When it comes to desserts in Paris, Cédric Grolet is one of the first names that comes to mind.
It’s also the place that made fruit-shaped pastries famous. From the outside, these creations look exactly like real fruit. Cut into one, however, and you’ll discover something completely different inside. While you’ve probably seen them countless times on social media, experiencing them in person is even more impressive.
In this guide, I’ll share our experience visiting Cédric Grolet in Paris, including the different locations, what to order, and how to get your pastries without spending hours waiting in line.
💡 Good to know: The Le Meurice location is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so be sure to plan your visit accordingly.
👨🍳 Who Is Cédric Grolet?
Cédric Grolet is one of the pastry chefs who has helped redefine the Paris dessert scene in recent years.
Born in 1985, Grolet began his career in traditional French pastry making before gradually taking it in a much more modern and creative direction. In 2012, he joined Le Meurice and quickly rose to become the hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef. It was here that he truly made a name for himself.
Rather than simply recreating classic French desserts, Grolet reimagines them. His famous fruit-shaped pastries are perhaps the best example of this approach. From the outside, they look exactly like a lemon, an apple, or a hazelnut. Cut one open, however, and you’ll discover an intricate combination of layers, textures, and flavors hidden inside.
This is what sets him apart from being just a skilled pastry chef. In many ways, his work feels closer to design than traditional pastry making. Today, with both Cédric Grolet Le Meurice and Cédric Grolet Opéra, he has created two of the most popular dessert destinations in Paris, attracting visitors from around the world.
🍰 Cédric Grolet Locations & What Makes Them Different
Cédric Grolet has several locations in Paris, and one of the best things about them is that they’re all located in central Paris and relatively close to one another. No matter which one you choose, you won’t need to go far out of your way.
That said, each location has its own concept, so it’s worth knowing the differences before you visit.
One thing that’s important to mention from the start: all locations are primarily designed for takeaway. While seating is available in theory, finding a table can be difficult, especially during busy hours. Most people simply pick up their pastries and leave—and that’s exactly what we did.
📍 Cédric Grolet Le Meurice
This is probably the most famous Cédric Grolet location and the one you’ll most often see with a queue outside.
The iconic fruit-shaped pastries—the creations that look exactly like real fruit—are sold here. If you’ve seen Cédric Grolet on social media, chances are you’ve already seen pastries from this location.
Because of that, it’s also the busiest branch. There’s almost always a line, and finding a place to sit is extremely difficult.
However, if you know what to expect, it’s not really a problem. Most visitors simply pick up their pastries and enjoy them elsewhere. We took ours to the nearby Tuileries Garden, which honestly made the experience even better.
📍 Cédric Grolet Opéra
The Opéra location has a slightly different focus.
Instead of the famous fruit desserts, the spotlight here is on viennoiseries and baked goods: croissants, pain au chocolat, sandwiches, and other pastries. It’s a great option if you’re looking for breakfast or a quick bite before starting your day in Paris.
There can still be a queue, but it usually moves faster than at Le Meurice. The atmosphere feels more casual and everyday, rather than centered around the signature dessert experience.
If you’re exploring the Opéra district, stopping here in the morning is an excellent way to begin the day.
📍Cédric Grolet Chocolaterie
This is one of the lesser-known locations, but it has a particularly interesting concept.
Instead of focusing on pastries and fruit-shaped desserts, the spotlight here is on chocolate. You’ll find chocolate bonbons, chocolate bars, and a variety of creations built around premium chocolate.
If you’re more interested in chocolate than pastries, this is the location worth seeking out.
📍 Cédric Grolet Café
Among the four locations, this is both the newest and the most distinctive. Located close to the Opéra branch, it combines a pastry shop with a specialty coffee concept.
The drink menu is extensive, ranging from classic flat whites to more creative coffee-based options. On the pastry side, you’ll find desserts carrying the Cédric Grolet signature, including creations developed specifically for this location.
Compared with the other branches, finding a seat here is somewhat easier. The café atmosphere feels calmer and more relaxed, making it a pleasant place to take a break.
It’s also worth noting that if you’ve placed an online order, this location often serves as a pickup point.
📲 Click & Collect: The Easiest Way to Skip the Queue
At Cédric Grolet, especially outside the Le Meurice location, it’s completely normal to see people waiting in line for hours.
Fortunately, there’s a much easier option: Click & Collect.
The process is simple. Visit the website, choose what you’d like to order, pay online, and select a pickup time slot. Rather than choosing an exact minute, you’ll typically select a broader time window, such as morning or afternoon pickup.
That’s exactly what we did.
We placed our order in advance, selected our pickup window, and simply showed up at the chosen time. The entire collection process took just a few minutes. While other visitors were still waiting in line outside, we had already picked up our order and were on our way.
Payment is completed online, and the process is straightforward. When you arrive, you simply show your order confirmation. Displaying it on your phone is perfectly fine—there’s no need to print anything.
If you’re planning to visit one of the busier locations, I highly recommend using Click & Collect. It saves a significant amount of time and makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.
🍽️ What We Tried (Our Experience)
We tried four different items from the Le Meurice location. Here’s what we thought of each one.
🥭 Mango
The first bite genuinely feels like eating a real mango.
The filling is incredibly intense and authentic, capturing the fruit so well that you almost start questioning whether you’re eating a pastry or actual fruit. The outer shell is made from a very thin layer of chocolate, while the inside is packed with mango-based filling.
🌿 Green Almond
From the outside, it looks exactly like a fresh green almond.
Once cut open, you’ll find a light, creamy filling with a texture reminiscent of almond milk. Compared to the other desserts, this one feels more delicate and refreshing. It’s not heavy at all and leaves a clean, subtle finish.
It also carries that slightly bitter almond flavor you might recognize from traditional almond pastries or marzipan-based desserts.
🫘 Pistachio
This was the richest and most filling of the three fruit-shaped pastries.
It sits on a thin tart base and is packed with pistachio flavor. Every bite delivers exactly what you’d expect from a pistachio dessert.
If you prefer richer, more indulgent sweets, this might be the most satisfying option. In some ways, it even reminded us of certain Turkish desserts, thanks to its generous use of pistachios.
The interior contains several different pistachio-based layers and textures, making it one of the more complex pastries we tried.
🍿 Popcorn
This was our favorite.
The dessert is served in a small container filled with miniature pastries designed to look like actual popcorn. Visually, it’s one of the most creative items on the menu, but what really surprised us was the taste.
The other desserts lived up to our expectations. This one exceeded them. The shell is incredibly thin and crisp, while the filling is rich, smooth, and absolutely delicious. It was the most memorable item we tried.
If you’re only choosing one thing, I’d strongly recommend the Popcorn.
🌿 Where to Eat It: Tuileries Garden
Once you’ve picked up your pastries from Le Meurice, the next question is simple: where should you eat them?
The answer is directly across the street: Tuileries Garden.
It’s less than a minute away on foot. Walk out the door, cross the street, and you’re already inside one of Paris’s most beautiful parks. Wide pathways, rows of trees, ornamental ponds, and the iconic green Paris chairs create the perfect setting for a short break.
That’s exactly what we did.
We grabbed our order, found a couple of empty chairs, and sat down in the sunshine to try everything one by one. Honestly, enjoying a box of Cédric Grolet pastries in the middle of a Parisian garden feels like part of the experience itself. In some ways, it was just as memorable as the desserts.
💸 Price & Is It Worth It?
The fruit-shaped pastries cost around €18 each, while the Popcorn and Pistachio desserts are closer to €25. In total, we spent about €86 for four items.
At first, you might think: “That’s a lot of money for dessert.”
Honestly, that was my reaction too.But it’s worth looking at it as more than just a pastry. You’re paying for the craftsmanship, the creativity, the attention to detail, and that moment when you genuinely can’t tell whether you’re looking at a real piece of fruit or a dessert.
Add to that the experience of picking up your order and enjoying it in the sunshine at Tuileries Garden, and the price starts to make a little more sense.
Is it somewhere you’d visit every week? Probably not. But if you’re in Paris, I’d say it’s worth experiencing at least once.
🏁 Final Thoughts
Cédric Grolet has become one of those Paris experiences that lives up to the hype.
Especially if you use Click & Collect, you can skip the queues entirely, pick up your order in minutes, and enjoy your pastries in Tuileries Garden while watching Paris go by around you.
It’s a simple experience, but somehow it becomes one of those small travel memories that sticks with you long after the trip is over.
Continue Exploring
→ 4 Days in Paris — See how this experience fits into our complete Paris itinerary, including the museums, neighborhoods, landmarks, food stops, and other places we explored along the way.
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