PAUL is a family-owned French bakery house founded in 1889, when Charlemagne Mayot took over a small bakery in Croix, near Lille in northern France. Five generations later, the company runs more than 850 bakeries across 56 countries, still committed to the time-honoured production methods of its founders. The Singapore chapter began in January 2012 with a flagship store at Ngee Ann City, and this Orchard Road branch at 391 Orchard Road, #04-21 carries that heritage into the city's main shopping belt.
Inside, it works as both bakery and café-restaurant. Bread is freshly baked every day of the year, including a line of artisan speciality breads made with sustainably produced winter wheat, while the counters hold hand-crafted French cakes — from the classic Fraisier to chocolate-forward creations — alongside croissants, mini macarons made with free-range eggs, and ever-changing seasonal collections. Breakfast sets for two run daily from opening until 11:30 AM, and the restaurant menu features French mains such as mussels in a choice of garlic butter or tomato pesto broth with fries.
Beyond the tea-room, PAUL Singapore offers island-wide delivery (free with a $120 minimum spend, pre-orders taken 1-2 calendar days ahead by 6pm), a catering and events service, and regular seasonal campaigns — Bastille Day menus, Mother's Day Garden Cakes, and collaborations with local makers such as YeoMama Batik.
PAUL is a name that needs little introduction for anyone who loves French baking. The branch at 391 Orchard Road, #04-21 brings the family-owned French house — established in 1889 — into the heart of Singapore's shopping district, pairing a working bakery's daily rhythm with a sit-down tea-room and restaurant menu. Bread is freshly baked every day of the year, and the cabinets are filled with hand-crafted cakes, croissants and macarons made the way the Mayot and Holder families have made them across five generations.
The story begins in 1889, when Charlemagne Mayot took over a small bakery in Croix, near Lille in northern France. His son Edmond carried the business forward in 1908, and when Edmond's daughter Suzanne married Julien Holder, the family moved into a bakery on Rue des Sarrazins in Lille. Their son Francis Holder joined his parents in 1953, took over after Julien's death in 1958, and opened a second bakery in 1963.
In 1972 he refurbished the Lille shop and installed a wood-fired oven that worked in full view of customers — kneading, shaping, proving and baking done the traditional way, in public. That open conviction still shapes the brand. In 1993 came the now-iconic black shop fronts and a line of artisan speciality breads made with sustainably produced winter wheat; in 1985 the first bakery outside France opened in Barcelona. Today there are more than 850 PAUL bakeries across 56 countries and five continents — and the company remains family owned.
PAUL's Singapore chapter opened in January 2012 with a flagship store at Ngee Ann City. The black-fronted tea-rooms have since become a familiar sight for shoppers after a taste of France. Locally, they work as both bakery and café-restaurant: stop in for bread and pastries to take home, settle in for breakfast, or work through a menu of French classics. Regulars also know the brand for its seasonal moments — Bastille Day menus in July, Mother's Day Garden Cakes, and a chocolate-forward April collection made partly with MILKLAB oat milk.
Breakfast at PAUL is served daily from opening until 11:30 AM, with generous sets for two built around all-day breakfast mains — add beverages, or beverages plus a shared crème brûlée. Later in the day, mussels in a choice of classic garlic butter or tomato pesto broth, served with fries, are the savoury headline act.
The patisserie counter is where the heritage shows most clearly. The Fraisier Cake — Genoese sponge, Mousseline cream, fresh strawberries and marzipan — is an enduring French classic; the Craquant Cake layers dark chocolate praline, chocolate sponge and velvety mousse; and seasonal showpieces like the Cherry Blossom Cake pair matcha sponge with sakura white chocolate cream, mixed berries and cherry jelly. Chocolate season brings its own cast — a Hazelnut Chocolate Tart built on oat-milk chocolate cream, an Earl Grey Hazelnut Cake, a Tahini Chocolate Cake and a chocolate-studded Hot Cross Bun. Bread remains the soul of the house, from artisan speciality loaves to mini macarons made only with free-range eggs.
Celebration cakes and limited-edition gifts — including the croissant bouquet of four golden croissants and two mini ones — can be pre-ordered online or in-store with two days' notice. PAUL also runs island-wide delivery (except restricted postal codes), free with a minimum spend of $120, with pre-orders taken one to two calendar days in advance by 6pm. For larger gatherings, a dedicated catering and events team can be reached at [email protected] or +65 9631 7285.
Even the merchandise tells the story: a collaboration with homegrown batik label YeoMama Batik produced reversible cardigans and packable totes printed with hand-illustrated croissants, macarons and palmiers, handmade by artisans in Indonesia. Whether you come for a slow breakfast, a cake worth the occasion, or simply a good loaf, this Orchard Road PAUL serves a consistent slice of French tradition — five generations deep and still family owned.