In 1682, King Louis XIV was so impressed with the food served at a reception held by his brother, the Prince de Condé, that he hired his sibling’s pastry chef right there on the spot.

Charles Dalloyau thus became the first of successive generations of Dalloyau family members to work as royal pastry chefs, charged with preparing refined pastries and sweets for France’s kings and queens.

After the French Revolution and the abolition of the monarchy, Jean-Baptiste Dalloyau, one of the last Dalloyau family members to serve at the court, decided to go into business for himself, and in 1802 the company known today was born.

Still run by his descendants, Maison Dalloyau now has several shops in Paris and other boutiques around the world. It sells not only  pastries, but also luxury prepared dishes for take-out.

Among Dalloyau’s original creations are the Opéra, a chocolate-covered rectangular cake composed of layers of biscuit soaked in coffee syrup and garnished with butter cream and chocolate ganache.

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Wondering how to make one of these? Or at least something similar? This Opera cake recipe is a good place to start.

 

Dalloyau
2, place Edmond-Rostand 75006 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 43 29 31 10
Fax +33 (0)1 43 26 25 72
RER: Luxembourg
Hours: Mon. to Sun. 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Other locations:

5, boulevard Beaumarchais, 75004 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 48 87 89 88
Fax +33 (0)1 48 87 73 70
Métro: Bastille
Hours: Mon. to Sun. from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

63, rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 45 49 95 30
Fax +33 (0)1 42 84 04 75
Métro: Rue du Bac or Sèvres-Babylone
Hours: Mon. to Sun. from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

101, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 42 99 90 00
Fax +33 (0)1 45 63 82 92
Hours: Mon. to Sun. 8:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Métro: Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, Miromesnil or Franklin-Roosevelt

Lafayette Gourmet
48-52 boulevard Haussmann, 75009 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 53 20 05 00
Fax +33 (0)1 53 20 02 21
Métro: Havre-Caumartin, Chaussée d’Antin

69, rue de la Convention, 75015 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 45 77 84 27
Fax +33 (0)1 45 75 27 99
Métro: Boucicaut, Javel, Charles-Michel
Hours: Mon. to Sun. 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Galeries Gourmandes, Atrium du Palais des Congrès
2, place de la porte Maillot, 75017 Paris
Tel. +33 (0)1 40 68 10 04
Métro: Porte Maillot
Hours: Mon. to Sat. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Sun. 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.