Boulangerie Pâtisserie Ounissi — Specialty Store in Aligre, Paris

Boulangerie Pâtisserie Ounissi is an independent bakery on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, in Aligre, with a window stocked late into the evening. The first thing you notice is the trompe-l'œil: desserts shaped like mangoes, peanuts and coffee beans, lined up beside the bread and sandwiches.

The mango version is the one to try first. A thin chocolate shell cracks to a light cream and mango coulis with fresh fruit, over a crunchy cookie base, and it is not too sweet. The coffee bean holds its own; the peanut one has a subtle enough flavour to win over people who usually skip peanuts. The pistachio flan is the other order worth making, and the pain au chocolat and baguette tradition are what regulars buy daily. Sandwiches come on crisp bread with fillings such as white chicken, pesto, avocado and raw vegetables, and a set lunch pairs one with a pastry and a drink.

Service runs over a counter, quick at the busy 11 am stretch, and the staff are welcoming and happy to talk you through the cases. The cookies travel well — one saved for a train ride home is the sort of thing this shop is built for.

Prices sit low for what you get: €7 for a trompe-l'œil, a sandwich lunch that counts as inexpensive, and a €22 breakfast that covers several pastries and a drink. The pastry case is the draw.

Come on a Sunday if you want a late close, and skip Monday, when the shop is shut. It suits anyone crossing Paris for a dessert that looks like something else, and anyone who wants a sandwich and a pastry in one stop.