When people ask me why I moved to France, I tell them it was for the boulangeries, and I'm only…read morehalf-kidding. O Fournil des Artistes was exactly what I had in mind.
It is simply a boulangerie, not a boulangerie-patisserie combo (no éclairs here!) The line is out the door for sandwiches at lunch, and they run out of croissants on Sunday morning, so go early. Then when you get there, order croissants, pain au chocolat, and pain aux raisins, plus bread with olives or cheese for later. Oh, and don't forget a baguette, the bread and butter of French boulangeries (too much?) If you're extra hungry, go for one of the grande baguettes - it's fatter and won't disappear quite as fast.
The boulanger is a charming fellow who speaks English. If he can, he'll give you the freshest croissants just out of the oven instead of the ones on display.
My evening baguettes and bad-day-cheer-me-up pain aux raisins and it's-Tuesday pain aux olives are what I miss most since moving out of Croix Rousse. Yes, we have other boulangeries at the bottom of les pentes, but it's not the same! O Fournil des Artistes, I miss you!
En gros: si vous aimez le bon pain et les bonnes viennoiseries, vous ne serez pas deçu. Meilleure boulangerie de la Croix Rousse!