Where to Find the Best Croissant in Charlotte
sharing my fresh-from-the-oven take š„
One of my most favorite foods is The Croissantāeating one is just the most magical experience. The textural crackle, the crumbly flakes that land everywhere when you enjoy them, the moist buttery-ness that coats your fingers, the golden shiny layers! Everything about themāincluding the fact that I canāt reasonably make them at homeāis worth waking up for, worth traveling for, worth queuing for, worth seeking out and trying many countless croissants until I find *the* one that meets my definition of āperfect.ā
So, while Iāve never lived in a city large enough to be āknownā for its food scene, Charlotteās actually grown to have quite a few options to pick up a croissant or two, and below Iām breaking down the different places Iāve tried, and how their classic butter croissant was for me!
table of contents
**reminder that thereās a built-in table of contents on the left side of the post for easier mid-read navigation
ANALYSIS CRITERIA // factors that are considered in the rating process
THE METHODOLOGY // no true experiment is conducted without some constants; listing out our methods here so you know we gave everyone a fair chance!
THE CONTESTANTS // the meat & potatoes (or the flour & butter?) of this post, where we list out each bakery included in the lineup and discuss the characteristics of their butter croissant!
CONCLUSION // correlations I noticed, and superlatives for funsies
ANALYSIS CRITERIA š„
Before we get into it, let me explain my ideal butter croissant, so you know where Iām coming from (to be clear, Iām not a professional baker, just a fanatic fan & an enthusiastic eater š).
The Look: structure & aesthetic
distinct lamination layers (the more the merrier)
poofy voluminous dome
golden (like a beach babeās dream bronze, sun-kissed glow)
honeycomb cross section (so not a cavernous gaping hole or small bubbles like that of a dinner roll)
shiny (not mandatory, but definitely pretty to look at, so bonus points)
The Feel: when lightly squished under finger tips, it bounces back to its original shape (indicating good structure)
The Scent: needs to have top notes of sweetness, heart notes of baked bread, and base notes of buttery goodness1
The Bite:
the exterior ranges between lightly crisp to crackly-crunchy, but still with a slight chew thatās reminiscent of enriched breads; it had better make a mess with the flakes flying everywhere!
the interior is tender with fine honeycomb layers that remain distinct enough that you can feel their delicacy in each bite
The Taste: a good balance of richly buttery (but not greasy), subtly sweet, and tastefully toasty from good quality flour
THE METHODOLOGY
Because a true experiment needs some constants to understand the variation š
All butter croissants were:
purchased within ~1 hour of the bakeryās opening // croissants are technically freshest 20 minutes out of the oven, so this is my attempt to get them while they are āfreshest,ā even if they couldāve been baked at 5:00 AM
enjoyed at their pastry case temperature // while Iām the type of person to always ask for my croissants to be warmed, toasting definitely can alter the original texture of a croissant. In efforts to create an even playing ground, all croissants were opted out of this
eaten within minutes of purchase // no oven-toasting-at-home was involved, no leftovers-the-next-day candidates were included
selection
For this edition, weāre focusing on brick-n-mortars located in Mecklenburg County. Their croissants must be baked in-house or by their company in a separate location (versus supplied by a separate wholesaler, a micro bakery, etc.).
ingredients
The croissants selected all contain dairy, gluten, sugar, and eggs (if applicable). Croissants that are vegan, dairy-free, or gluten-free will be saved for a different round of tastings š (subscribe so you donāt miss it! š)
THE CONTESTANTS
{ordered by year of establishment}
Amelieās French Bakery & Cafe
Established: 2008
Price: $3.25
Taste Date: March 2025
honest review š
The Look: upon first glance, you canāt even tell that this is supposed to be a croissant. Itās only vaguely crescent-shaped, there are no distinct lamination layers (at ALL), and the cross section leans closer to the smaller bubbles of an enriched dough versus the even air pockets that youād typically expect from a croissant. I wouldnāt have expected a batch that looked like this to make it to the pastry case. (rating: 0/10)
The Feel: the exterior does have a decent shell when you lightly squish with your finger tips, but the shell doesnāt hold very well when you begin cutting into it (hence how smooshed it looks in the picture). The overall weight of the pastry was also very light and airy compared with other croissants Iāve held (indicating less butter was used). (rating: 3/10)
The Scent: the aroma was decently presentāslightly sweet with strong notes of baked bread. The buttery notes were fleeting. (rating: 5/10)
The Bite: I was very surprised with how crisp the exterior isāso much so that you almost feel like youāre biting into a potato chip in every bite? Like a delicate and brittle kind of crunch. Not bad, but since there wasnāt a lot of ātender pastry interiorā it felt like the ratio was off. It was almost too crispy with not enough chew, and the honeycomb layers were hard to distinguish after you start biting in. (rating: 3/10)
The Taste: when you first bite into it, it has the typical flavor profile of an enriched dough: slightly sweet, fragrant from the baked yeast and wheat and fats interacting with each other. The aftertaste however, is subtly oily in a not-so-pleasant kind of way, and the texture of the ācroissantā leaves your mouth kind of dry. (rating: 2/10)
OVERALL: my heart is breaking that this was sold and labeled as a croissantā¦ it looked so much like a dinner roll that I didnāt recognize it in the pastry case š
Even if this was a bad batch, I wouldāve thought that thereād be some level of quality assurance to ensure the best version was sold. (rating: 2.6/10)
All that said, donāt discount Amelieās completely. I may not recommend their plain croissants, but they are great for other things! Sharing my full review here:
Sunflour Baking Company
Established: 2009
Price: $4.95
Taste Date: March 2025
honest review š
The Look: while the layers arenāt distinct and the dome shape is on the flatter end, you can recognize the iconic shell shape of a croissant. Itās golden and the honeycomb air pockets are large enough to be more reminiscent of a croissant than a dinner roll. (rating: 4/10)
The Feel: the exterior, when lightly squished, is slightly crunchy and bounces back. The overall weight of the pastry is on par with the average croissant. (rating: 5/10)
The Scent: the aroma is kind of faint until you cut into it. It smelled mildly sweet, with toasty baked bread notes, and isnāt too buttery. There is also a āspicedā fragrance that lingers in your nose, which I didnāt expect. (rating: 3/10)
The Bite: while the exterior felt crackly under my fingertips, when I actually bit in, the crust felt more like the slightly tough, slightly chewy crust youād expect from a burger bun (versus my preference: layers shattering off left and right, a distinct crisp & crunch). The inside was mildly tender and moist. (rating: 4/10)
The Taste: outside of the normal taste and flavors of enriched dough, there is a subtle note of spice or toasty wheat that adds a layer of depth to the flavor profile that I didnāt expect. This isnāt super buttery, and also isnāt super dry. Just average. (rating: 4.5/10)
OVERALL: feels like a āgrocery store but betterā croissant; which, at that point, Iād just buy a croissant from the grocery store where I could get 5 for the price of this one. But! It still feels like youāre eating a croissant, so brownie points for being more accurate than Amelieās. (rating: 3.9/10)
In case youāre wanting to learn more about Sunflour Baking Company, my full review is here~
Renaissance PĆ¢tisserie
Established: 2013
Price: $3.95
Taste Date: March 2025
honest review š
The Look: the exterior is delightfully golden, slightly shiny, and has very distinct stripes when looking straight on from the top. The lamination layers arenāt as distinguished when looking from the ends thoughā¦theyāre present but start blending into each other. The height of the croissant is on the shorter side, which corresponds to The Feel (Iāll get into that in the next category). The most heartbreaking piece is the cross sectionā¦which really brought this rating down: when cut in half, you can see that the croissantās honeycomb has melted into itself, looking very wet and not light and airy (potentially due to underproofing). (rating: 4/10)
The Feel: the exterior, when lightly squished, is barely crunchy at all and just feels soft like a bread roll (it does bounce back though), and itāll leave you with oily fingers. The overall weight of the pastry is on the heavier side: itās smaller in size but just as heavy as the larger croissants like Vicente or Copain. (rating: 3/10)
The Scent: not a very strong scent, but when you do stick your nose into it, it smells very similar to a sweet brioche, with a very subtle scent of butter. Wouldāve preferred a stronger scent of baked bread. (rating: 6.5/10)
The Bite: thereās almost little to no crunch when you bite into it. After the initial bite, the croissant almost instantly melts in your mouthāthe interior is super moist and soft. A single bite also completely demolishes what little honeycomb structure it had, leaving you with a flattened croissant from your bite. It left me feeling like I was eating more of a bread roll than a croissant, as I like more crisp and bounce-back in each bite. (rating: 4/10)
The Taste: I was surprised to find that the first flavor to hit my taste buds was notes of sweetness since the croissant had left my fingers so oily from the butter used (wondering if the glaze on top wasnāt only for shine but also imparted a sweetness?)! A hint of butter came afterwards, and lingered in the aftertaste. This was definitely the sweetest croissant, which isnāt a flavor note I need a lot of in my plain/butter croissants; ideally wouldāve liked it to have a more balanced profile. (rating: 6.5/10)
OVERALL: It really looks āthe partā from the outside, but once you cut into it and also start eating it, it feels and tastes more likes a luscious bread roll that is so so moist you donāt even feel the need to butter it, versus the tender, airy structure that a croissant should have. All in all, this will feel super decadent! (rating: 4.8/10)
They also have a really delicious food food menu for breakfast, brunch, and lunch that surpasses their viennoiserie selection (one of my favorite things to order are their French fries!). Read more here š
Villaniās Bakery
Established: 2015
Price: $5.00
Taste Date: April 2025
honest review š
The Look: the size is on the larger end, almost as large as Vicenteās croissant, and the exterior has a beautiful dark golden color with a slight sheen. Thereās a decent rise, but it still has a slight slouchā¦as can be seen in the cross section, where itās flatter than ideal. The lamination layers, while can be seen from the side profile, still blend into each other slightly. The cross section itself has a denser crumb with uneven air pockets, versus an even distribution of honeycomb-like shapes, possibly caused by the butter melting and fusing with the layers of dough. (rating: 5/10)
The Feel: the exterior, when lightly squished, is vaguely crunchy (the croissant tails, though, are very crunchy) but it mostly feels soft like a bread roll with a minor bounce back that is mostly very impressionable, versus having a structurally sound shell that would yield an audible crunch when finger pressure is applied. The overall weight of the pastry is comparable to most croissants of that size. (rating: 3.5/10)
The Scent: mostly buttery with a subtle sweetness that melds together like the typical baked bread smell youād expect from a pastry. The smell overall is faint and requires you to really get up close and personal. (rating: 5.5/10)
The Bite: thereās an initial slight crunch that gives way into a soft texture that is a midpoint between super tender and tough, almost like a brioche. Since itās relatively soft with the layers blending together, there was almost zero flaking dough shards when enjoying this (which makes for a cleaner eating experience, but also not a perfect croissant experience). (rating: 4.5/10)
The Taste: upon first bite, the immediate flavor notes that hit me was a toasty wheat, then a salty middle note, ending with a slightly sweet aftertaste. Texture wise, it left my mouth a smidge dry. I wouldāve preferred a more luxurious, buttery-sweet experience, and didnāt need it to taste so toasty. (rating: 4.5/10)
OVERALL: pretty on the outside, but lacking the crunchy, flaky layers that is iconic of a croissant. The flavors are decent, but not to my preference. I could see this croissant thriving as a part of a great breakfast sandwich or a meal where itās not the āmainā event, versus being my first pick to eat as-is with a coffee. (rating: 4.6/10)
They specialize in custom cakes and Italian baked goods, so even if theyāre croissant isnāt my highest rated, Iād recommend them for their other desserts! Read more about Villaniās Bakery here š
Summit Coffee
Established: in 1998, first Charlotte location in 2020; they make these in their commercial kitchen in Davidson!
Price: $5.50
Taste Date: April 2025
honest review š
The Look: the croissant looks pretty decent on the outside: sheās got the rise, a decent amount of visible lamination layers, a golden hue (albeit lighter)ā¦but when you slice her open, the honeycomb cross section is almost nonexistent, very likely caused by under proofing. (rating: 3/10)
The Feel: the weight is akin to a normal croissant, but when lightly pressed with your fingers, thereās no crunch at all and feels like I have a dinner roll in handā¦which is really disappointing as part of the magic of a croissant is its crunchy, shattering layers. (rating: 1.5/10)
The Scent: embodied the uniform scent of enriched bread right out of its packaging, a scent that isnāt explicitly buttery or sweet. (rating: 5.5/10)
The Bite: since the exterior wasnāt crunchy under the finger tips, when you bite in, the texture is softāexactly like a bread rollāand not at all like the crisp and crackle youād expect from a croissant. The area at the bottom where the dough collects was super dense and tacky. (rating: 2/10)
The Taste: leads in with a subtle sweet, bready-doughy profile, with an after taste of butter; overall on the slightly drier end, which I found surprising with how soft and tacky-chewy the inside was. (rating: 3.5/10)
OVERALL: at this price point, I wouldnāt recommend you coming to Summit Coffee if you care about the integrity of the croissant experience youāre signing up for. But if youāre just looking for a plain pastry, by all means, be a patron! (rating: 3.1/10)
On the other hand, I DO recommend Summit Coffee for their space. Theyāre one of my favorite coffee shops for working and meeting people š
Copain Bakery & Provisions
Established: 2020
Price: $4.50
Taste Date: March 2025
honest review š
The Look: it has the quintessential golden hue, lamination stripes (from the top), and lamination layers (from the side) of a butter croissant. When cut in half, the cross section has a honeycomb, but the crumb is super close and fuzzy and not as clearly defined as other croissant middles (and Iām being picky here because this is still truly decent). All this is really missing is a more tapered, taller rise in its dome shape, and it wouldāve been perfect! (rating: 8/10)
The Feel: the weight is lighter than average, but not by a lot (and not distastefully so). When lightly pressed with your fingers, thereās a very subtle crunch that transitions into the feeling of soft sandwich bread, before bouncing back to its original shape. I wouldāve preferred more crisp & crunch. (rating: 6/10)
The Scent: thereās a strong, really delicious baked bread aroma that pervades your nose when youāre within 4-6 inches from the croissant (while with many of the other croissants you have to stick your nose straight in it to smell it). The overall smell is more buttery than sweet. (rating: 10/10)
The Bite: since the exterior wasnāt very crunchy under the finger tips, when you bite in, the texture is more chewy like a burger bun than crisp and crackly like how I prefer my croissants. The inside is mildly dry and only subtly sweet & buttery. The honeycomb middle did a great job maintaining its shape: retracting back into place after each bite. (rating: 6/10)
The Taste: while everything blended cohesively, youāre first hit with butter notes, then the sweetness of baked wheat. Overall a mild taste! (rating: 7/10)
OVERALL: a croissant that you really canāt complain much about. At its price point, itās probably the best bang-for-your-buck croissant in Charlotte. Copain does a great job maintaining stock throughout the day as well, so you can typically count on them to have some butter croissants at the ready if youāre in the mood, even in the afternoon. (rating: 7.4/10)
Hereās more on Copain Bakeryābecause theyāve got a lot of yummy goodies aside from their picturesque croissants!
Chez Marie PĆ¢tisserie
Established: 2022
Price: $4.00
Taste Date: April 2025
honest review š
The Look: a decent golden hue, with visible layers, but not as tall of a rise and has a closer crumb, yielding a non-distinct honeycomb cross section. There is also a gap in the middle, which could potentially be due to having too much flour on the triangles before rolling into their croissant shapes and preventing seamless layers. (rating: 5/10)
The Feel: the weight is lighter than average, but not by a lot. When lightly pressed with your fingers, it feels delicately crispy then soft like brioche, before bouncing back to its original shape. Even though this wasnāt bad, I wouldāve preferred more crisp & crunch. (rating: 6.5/10)
The Scent: thereās a great blend of sweet and buttery notes from this croissant that meets the mark and is hard to complain about. (rating: 10/10)
The Bite: since the exterior was delicately crisp, when you bite in, the texture is just as lightly crisp, but immediately gives way to a chewy, moist interior. While only lightly crispy, this croissantās layers will still flake and crumb all over you! (rating: 7/10)
The Taste: has a subtle sweetness with a slight pinch of salt; there was a good balance of moist and dryness. Great overall, but wouldāve preferred just a smidge more butter flavor. (rating: 7/10)
OVERALL: a croissant thatās perfect for when youāre prioritizing flavor and texture over look and feel. At the price point, itās pretty great for that classic croissant taste and experience! (rating: 7.1/10)
While Chez Marie has a decent croissant, they have some banginā entremets and tartelettes. And the elegant dining atmosphere canāt be beat! Read more below š
Vicente Bakery & Bistro
Established: 2023
Price: $5.55
Taste Date: March 2025
honest review š
The Look: the Vicente team killed it on The Look from ALL angles. This butter croissant is sporting distinct lamination layers that taper into a voluminous dome (like stairs to heaven), wears a sun-kissed golden, slight sheen from an egg wash, and also has a beautiful honeycomb cross section when you slice into it. Every time I visit, the croissants always look this beautifulāso they win bonus points for consistency š„ (rating: 11/10)
The Feel: the exterior, when lightly squished, is slightly crunchy and bounces back, but is on the softer side with less ācrinkle crackleā (though, we did lose some flakes, so it is flakey for sure). The overall weight of the pastry is on par with the average croissant, even though itās on the larger end of the ones sold in Charlotte. (rating: 8/10)
The Scent: it has a delicate aroma of baked bread, not overly buttery or overly sweet, but a cohesive note of āmmm, bread.ā Some more distinct butter notes would make this perfect for me. (rating: 7.5/10)
The Bite: when you first bite into it, it has the tender crunch like that of a Layās potato chip, then it immediately feels like your teeth sink into pillowy goodness. My preference is to have a smidge more crunch from the exterior, and a little more tender-moistness from the interior, though (I just love contrast). (rating: 8/10)
The Taste: top notes of butter, then the toasty-ness of baked bread will come in, with a subtle sweetness capping off the flavor story. My only notes: magnifying the buttery-ness, sweetness, with a pinch of salt, would send it to a perfect score (but donāt get me wrong, this was tasty!). (rating: 8.5/10)
OVERALL: I know the scoring may look harsh, but Vicenteās viennoiserie technique is honestly pretty top tier here in the Charlotte scene (evidenced by their classic butter croissant!). Come here to set your gold standard~ (rating: 8.6/10)
Read more on Vicente Bakery & Bistro š and how their croissant selection is impeccable!
Wheatberry Bakeshop
Established: 2025
Price: $6.50
Taste Date: March 2025
honest review š
The Look: the lamination layers are visible but not as distinct as Vicenteās. The dome shape is present, with decent height. The shell is a darker golden brown (possibly due to their incorporation of stone-milled flour) and when you slice it in half, the cross section has a very even honeycomb. Pretty in a rustic kind of way! (rating: 7/10)
The Feel: had an average weight, and when lightly pressed between finger tips there was a soft crisp crunch like stepping on fall leaves before the croissant returned to its shell shape (rating: 8/10)
The Scent: baked enriched bread, which is perfectly cohesive but I still wouldāve preferred stronger butter notes and a more forward sweet scent (rating: 7.5/10)
The Bite: thereās a light crispiness that gives into a tender interior that has a soft chew; meets the butter croissant standard, and honestly surprised me with how tender it was since stone milled flour can tend to give baked goods a more hearty and tougher texture. (rating: 8/10)
The Taste: a distinct sweetness that comes from good quality wheat (you can taste the difference, no joke!), that then gives way to a hint of butter and a pinch of salt. I really enjoyed the depth of flavor in this! (rating: 9/10)
OVERALL: for having just opened and having been in the croissant business for over a year now, itās impressive what Wheatberry Bakeshop is doing with this little crescent! All in all, a great croissant that feels intentionally crafted with the introduction of stone milled wheat flour. If you donāt mind a rustic look and a higher price tag, go pick one up! (rating: 7.9/10)
& in case you want more detail on Wheatberry Bakeshopā¦full review below! š
CONCLUSION
Also known as, the tl;dr section, but I do highly recommend you read the breakdowns above if you havenāt already š
now for theā¦ **drum roll** Final scoring table! š
While correlation isnāt causation, here are some patterns I noticed (again Iāll remind you, this perspective is from an enthusiastic eater and not a professionally-trained baker):
visible lamination layers on the outside donāt always yield an airy honeycomb cross section (i.e., Summit Coffee, Renaissance PĆ¢tisserie)
croissants with higher domes had more tender, light, airy, and moist interiors (i.e., Copain Bakery & Provisions, Vicente Bakery & Bistro, Wheatberry Bakeshop)
soft exteriors often paired with cross sections that had more gaps and caverns on the inside, which are satisfying to bite into in a carby way, but not The croissant way (i.e., Summit Coffee, Renaissance PĆ¢tisserie)
ā¦and if it doesnāt look like a croissant, maybe it isnāt a croissant š¬ (i.e., Amelieās French Bakery & Cafe)
BEST CROISSANTS TO TRY SUPERLATIVES
My recommendations if youāre looking for theā¦
Best Bang-For-Your-Buck: Copain Bakery & Provisions
š at $4.50, this high-scorer of 7.4/10 canāt be beat!!
Best Coffee Dunker: Sunflour Baking Company
š itās not quite good enough on its own so you need something to wash it down with
Best Slab of Butter: Renaissance PĆ¢tisserie
š youāre eating a side of flour with your butterāand itās divine and decadent
Best Not a Croissant (But Just a Dinner Roll): Summit Coffee
š thereās a remote croissant vibe somewhereā¦but itās not The croissant vibe
Most Crickly-Crackly: Amelieās French Bakery & Cafe
š croissants should make a mess, and this one did so effortlessly with how dry and brittle it was
Croissantās Next Top Model: Vicente Bakery & Bistro
š need this be explained? Absolutely hot stuff all aroundš„Letās get this baby on Croissant Vogue or the Croissant GQ š„
My Favorite: Wheatberry Bakeshop
š if not solely for the fact that it was still so tender and moist with the stone-milled flour, then for all the reasons I list above!
Anyway, this was a super fun experiment to conduct, do we think I should do more of these? š Which croissant are you in the mood for? Please leave a comment below, Iād love to hear from you!
Serras, Leanna. āFragrance Notes: Everything You Need to Know About the Fragrance Pyramid.ā FragranceX. (February 25, 2023)
the work that went into crafting this masterpiece, in both the writing of the article and the extensive research that fueled it, resembles the labor of love necessary to handcraft croissants themselves. the all-encompassing evaluations of each croissant, the abhorrent amelie's dinner roll (i'm still appalled just thinking about it), and the discussion of each (other) baked good like they're the artworks that they truly are ... this is the perfect croissant of croissant rankings. you should be truly proud of what you've done here ā„ļøšš
Iām so here for these ranking posts theyāre so fun and detailed š¤š¤