( Travel + Leisure ) -- I 'm not an early riser . I have a rule against stepping outside my Paris apartment without first indulging in my café au lait . But after close to a decade of living here , I also know that if you 're craving a croissant , you have to go to a bakery well before noon to taste the city 's iconic breakfast staple at its most exquisite : still slightly warm from the oven , the irresistible aroma of freshly baked dough wafting upward while you 're pulling the whole thing apart , layer by buttery layer . Travel Snapshots : Paris . So on a recent morning , I rose early and set out to find the city 's top pastry . Others have gone on a quest for the perfect croissant , but always landed on swanky Left Bank addresses . I thought it was time to give the Right Bank its due , now that a new generation of young bakers have set up their ovens . Travel + Leisure : Affordable small hotels in Paris . To start , I did n't have to go far from my apartment in the lively Bastille quarter . In fact , I went right next door to Au Levain du Marais . I 've long appreciated this bakery 's croissant for its extra-crisp ends—the best part—while the delicately layered center was soft and tender . It was a promising first stop , but there was more tasting to be done . Heading up the hill toward Montmartre , where shaggy-haired Gontran Cherrier is known for spicing up baguettes with curry and rye bread with miso , I was surprised to find his croissant resolutely unadorned . The distinct layers , more shards than little flakes , had more of a crunch than the dainty bite I had hoped for . Travel + Leisure : Europe 's best neighborhoods for foodies . An equally obsessed friend sent me to a busy corner of Rue Paul Bert for La Pâtisserie by Cyril Lignac , whose owner is a spirited presence on French television . Here , the horseshoe-shaped croissants were lined up right next to the register . I ripped off one crisp end and let the wisps of warm , yeasted puff pastry melt in my mouth . This one stopped me in my tracks . Was this the end of my quest ? Never one to shy away from being thorough , I made a beeline for Du Pain et des Idées , in the scenic Canal St.-Martin neighborhood . Christophe Vasseur 's rustic breads are among the best in Paris , and I was curious to see how his artisanal croissant stacked up . This specimen was more substantial than the others , with a sturdy crust and hearty interior—too dense for my Proustian ideal . But I could n't resist a crusty loaf of my favorite pain aux céréales for later . Travel + Leisure : World 's strangest desserts . When I arrived in the charming Square Trousseau , I was worried I would n't have room for the hefty croissant at Pâtisserie Boulangerie Blé Sucré . One look at its crackly glazed crust , one bite into the tender interior , and I was enchanted . What set it apart ? A masterful hint of French sea salt in the dough . Satisfied that I had found the ne plus ultra of croissants , I strolled out of the bakery , vowing to return the next morning , leaving a trail of crumbs in my wake . Paris Croissants Address Book . Au Levain du Marais - 28 Blvd . Beaumarchais , 11th Arr . ; croissants for two $ 2.50 . Du Pain et des Idées - 34 Rue Yves Toudic , 10th Arr . ; croissants for two $ 3 . Gontran Cherrier - 22 Rue Caulaincourt , 18th Arr . ; croissants for two $ 2.50 . La Pâtisserie by Cyril Lignac - 24 Rue Paul Bert , 11th Arr . ; croissants for two $ 2.50 . Pâtisserie Boulangerie Blé Sucré - 7 Rue Antoine Vollon , 12th Arr . ; croissants for two $ 2.50 . David Lebovitz is a former pastry chef and the author of `` The Sweet Life in Paris '' ( Broadway ) . Follow him on Twitter @ davidlebovitz . Planning a getaway ? Do n't miss Travel + Leisure 's guide to the World 's Best Hotels . Copyright 2012 American Express Publishing Corporation . All rights reserved .
Paris Match blogger David Lebovitz goes on a quest for the city 's best croissant . Au Levain du Marais has extra - crisp ends . In contrast , Le Cherrier 's ends are resolutely unadorned . La Boulangerie du Sucré 's croissant is set apart by a hint of sea salt .