Croissant Crawl

A search for the best croissant in Berlin | Croissant Couture, Sofi, and Albatross Bakery

A croissant is never not a good idea, but knowing where to go to get one’s fix can make the experience go from good to great. So, to prepare myself for when the inevitable itch arises, I set off a little adventure.

A good researcher always takes notes, hence why I invited excel to the party.

I created a scorecard based off my own croissant preferences. Everyone’s prince charming will be a bit different, so know that what floats my boat may sink yours, and that’s perfectly okay.

Here we go:

(7 is not as forgiving as out of 10, but still a broader range than 5)

Strap yourself in, and let’s get ready to roll.

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Croissant couture

Day one on my croissant expedition, I stepped out into the cobble stoned streets of Berlin armed with a hit list and a hungry stomach. En route to my first stop, the universe gave me a sign:

Naturally, I dropped everything and went inside. Stop #1 on my list just got bumped back into hair and makeup.

Walking into Croissant Couture, it smelled like I had been tucked under a duvet of buttery yeasty dough. The aroma that enrobed me could only come from butter, yeast, and flour — or a bath and bodyworks candle.

Upon further observation, I quickly came to understand that Croissant Couture was not only a bakery, but also a budding influencer. The USP came in the form of the trendy spiral croissant (the second coming of the cronut). Croissant Couture is carving out a niche for itself by tapping into the #foodporn crowd.

Instead of trying the popular vegan matcha filled spiral, I went old school and opted for the classic plain croissant. At first glance, the croissant easily checked off all the necessary boxes: lightweight, a crusty outside, and heavily perfumed with butter.

I took my first bite…

…the dough collapsed in on itself and so did my heart.

The inside was more of a brioche than croissant. After my third chew, the dough coagulated to form a gummy ball in my mouth. Croissant Couture cast me under a spell — one that made me think that looks were enough. When in reality, it’s what’s on the inside that counts. In this case, what i found on the inside was frankly quite disappointing.

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Sofi Bakery

In desperate need of a palate cleanser, I resumed my initial journey to stop #1: Sofi Bakery. Thinking that I’d start off with a home run, I chose Sofi because I hold it, it’s focaccia, and chocolate sourdough loaf close to my heart. I assumed I had a winner on my hands before even seeing the croissant in question.

Lookout for a note below

It’s a good thing i didn’t sign the contract because the pastry didn’t shine as brightly as I had hoped. 

On first glance, things were going well, really well. In my hand, the croissant was light and airy, like if thrown in the air it would take flight. Upon impact, shards of crust fell into my lap like snowflakes. My taste buds tried to make sense of the textural dance going on in my mouth, but my I failed to compute what was going on.

The taste was off. Maybe it was the lack of butter or the dissonance from expectation versus reality, but it tasted as if the pen had run out of ink — or it lacked enough ink to begin with.

I had fallen victim to another croissant catfish…. crumbs were everywhere yet i still felt hungrier as ever. 

Albatross Bakery

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice… fool me three times….

I needed a change of scenery. So for my third croissant, I hopped on the U8 and found myself in front of Albatross Bakery, one hand gripping the takeaway bag of a croissant, the other, fingers crossed, holding a coffee.

The Albatross croissant is the guy you go on a first date with who may not be the best looking, but boy does he have a bangin’ personality. Probably wearing a thrifted sweater vest and Chimala jeans, he effortlessly charms you into ordering another drink, and after your third you begin to wonder what it would be like to kiss him. The Albatross croissant may look a little frumpy, but it’s superpower is all in the taste: the crust is crust-y, inside is air-y, the smell is heaven-ly.

The initial attraction may not be there, but you after you get a taste, you may think otherwise.

One buttery bite leads to the next, and next thing you know you two are doing tequila shots and queuing Jamiroquai on the jukebox. 

The night ends with a kiss on the cheek and you head home. Leaving behind an empty hope of a second date with each footstep you take.

You had fun, no doubt about it, but you know that he’s just destined for the friend zone. 

Three stops down and many more to go. To follow along:

AND if you have a favourite croissant in Berlin, please let me know :)

Note: If you find yourself at Sofi, opt for the savoury croissant. It is well worth it.

Speak soon!

x

P