shop is decorated with painted panels and gilded mirrors from the 19th century, which make it worth a visit even before you look at the counters.

The signatures are the babas au rhum, soaked in rum syrup and sold plain or with cream, and the Ali-Baba, the house version with raisins and pastry cream. Other classics include the puits d'amour, a puff pastry case filled with vanilla cream and caramelised on top, the religieuse à l'ancienne, and the savoury bouchée à la reine, a vol-au-vent filled with chicken and mushrooms in cream sauce. The counters also hold tarts, éclairs, macarons, chocolates, breads and a savoury traiteur selection, useful for a picnic.

Stohrer suits pastry lovers, families and anyone exploring the Montorgueil area, and it is mainly a takeaway shop rather than a sit-down café, so plan to eat your pastries on a nearby bench or back at your hotel. The house is now linked with the confectioner À la Mère de Famille, and Stohrer pastries are sold in several shops in Paris, but the Rue Montorgueil address is the historic one.

The shop opens daily, from 8am to 8.30pm Monday to Saturday and from 8am to 8pm on Sunday. Mornings are the best time for the widest choice, and weekends can bring a queue out of the door, especially before lunch. Online orders can be collected in store. A visit takes about 15 minutes, longer if you are choosing for a group.

The shop is on the pedestrian section of Rue Montorgueil, a short walk from Sentier station on metro line 3 and Étienne Marcel on line 4. The street is lined with greengrocers, cheese shops, fishmongers and cafés, and it leads south towards the church of Saint-Eustache and the Forum des Halles, and north towards Rue du Nil and the covered passages of the 2nd arrondissement.