There are certain Parisian spots that seem to have stood the test of time without aging a bit. And this one is a prime example! At 51 Rue Montorgueil, a pastry shop has been delighting food lovers since 1730. Behind its lovely display windows lies a story worthy of a royal fairy tale. Before settling in the capital, its founder prepared sweet treats for the court of Louis XV. Even today, you can still sample these desserts—especially one of them, which has become famous around the world.
Stohrer, the oldest pastry shop in Paris, founded at the king’s court
It all began with Nicolas Stohrer, a pastry chef who worked for Stanislas Leszczynski, the former king of Poland. When his daughter Marie married Louis XV in 1725, the young pastry chef joined the French court as well.
A few years later, in 1730, Nicolas Stohrer decided to strike out on his own. He opened his shop on Rue Montorgueil, right in the heart of Paris. Without realizing it, he had just laid the foundation for a business that would span nearly three centuries!
But the story doesn’t end there. Behind the name Stohrer lies another dessert whose name you’re sure to recognize: the rum baba.
According to legend, it all began with a brioche that Leszczynski found too dry. To make it moister, his pastry chef reportedly had the idea of soaking it in wine. And that’s how the ancestor of the baba was born! The recipe has, of course, evolved over the years—particularly with the addition of rum—to become the cake we know today.
A delightful culinary story, even if historians don’t all agree on the dessert’s origins.
Nearly 300 years later, you can still enjoy his famous baba there
Today, Stohrer has lost none of its charm. Amid the bustle of the Les Halles neighborhood, its shop still draws in passersby with its display cases filled with pastries. Even before choosing a cake, you’ll find yourself looking up. Inside, the painted decorations and gilded details evoke the shop’s prestigious past. The storefront and part of this decor are, in fact, protected as historic monuments.
You simply can’t leave without trying the famous rum baba, still made in-house. But lovers of traditional pastries will also be tempted by a “puits d’amour,” an old-fashioned “religieuse,” or another sweet treat from the display case.
What makes this place so special is that, while you walk in just like any other pastry shop, you find yourself in a place steeped in history.
The next time you’re strolling through the 2nd arrondissement, stop by Rue Montorgueil and step inside Stohrer. After all, it’s not every day you get to treat yourself to the same pastries as Louis XVI’s grandfather.
Location: Stohrer, 51 rue Montorgueil, 75002