Desserts in Paris

There are cafes everywhere to have french pastry and expresso after dinner.
Too many french desserts so little time. Get an assortment and split them with your travel partners.

A budget friendly way to have many desserts is to go to a bakery. You’ll pay more anywhere else. Google David Lebovitz for a list of good ones.
Here’s a link:
https://www.davidlebovitz.com/paris-pastry-shops-chocolate-bakeries-patisseries-french-france/

To get a soufflé you likely will have to sit and have dinner , since they are made to order so won't be available at a bakery , and cafes likely won't make them .

However as said , visit the bakeries , treat for the eyes and stomach

Why not for one day eat a light lunch and have a proper dinner in a restaurant that has souffle on its menu. Seems a simple solution.

In America my husband and I usually share a meal because portions are way to big. How do they look upon that in French restaurants ?

French portions are smaller than those in US, much nicer. It will depend on the restaurant as far as splitting a main course but I doubt you would want to do that in France.

In the US we frequently split meals. Rare in Europe because the portions are much smaller. I would order a couple of meals before making a decision about splitting future meals. It can be done if a little clever about it - one orders a first course and the other a second course. And then you share.

Some years ago I had dinner at Brasserie Balzar. As we pondered what to order, the waiter suggested that we each order a Plat for our respective main course, and that we split a salad and a dessert. It was a masterful suggestion by a very engaging and funny server, and it freed up more money to spend on wine and Armagnac. Brasseries are less formal than restaurants, but I still measure all other Parisian meals against that one, and I think the experience there was on par with Chez Josephine.

I imagine that if you ask, Chez Josephine might be willing to make you each one of their famous Grand Marnier souffles if they don't have a full house. No sharing on that one, though. People who tried to take some of mine still have scars on their hands....

There’s a restaurant called Les Soufflés Récamier that specializes in savory and dessert soufflés at 4 rue Récamier in the 6th. A friend recommended it and it’s in the RS Paris guidebook.

Many places will frown on meal splitting in Paris , splitting an appetizer or dessert is fine .

Portions are smaller than American ( generally) so you may be fine .

We have split meals in Paris. No one really questions this now & they usually even bring an extra plate.

Must Try Desserts - My List -

Paris Brest
Lemon Tarte
Mille-Fuelle (sp?)
Apple Tarte
Pear Tarte
Eclair
Macarons (Pierre Hermes has the best IMHO)

Enjoy!

We are the exact opposite, we do not want to waste precious daylight by sitting in a restaurant for an hour + to eat lunch (or breakfast). It's not like America where you order and are severed and out the door is 35 min. Meals take much longer in Paris. Dinner is the only meal we have in a restaurant where we sit and enjoy a nice long meal, when our feet are tired and the city is buzzing and we eat much later than we do at home, BUT we are walking to the restaurant and walking home afterwards and like others mentioned the portions are smaller. We always order our own meals and split a dessert (okay not really split, hubby has two bites and I eat the rest!).

sabbottaz, where are you??

Profiteroles? 🙂

Is it not a bit much to want a decent restaurant to give a dinnertime table to a couple who want only "a fabulous" dessert, not a full course meaL? Not even a bottle of champagne to accompany it? It would be impossible in Montreal, where I live, and likely unheard of in Paris.

My brother introduced me to a Mont Blanc that he had tried when he was in Paris. It is a cupcake-like pastry made by Angelina’s, who is famous for the thick and rich hot chocolate. I was blessed to have a mom and mother-in-law that could cook you out of your house......so we are hard to please.....BUT.....this pastry is so unusual and the attraction for us is that the Mont Blanc is so unlike anything you can buy in the states. It has a meringue base and has a huge mound of piped chestnut cream on top of it like icing. It is hard to forget.....wanting one right now. I also think David Lebovitz’s THINGS YOU MUST EAT IN PARIS BEFORE YOU LEAVE is a great reference. Look for theatre title on his blog. He is a pastry chef that lives in Paris and knows his stuff!

Just to be sure you are aware that in France an entrée is a course preceding the main course. The main course is le plat principal. Somehow the Americans got it backwards on their menus--oh, and menu is a fixed price meal, so ask for la carte if you want to order à la carte.

Desserts: how about trying a different pastry shop or tea salon every day at 4 or 5? Just don't have dessert with your lunch and something light in the evening. For what you want to do, a restaurant usually isn't appropriate, but a pastry/tea salon is.

In addition to David Leibowitz's list referenced above, here is a list from Paris by Mouth: https://parisbymouth.com/paris-bakeries/