First served in 1910 in a café on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, the croque-monsieur is a classic dish offered in many cafés, brasseries and more casual spots. Composed of two slices of buttered sandwich bread, topped with melted cheese and slices of ham, this hot sandwich can be presented in many ways. Here are 10 very different establishments where you can enjoy an excellent croque-monsieur, tested and approved from the first bite to the last.
When double Michelin-starred chef Stéphanie Le Quellec created Mam in 2021, she decided to entrust its management to her mother, Patricia Lecocq. A caterer, delicatessen and patisserie rolled into one, this brand distills a contemporary qualitative offering, in savory as well as sweet dishes, for very good eating at the office or at home. Some of her offerings, such as veal blanquette with coffee, poultry red curry and Paris-Brest pastry, have become true signature dishes that are exchanged under the table.
Our opinion: Here we find everything we love in a croque worthy of the name: a very good soft, thick sandwich loaf, specially made by a local artisan baker, generously spread with farmhouse butter. The delicious Prince de Paris ham from the Parisian Doumbéa manufacturer, finely sliced in overlapping layers, is crowned by a generous 18-month comté cheese. There are two other very good versions of this croque, with aged comté and black truffle and with pastrami and cheddar.
Price: €8.50 (takeaway only).
Mam by Stéphanie Le Quellec 93 Rue du Bac, Paris 7th arrondissment; 22 Rue Fourcroy, Paris 17th arrondissement.
On the third level of the Bourse de Commerce, chefs Michel and Sébastien Bras have created a menu based on the essentials, in keeping with the history of the site, a former wheat market, where wheat, grains and seeds from all over the world lend an original tone to their work. To compose their dishes, the chefs give priority to seasonal produce, responsible supply chains and ethical producers, while respecting biodiversity.
Our opinion: For their reinterpretation of the croque-monsieur, the Bras father and son duo have devised their own baking apparatus with highly undulating ridges that allow the dough and filling to be baked together. The bread is made from a blend of flours (spelt and durum wheat) and other ingredients (green lentils and oats), which reduces the glycemic index of the whole. Organic celeriac, with its lemony, aniseed flavors, is seasoned with a lightly-smoked homemade lemon mayonnaise and French roasted hazelnuts. This extraordinary croque is served with a mixed salad and sprouted seeds.
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