The multi-national Korean franchise Paris Baguette has finally opened its doors to the Cincinnati area. The cafe’s grand opening was on December 17, 2022. There was a huge crowd as they are known for their freshly baked bread and coffee. It began gaining traction as The Enquirer and other news sources began reporting on the opening, “Cincinnati restaurateur Ai Lin will operate the franchise, located at 100 W. Fourth St., within the 4th and Race development.” Similar to its New York location in Korea-town, there was a lively spirit that filled the store.
The cafe is much like other French-inspired Asian restaurants in the area, like Tsaocha Cincinnati, but with a larger selection of pastries and sandwiches. You are able to pick and choose any of the pastries you like with some tongs and then pay upfront. They also sell coffee, cakes, and sandwiches. We tried 5 of the pastries to get a good sample of their menu. 
The first item we tried was the Souffle Cheesecake Piece. The airy, Japanese-style cheesecake came with a chocolate candy cane and strawberries. It was topped with a thin layer of caramel and powdered sugar. Instead of the traditional graham cracker crust, a layer of cake was used. Usually, we aren’t fans of cheesecake, but this was a lot different. The cream cheese and cake itself were not very sweet, but the caramel topping added the sweetness the cake needed. The freshness of the strawberries also added a beautiful flavor.
Up next, we tried the Curry Croquette to cut the sweetness of the other pastries. The savory croquette is recommended hot but we had it straight out of the case. The filling had a vegetable curry filling that was really good. It had a familiar taste reminiscent of pav bhaji, a famous Indian dish. However, it was less spicy and a touch sweeter. The sesame seeds and crunchy outside added a pleasant contrast to the softer filling. Overall, I would recommend it to anyone looking for a savory snack at Paris Baguette.
The next item we tried was the sweet rice donut similar to a sesame ball. This was a dough ball made of rice with a red bean paste filling and coated in cinnamon sugar. Even though the red bean filling was soft and had just the right amount of sweetness, the dough itself was quite tough to chew into, so we found it hard to break apart. It tasted a lot like a churro with red bean paste, but a little tougher. Perhaps heating it up for a while would make the toughness go away.
The last item we tried together was the almond croissant. Visually, this croissant was beautiful with almond slices coating the top and a crisp, golden brown crust. As we split apart the croissant, the flaky layers fell onto the plate, highlighting the delicacy of the croissant. When taking a bite we were met with an almond flavor filling that completed the taste. The croissant was not overpowering at all, a trend in all of the pastries we tried making it suitable for all taste buds.
All in all, Paris Baguette is a great place to stop by with its endless pastries and kind staff. They have a pretty big sitting area where you are able to view the streets of Cincinnati. Paris Baguette also offers an application to download where you can earn rewards and order from the convenience of your home. We recommend everyone take a trip downtown to visit, especially if you are a fan of cafes and baked goods.
