It's finally time to say "bonjour" to Paul. The French bakery that has roots back to the late 1800s in France has opened its doors at the company's first Canadian location, and it's right here in Vancouver.
Located at 1164 Robson Street, Paul has an origin story that dates back to 1889 in its native France, though we here in Vancouver have been watching the space since early 2020.
At Paul, bread and pastries are baked fresh in-house daily by French-trained chefs, according to the bakery restaurant.
Additionally, the café location has breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner menus, promising "an authentic French experience."
Currently, Paul is only open for take-out, due to B.C.'s restrictions on indoor dining. However, when the indoor seating opens, the restaurant will also have a special cocktail menu, in addition to meals and baked goods.
The bakery drew crowds in its first days, with people eager to get their hands on Paul's croissants, patisserie, sandwiches, and macarons, and some people had to leave empty-handed, thanks to many of the goodies selling out swiftly.
Paul began, to some extent, as a family bakery run by Charlemagne Mayot and his wife in Croix, France. Their granddaughter married into the Holder family, which, by the early 1950s, were running a bakery called Paul. The families and businesses merged, keeping the name Paul. It would be 30 years, though, until Paul opened up outside of France, starting in Barcelona.
The Paul chain - still run by members of the Holder family - operates in over 30 countries worldwide, and now that count includes Canada, thanks to the brand new Vancouver location.
