Went here almost everyday we were in London, amazing pastries. Delicious sandwiches. Loved my coffee or tea everytime! Staff is kind and efficient. Cozy spot! read more

We came here for breakfast twice on our trip to London. I had a cappuccino and egg and cheese croissant both days because it was delicious! There is something about food like this in Europe which is so much better than what you find in the states. It was a really simple place but I really enjoyed it! The team was very nice and service was very prompt. read more

Paul isn't named after St. Paul's Cathedral though both are pretty grand. In fact, Paul is a common (almost as common as Starbucks is in the US) French patisserie/bakery/cafe in France that also became quite popular in London. Not only do they serve cafe drinks, but they also have amazing bread, desserts, and artisan sandwiches. I was on my way to the St. Paul's Cathedral when Paul caught my eyes with their beautiful dessert display. Specifically, the meringue tart caught my attention and I was happy to take a snack break :) the meringue tasted like the softest marshmallow imaginable and the tartlet crust was also perfect. What impressed me also was the gorgeous packaging. Not only was it aesthetically pleasing, but also carefully packaged so that my fragile dessert remains intact when opened :) really appreciate the intentionality they put into these small details so i could enjoy every bite of my lovely tartlet. Coming to Paul like Starbucks every day :) read more

See all

On my mission to collect bakeries in London, Paul's was pretty high up on the list. However, it was proving increasingly tricky to balance found bakeries with eating times. After a (far too long) trek up to the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, though, a pastry was just what I needed, and the distance from the cathedral door to the bakery door was blessedly short. I am ashamed to say, I did not notice the bread selection until after choosing my pastry, and equally ashamed to say I didn't go back and pick up a loaf on the way out. There's only so much bread a girl can eat for breakfast before it gets stale, and a pristine loaf from Gail's bakery sat on my counter. I ordered the strawberry tart, because I was pretty certain it would be gelatin-free. Well, that and it looked absolutely stunning, with glistening berries and a perfectly shaped tart shell. And it was stunning. The cream was thick, velvety, cold, sweet and rich with vanilla. The pastry was crisp, crumbly, and sweet. The biggest shock, though, was the berries. Though undoubtedly either before or in the very earliest stages of strawberry season, these berries were deliciously ripe, shaded a deep red all the way through, sweet, and juicy. Each bite of the tart was balanced in flavor and texture. My only regret remains my lack of Paul bread... read more

While the pastries are nothing to write home about, the coffee was excellent, and sitting outside in the shade of the St Paul cathedral was mind-blowing. The view alone earns this place an extra star! read more

Paul - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

Paul was my go-to place for lunch two times in a roll. It was next to majestic St Paul's cathedral and stone's throw from my meeting place. They have a number of tasty sandwiches, but my favorite was the one with salami, lettuce, tomato, cheese, an olive spread. The baguette bread had crunchy seeds on the outside, with the long shape making it easy and fun to munch down! For desserts I normally get the lemon tart. Their pistachio macaron is also pretty good - sweet and a bit denser than I'm used to, but large serving given the price. I will certainly miss eating here when I return home to USA after my business trip. read more

Paul - Decisions Decisions - great they label all the sandwich names and ingredients. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

See all

I love the various Paul cafés all over London. On a cold day, after lots of walking, it's only fitting to stop in for a rich and creamy hot chocolate. Their hot chocolate is (and will probably always be) my favorite. It's like a perfectly melted candy bar in a cup. Cafés also serve decadent pastries, quiche and sandwiches. The large chocolate macarons are fantastic. The palmiers are huge, and the perfect combination of caramelized sugar and flaky pastry. A friend also fell in love with the salami and cheese sandwiches with cornichons. Highly, highly recommended for the sweet AND savory! read more

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Paul's macarons! I think that because they're bigger, it's easier to have a nice shell and soft inside layer. I got the pistachio macaron and the pistachio taste really came through! I also recommend the canele read more

This is located right near St. Paul's Cathedral. I was just not impressed with the food or my drink. I ordered a salmon sandwich that just did not taste fresh. The smoked salmon was a little slimy and had definitely been sitting out all day. My mocha was okay, not the best espressivo drink I had in London but definitely much better than the sandwich. The seating area upstairs was nice, a little tight on space but enough that my wife and I were able to get a table and a decent amount of privacy. Overall I preferred this over Starbucks, but i would only go for the drinks. read more

Paul - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

While breakfast breads in the United States tend to consist of bagels, muffins, and English muffins, Europeans tend to go for croissants and other viennoiseries. Although I generally associate these types of baked goods with France, patisseries and bakeries are abundant even in the UK, and nearly every café, grocery store, and cafeteria offers a variety of croissants and other buttery baked goods. What's great is that even in the UK, great patisseries can be found which produce pastries far superior to almost anything I've had in the US. While the US has the market on bagels cornered, Europe is the standard bearer for viennoiseries, and after trying out Paul, a French patisserie and bakery chain with a ton of locations scattered throughout the world, I have to say that I am extremely jealous of Londoners for their ease of access to such great pastries. According to their website, Paul started out as a small bakery in northern France in 1889 and gradually expanded to the point where it can be found in 19+ countries, including a couple of locations in Florida. Despite their status as a huge international chain, Paul still manages to maintain the integrity and quality of its products and epitomizes what all chain restaurants and bakeries in the US should aspire to become. Upon my arrival in London, I first wanted to drop my bag off at the hostel where I would be spending the night. On the way, I stopped by at a Paul and entered to find trays of fresh-from-the-oven baked goods emerging from the back. When I saw the Beignet Chocolat, I immediately knew that I had to get it because, well, I like chocolate and I like fried dough, so there you go. The first thing I noticed was that it was not as crisp as a typical beignet would be. Unbeknownst to me at the time, the Beignet Chocolat is actually baked rather than fried, which explains why it was on the softer side. The doughnut itself was still a bit warm and was pleasantly soft, albeit a bit greasy, but the star of the show was the chocolate filling, which must have had some Nutella in it because I noticed a nice hazelnut flavor that complemented the chocolate quite nicely. This was easily the best doughnut that I've had in quite some time. And since I was such a fan of Balthazar Bakery's Chausson au Pommes, I ordered one of those as well. However, it was a bit of a letdown because while the flaky pastry was sufficiently flaky and tasty, I was disappointed with the fact that the filling was more like an apple sauce rather than the chunky apple pie-type filling that was found in Balthazar's iteration. It tasted fine, but I would have preferred more texture to the filling. I enjoyed my first visit to Paul so much that I went back again the next morning. Once again, I ordered a Beignet Chocolat, but this time it was accompanied by a Pain au Chocolat aux Amandes because chocolate is obviously an integral part of a healthy and nutritious breakfast. The Beignet Chocolat was every bit as delicious as it was on my previous visit, and the Pain au Chocolat aux Amandes, with its molten chocolate-filled center and crisp, flaky dough, was a winner of a pastry as well. The high quality and freshness of the baked goods from Paul set the standard for food from a chain establishment. If American chains could emulate Paul's success, then maybe I wouldn't be so down on the state of most chain establishments in the US. While the US does bagels and muffins better than most other countries, I would gladly trade excellent bagels for great viennoiseries in a heartbeat. After all, with more numerous and creative ways of sneaking chocolate into breakfast goods, the French viennoiseries would certainly give me a good excuse to make chocolate a part of my first meal of the day. Please come to NYC, Paul. read more

See all

Got pastries for my birthday and they were beyond all expectations! The hazelnut eclaire was amazing!! read more

Paul - So carefully protected. They are humble yet proud of their creative and delicious perfections! - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

Paul was my favourite place to get a sandwich for lunch when living in Paris. 2 years ago Paul did not exist in London. British triangle sandwiches are nothing to be compared with Paul fresh and tasty sandwiches, it is no surprise how well this sandwich shop is doing in London. I can recommend a range of different sandwiches. The baguette is my favourite bread to choose from, as I rarely buy it in London, there is no bread culture here, while in Paris at every corner of the street you will find a bakery with fresh baguettes. With the baguette I choose last time the brie with cranberry sauce and salad. Coming to London, I try to hold on to good memories by buying from time to time my lunch at Paul. The decoration reminds of a bakery in the Provence - all in French manners. There is another fact I do appreciate, all staff speaks French. There they do understand when I order chocolat chau or a pain au chocolat! read more

Paul - Paul entrance - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

The coffee sucked in this place. It was awful. The coffee in Starbucks tastes like heaven compared to this place. That is all. read more

There are at least nine of these chain restaurants in London, and this year I discovered one at the Leipzig, Germany, airport as well. Perhaps they are everywhere! Usually there are cramped dining areas in which to eat the factory produced French food, but it can be suprisingly tasty and not too expensive for a soup, croissant, tart or salad. It's a fairly reasonable place for tourists to grab a lunch and pretend they made a little trip across the channel to enjoy it. The one we tried is located at the side of St. Paul's Cathedral not far from the Tube exit. read more

I couldn't care less that this place is a chain, because the pastries are first-class, the bread is just fine, and the service is unexpectedly charming. The croissants in particular are beautifully flaky, and I like that they come in a mini version that makes for a perfect snack. Our favorite discovery is that their hot chocolate can be purchased in a large-size carton to take home; it's so rich and intense that I strongly recommend that you thin it with milk to prevent a heart attack. The location is convenient to St Paul's Cathedral, but tucked away in a little courtyard with outdoor seating. That helps, because the interior is pretty cramped. This location was our introduction to Paul, and it made a lovely first impression. I think we stopped in several times within a week! Here's hoping we'll see them in the U.S. soon. read more

We saw Paul when we arrived in London as it was between our tube stop and the hotel. Only after being in the city for a few days did we realize it was a chain with outlets all over. Even so, we decided to give them a try, as one can rarely go wrong with French baked goods. The results were ok. The wife had a Fraisier and I had a piece of Rhubarb tart. Both were good, though not mind-blowing. There were some other cakes and such on display that looked good, but we didn't have an opportunity to try them. I suspect at the very least they would be good, if not great. Given the choice, I would still prefer my local French bakery, even though their selection is a bit more limited, but removing them from the running, I wouldn't be upset if Paul was my only option for French baked goodness. read more

Very good coffee. Try their mocha if you're into that (I am), made with real hot chocolate! We had breakfast and really enjoyed the baguette and especially the croissants were fantastic. It's over the counter service only but they have a few tables upstairs (very warm there). Will be back if I find myself in the area and in need of a snack or good coffee. Disclaimer; I'm a coffee snob. read more

Great authentic French bakery in the square where St Paul Cathedral is located with some amazing pastries and some great coffee/tea. Pastries ranging from macaroons, croissant, tarts, etc. Its a chain so there are more then this location. I tried the croissant which was perfect, flaky outside and soft inside. There are tables outside to sit down, prices are different for dine in & to go. read more

FYI. This place IS a chain. When I first bumped into one near my hotel in Kensington I thought it was a cute little bakery and wanted to try it... Then I saw this location near Blackfriars and decided to try a quick lunch. Don't bother - ESPECIALLY this location. We had the most horrendous service. Horrendous. We ordered our sandwiches and they practically threw the tray at me... My sandwich wasn't bad - like a grilled cheese with the cheese on top - but super salty. I can't speak on their pastries because I was afraid to order more than my sandwiches for fear that the people behind the counter might jump up and stab me... read more

I've always been a big fan of Paul and wish we had this chain in the states and an alternative to Starbucks. The espresso is great here as are the beautiful macaroons. I would recommend trying a few of the flavors and grab a few different croissants as well, they are great to grab the evening prior to a long trip for breakfast the next day. Service is always nice and quick at Paul as well. read more

Paul - Lovely macaroons - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

This has become my favorite bakery in Paris and Lindon. Some days we sit and have a cappuccino or latte with one of there fresh pastries of the day. Their eclairs are sinful and always fresh. However it's their Macrons that we always end up taking away (generally a dozen at a time) if they have them - get the gingerbread cream Carmel, also pistachio is a favorite. All flavors are excellent - and keep trying a new product with each visit, you'll be glad you did. Finally, if you're in the UK get a loyalty card to earn free deserts - what could be better? If they delivered I'd be an addict - as it is I have to work to keep my visits to once, maybe twice a month. read more

Paul - Macarons of multiple flavors. - Coffee & Tea Near Me - London, XGL

See all

Stopped by without reading any reviews and so happy that we did! Flat white was good and flavourful, and the vanilla macarón frappé was tasty and refreshing. The canelé had a great chewy texture and just the right "rum" finish. Food prices are cheaper if you take away, and they have a special drink/pastry combo price before noon. Pleasantly I found the coffee prices no more expensive than other areas of the U.K. A nice plus given sometimes you feel you're being gouged in London. read more

I had avoided this since it is a chain, but my wife wanted to go here, so we went here for breakfast on Saturday morning. It was essentially empty, and the food was good. read more

Across the street from St Paul's Cathedral. Opted to eat here instead of their cafeteria since the former is in the basement and Paul's has outdoor seating as well as indoor seating upstairs. Had quiches and tea. The desserts looked delicious but we did not partake. read more

I love this cute little bakery. They surely know how to make me daydream about their cupcakes and delicious organic bread. Often, before I go home, I stop here for something new I haven't tried yet and I am happily surprised every time. read more

Good respite from Starbucks - thank god. Good selection of freshly prepared baguettes and pastries. Puff pastries and croissants are best, tarts look better than they taste and lack depth of flavor. Coffee and cappuccino could have been hotter. Best to sit outside, inside seating is tight. read more

Stopped here for cup of tea following visit to St.Paul's. Worst cup of tea ever. Very large mug of water, with poor quality teabag which did little more than faintly colour the water. Very disappointing. read more