With so many French bakeries in Delray Beach, we decided to try a handful to see what each does best.
Maison Bouchard
Located just across the street from The French Bakery, Maison Bouchard is the small-yet-mighty culinary creation of pastry chef Alain Bouchard. The bakery has all the staples of French baking—sourdough loaves, baguettes, croissants, etc.—but where Maison Bouchard sets itself apart is with its dessert pastries, namely the eclairs and tarts. It’s impossible to choose just one, so on any given visit we’ll leave with vanilla, chocolate, and pistachio eclairs, plus a berry tart and whatever special dessert Bouchard whipped up that day. Parking is limited, but the bakery is worth circling the block a few times to find a spot.
825 N.E. Sixth Ave., Delray Beach; IG: @maisonbouchard
Tartelette French Patisserie & Café
Boca Raton’s loss is our gain. This French patisserie (a bakery that specializes in desserts) relocated to Atlantic Avenue from its Boca location and has become our go-to spot for satisfying our sweet tooth. Tartelette specializes in trompe l’oeil fruit desserts, a unique dessert invented by French pastry chef Cédric Grolet that consists of layers of fresh fruit, mousse, and chocolate that is shaped to look like fruit. Tartelette is one of very few patisseries in South Florida that creates this hyper-realistic dessert art, and features more than a dozen varieties, including mango, lemon, banana, and almond. Each of the three layers takes a day to develop, making the creation of a single pastry a three-day labor of love that looks so beautiful you almost don’t want to eat it—but we do anyway and can’t recommend it enough.
506 E. Atlantic Ave., Delray Beach; IG: @tartelettepatisserie
The French Bakery
The French Bakery has been a Delray Beach staple for more than a decade, and with good reason. Its selection of fresh, scratch-made breads has made us swear off pre-packaged bread completely, and its sandwiches on house-made baguettes are perfect for a light lunch. Our favorite item, however, has to be the white chocolate pistachio croissants. The French Bakery is the only spot in town that serves up these decadent pastries. It’s as buttery and flaky as a traditional croissant, but topped with white chocolate and chopped pistachios and loaded inside with a sweet pistachio butter. For every one we’ve eaten, there are just as many visits where we’ve shown up too late to claim one. Pro tip: If you want a white chocolate pistachio croissant, you better show up early before they sell out.
814 N.E. Sixth Ave., Delray Beach; the-french-bakery.com
Brioche Bakery & Café
Brioche can be found at most French bakeries, but it’s rare to find one that shapes its whole menu around the rich, buttery bread. Brioche differs from traditional bread in that it incorporates milk, butter, and eggs instead of just flour and water. The result is a pillowy, versatile bread that can be used for sweet or savory dishes. At Brioche Bakery & Cafe, these dishes range from the utterly decadent brioche cinnamon rolls to the sandwiches made with brioche sub rolls. The bakery is headed by the husband-and-wife duo of Max and Andrea Laure. Max prepares the breads and pastries, which pair excellently with the expertly pulled and poured lattes made by certified barista Andrea. Whether you’re stopping in for lunch or to cheat on your diet with something sweet, the buttery aromas of the bakery will surely tempt you into adding a little something extra to your bag.
410 E. Linton Blvd. #700, Delray Beach; lovebrioche.com
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