Paul

Fresh, delicious and unusual breads — black&green olive loaf, raisin brioche, fig loaf++. Yummy pastries, great sandwiches.

Nice, easy and quick place to grab a sandwich on your way to the park. The goat cheese and roasted red pepper sandwich was good. They also have a clean bathroom.

A chain started in France, Paul has had numerous locations pop up all over London as well. Their traditional French pastries and bread create the most amazing smells, and make it extremely difficult to walk past without tasting something! My favorite is any of their tarts with custard creams. The cream is perfectly sweet and usually balanced with a more tart fruit, like apricot or rhubarb. The crust is mouthwateringly buttery and flaky, but does not in any way leave you with a greasy aftertaste. Other pastries like the choquettes and the raisin escargots are also elegantly crafted, really showing the quality and care that they put into their baked goods!

If you don’t know what Paul is then why are you even here?

Paul just gives me good memories of past travels to Europe. I don’t know why. Maybe because it was the only thing open in Brussels on Christmas day, but I just have such fond, warm memories of Paul and it’s deliciously smelling baked goods and it’s ready made breakfast quiches and all the nice amenities of a casual, quaint café but … open on Christmas!
I must say, I had no idea Paul was an international chain.
I came here for breakfast with Yee Gan O. during my visit to London recently after a rather sour experience at Flat White and decided to grab a quick snack before heading out for sightseeing for the day. The shop was cozy, the one baker was friendly, and there were sparsely anyone else inside the shop.
We picked out some quiches (sweet and savory) and waited for our food to be heated up. I love the décor of a place like this because everything just reminds me of being very homely. And the nice thing is when Americans do Homely, especially like Starbucks, it just LOOKS corporate and you know they’re trying too hard. Despite this being a chain, the European Homely look is still very much believable. I was temporarily transported!
This is a great spot to relax, kick back your feet and enjoy some delicious baked goods, and delicious they are.

Paul is a truly international chain. My visiting Unilocal friend Lorrie M from California spotted this when we had been turned away from Flat White, her scheduled stop for breakfast. The way her eyes lit up told me she was a fan!
Being early on a Sunday morning, the shelves weren’t fully stocked yet. We passed a couple tucking into a good-​looking cooked breakfast but as we had a full day’s sightseeing to fit in, we only had time for a snack
Settling on a yummy looking salmon quiche and a slice of almond tart, we tucked into our bounty. Both tasted lovely. The quiche has soft savoury filling and a generous amount of salmon that hadn’t been overcooked. The almond tart had looked good in the window display and a slice confirmed that it tasted as good as it looked
Paul’s prices are at the higher end but it proved a good choice for a quick breakfast with a nice range of good tasting savoury and sweet dishes

I have to agree with Bijoux F.‘s sentiment: I don’t care if it’s a chain, if it tastes good and I get good service.
We have a Paul branch in Miami Beach in the US. Some of the local food-​obsessed crowd there turn up their noses at Paul because it’s a chain (and because, they say, the service can leave something to be desired). But I find their pastries are often pretty good.
Would you believe that the fraisier I had from Paul on Old Compton St was one of the pastries I most enjoyed in all of Paris and London? Ha!
(I had another one from the Gloucester Rd branch a few days later that was unspeakably dry. Sigh.)

I don’t care if its a chain if it tastes good and I get good service.
I sometimes just love a tasty break from sightseeing and shopping.
The service was great, even when dealing with my credit card which can sometimes give people trouble.
The tea was great, a little pricy, but still good in a pinch.
The best part was the dessert. It tasted like birthday cake. Loved it!!!
Much better than the raspberry tart. Not sweet and super über-​tart.

very nice rum and raisen short bread and very friendly staff too.

I had an hour to kill yesterday and popped in for a coffee. Considering Soho is full of coffee shops, it can sometimes be hard to find on amongst all the restaurants. I don’t like having coffee in a place that’s very restauranty. It feels weird.
So after spying the mini macarons in the window I popped in to see if I could buy any individually. Hurrah! Lots of giant ones! I think it was about £3 for a praline one but it was huge. I’d have liked a cheaper, smaller option — I’d have liked to buy two different flavours. But the praline one i had was fab. Light, crunchy, gooey, everything you want in a macaron.
The coffee was pretty good actually. I popped in around 5 and it was quiet, but not empty. Considering at this time Patisserie Valeria over the road would have been heaving, this is a much better option. If I’ve got a spare half hour and I’m in the area, I’ll pop in for another macaron.

Paul is a beautiful little patisserie, which rivals Patisserie Valerie on Old Compton Street. The competition is tough and, despite Paul’s ever-​gorgeous window displays, I’m not sure this place quite does it for me.
The tortes, pastries and little cakes are really delicious. I particularly like the lemon torte and the Madeira cakes but they’re just not the *best* I’ve had. For real authenticity and taste, Patisserie Valerie probably just pips this to the post.
If you choose to eat in, you are surrounded by the smell of cakes and coffee, which are delicious. However, somewhere like Princi, just 5 minutes away, with it’s vast selection and really buzzing vibe is probably just a little higher up on my list.
There is certainly nothing wrong with Paul, it’s a really decent place to eat or take out but if you’re around Soho, try Princi or Patisserie Valerie for sheer taste and experience.

Could this be London’s best branch of Paul? I think so. Many people might think that the Covent Garden with its extensive seating area is superior, but they are just plain wrong. The Old Compton Street branch is much more pleasant. Although the tables are limited, many people pass by this store unawares of the pastry-​based delights inside. Unusually for Paul, the last time I was in this branch a member of staff was handing out pieces of sausage sandwich outside the store. Naturally, I accepted the hand out and then went inside to buy dessert. Check out frangipane nature. The best ones (moist, not burnt) are among the best cakes you will ever have.

I was surprised to see this french flavored upper class café chain had entered the most color full rainbow streets of London! But hey there is space for every one, and I suppose when you see the cake and pastries selection you forget where you are.
In this café shop you are in a 18^th century France empire salon, everything in tip top order and surrounded by waitresses with perfect manners. The bakery selection is overwhelming and they do make one of the best bred in London. But even that does not forgive the fact that this is just the frames for a concept, identical with the ten other Paul cafes I have been to and the story of the heritage would also need a soul.
I still do supply my croissants from this chain, but only because of the blooming bakery, not because of Paul.

There is one thing I always buy from Paul — their macaroons, especially the larger individual ones. I thoroughly recommend them! Its a good place for a cup of tea and a cake without spending a fortune. Recommended!

This is a wonderful bakery that is part of a chain, but still retains its feel of a unique little local bakery. The smell of Paul can’t help but lure you in, either for a delicious pastry for breakfast or for a freshly made sandwich for lunch. I particularly like the selection of croissants for breakfast, note, they are cheaper to take away than eat in, and there isn’t actually that much space to eat in here. The cakes and desserts and are also delicious! Everything feels so luxurious. I recommend the melt in the mouth chocolate cake for a spot of indulgence! Paul isn’t cheap, but you get the impression that you are paying for the quality.

a delicious place for breakfast, brunch or lunch. friendly staff, affordable, interesting variety of sandwiches and great cakes.

Paul is a French bakery café chain; they have fresh and beautiful sandwiches, pies, quiches and fantastic cakes and desserts.
Olive bread, fresh mozzarella, pesto, lettuce and tomato just an example of a delicious vegetarian sandwich.
You see the quality and beauty on their products and there is a seating area if you spare a bit of time to appreciate it properly.
Their hot chocolate is one of the best in town as well, creamy and tasty.