Dompierre French Douceur in Glockenbach Quarter

The shop door swings open in front of my nose and a woman steps out with two baguettes under her arm and a buttery croissant in hand. “Au revoir et à bientôt!” someone calls after her from inside. I have a strong sense of deja vu; I’ve witnessed this scene countless times during my studies in Bordeaux and my visits to Paris and Nizza. Even the alluring aroma that surrounds French bakeries that I love so much wafts towards me. But I’m not in Bordeaux, nor in Paris. I’m in the middle of Glockenbach Quarter in Munich.

It was by chance that I found out that a branch of the Dompierre bakery can be found here on Hans-Sachs-Straße, a branch that absolutely does justice to the promising slogan Douceurs de France! In the baskets on the shelves, crispy baguettes and ficelles are lined up alongside one another. Eclairs of all kinds smile at me from the vitrines and one glance at the radiant Gâteau au Chocolat and golden croissants promises that my breakfast will be very rich in calories indeed.

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No, the bakery’s numerous delicacies aren’t only available to go, they can also be enjoyed on the spot with a Café au Lait- just as in the Dompierre branches in Schwabing and Maxvorstadt. As soon as the space allowed for it, owner Thomas Häberle transformed window banks and unused corners into seating areas, not because he wanted a cafe rather than a bakery, but because his customers found the place so cosy, they wanted to be able to stay for coffee.

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And so I too make myself comfortable on the pile of pillows on the window bank with a few friends, and check out what the vitrine has to offer. Our unanimous judgement: only good things! Even the Swiss woman amongst us admits that this was the best chocolate Éclair she’s had in a long time, a statement that carries some weight when you have Zurich pastry artists like Sprüngli & Co nearby…

The French flair in Häberle’s bakeries is brought out in the smallest details: from the Orangina bottles in the fridge and the glass of Carambar chews on the counter to the French radio station coming from the speakers, everything comes together- despite the fact that he’s neither French nor a baker. His French wife gave him the idea of a “Boulangerie” in the middle of Munich and happenstance an acquaintance with a French pastry chef. In the end there was so much passion for the idea that even when his confectioner friend got cold feet, Häberle immediately found another expert from France. He gave the newly employed Munich team an intense crash course in the secrets of the traditional production of fluffy Pains au Chocolate, Brioches, and more- with success!

“The mark of a good baguette is when it arrives home half-eaten” according to a French Bonmot on the bakery website. And if I’m being honest? Dompierre certainly passed this little quality test with me!