ORDER: Tarte au Sirop d’Erable. Once upon a time, you never would have seen maple-syrup-flavored desserts in Paris; it’s the kind of intensely sweet, very American ingredient that would make French chefs hold their noses. But chefs Bertrand Grébaut and Théophile Pourrait, owners of the popular nearby restaurant Septime, have made their maple syrup custard, contained within a high-sided, crisp tart shell and topped with generous mounds of whipped cream, a signature sweet.

ORDER: Tarte Citron. Cagnes got famous baking at Paris’ oldest pastry shop, Stohrer, which opened in 1730, and now has three chic boutiques of his own. His specialty is tweaking classics in fun new ways. His tarte citron highlights the often overlooked crust by adorning it with toasted hazelnuts—an ingenious move that catches your attention with its extra-crunchy texture. Basil and olive oil accent a double dose of lime both in the pillowy filling and the intense creamy ganache layer underneath.

ORDER: Seasonal Viennoiserie. The current selection is a “croissant tout chocolat.” But unlike its close relative, pain au chocolat, with its plain pastry and rigid sticks of filling, the base here is a cocoa-infused dough with a voluptuous chocolate pastry cream in the center. A sprinkling of praline and sea salt chocolate crumbs gives it a final savory note. Soon, it will be replaced by a brand-new viennoiserie filled with strawberry preserves and cream.

ORDER: Marbled Flan and Hazelnut Praline. This corner space in the lobby of the palatial Hôtel de Crillon used to be a souvenir shop. Now it's a floral wallpapered space that could be a Wes Anderson set. At first glance chef Matthieu Carlin's flan looks like a slice of cheesecake. But the slice boasts a double crust, with crackly sugared pastry topped by a cookie-like, caramelized-nut studded layer to contrast the custardy smoothness of the chocolate-laced flan.

ORDER: Roule Charbon Pralines Roses. There are now a half-dozen locations of this ultra-cool pastry shop which offers a forward-thinking, high-design catalog of sweets. Exhibit A: the the jet-black roule charbon, or rolled black stuffed croissant. Its striking color comes from charcoal incorporated into the buttery croissant dough with an intensely sweet-salty praline filling thickly slathered inside. An extra hit of sweetness is provided by the hot pink candied almonds on top.

ORDER: Pistachio Babka. A few blocks up the steeply inclined Rue des Martyrs, Le Pain Retrouvé's handwritten brown paper “sign” proudly shouts the store’s emphasis on natural grains and long fermentation. Amid the crowded display is babka, the Eastern European pastry that’s become an unlikely darling of the city’s dessert set. Its elegantly twirled rounds have a notably yeasty flavor; when you get a sweet, earthy bite of pistachio, it’s like a surprise.

ORDER: The Crookie. Chef Stephane Louvard was quietly making a twirl of croissant and cookie dough for regulars until TikTok sent the Crookie spiraling out into the universe. The boulangerie now sells upwards of a 1,000 every day. What makes them so addictive—besides the obvious over-the-top croissant-cookie dough combo—is the pairing of the crispy, buttery croissant layers with melty chocolate. It’s held together with a little chewy sugar cookie that fills the croissant and also crowns it.