The final round of the French Morning-Frenchly Best Croissant in New York contest is fast approaching, so it’s time to reveal the list of the ten bakeries that will be competing. The event will take place on Tuesday, May 19, at 5th&Mad, just like last year, but this time in the evening, between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. More than 1,600 of you voted to select the finalists for this 2026 edition.
The best bakeries in New York will be there to showcase their pastries, and you’ll be able to stroll from booth to booth, sampling croissants and other specialties—there will also be jams, charcuterie, and cheese—and cast your vote for the People’s Choice Award. Our judges, after tasting all the croissants in a blind tasting, will award the Grand Prize and the Best Original Creation award.
The jury will have four members this year:
- Chef Edan Leshnick of Breads Bakery, last year’s Grand Prize winner. His bakery will be competing solely for the People’s Choice Award this year.
- Pastry chef Raiza Costa, Brooklyn-based renowned Brazilian author and host, and founder of the chain Dulce Delight.
- Pastry chef Luke Frost of Valhrona.
- Chef Lucile Plaza of the restaurant Benoit.
Who will succeed Bread Bakery this year? We’ll know in a few days. There is still time to get tickets if you haven’t already (register here)! Below is the long-awaited list of bakeries that you have chosen to compete, in alphabetical order:
Atelier Ariana
This marks the first time the Carroll Gardens bakery, founded by Ariana Barkin in September 2024, has entered the Best Croissant Contest. Having arrived from Paris in January 2020 with the dream of opening a shop in the heart of New York, the pastry chef saw her plans derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Set back, but not stopped: the chef then launched a series of “Pop-up Pâtisseries” in front of her Brooklyn apartment, offering croissants, pains au chocolat, and blood orange cakes fresh from her kitchen oven, before opening her own bakery and pastry shop in the neighborhood. Atelier Ariana, 478 Smith Street, at the corner of Ninth Street in Brooklyn. Website
Breads Bakery
Winner of last year’s competition, the People’s Choice Award and the Best Original Creation Award in 2023, as well as the Best Baguette Award in 2022, Breads Bakery is back among the finalists but is only competing for the People’s Choice Award—not, of course, for the Grand Jury Prize. “A perfect croissant is one that’s generously buttered yet still light. In the end, you don’t feel heavy; you want to have another one,” said chef Edan Leshnick as he accepted his award last year, before taking on the role of judge this year. Launched in 2013, the brand now has five retail locations: the flagship store in Union Square (18 E 16th St.), the kiosk in Bryant Park (1080–1090 6th Ave.), and stores at Rockefeller Center (1230 6th Ave.), on the Upper East Side (1294 3rd Ave.) and the Upper West Side (1890 Broadway), as well as in Brooklyn Bridge Park (Bridge Park Drive). Website
Bread Story
This East Village bakery, founded by former Maison Kayser chef Yann Ledoux (who won the 2019 Best Baguette award), was once again recognized at the 2022 competition, taking home second place and the Specialty Bread award. Bread Story hopes to continue its winning streak by celebrating its fifth anniversary in June with another award—this time for its croissants! Bread Story, 264 1st Avenue, NY. Website
Brooklyn French Bakers
We’ve mentioned it every time they’ve entered the French Morning contest, but this Brooklyn bakery has grown rapidly since its launch in 2022. The founders—a trio of career changers who stumbled into the bakery-pastry business somewhat by chance—have opened three bakeries in Brooklyn: in Park Slope (510 2nd St.), on the Waterfront (273 Columbia Street), and in Downtown Brooklyn (41 Flatbush Avenue). Teddy Collet, Sabrina Labouré, and Nelly Azambre won the Grand Prize at the Best Croissant competition in 2023, as well as the People’s Choice Award (tied) and third place last year. Website
Epicerie Boulud
What New Yorker hasn’t heard of Daniel Boulud’s gourmet épiceries? The famous French chef’s chain, which offers pastries—including croissants, of course—as well as a variety of other baked goods, salads, and baguette sandwiches, won an award at the Best Baguette competition three years ago. Epicerie Boulud, One Vanderbilt (1 Vanderbilt Ave. and 42nd St.) in Midtown, in the Oculus at Westfield World Trade Center (185 Greenwich St.), as well as at the Lipstick Building (885 Third Ave.) and 919 CAFÉ BY DB (919 Third Ave.). Website
La Bicyclette
The crowd favorite in the 2024 Best Baguette competition will be trying to win the prize this time around with his croissants. Florent Andreytchenko, the Brooklyn-based baker from Champagne known for his affordable organic products, has opened four shops in just six years: the first in Williamsburg (667 Driggs Ave); then in Fort Greene (136 Dekalb Ave), Carroll Gardens (305 Court St.), and most recently in Clinton Hill (39 Clifton Place). Website
La Boulangerie de François
Based in Forest Hills, Queens, François Danielo is a champion of artisanal quality. Those who have made a career change are often the most determined: a former engineer who became a baker in 2011, this Brittany native offers a wide variety of breads, as well as pastries and viennoiseries (croissants, of course, but also kouign-amann, beignets, and more) made in the purest baking tradition. La Boulangerie de François, 109-01 72nd Road, Forest Hills. Website
Lafayette Bakery
A newcomer to the French Morning competition, Lafayette Bakery is well known among foodies for its “supreme” croissant, a creation by the pastry chef that went viral on Instagram. Scott Cioe, formerly of Bouchon, Café Boulud, and Jean-Georges, created a buzz with his round, cream-filled pastry, finished with ganache and other toppings. Next challenge: winning an award on May 19! Lafayette Grand Cafe & Bakery, 380 Lafayette Street. Website
Le Petit Paris
Le Petit Paris, the bakery-café run by childhood friends Anthony Lemezec and Julien Khalaf (formerly of Julien Boulangerie, whose four locations closed earlier this year), has only been open for a few months (since November 2025), but has already built up a loyal customer base that voted for it to compete in the best croissant contest. Located in Kew Gardens, Queens, the establishment already has a signature dish, the “Flankie”—a chocolate chip cookie base topped with vanilla flan. Le Petit Paris, 81-45 Lefferts Blvd., Kew Gardens. Website
Mille-Feuille
Founded in 2011 by pastry chef Olivier Dessyn (Pierre Hermé, Ritz) and his wife Nathalie, Mille-Feuille offers French pastries, breads, cakes, and savory specialties. Alongside chefs Dimitri Viaud and Nicolas Buchot, both former employees of Maison Kayser, the couple is deeply committed to preserving the spirit of a neighborhood bakery, just like those found in towns and villages across France. Mille-Feuille has three locations: in Greenwich Village (552 La Guardia Place), on the Upper West Side (2175 Broadway), and in Brooklyn’s Park Slope (622 Vanderbilt Ave.). Website
This article was originally published in French on French Morning. It appears here in translation.
