La Maison du Chocolat, Faubourg Saint-Honoré

Robert Linxe opened La Maison du Chocolat at 225 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré on 26 October 1977, the first Paris boutique entirely dedicated to chocolate, and the room that taught a generation what dark-chocolate ganache could taste like at restaurant-pastry standard. The brand has grown internationally but Faubourg is the original and remains the longest-standing outlet. Ganache truffles, single-origin bars, the Andalousie (lemon-zested ganache) and the Quito (coffee), and a small but serious pastry programme run by the in-house chef. Five minutes from the Arc de Triomphe, ten from Parc Monceau. The classical-Paris box-of-chocolates address.