Pâtisserie Stohrer: The Oldest Bakery in Paris

If you’ve ever wandered down Rue Montorgueil in Paris, you may have passed by a little shop that’s been standing there for nearly 300 years. It’s easy to miss, tucked among cafés and fromageries, but step inside, and you’re walking into history. 

This is Pâtisserie Stohrer, the oldest bakery in Paris. Here, royal pastry chefs once worked their magic, and one of France’s most famous desserts, baba au rhum, was born.

But to understand this story, we need to go back to the early 18th century, to a time when pastry wasn’t just pure indulgence, not to mention a few inches added to your waistline; it was about status, power, and pleasing the most demanding of palates.

The Joys of the Pâtisserie Living in France

Living in France for the last ten years, I’ve accepted that life in France is all about food. Or should I say, food and wine? Now, I’m definitely not complaining; in fact, I’d say I’ve embraced it wholeheartedly. My daily trips to the boulangerie for my bread have become something of a ritual. And why wouldn’t they? 

A fresh baguette every day is part of French life, and no self-respecting French person would eat yesterday’s bread. But bread isn’t the only thing on the menu. Many of the boulangeries have the most amazing array of pastries. But if you want a real treat, go to the pâtisserie. 

Could there be anything better than an entire shop dedicated to pastries and cakes? The displays are works of art that look almost too good to eat. But then you bite into one, and you’ve died and gone to pastry heaven.

I’m surprised I haven’t gone up more dress sizes since living here because you haven’t had a croissant till you’ve had one here in France. And then there is Pâtisserie Stohrer who takes the pastry and raises it up to another level entirely. Like most places in France, there is a story behind it, so join me as we go behind the scenes of one the most famous patisseries in Paris.

If you could create a French pastry, what would you name it?

The Story of Pâtisserie Stohrer

Pâtisserie Stohrer’s story starts not in France but in Poland, with a king known for many things: his political struggles, love of books, and insatiable sweet tooth. King Stanisław I of Poland had been dethroned (twice), but he still lived in grand style. Among his court was a young pastry chef named Nicolas Stohrer, whose talent for pastries quickly became legendary.

In 1725, when Stanisław’s daughter, Marie Leszczyńska, was sent to France to marry King Louis XV, Stohrer followed. He spent five years working at Versailles, preparing intricate confections for the most powerful court in Europe. But in 1730, he left palace life behind and opened his own bakery on Rue Montorgueil. He had no idea that his name would still be known nearly three centuries later.

The Accident That Created a French Classic

One day, King Stanisław sat down to eat his favorite dessert, a kouglof, a rich, yeasted cake from Alsace. But there was a problem: it was too dry. The pastry chef (some say Stohrer, others claim it was another court baker) had an idea. He doused the cake in syrup and wine, softening it and giving it a whole new depth of flavor. The king was delighted.

When Stohrer set up his own bakery in Paris, he perfected the recipe, swapping out the wine for rum, adding whipped cream, and shaping the cake into the baba au rhum we know today. It became an instant sensation, a dessert fit for a king, literally.

Inside the Oldest Bakery in Paris

Step into Stohrer today, and you’ll find a golden ceiling, painted frescoes, and intricate woodwork. In 1860, the shop was redesigned by a student of Paul Baudry, the same artist who worked on the Opéra Garnier. The result? A bakery that looks more like a grand salon than a place to pick up an éclair.

But the real magic is in the glass display cases. The baba au rhum is still there, unchanged after centuries. Next to it, puits d’amour (tiny, caramelized custard pastries) sit in perfect rows alongside glossy fruit tarts and buttery mille-feuilles. Every pastry has a story, and every bite carries a little bit of history.

Over the centuries, Pâtisserie Stohrer has changed hands, but its standards have never changed. In 2017, it was bought by the Dolfi family, the same family behind À La Mère de Famille, the oldest chocolate shop in Paris. They’ve kept Stohrer’s legacy alive, ensuring visitors can still taste the same pastries that once delighted royalty.

So, next time you’re in Paris, don’t just grab a croissant from the first bakery you see. Take a walk down Rue Montorgueil, find the shop with the gilded façade, and step into history. Order a baba au rhum, take a bite, and remember, you’re eating a pastry with a royal past.