Pierre Hermé’s tiny, ultra-chic showcase boutique on rue Bonaparte is filled with spectacular pastries, cakes and hand-made chocolates. Small gem-like macarons in a rainbow of colors are especially popular.

It’s hard not to be tempted by such exquisite, mouth-watering treats.

Chocolate lovers owe it to themselves to try Carrément Chocolat, a rich, sublime square of alternating chocolate textures.

Often referred to as the “Picasso of Pastry” or the “King of Pastry,” Hermé is a fourth-generation pastry chef who began his career as an apprentice with French chef Gaston Lenôtre at the age of 14.

By age 24 he was directing the pastry kitchens at the luxury traiteur Fauchon, later moving to the Ladurée restaurant on the Champs Elysées.

Today Hermé operates four shops in Paris as well as several retail outlets in Tokyo.

Speciality chocolate: “Intense” – a bitter ganache

From left to right: Désiré, combining wild strawberries and lemon; Plaisir Sucrés, made with milk chocolate and praliné filling; and Isaphan, a glorious raspberry and macaroon creation.

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The sleek storefront of Pierre’s Hermé’s shop on rue Bonaparte

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Pierre Hermé
72, rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Métro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Mabillon, Saint-Sulpice
Hours: Mon. to Sun. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sat. open until 7:30 p.m.

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Other locations:
4, rue Cambon, 75001 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 58 62 43 17
Métro: Tuileries
Hours: Mon. to Sat. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Publicis Drugstore location – macarons and chocolates
133, avenue des Champs Elysées, 75008 Paris
Tel. +33(0)1 44 43 79 00
Métro: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile or Georges V
Hours: Mon. to Sun. 10:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

185, rue de Vaugirard, 75015 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 43 54 47 77
Métro: Pasteur
Hours: Tues. and Wed. 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thurs. to Sat. 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.;
Sun. 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed on Monday.