On a hunt for the best chocolate in Paris? The French capital is brimming with gourmet chocolate shops serving up handmade Parisian sweet treats and chocolatey delights. From truffles, chocolate bars, dark chocolate, flavoured chocolate, praline and much much more, if you’re a chocolate lover in Paris, you won’t be disappointed. With Easter coming up, we decided to round up the best chocolate shops in the French capital so you know where to get your Easter eggs this year. Paris even has its own chocolate museum. You can book tickets here.
LA MAISON DU CHOCOLAT
This boutique chocolate chain in Paris is world-renowned for making high quality chocolate in inventive flavours. And while you can now find this chain all over the world, it started with humble beginnings in Paris. The first shop opened in Paris in 1977 by expert chocolatier Robert Linxe, who went on to transform the way Parisians eat chocolate. Linxe experimented with fruity flavours, he introduced different textures and infusions and he created a new popularity for dark chocolate throughout Paris. Today, this place continues to excel in its craft, injecting creativity and innovation into the chocolate and continuing Linxe's legacy. Pop in and sample the divine truffles, pralines and decadent Easter eggs and other tasty treats which will be sold in the run up to Easter. You can find La Maison du Chocolat boutiques dotted around the city so you’ll never be too far from one.
MOCOCHA
Tucked away on a quaint cobbled street in Paris (Rue Mouffetard), you’ll find Mococha. This small independent chocolaterie is inviting on the eye as the shop facade resembles a giant slab of smooth milk chocolate. Walk into the cosy chocolate shop and you’ll be greeted by Marie-Hélène, an expert curator of chocolate who will guide you through each chocolate to help you decide which to buy. All of the chocolate here is made by some of the most esteemed French craftsmen of chocolate. In the shop you will find three seasonal collections to discover, created by three different chocolatiers. During the Easter season, expect to find some beautiful decorated Easter eggs to buy as a special gift (or for yourself). We also recommend sampling the smooth chocolate sardines.
DEBAUVE & GALLAIS
Did you know Debauve & Gallais was the official chocolatier for the ancient Kings of France? You can find this majestic chocolate shop on Rue des Saints-Pèresand where you’ll be impressed by the opulent window displays and a beautiful shop front. There’s a massive variety of chocolate here and they taste simply delicious. The shop’s most iconic sweet treats include chocolate pastilles, the Queen’s coins and more-ish almond crunches. Chocolate fit for royalty. The old wooden interior makes you feel like you’ve gone back in time and under the glass, rows and rows of chocolate makes it hard to resist a taste.
MAISON PRALUS
Auguste Pralus, the founder of Maison Pralus, is famous for inventing the delicious Praluline, a tasty brioche praline bun. Now run by his son Francois, this place is also known for making some of Paris’ best chocolate. Francois Pralus is one of the very few chocolate makers who roasts his own cocoa beans. He has his own cocoa plantations in Madagascar where he grows his beans sustainably, so he’s massively involved in the chocolate manufacturing process from beginning to end. Not to mention Pralus gets sent cocoa beans from twenty different tropical regions from around the world including South America and Indonesia. Once he creates the tasty chocolate from the beans, its wrapped and put on the shelves across Maison Pralus shops around France. If you want to try chocolate that has been made from the best beans from around the world, head here.
JEAN-PAUL HÉVIN
There are four Jean-Paul Hévin chocolate shops around Paris. You simply must pop in if you’re a chocolate lover in the city. There’s a massive choice of different chocolate bars to try including more adventurous flavours such a licorice, coffee, caramel, nutty flavours, floral notes, bitter notes, as well as the classics. Just for Easter, Jean-Paul Hévin will have an incredible chocolate collection in-store with beautiful Parisian Easter eggs, small chocolate hens, milk chocolate sheep, yellow chocolate ducks and tasty mini eggs. If you’re looking for a chocolate souvenir from Paris to bring home to a loved-one for Easter, we recommend stopping by here. The chocolate pearls that come in a tin box are divine!