La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac, Paul Bert

Cyril Lignac and pastry chef Benoît Couvrand opened on rue Paul Bert in November 2011, opposite Lignac's Chardenoux bistro, and turned a quiet 11e residential street into a destination block. The signature Equinoxe, speculoos sablé, bourbon vanilla cream, salted-butter caramel core, is the Paris pastry of the 2010s, copied widely and bettered nowhere. Tarte au citron, rum baba, éclair café, and a serious viennoiserie counter round it out. Couvrand handles the technical programme; the team runs four further boutiques but Paul Bert is the original and the volume reference. Walk-in counter, no seating; ten minutes from Bastille on foot.