“What’s the Best French Bakery in Brisbane?” As a French couple, we are asked this question almost every week. We have our favourite local bakeries, of course. However, when asked, “Is it better than [the name of another French bakery in Brisbane]?”, we sometimes couldn’t answer as we hadn’t tried it. Now, we have tried the long list of French bakeries in Brisbane and can answer this question with confidence.
This article is not just a list of the French bakeries in Brisbane.
We have conducted thorough research for this article. We visited each bakery to buy a croissant and a pain au chocolat (chocolate croissant), the two most traditional French viennoiseries, so that we could compare them. We love food so much that it was a fun challenge to keep us occupied during the rainy days in Brisbane!
Why should you trust our taste in finding the best French bakery in Brisbane? We have over 70 years of combined experience in tasting viennoiseries, most of which was gained in France in both small villages and bakeries in Paris. I wouldn’t say I’m a foodie, but when it comes to viennoiseries, I have surely eaten more of them than most people you know!
But before I tell you which bakery in Brisbane has the best croissant and pain au chocolat, let’s be clear about something: all the French bakeries on our list are good.
They have delicious products and lovely staff. We feel lucky to live in Brisbane, so far away from home, and yet have access to French specialties that we love so much. So actually, there’s one quick and simple answer to the question “What’s the best French bakery in Brisbane?”. Don’t worry, I’ll still talk about our experience and which one we preferred!
The best bakery in Brisbane is the one that’s closest to you.
There’s one important thing to keep in mind while looking for the best French bakery in Brisbane: it’s often the one that’s closest to you. In France, traditional bakeries only offer takeaway food; they rarely have a cafe for you to sit and enjoy the viennoiseries. We would often walk to buy bread and viennoiseries and bring them back home. So, if you have to drive for a while to get to the bakery, it really has to be a lot better than the one next door.
Although some of the French bakeries in Brisbane are better than others, I don’t think any of them are particularly worth driving for a long time if you have an option close to home. There’s a map at the end of this article showing where the French bakeries in Brisbane are located.
The best French bakeries in Brisbane – our review
We bought one pain au chocolat and one croissant from the following French bakeries in Brisbane:
- Christian Jacques (Kangaroo Point)
- Chouquette (New Farm)
- King Street Bakery (Bowen Hills)
- Le Bon Choix (Brisbane CBD)
- Banette (Paddington)
- Le Caprice (Boulimba)
- Crust & Co (Wilston)
- Lune (South Bank and Brisbane CBD)
We lined up all the croissants and pains au chocolat next to each other, cut them in half, and compared them. Then, we tried them one by one, first plain and then dipped in our hot drink, which is the French way of eating breakfast. They were all delicious, but which one was the best?
Christan Jacques (Kangaroo Point) and Chouquette (New Farm)
It came as no surprise to us that Chouquette and Christian Jacques made it to the finals when we were searching for our favourite French bakery in Brisbane. We’ve always been impressed by the quality of Chouquette’s products, and the only difference between their viennoiseries and those from an excellent bakery in France is the price. Christian Jacques’ croissants and pains au chocolat are as good as they come in France. They’re generous in size (and in chocolate!), crunchy and tasty. Chouquette is a very close second.
Note that you cannot sit in at Christian Jacques, and you should be prepared to queue on Saturday and Sunday mornings. There’s a lovely park by the river nearby with coffee shops along the way, making it ideal for takeaways (don’t forget your reusable cup!).
You can sit at Chouquette and savour your viennoiserie with a coffee or juice. Additionally, don’t waste time trying to park on the road; they have an underground car park.
King Street Bakery (Bowen Hills)
Their viennoiseries are delicious and among my favourites in Brisbane. We visited King Street Bakery for the first time during this taste test and were pleasantly surprised by the quality of their products. I also appreciate the ambience of their café, which is why I’ve organised a few meetups there. The bakery is located on a street with low traffic, so you can enjoy sitting outside on their terrace, and they also have indoor seating if you prefer.
If you can’t make it to their bakery, you can also find King Street Bakery products at Coles Local on Albert Street in the city.
Le Bon Choix (Brisbane CBD)
The bakery in Brisbane that reminds me the most of France when I eat there is Le Bon Choix. They are located in a square with a nice terrace under a massive tree, and if you choose to sit inside, they always play my favourite French music. They also make excellent walnut sourdough. However, parking is challenging as it is in the heart of the CBD. Also, if you want the best croissant or pain au chocolat, it would not be my first choice. The viennoiseries at Le Bon Choix are good, but their specialty is their cakes, which taste as good as they look!
Banette (Paddington)
Paddington is a well-known spot for foodies, so it wasn’t a surprise to find a good French bakery there. We really liked their viennoiseries. The croissant wasn’t crusty enough to become our favourite in Brisbane, but it was very tasty with a beautiful buttery flavour. There are a few seats available to enjoy food and drinks on the terrace.
Le Caprice (Boulimba)
I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the viennoiseries from Le Caprice. I would have expected the quality to be lower as we moved further away into the suburbs, but the viennoiseries were really tasty! So if you’re nearby on the south side, don’t hesitate to give them a try. We still prefer Christian Jacques and Chouquette, but it’s not worth driving all the way to the City. Croissants and pains au chocolat from Le Caprice are also delicious, although I found their pain au chocolat a bit too sweet and with only one chocolate bar, it didn’t make it onto our top list.
You can sit and enjoy your food at Le Caprice. There’s a small lane near the shop that adds some charm to the area.
Crust & Co (Wilston)
We were drawn to Crust & Co’s prices: $3.90 for a croissant and $4.10 for a pain au chocolat. Viennoiseries in French bakeries in Brisbane are generally overpriced, but we found these to be reasonably priced and tasty. Although they were not as crusty as the traditional ones, they still had good flavour. Crust & Co is located in a historic brick bakehouse, and they only offer takeaway food.
Lune (South Bank and Brisbane CBD)
We were a bit disappointed with Lune, considering they served the smallest products and were the most expensive at $6.20 for a croissant and $6.80 for a pain au chocolat. They call themselves a “croissanterie,” not a bakery, and we did not find the same taste as in France. When we opened them, we could see that the consistency inside was not as aerated as in traditional viennoiseries. The texture was soft and reminded us of milk bread. It still tasted good, but not how we expect a croissant to taste. Their chocolate was not our favourite.
However, we do not believe Lune aims to be traditional, as they have unique creations that we have not seen elsewhere.
Thanks for such a comprehensive review. I love croissants and this surely helps choosing which bakery to grab a croissant!
I tried Lune in Fitzroy as I had read they had the best croissants in Australia.Impressive premises but that’s all.Their croissants are the wrong shape for one thing.Also had a shiny sweet glaze which is also non traditional.Would love to find somewhere that does traditional baguettes not the sourdough ones that to me are all wrong.