The Best Chocolate in Paris

The Best Chocolate in Paris

The French take chocolate seriously. There are dozens of chocolatiers to choose from, but the purveyors listed below are unusually distinguished for excellence and originality.

La Maison du Chocolat (19 rue de Sèvre, 6e, St-Germain-des-Prés. 01-45-44-20-40. Sèvres Babylone.) is chocolate's gold standard. The silky ganaches are unparalleled in subtlety and flavor; the pastries—notably the macarons, are icing on the cake.

Michel Chaudun (149 rue de l'Université, 7e, Invalides. 01-47-53-74-40. Invalides) is known for introducing granules of cocoa beans into the chocolates to enhance intensity. His delicate pavés—tiny squares of dark-chocolate truffle ganache topped with a dusting of cocoa—are fabulous.

Christian Constant (37 rue d'Assas, 6e, Luxembourg. 01-53-63-15-15. St-Placide) is deservedly praised for his delicate ganaches, perfumed with jasmine, ylang-ylang, or vervain. His famously rich hot chocolate is served by the pitcher at this café (one of Christian Constant's several restaurants), along with his excellent pastries.

Jean-Paul Hévin (231 rue Saint-Honoré, 1er, Louvre/Tuileries. 01-55-35-35-96. Louvre/Tuileries.) has a formal tearoom at his Rue Saint Honoré boutique, and there are "exhibits" of chocolates and pastries at Rue Vavin—Mr. Hévin hasn't earned his world-class chocolatier status because of his interiors, though: the 40 different varieties of chocolate each seem more delectable than the last.

Pierre Hermé (72 rue Bonaparte, 6e, Quartier Latin. 01-43-54-47-77. Odéon.) hardly needs an introduction. As Paris's (the world's?) most renowned pâtissier, Hermé's seasonal collections have titles such as "Fetish" or "Emotion." In his tireless quest for the new, the pastries can flounder—but the chocolate never wavers.

Pierre Marcolini (89 rue de Seine, 6e, St-Germain-des-Prés. 01-44-07-39-07. Mabillon) proves it's all in the bean with his specialty saveurs du monde chocolates, made with a single kind of cacao from a single location such as Madagascar or Ecuador. Belly up to the wooden bar of this Belgian chocolatier for a selection of chocolates filled with ganache, caramel, or nuts.