Probably one of my best, if not the very best, idea I’ve ever had for Tanner’s birthday was this year’s Chocolate Croissant Tour of London. If you know Tanner, the man can PUT chocolate croissants DOWN. During a trip to Thailand a few years ago, our hotel had a conveyor belt toaster with a stack of mini chocolate croissants next to it and I am 99% sure Tanner would have sold his soul to the devil to take that croissant conveyor belt home. So, for the big 28 this year, I decided it was time to put the British chocolate croissants to the test!
I prepped for the day by researching and compiling a long list of the most highly rated chocolate croissants/pain au chocolat in London. I then mapped out a walking route for the most efficient access to all the bakeries and shops we needed to stop at. (If you’re thinking, “Wow, that’s pretty intense,” you’re right.) We put on our walking shoes, because these babies were spread out all over the Greater London area, and got to work. At each stop, we took detailed notes on the croissants, generally falling into 3 categories: (1) fluffiness, (2) chocolatiness, and (3) overall vibes.
When we got home after a long day of eating, walking, and eating some more, we sat down to make a final bracket and ranking for the chocolate croissants. Read on for the results, narrowed down to our top 5 chocolate croissants in London (so far…).
5. Coming in at number 5—which is still quite a feat after the 15-20 places on our list—is the pain au chocolat at Maison Puget on Portobello Market Road. This croissant was by far the most beautiful, with chocolate swirls baked into the top of the pastry. It also got points for being extremely soft and including more chocolate than the others (though the chocolate just was not as flavorful as some of the other croissants, which is why it’s #5).
4. Number 4 was the warm, melty chocolate croissant from Chestnut Belgravia. The way they warmed the pastry up right before serving it so the chocolate was all gooey and delicious really gave them the boost to the top of the list. The pastry was light and flaky but the tiniest bit tough, so it rests at a respectable 4th place.
3. The bronze medal goes to Gail’s pain au chocolate. Gail’s croissant was flaky, soft, and very puffy, which we loved. Honestly, this was probably the best pastry for pasty’s sake, but it could use a bit more chocolate. We love a little extra chocolate. When it came to overall vibes, the real question was whether it made Tanner do his good-food-happy-dance. Tanner for sure danced while eating at Gail’s.
2. Snagging the silver medal was the absolutely mouth-watering croissant from Ole & Steen. Ole & Steen has a lot of incredible pastries (their cinnamon social is another one of my favs) but their classic chocolate croissant is as good as any. It’s light, airy, and loaded with chocolate! Tanner’s shoulders were boppin’ in a happy-food-dance at Ole & Steen.
1. And finally, coming in at number one (drum roll, please!)… is the perfectly soft, delicious, and decadent chocolate croissant from Montparnasse. Holy macaroni. If you want a warm, soft, light, fluffy pastry, filled with decadent, smooth chocolate, look no further than this tiny little bakery in South Kensington. When I tell you, Tanner’s shoulders were boppin’ and his toes were a-tappin’! I tip my hat to you Montparnasse, because your pain au chocolat deserves a Paul Hollywood handshake. A full 10 from me! *Chef’s kiss*
The best part of this chocolate croissant tour? It’s ongoing! You see, we now have a malleable list to be updated whenever we find new chocolate croissants in London. So, in the name of research, we always stop to buy chocolate croissants when we see them. Happy forever birthday, Tanner! We will now and always be on the hunt for a the most fabulous pain au chocolat.
If you have a recommendation for outstanding chocolate croissants in London, drop it below and we’ll see if it’s worthy of knocking off one of our top 5!
The Life Kait Creates 
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