The Best Croissants in Brisbane

Searching for the best croissants in Brisbane? We’ve oh-so-selflessly put our taste buds on the line to find them for you. From the perfect balance of golden-brown flakiness to the light-as-air ‘puff’ and dreamy, buttery *goût, our 100% French taste testers know what makes quality *Viennoiserie – and THESE are the croissants sure to wow with every bite.

Brisbane’s Best Croissants (As Voted by Our French Team)

Without further ado, *voici Brisbane’s best croissants. Be sure to bookmark this article, ready for your next Saturday morning pastry and coffee run!

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Christian Jacques, Kangaroo Point

Christian Jacques, Kangaroo Point

According to four of our six experts, the best Brisbane croissant can be found at Christian Jacques Bakery, opposite the Story Bridge Hotel.  

Says Alicia, “Le feuilletage est parfait et ils sont croustillants comme je les aime. Peut-être un peu moins les jours très humides!”

Or, *en anglais…

The flakiness is perfect and they are crispy just the way I like them. Maybe a little less on very humid days!

Adds Justine D, “Sans surprise, le meilleur croissant que j'ai mangé à Brisbane vient de Christian Jacques. Tout le monde parlait de cette boulangerie, et je trouvais ça exagéré. Mais quand j'ai goûté le croissant aux amandes, j'ai COMPRIS!  

“Tendre et délicieux. Maintenant, j'adore y passer tous les dimanches matin pour rapporter des douceurs à ma famille.”

No surprise, the best croissant I’ve had in Brisbane is from Christian Jacques. Everyone kept talking about this bakery, and I thought it was exaggerated. But when I tasted the almond croissant, I UNDERSTOOD!

Tender and delicious. Now, I love stopping by every Sunday morning to bring home some sweet treats for my family.

A word to the wise, be prepared to queue! You won’t regret it.

Christian Jacques Bakery
Address: 8 Baildon St, Kangaroo Point
Opening Hours: Tues to Sun | 6am-1pm
Website: christianjacquespastries.com
Phone: 0432 009 006
Instagram |Facebook 

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Rise Bakery, Newstead and Hamilton

Rise Bakery, Newstead and Hamilton

While Marion is also rapt with the croissants from Christian Jacques, she names those from Rise Bakery as Brisbane’s second best.

“Les croissants ont la bonne quantité de beurre, ni trop ni pas assez.” 

The croissants have the right amount of butter, not too much or not enough.

The best bit? Rise has two Brisbane locations in Portside and Newstead, as well as an original outpost at Sanctuary Cove on the Gold Coast. So there’s no need to go without quality croissants on your next road trip to the beach.

Rise Bakery
Address: 194 Breakfast Creek Rd, Newstead; Shop 7.01F/39 Hercules St, Hamilton (Portside)
Opening Hours: Newstead Daily | 6am - 3pm; Portside Daily | 7am - 4pm
Website: risebakery.com.au
Phone: Newstead 0478 655 551; Portside 0434 132 995
Instagram| Facebook

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Banette Bayside, Wynnum

Banette, Wynnum

For teacher Justine H, a croissant must be “croustillant” (crisp) but not “sec” (dry) to be perfect. So, her verdict on the home of Brisbane’s best croissants? A bayside French bakery and café.

“J'ai essayé les croissants chez Banette à Wynnum et ils étaient plutôt bons! Gonflé et beurré.”  

I tried the croissants at Banette in Wynnum and they were quite good! Puffy and buttery.

Hot tip: Banette conveniently has a sister venue in West End.

Banette Bayside
Address: 70 Bay Terrace, Wynnum
Opening Hours: Daily | 6:30 am–2 pm
Website: banettebayside.com.au
Phone: 3189 0257
Instagram | Facebook

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Beurre Pastries, Milton

Beurre Pastries, Milton

Another hot contender in the Brisbane croissant battle, says Alexia, is the aptly named Beurre on Park Road in Milton.

“J'aime vraiment beaucoup ceux de Christian Jacques, mais j'ai également goûté ceux de chez Beurre, que je trouve aussi vraiment bon. Ils sont croustillants comme je les aime, bien aérés et ils n'ont pas trop de beurre.”

I really like the ones from Christian Jacques, but I also tried the ones from Beurre, which I also find really good. They are crispy as I like them, well fluffy and they don't have too much butter.

Beurre Pastries
Address: 33 Park Road, Milton
Opening Hours: Wednesday  Sunday| 7.00am - 1.30pm (unless sold out prior)
Instagram

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The Three Musketeers, Lota

The Three Musketeers, Lota

According to Deborah, hungry families should make a beeline to this Lota cafe for their flaky croissant fix – with the top-notch Viennoiserie baked fresh each day in their French bakery in Bulimba, Le Caprice.  

“À mes yeux, les meilleurs croissants sont ceux servis avec le sourire dans un petit café comme The Three Musketeers à Lota et dégustés en famille le dimanche matin.” 

In my opinion, the best croissants are those served with a smile in a small cafe like The Three Musketeers in Lota and enjoyed with family on Sunday mornings. 

Sounds good to us!

The Three Musketeers
Address: 687 Esplanade, Lota
Opening Hours: Weds & Sun | 7am-3pm; Thurs-Sat
Website: thethreemusketeers.au
Phone: 0481 139 173
Instagram | Facebook

Honourable Mentions

Other top spots for delicious croissants in Brisbane include:

• Lune Croissanterie (CBD & South Brisbane)

• Miche Bakery (New Farm)

• Flour & Chocolate (Morningside, Northgate, Redcliffe)

• Darvella Patisserie (Bulimba)

• Le Caprice Patisserie (Bulimba)

• C’est du Gâteau (South Brisbane)

• Sprout Artisan Bakery (Fortitude Valley)

newcomer alert!

Idle, New Farm

Appalled we’ve left Agnes Bakery off this list? The James Street favourite sadly closed its doors last month, *mais t'inquiète pas. The Anyday crew are now slinging top-notch pastry from their brand-spanking new Merthyr Road bakery and cafe, Idle. That’s right, some of Brisbane’s best croissants are now within easy strolling distance from *le nid!

*style of pastries | *taste | *here are | *in English | *but don’t worry | *the nest

How to Learn French - Rule of thumb

Bref et concis* but a really good précision* for many, today we’re talking about one of the most mispronounced words in French: the word for woman (or wife), femme.

Most often, we hear this mispronounced as rhyming with the English word ‘gem’, rather than the word ‘thumb’, which the sound resembles most closely.

I remember being so surprised when I learned that the e in words containing the combination emm in French was pronounced as though it was a French a sound. If you’ve been following these posts, you’ll know that the anchor word I use for a in French is ça va. And if you’ve done your devoirs*, you’ll also know that sound is very close to the u sound in the English word ‘cup’. Read on for some more illuminations* (hopefully)…

By the way, it’s not just femme that has this English u sound. Here are a few others to ponder.

femme
évidemment
fréquemment
différemment
patiemment

If you’ve been trying out your French on native-speakers for a decent period of time, I am confident you would’ve already been (kindly) corrected on your pronunciation of this word. I certainly was (more than once, until it clicked), but I thought it must have been an exception. In fact, it’s not, it’s just that the combination of emm in the middle of a word makes that ‘u’ sound we’ve been talking about.

Alors, voilà!* Only one square added this time, but an important one, nonetheless.

*Short and sweet | *clarification | *homework | *lightbulb moments | *So there you go

Famous French Brands: Poivre Blanc

The obsession of French tweens and teens in the ‘80s and ‘90s, Poivre Blanc (White Pepper) is back on the cool kids' radar with a line of vintage tees, tags, caps and sweaters that harks back to its surfwear-meets-streetwear roots.

Founded in 1984 by Danny Sebright, the Marseille-born *marque started out producing bright, sporty t-shirts featuring animated characters and fun prints that garnered a cult following. However, it evolved its offering in 1989 and is now the go-to for luxurious, high-tech skiwear – with a price tag to match.

Whether on the court, at yoga class or swishing down the slopes, Poivre Blanc’s technically advanced sportswear for women, men and children cuts a fine figure. But it’s the nostalgic appeal of the vintage designs that have put the brand back in the spotlight.

According to the website…

“La collection vintage de Poivre Blanc a été créée pour célébrer et préserver l’héritage unique de la marque. Ce revival permet de reconnecter les clients avec les souvenirs joyeux et l’authenticité des débuts de Poivre Blanc, tout en attirant un nouveau public qui apprécie le charme rétro.

“Les motifs et designs de la collection vintage sont inspirés par les archives de la marque, reprenant des éléments graphiques et colorés qui avaient fait son succès, modernisés pour aujourd’hui. Ce retour aux racines est aussi une réponse à la demande croissante pour des vêtements qui allient style, histoire et durabilité.”

*Ou, en anglais…

“The Poivre Blanc Vintage Collection was created to celebrate and preserve the brand's unique heritage. This revival reconnects customers with the joyful memories and authenticity of Poivre Blanc's early days, while attracting a new audience who appreciates its retro charm.

“The patterns and designs of the Vintage Collection are inspired by the brand's archives, incorporating graphic and colourful elements that made it successful, modernised for today. This return to its roots is also a response to the growing demand for clothing that combines style, history, and sustainability.”

View the Poivre Blanc range on the website.

*brand | *Or, in English

Tour de France Vocab

Get your forty winks now, cycling fans, because Le Tour is back – and you know what that means. Kicking off on 5th July, the 112th edition of the premier international cycling event, Le Tour de France, will see 23 *équipes traverse 3,320 kilometres of picturesque terrain over three action-packed weeks. As plenty of eager Aussies swap sleep for late nights glued to SBS.

Want to impress your colleagues at the water cooler with your informed cycling chat? Here are a handful of phrases to pedal out in the local lingo.

 You can find a more comprehensive list here.

*teams

La Vie: C’est veggie

If you’re a fan of clever advertising, this commercial by acclaimed French agency Buzzman is sure to tickle your fancy.

Featuring an expressive rescue pig called Léon watching a man devour *un sandwich au ‘jambon’, the ad for French plant-based food company La Vie was launched to coincide with World Animal Day last October. *C’est du génie, non?

*a ‘ham’ sandwich | *It’s genius, isn’t it?

Top Foodie Picks in France

Headed to France? Make sure you bookmark this article. From a country bistro in Beaujolais to a hot spot for *fruits de mer in Brittany, here are The Guardian readers’ favourite restaurants. And the best bit is they won’t break the bank.

How to Learn French - same but different

Hopefully since the last post you’ve reflected on the sentence below, which contains all four nasal vowels. A nasal vowel is a vowel followed by an ‘n’ or an ‘m’, as you may remember.

This post is devoted to those nasal vowels followed by ‘m’s, as well as some variations in spelling, for nasal vowels containing both ‘n’s and ‘m’s.

The good news is, there’s really nothing new to learn here, as these nasal sounds are pronounced exactly as those above. You will, see, however, that our grid has a bit more girth these days, which I hope you’ll perceive as a broadening of your pronunciation skills.

The aim today, therefore, is simply to notice this fact, and of course, have fun choosing your anchor words. Allez-y*!

There are very few words containing this sound, but here’s one you likely know.

humble

For those of you with eagle eyes, you’ll have now realised that the following two words are pronounced exactly the same:

non
nom

I hope this is reassuring to you, reducing, as it does, the options for pronunciation.

Here are some other words containing om that you may know:

comptable
ombre
comptoir
plombier

This sound certainly spreads itself around and is found in the following spellings. Remember, all of these sounds are pronounced exactly the same as the in in vin, despite the various ways they appear on the page.

pain
faim
plein
Reims*
syndicat
sympa

Okay, okay, this most particular of place names does break the rules of pronunciation, I admit, but probably not where you think it does. It is just the pronouncing of the final ‘s’ that is unusual. The rest of the word conforms to the rules and is therefore pronounced similarly to the word ‘dance’ in Australian English (that is, if you don’t pronounce it ‘dahnce’. Tu vois*? English is aberrant, aussi*!)

Remember, these nasal vowels rhyme with those found in enfant, which, helpfully, rhyme with one another.

jambon
framboise
champignon
ambulance

exemple
embouteillage
embrasser
température


Et voilà*! I hope you can see the strides you’re making now that we’ve laid the foundations of French pronunciation. See you next month for more!

 

 

*Let’s go! | *You see | *as well | *And there you go

Quel est ton roman français préféré?

With the cooler weather (and relentless rain!), now’s the perfect time to settle in with a good book. We know we have plenty of *rats de bibliothèque among our chouchous, so we thought we’d give you some recommendations from *l’équipe. *En français, bien sûr!

(Not up for the challenge? You can also snap up English versions for most of our picks online.)

*Library rats – the French expression for bookworm! | *the team | *In French, of course!

Raclette

Cheese (and carb) lovers, rejoice – raclette season is officially here! Derived from the French verb *’racler’ meaning ‘to scrape’, the ultimate comfort dish features oozy, melted cheese scraped with a spatula onto boiled potatoes with pickles and cured meats often served as sides.  

An alpine specialty, raclette is believed to have originated in the canton of Valais in Switzerland way back in the Middle Ages. However, other *fromage fancying nations have adopted the traditional dish with gusto – including France.  

While the dish was originally made fireside, today many heat their cheese to scrape-ready, melted perfection on a raclette grill. As for the cheese, the authentic choice is Swiss raclette cheese – a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese. However, Gruyère, Comté and Gouda will also work if that’s what you have *dans le frigo.

*to scrape | *cheese | *in the fridge

Nuit Blanche

On Saturday, 7th of June, locals and tourists will see the streets and monuments of Paris in a new light as Nuit Blanche (White Night) takes over the city for the 24th year. Launched in 2002 by then-Mayor Bertrand Delanoë, the annual event aims to make contemporary art accessible to the masses, with installations, performances and projections illuminating public spaces and cultural institutions throughout the city.

With actress Valérie Donzelli as Artistic Director, this year’s program focuses on cinema, with nearly 300 free artistic projects popping up across Paris. Included in the lineup are an open-air dance performance at the Institut de France and an “aquatic and musical installation” at the Bourse de Commerce.

*Un grand succès, the Nuit Blanche concept has been adopted around the globe, with over 30 cities now putting their own spin on the all-night celebrations, including our very own Melbourne.  

Nuit Blanche, Paris
7 Juin, 2025
Visit the website

*A big success

Paper Republic

Can’t stop buying *la papeterie? We understand the addiction. So, we’d be remiss not to insist you pop Papeterie Perjac on *l’itinéraire when next in Paris. (Call us enablers.)

A cornucopia of delights folded between the le Grand Rex cinema and le Palais Garnier (opera house), the 60-year-old stationery store is now permanently home to the paper republic embassy.

Founded by Frenchman Jérôme Bacquias in 2012 and based in Vienna, paper republic is famous for its range of high-end leather-bound journals and refillable notebooks – featuring vegetable-tanned Tuscan leather and acid-free, wood-free FSC-certified 80gsm natural paper made “in one of the best, if not the best, European paper mill in Sweden”.

With embossing and customisation available in-store, their journals make the perfect gift. Or why not treat yourself and document your travels in style?

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by paper republic (@paper_republic)

Paper Republic Embassy
Papeterie Perjac
66 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière
75010 PARIS


*stationery | *the itinerary  

The Best Hikes in France

If you prefer your holidays far from bustling cities and crammed coastal resorts, with a healthy dose of fresh air, Lonely Planet’s guide to the best hikes in France might be for you.

And, to ensure you fit right in on *la piste, we’ve also compiled *une liste of handy French hiking vocab to learn before *votre depart.

 *the track | *a list | *your departure

How to Learn French - follow your nose

If you’ve become a regular reader of these posts, you may remember we started our pronunciation adventure all the way back with the vowels a, e, i (y), o and u. I hope by now you feel confident pronouncing them and that you know your anchor words off by heart.

If you’re new to the blog, the use of anchor words is a fairly common practice for those learning to pronounce a second language. These are words that you absolutely know how to pronounce and by extension allow you to pronounce a whole host of other words that contain the same sounds. Apart from the exceptions, (bien sûr*). 

I can almost hear you howling from here about French and its plentiful exceptions, but I promise you that on the pronunciation side of things, at least, there are very few exceptions to the rule. Don’t believe me? Follow this blog to the bitter end and you’ll see that the pronunciation table we’re building has a form to it that will satisfy even the most méticuleux* of reader.

Today we’re going to look at nasal vowels, which for me are what makes French sound so…well, French. If you think of a caricature of a French person (say Pepé Le Pew or Steve Martin as Inspector Clouseau) their overblown accents are often due to an exaggeration of the four nasals vowels. Read on to find out un peu plus*.

By the way, here are my personal anchor words for the French vowels. Please do not feel hidebound by mine. While you’re welcome to use them, it is a really great exercise for you to find your own.

LES VOYELLES FRANÇAISES - KATRINA’S ANCHOR WORDS

A - ça va
E - je
I/Y - ici
O - tomate
U - tu

Okay, so now let’s take a look at these very special-sounding vowels - les voyelles nasales*.

Step 1…

This (admittedly) very memorable French phrase encapsulates the nasal vowels in one easy-to-understand sentence: a good white wine.

There are officially four different nasal vowels in French, though many French people will say the sounds un and in sounds are exactly the same. While it’s true the difference is très nuancée*, each have separate phonetic symbols so for now at least, we have quatre* to learn. Don’t worry, though, if you can’t hear the difference between the two. In a hundred years or so, there will likely only be three of them and you’ll have been proven right.

Choose your favourite word below to become your anchor word. There are actually very few words that contain un in French. Next post you’ll see that the sound um is exactly the same (see, I told you it’d get easier!) so there’ll be a few more of them to choose from.

un
lundi
quelqu’un
aucun
chacun


MAKE THE SOUND: Try saying ‘un’ as in ‘unhappy’. Now say it again, but don’t say the ‘n’. This sound approximates the sound you want. 

bon
mon
tonton
chanson
oncle

MAKE THE SOUND: Try saying the English word ‘on’. Now say it again but do not pronounce the ‘n’. Your mouth should finish open, not with your tongue on the roof of your mouth. 

cousin
intelligent
fin
lapin
prince

MAKE THE SOUND: Try saying the English word ‘an’ as in ‘an apple’ without finishing the ‘n’ sound. This is quite close to the sound you’re after. 

enfant
enfin
dans
antique
dent

MAKE THE SOUND: The two sounds are identical. Think of the word enchanté, in which it appears twice. 

So, let’s take a look at our pronunciation table after the addition of the nasal vowels. You’ll see we’ve added four extra rows, as the sounds are completely different to all those that have preceded them.

Ne vous inquiétez pas*, though, next post we’ll fill out those new rows in a really satisfying (and hopefully helpful) way.

 

 

*of course | *meticulous | *a bit more | *the nasal vowels | *very nuanced | *four | *Don’t worry

Quel est ton jeu de société préféré?

Did you know that the French are avid board game enthusiasts, with 91% of the population regularly indulging in a *jeu de société, or *deux? *Alors, now you do.

*En fait, 2023 saw nearly 90,000 boxes of board games sold each day in France, making it one of the most game-obsessed markets in Europe. Which begs the question, *Quels sont les jeux de société préféré de nos professeurs?

You’re probably familiar with most of these, other than le Jeu des petits chevaux. This traditional French children’s board game, similar to Ludo, consists of moving several pawns (horses) to the home reserved for their colour. Each player will receive between one and three horses, with the first player to reach the last square (numbered 6) winning the game.

*Well | *board game | *two | *Which are our teachers favourite board games?

Légumes de printemps

Keen gardeners and chefs will know that each season means a different crop of delicious veg to roast, blanch, sauté or grill. With spring in full bloom in the northern hemisphere, here are *des légumes de printemps you might find on *ton assiette in France.

*some spring vegetables | *your plate

Faire le pont

Like all of us, the French love a long weekend. Especially when the calendar allows them to ‘faire le pont’. With the literal translation ‘to make a bridge’, this fun French expression refers to asking HR for an annual leave day to create an extended four-day weekend.

How does it work? If un jour férié (public holiday) falls on a *mardi ou jeudi, it’s common practice to take off the bridging day (Monday or Friday) to create a *plus long weekend.  

And this year, *mai dishes up the perfect opportunity, with *des jours fériés on the 1st, 8th and 29th. All of which happen to fall on a Thursday. *Quelle chance!

*Tuesday or Thursday |*longer |*May | *public holidays| *How lucky!

French Comedy à Brisbane?

Feeling *courageux about testing your French listening skills? Then add this social outing to your calendar for *un vrai défi. Later this month, French comedienne Tania Dutel will be performing at the Brisbane Comedy Festival with a show that tackles deceit and hypocrisy—entirely in French.

You can sample Tania’s style by watching her in action in Montreal.

Visit the website for more information or to secure your tickets. *Bon courage! 

Tania Dutel at Brisbane Comedy Festival
Sunday 18 May | 5pm
Tickets: From $50
Powerhouse Theatre, New Farm

BOOK NOW

Du Foie Gras sous le Sapin

If you’re looking for something fun to do now the Alliance Française French Festival is over, we have just the thing. Running from 19-21 June, *Du foie gras sous le sapin is the latest offering from Brisbane French Theatre—after a break of nearly three years.  

Performed entirely in French, with English subtitles projected above the stage, the dark comedy, translated as ‘Eat your heart out’, tells the tale of three broke *colocataires faced with a tricky festive dilemma.

December 2025. As France battles an unprecedented winter heatwave, the trio receive bad news: their rent is about to skyrocket. In the midst of a brutal cost-of-living crisis, this blow threatens not only their already fragile budget but, even worse, their beloved Christmas tradition: the annual foie gras marathon!

Faced with their increasingly precarious situation, the trio of misfits find themselves divided over one existential question: how do you respond to a world that’s becoming more dehumanised every day, other than by becoming just like it?

Tickets are on sale now. For further information or to book, visit the website.

DU FOIE GRAS SOUS LE SAPIN
Thursday 19 June - Saturday 21 June 2025
Adult $26 | Concession $21 | Group $21
Ron Hurley Theatre, Seven Hills
BOOK NOW

*Foie gras under the tree | *housemates

How to Learn French - Plus ça change...

Today we’re going to inch across a few columns, filling out variations on some sounds you already know well. It is my hope that with each horizontal move, you’ll be reassured that you’re more unconsciously competent at French pronunciation than you may think.

Soyez tranquille*, we’ll be making some more vertical moves in future posts, adding brand new sounds, but for now, let’s just consolidate some of the vowel sounds you already know.

You’ll notice that the additions we make today involve accents, which is to say that in many instances, they make no difference to the pronunciation of vowels at all.

On y va* !

Remember, the aim of the game is to have an anchor word for each principal sound (those in the far left-hand column below). Once you’re confident that you know how to pronounce that sound, you can start to add other sounds, which, though spelled slightly differently, have the same pronunciation.

voilà
là
à la carte
château
gâteau
pâtes

SOUNDS LIKE: A

Lyon
pays
Yves
gîte
île
dîner
maïs
naïve
aïoli

SOUNDS LIKE: I

tôt
hôpital
hôtel

SOUNDS LIKE: O

dû
brûlé(e)
flûte

SOUNDS LIKE: U

So, where does that land us? You’ll see we’ve filled in the vowel sounds quite a lot horizontally. You’re really starting to build up a very good pronunciation cheat sheet, except it’s not cheating at all, since you’re (hopefully) confident with your anchor words, and, by extension, those that follow.

 

 

Félicitations* ! You’ve just made further headway in mastering French pronunciation.

*Rest assured | *Let’s go | *Congratulations

Messy Nessy

If you’re a fan of fashion, art, curios and all things offbeat, don’t miss a visit to Messy Nessy’s Cabinet in the Latin Quarter when à Paris. Opened last year, *la petite boutique is a treasure trove of delights, from bottles of Eau de Seine (yes, it is what you think) to *les casquettes de baseball, logo sweaters, card games, books and antiques.

It’s the brainchild of Vanessa Grall, *la femme behind the cult blog Messy Nessy Chic and the Don’t Be a Tourist series of city guides. Pop by and say hi if in town—you’ll find Vanessa is often manning the till.

And if a Paris trip is not in your immediate future, you can also shop the collection online.

Messy Nessy’s Cabinet
19 rue de Bievre, 75005 Paris
Instagram: @messynessychic

*in Paris | *the little store | *baseball caps | *the woman