Maison Parisienne is a beautifully decorated French Cafe in the heart of Lincoln Park. It’s located right on Clark street with plenty going on in that area. Stopping here is a great way to get your day started. With a variety of pastries, sandwiches, and drinks, there is something for everyone.

I don’t normally find myself craving sweets in the morning, or hardly at all if I’m honest. It usually takes some sort of special occasion in order for me to really indulge in something sweet. There was nothing too special about this morning other than the fact that my girlfriend and I wanted to go on a coffee date. We strolled along Clark Ave until we found this place, and ended up leaving satisfied.

If you know anything about French cuisine, or even France in general, you might know that croissants are a huge part of their culture. Knowing this, we had to start off with the chocolate croissant. It was just as you would imagine. Buttery, flakey, and sweet from the chocolate. My only critique is that I wish it would have came out warm. You might have been able to ask for this, but I did not and ended up with a room temperature croissant. This might have been my fault.

After that, we got our drinks and food. I ordered the dirty chai tea latte (I’m a caffeine addict) with oat milk. If I’m not drinking cold brew or espresso shots, this is my go to. I love how the creamy oat milk balances out with a little bit of spice from the chai. To go with that, I ordered the La Parisien sandwich (smoked ham and swiss cheese on french baguette). Once again, I made a mistake and ordered the sandwich as is without thinking to add anything else on. Looking back at it, I wish i would have added one some sort of greens and tomato for added excitement. Completely on me. However, the sandwich was still good. The french baguette was definitely the highlight.

Overall, I would recommend coming here. It was not busy at all but the place was beautiful. Soft french music in the background brought the whole vibe together. I wish I would have known more going into this, but thats what I get for walking into a random coffee shop and going with the flow. With that being said, I would come back if I was in the area and focus more on the assortment of pastries. They all looked amazing.