When in Québec City, go to the bakeries (or boulangeries) and eat the pastries! Or, the viennoiseries, if you prefer. We chose the latter, though I was unfamiliar with the word before researching Quebec City’s bakeries.
What Is Viennoiserie?
While staying in Québec, I noticed that bakery website navigation bars had pastries and pastries. When I clicked on one, it took me to a page of croissants, raisin snails, and turnovers. The other pastries link took me to a page of macarons, eclairs, and tarts.
One day, Google didn’t automatically translate the page from French to English.
This time it said viennoiseries and pâtisseries. When I clicked on viennoiseries, I saw croissants and similar items. My curiosity piqued.
Viennoiserie is French for “things from Vienna” and refers to those delicious croissants, danishes, escargot aux raisin (raisin snails), and more. They’re considered the bridge between breads and pastries. Like bread, active yeast and white flour are on their ingredient list. Like pastries, they tend to be richer and sweeter.
What is it that makes them so delicious? As my friend, Sheryl Ness @love_in_a_tuscan_kitchen pointed out: butter!
How We Chose the Best Bakeries in Québec City
How did we decide which three bakeries to spend our time in? We looked at their star rating on Google, plus the number of reviews. Some Québec City bakeries that didn’t make the list had a higher rating than these three, but they only had a fraction of the reviews. For us, that means they haven’t been tested enough.
For example, while Paillard’s rating was 4.4 (not the highest), it also had the most ratings, 3,500.
The bakeries are listed in the order that we visited them. Ranking them is too much of a challenge. However, one pastry so delighted us that we couldn’t help but declare it the best.
Since it was the first bakery we visited, it was the first time I noticed that pastries and viennoiseries are kept apart from one another, just like they are on the websites. The space is cheerful and clean with pops of red against a white backdrop. When we went, it was a Sunday afternoon and it was BUSY.
I ordered a Croissant aux Amandes (Almond Croissant). Chris decided to have the Escargot aux Raisin (Raisin Snail) and Chausson aux Pommes (Apple Turnover). Knowing a bit of French is handy in the bakeries. If I hadn’t known any, we wouldn’t have noticed the Apple Turnover. Pretty much everyone working behind the counter in the bakeries we visited spoke English with ease, or at least more ease than I speak French with.
The crowd at the bakery was in good spirits. A man played the accordion. We sipped our cappuccinos, ate our treats, and enjoyed. I did steal a couple bites of Chris’s Raisin Snail and liked it even better than my Almond Croissant. He didn’t share any of his Apple Turnover.
As soon as I saw the beautiful Croissant aux Fraises (Strawberry Croissant) in the case, I knew I had to try it. Chris, studious, consistent leisure-tester that he is ordered the Escargot aux Raisin again. This time, for his extra sweet he had a Danish topped with lemon curd and berries.
Chris thought the Escargot aux Raisin at Le Croquembouche was as delicious as the one at Paillard. This time, I stole a bite of Chris’s Danish. It was good, but not as amazing as my Strawberry Croissant (in my humble opinion).
We made it to Le Croquembouche around lunchtime on a Saturday. Again, not as early in the day as we prefer when it comes to visiting a bakery, but we coordinated stopping at this bakery with catching a train to Montréal. The warm-toned woods of its furnishings and mossy green walls provide a cozy, relaxing atmosphere. It was busy, but not crowded.
We timed our trip to La Boîte á Pain just right, arriving a little before 9 a.m. We ordered cappuccinos, Escargot aux Raisin, a Butter Croissant, and a Dulce de Leche CRUFFIN! Have you heard of a Cruffin before? It is happiness, joie de vie, and everything I’ve always wanted a treat to be. Really. It was that good. It’s also a croissant in the shape of a muffin that’s made using brioche dough.
Our Favorite Pastry in Québec City
The Butter Croissant and Escargot aux Raisin were great, but we were blown away by the Cruffin. If you have to choose just one pastry during your time in Québec City (or maybe anywhere), we recommend the Cruffin.
Watch Our Québec City Bakery Tour on YouTube
Are you starting to plan your Québèc City vacation? You might want to read:
- Your Québec City Romantic Couples Getaway Itinerary
- Spending a Night in a Castle – Chateau Frontenac, Old Québec
Would you rather hire someone else to do the planning? Let me know your travel dreams at Travel Like You Dream It.
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