Angelina
Angelina, established in 1903 is yet another of a long line of amazing tea houses and dessert shops in Paris. It became famous as a hangout for the Parisian elite, including Coco Chanel and Audrey Hepburn. On the second leg of our Paris trip, we were staying a mere 3 blocks away from the original Angelina location so we had to go. Unfortunately, our first visit was in the early afternoon and the line was out the door and down the block. No problem though, we just went to the outdoor ice cream stand and grabbed a cup of "Mont-Blanc" chestnut ice cream (3.50€). I am a huge fan of anything chestnut, so of course I loved it! That was enough to whet my appetite for Angelina, at least for the day...
Since we were there early enough, we decided to order the "Petit déjeuner Parisien". The croissant, pain au chocolat, and pain aux raisin (shown below). The croissant and pain au chocolat were very good.
So on to the main reason I came.. the hot chocolate & desserts! Angelina is famous for their hot chocolate and it did not disappoint. It was easily the thickest, richest hot chocolate I have ever had. And just look at that side of REAL WHIPPED CREAM! Mine came with the breakfast I ordered, but on its own I would say it's a bit pricey for what it is.. but at the same time it is so worth it! A must have when coming to Angelina.
And for dessert... the famous "Mont Blanc". It was good, but I have to admit at this point I was already having a bit of a carb overload. I had all those pastries, the hot chocolate, and oh my breakfast also came with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice. So I can't say that I was really able to fully enjoy it - I mean if I had come in for just this and some hot chocolate I am sure that I would have loved it. It has layers of meringue, whipped cream and is topped with their crème de marrons chestnut cream. And as I mentioned I love anything chestnut!
On the way out.. you really can't help but stop and admire the beautiful pastries and other products lined up in the display cases in the front. Take a look and drool...
They even had a section just for chocolates!
A friend of mine told me about these and I just had to get some. They are tubes of the chestnut cream that they use to top the Mont Blanc. I went crazy for these and had to buy a bunch for myself and as gifts.
These blocks of chocolate seemed quite popular, lots of people buying these in the line in front of me, so I picked up a few too :) They even sell the hot chocolate in bottles.. so of course i had to buy some but I forgot to take a pic of those.
Over all I was so glad that we were able to get in and eat here. It is defintely touristy and it is pricey, so be prepared to spend a little bit :)
Definitely worth a visit while in Paris.
Angelina http://www.angelina-paris.fr/en/226 rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris Tel.: +33 1 42 60 82 00 Monday - Thursday 7:30am - 7:00pm Friday 7:30am - 7:30pm Saturday/Sunday 8:30am - 7:30pm