boulangerie help for 10th and 18th arrondisements

Hi!
What do you mean by "galettes" ? Galette des rois ? Or pancakes/crêpes ?
If it's galette des rois, that's seasonal - Christmas to end of January.
If it's pancakes/crêpes, "Gigi" just north of the Marais is pretty good, so is the Breizh Café next to the Picasso museum.

As for bakeries in the 10th: have a look at Michalak for pastries and Union for general baked goods. Both are close to rue d'Hauteville.
The 18th is not my turf, cannot help there :-)

A bakery is a bakery and any 'artisanal' bakery will have good traditional baguettes. Look around when you get there -- it isn't fine dining and it doesn't matter much. You have recommendations from your hosts, why would you need to fuss any more about it?

thank you, Balso - by gallette I meant the savory version of crepes. And, I appreciate the input.

And, Janet I really don't agree with your statement about a bakery being a bakery. True in the U.S. Not so in France. There is a reason for the annual baguette competition in Paris. Nothing compares to a really good (not mediocre) French baguette - fresh in the morning. Maybe not important to you. But it is to us. And, thankfully, to French bakers.

The reason that you "cannot find much in the way of well-reviewed bakeries near where we are staying" is because who reviews boulangeries??

A Parisian won't go out of their way for a boulangerie - if they don't like the bread from the nearest one they will go to the one three doors away.

The busy boulangerie will be the good one.

Look up the addresses of winners from the past several years. Villa de Guelma on the map is a deadend alley/street off Bd. de Clichy at Place Clichy. It doesn't take you up Montmartre, unless there's some sort of pedestrian passage, but these are interesting enclaves. You can access the foodie haven, rue des Martyrs, by crossing the Place de Clichy, taking rue Frochot to rue Victor Massé you'll hit rue des Martyrs near a couple good bakeries--including a former winner or runner up. You aren't really on Montmartre but at the bottom near the nightlife area. There is a former baguette winner on the hill, a street close to you, but up, up the hill. JKH gives the name and street below. I've stayed south of Bd. de Clichy many times and on Montmartre, but I agree with Janet that your hosts should know their neighborhoods better than any of us. As she said, just be sure they are artisan bakeries. Baguette is generic nowadays for 250gram loaves. When my husband goes to the bakery daily, he brings home a different type of bread tradi, festiva, compagnard, complet, aveyronnais, but never an old-fashion baguette. It's complicated, but there's a reason. In most neighborhoods there's at least one bakery better than the others or you'll like better.

I’m with you susan, nothing better than good bread for breakfast in the morning in France. It’s what i dream of, not pastries, lol. There are two bakeries near the apt where we stay each visit in the Marais. One, a block from the apt is exceptional. It’s not famous, and no awards, but it’s exceptional imo. The 2nd one, two blocks away, is terrible. Both always have a line out the door, so that’s not an indicator for me. I like a Tradition much better than a baguette. For me, i just have to try a Tradition from whatever boulangeries are close by to find the best one. But yes, definitely the hosts should know.
Just my 2cents, but i’ve had croissants and pastries from many famous, award winning places and never liked any of them. A really good neighborhood boulangerie/patisserie is what i look for.

And Susan from California has hit the nail on the head. She likes a newfangled tradition, I prefer the traditional baguette. I like mine not too baked (pas trop - sometimes pas trop cuit), some people like them well baked.

Quite how a "best" can be found baffles me. Most people I know like a particular bakery for a particular thing, because it does the bread they like the way they like. But I don't know a single french person who would say one is better than another. They leave that to (mainly) Anglo food bloggers.

Simon, for this forum, i am Susan from California, but i grew up in France and visit often.. You are so right, every person (French, American, Canadian, etc) has their own likes and dislikes. It’s personal. And why you just have to try different places to find the one that you like.

Now my mouth is watering! Susan, please come back to this post after you’re back and let us know what you found. I usually gauge a good baguette by how little is left in the bag by the time I return back to my lodging! ; )

Susan (OP), when my daughter was 12 in 2010, she asked me to take her to a bakery in Montmartre on rue des Abbesses. The place is Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses. Later that year, it won the baguette competition (somehow my daughter always knows about things before they become "famous') and it won again a couple of years later. It was excellent. We went back again over the years but have not been back since 2017.

Indeed, there are definite quality differences. For years, I bypassed the one downstairs in our building to go to a much better one down the street.

Since coming under new ownership a few years ago, our downstairs option is much better now, and I do buy bread there sometimes now. But I still strongly prefer the one at the end of the (long) block.

In our neighborhood, we have several depots de pain selling bread dropped off from bakeries or ready-made dough baked in the back room for emergency supply IMHO, one branch of a noted bakery pâtisserie in our little covered market at 200 meters, but our corner bakery (100 meters away) makes the best breads.

Youtube is full of such comparos, here is a typical one

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JG1zkvwrn3E

I was surprised how many and varied responses I received. Thank you all for taking the time. We may try a couple of new breads. And, I checked: Le Grenier a Pain Abbesses has a review from 2/2023, so is still in business. We will for sure check that one out! Looks reasonably close to our Air BnB. Best, Susan

Pain Pain is a good Boulangerie on Rue des Martyrs in Monmarte. We are staying near there in tge 9th and an excellent bakery is Mamiche. Wefind ourselves there most mornings.

thank you. I will check out Pain Pain and Mamiche!

I just read this fun read on Véro’s Facebook page…
(Véro is a RS tour guide, she is French and lives in Tours)

Bonjour.

Life in France is changing fast, yet rituals remain.

Every morning rain or shine one gets out of the house to get a fresh baguette.

Where? It’s best not to ask “les riverains” (locals) for recommendations. I’ve seen them argue on occasion when discussing the best “boulangerie” in the neighborhood.

They never seem to agree. They are French and take what they eat “très sérieusement.” They also love to argue just for the fun of it.

Get the best experience by asking for “une tradition” (instead of “une baguette”) for just a few more cents.

Flour, water, salt, yeast are the only ingredients allowed by law. How bad can it be?

Picking up a baguette daily is a ritual that only wars and the Occupation once stopped.

It survived successfully all the lockdowns Covid threw at us for a couple of years.

Another ritual is to hand out “la baguette” wrapped in a tiny piece of paper (barely large enough for your hand) or inside “le sac à pain,” a paper bag.

“Le papier mousseline” is used to make either.

“Les pâtisseries” (pastries) get special treatment.

They will travel in “la boîte pâtissière,” a paper box.

It’s plain or stamped with the boutique’s name and logo.

Back in the day any reputable “boulanger” or “pâtissier” would wrap a colorful piece of string or ribbon around the box, neatly arranged in a loop at the top.

I once saw my mother-in-law, “une vraie Parisienne,” reprimand her favorite “boulangère” because the ribbon had been hastily tied and seemed too loose.

The ribbon helped keep the box closed. It made transport easier (and removed any temptation to sample the pastries before getting home.)

“La tradition” doesn’t get the same special treatment: It hardly ever makes it home without losing one of its extremities, “le quignon” (“le crouton” to some.)

These days, efficiency is key. Customers are treated to “la boîte pâtissière” only. Ribbons must be on strike…

Besides, many boxes come equipped with some handles. Progress?

One thing hasn’t changed: It’s still ok to buy desserts for guests. It’s still ok for guests to bring dessert to a dinner party.

And why not? In the land of “le millefeuille,” “la tarte tatin,” “le Paris-Brest” and “l’éclair au chocolat” who would complain when discovering one of these “petits bonheurs” in a white cardboard box?

My French life.

Véro

If you must know before you get there, just use Google Street View and "walk around". You'll find one. Or just wait until you're there. You'll find one.

You can't master plan everything. What if you show up and the "perfect" boulangerie you found is closed? Allow serendipity to make your vacation magical.