The croissant is often seen as the quintessential French pastry, with bakeries all over the world trying to replicate its delicious taste. Yet, in the opinion of my French friend, Arthur ,who has consistently trashed American croissants ever since I met him, there are no good croissants in DC. To prove him wrong, I brought him along to test four different options, ranging from supermarkets to fancy boulangeries. 

Lidl: 6/10 (50¢) “Expected it to be worse”

Though not the fanciest place on the list, it was surely the cheapest, with their croissants costing only 50¢. At first, we had very low expectations given the price; however, Arthur and I were quickly surprised by how decent they were. The crust was a bit soft, but it was pretty fresh and buttery for a supermarket croissant. Lidl stood out as a fantastic deal for anyone looking for a quick and affordable way to enjoy a solid croissant.

Tatte: 7/10 ($4.50) “Pretty good, but not worth the price”

Tatte has multiple locations in DC and is generally well-regarded for its wide variety of baked goods. Unfortunately, despite looking delectable, Tatte failed to live up to our expectations, with Arthur describing the taste as “too basic” and surprisingly “very similar to the Lidl one.” I know we are bringing up Lidl quite a lot when talking about our croissant journey, but it’s a necessary comparison when you take into account that it’s nine times the price of Lidl’s while only tasting slightly better.

Fresh Baguette: 8/10 ($4.10) “The most similar to the everyday croissants in France”

Following the massive letdown that was Tatte, we were pleasantly surprised by how good Fresh Baguette’s croissants were. The crust was crunchy and consistent, while the inside was layered and soft. By far, Fresh Baguette was superior to Tatte in both taste and price. If that wasn’t enough, Arthur said that out of all the croissants we tried out, this one was the closest to the ones he would usually find in bakeries back in France. 

Boulangerie Christophe: 9/10 ($4.20) “By far the most premium”

Boulangerie Christophe immediately stood out as the most premium option of the bunch. It had an endless variety of some of the most delicious-looking baked goods I’ve ever seen; it felt and looked like a tiny slice of France dropped right into Georgetown, which added up to a very fancy experience. Now, when talking about the croissant itself, it had a “traditional” shape that, according to Arthur, “has become less and less common in American bakeries in recent years.” The price translated to an amazing experience, with the crust being very crispy while the

inside was incredibly buttery. The experience was so great that Arthur said it was better than your average French Bakery. So, if you are willing to pay the $4.20 premium, Boulangerie Christophe is the best option for you. •