100 Things I Love About Korea # 40: Paris Baguette

They’re like mushrooms after the rainy season.  They’re sprouting up everywhere.  And for good reason.  They’re awesome.

Paris Baguette has simply dominated the Korean bakery market.  

First of all, they have nailed the mixture of high end Korean baked goods, fusion baked goods (like ddok-bread), traditional western deserts (like knock-out cinnamon rolls), and fancy-shmancy foo-foo pastries like fresh strawberry cream-puff tarts.  Very often, I just want to try one of everything.

Second, they were the first (and best) bakery to capitalize on the coffee shop trend.  They have shrewdly layered expresso based drinks and small tables to turn almost every bakery into a European styled street cafe (except the tables are always inside).  

I’ve heard there are a few Paris Baguette’s breaking into US markets, and I fully expect to be googling them to see if there are any within driving distance when I start pining for a taste of Korean-esque memories.