Not an award, a recommendation. The first Paseria Selection names the places we would send a friend with one afternoon and a good appetite, in nine categories.
We have spent the year at counters and in salons from the rue de Rivoli to the Kowloon waterfront, and the Selection 2026 is the result: one pick and two alternatives in each of nine categories, chosen by taste, craft and the experience of buying the piece.
The picks
Hotel of the year: Le Meurice, for a kitchen that changed the craft. Counter of the year: Le Comptoir at the Ritz Paris, for the best pastry per euro in a palace. Chef of the year: Nina Métayer. Dessert of the year: the Ambroisie. Afternoon tea: the Foyer at Claridge’s. Chocolatier: Pierre Marcolini. Boutique: Mori Yoshida. Newcomer: Lysée. Value: Ca’n Joan de s’Aigo.
How we chose
No house pays to be in the guide and no house paid for the Selection. We chose for the pastry as it is sold to anyone who walks in, not for the tasting menu or the press dinner. The Selection is revised every September.
Try it
The Paseria 50Fifty pieces, salons and counters to taste in a lifetime, from the Ambroisie in Kyobashi to a scone at the Ritz.Dessert Type QuizEight questions, six types: the Classicist, the Chocolate Devotee, the Purist, the Tea Ritualist, the Avant-Gardist and the Grand Café Romantic..Frequently asked questions
Is the Paseria Selection an award?
No. It is an editorial recommendation, revised every year, and it is not for sale.
