Moon Croissant, Paris

Ama Athige Silva is a tourier — in classic French baking, this is a specialist who focuses exclusively on laminated doughs, specifically croissants. Ama makes the best croissants in Paris, and I’m not exaggerating. It was my good fortune that her shop, Moon Croissant, was just a few minutes’ walk from our Parisian apartment, which meant the freshest and best croissants every morning to go with Mark’s and my cocoa.

Her husband, Hermann, runs the front of house. When I would pop in, he would greet me warmly, ask about the marvels we had seen the day before, and then help me choose what delicious treats I would be taking back to the apartment for everyone to enjoy.

One morning, I noticed a sign taped to the counter that says, «Ici, nos croissants pèsent 120g cru. Soit x2 le poids d’un croissant d’un boulangerie.» (Here our croissants weigh 120g raw. That’s twice the weight of a bakery croissant.) That’s the moment I realized this wasn’t your ordinary croissant shop; they were doing things differently here. In fact, on their shop window, they proudly aver, “Not Your Regular Croissant.”

Through Herman’s help, I arranged to meet Ama at the shop. We chatted for half an hour, and shared our passions for food and the importance of quality ingredients. I then asked if, for Cocoa & Lavender, I could interview her about Moon Croissant (by email, as I was leaving Paris the next day). The interview is below and I am grateful to her and Hermann for their time and generosity.

Needless to say, when you get to Paris, make sure you stop in early in the morning to get the best croissant in Paris. After all, they make only 300 a day.

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Please tell me about the name “Moon Croissant” — how did the name come about? Moon is an English word, and therefore international, easy to remember. It connects to things we love – we have a passion for space, for celestial bodies, it’s fascinating. The name also comes from a superstition, or rather a whim: we wanted a name with double “oo” that feels infinite, as in Google or Facebook. There’s a feminine side to it. And, our location is 88 (double infinity). Finally, of course, a croissant is shaped like a crescent moon.

What brought you and Hermann to Paris? I was born in Sri Lanka. Hermann was born in France. We are both Parisians and citizens of the world. We met in London and stayed in touch on social media – Hermann followed my newsletter (food, lifestyle, etc…). We decided to go on a journey together, and Paris was the obvious choice.

When did Moon Croissant open? For a few years, we had the idea of building a place that brings people together around coffee and an iconic product. We thought about launching in 2020, but COVID put a brake on it. After leaving the tech world, we said to ourselves: now or never. We founded the company in 2023. We opened our first spot – the “Minimum Viable Shop” – a 25 m² space in 2024. And in 2026, we are launching our new boutique, right next door, on the ground floor of the same building.

What are your plans for expansion? Our aspiration is to be the local hero of choice, a home to customers who make decisions with craft and quality in mind. We want to create a local and global ecosystem around the croissant, with the ambition to become a reference in Europe, to revalue a savoir-faire and bring our own touch, our own creativity to the market. To do that, we rely on team cohesion and a start‑up mindset where agility comes first. From the beginning, many people have wanted to join our journey, so it felt natural to invite our customers and LinkedIn followers to invest.

Please share your passion for food. How did this morph into making croissants? Food brings people together – it’s a way to show affection. For my father, it was his way of connecting with us. He came from Sri Lanka and worked as a private chef. For him, it wasn’t just a job – it was his way of being. By his side, I learned how to combine ingredients, to feel, to understand that you can make great things with simple ingredients. I used to bake croissants with him during the week-end, at home.
For a long time, I ran away from this world because I didn’t feel free. But over time, and with the rise of other women in this field, I realised it was the right moment. That desire grew into an obsession, and I had to make it happen. The croissant is Viennese, French, and now cosmopolitan – just like its founders.

What are the guiding principles you have for Moon Croissant? We take croissants seriously. Too long overlooked, we want to change the narrative. We want to show to the French that a croissant is harder to make than a molten chocolate cake, a carrot cake, a banana bread, or a cookie – products that are often more expensive and more valued in the market. More than 80% of croissants sold in bakeries are industrial due to the business model. We see high‑quality products emerging in Copenhagen, in Anglo‑Saxon countries, and in Asia – we want the same in Paris. Our principles: transparency, sourcing from the best producers in the world, pride in the skill that goes into sourcing, production, and presentation. Customer service is key – we welcome people, explain our products, ask how they found us. It’s never just about the croissant; it’s about how people feel. We hire for warmth, curiosity, and emotional intelligence. No superiority complex.

Tell me about the ingredients you use. Our menu focuses on variations of croissant dough. We source globally: pistachios from Iran, hazelnuts from Piemonte, black sesame from Japan. We are committed to quality and traceability. [Note — the main ingredients they use are listed on the window: Beurre d’Isigny, sel d’Himalaya rose, sucre de canne.]

How long does it take to make a croissant? It takes three days from raw ingredients to a croissant served to a customer. Our plain butter croissant weighs 120 g raw – roughly twice the weight of a typical bakery croissant (60‑70 g). Every day, we put our trust on the line. Changes in climate, humidity, and temperature can affect production. We produce everything in‑house. [Note — the timeline is also written on the shop window.]

From memory of my visits to your shop, you offer croissant beurre, kouign amann, pain au chocolat, pain Suisse — what others do you offer? Do you have ideas for new creations? You have a good memory! We also have laminated brioche (cinnamon, sugar), savoury versions (ham & Comté, sumac & pink peppercorns, cheesedog, parsley roll), and twice‑baked croissants made from fresh croissants (almond, pistachio, hazelnut, black sesame, yuzu). We also explore limited‑edition specials – seasonal things. The idea is always to surprise without ever compromising quality.

Tell me about your team – in addition to you and Hermann. Our team is still small but incredibly passionate. We have three senior people in pastry who I teach and coach to becoming true masters of lamination, and three front‑of‑house people who are real ambassadors of the house. Everyone is involved in everything, and we share the same values: curiosity, generosity, excellence. We also have that start‑up cohesion – no ego, just the collective drive to make Moon Croissant better every day.

As I will be posting this in June, what are your summer hours? Will you be closed for the month of August? Right now we work 7 days a week, counting no hours – but very soon we will finally take a little time off. We will not close for the whole of August, but we will take a two‑week break at the end of August so the team can rest. Summer hours will be posted on our social media. [Find them on Instagram and LinkedIn.]

Is there anything else you would like to tell me that I haven’t asked? Yes. Unlike many hospitality brands that start with branding and retrofit a story later, at Moon we started with a single product: the plain croissant. We beta‑tested and pre‑sold it on LinkedIn to the people who followed our journey. Every product has been tested on a customer panel, taste‑approved, and then pre‑sold. Even limited products like flan or galette. That comes from our tech background. And 25 m² on Paris’s famous Boulevard Beaumarchais was all it took to conceive Moon Croissant and lay the foundations of everything to come.

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Moon Croissant • 88 Boulevard Beaumarchais  • 75011 Paris

Open daily, 7:00am until sold out • In Paris you can order for pick up: click here 

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Ama has very generously shared her pistachio croissant recipe with me, so that I could share it with you. You will need to start with 15 fresh, all-butter croissants (they make their own, of course, but for most of us it is more practical to buy the freshest croissants we can get). From there, you can create her Croissants à la Pistache. 

~ David

Croissant à la Pistache

David Scott Allen, Cocoa & Lavender

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

  

• 15 large, all-butter croissants

Honey Syrup

• 50 grams water
• 60 grams floral honey
• 5 grams rum optional

Pistachio Cream

• 250 grams unsalted French butter
• 250 grams superfine sugar
• 250 grams whole eggs 3-4
• 250 grams raw pistachios finely ground
• 250 grams pistachio paste

To Finish

• whole blanched pistachios
• confectioners sugar

Instructions

 

• In a saucepan, combine the water, honey, and rum. Bring to a boil. Set aside at 3°C/40°F [in the refrigerator].
• Cream the softened butter with the sugar. Gradually add the eggs. Fold in the ground pistachios and pistachio paste. Mix until a smooth, homogeneous cream is obtained.
• Slice the croissants horizontally at the base. Generously brush both cut sides with the honey syrup. Using a piping bag fitted with a flat (ribbon or train track) tip, pipe 40 grams of pistachio cream onto the bottom half of the croissants, then place the top half back on. Spread 30 grams of pistachio cream over the top of the croissants. Cover the surface of the croissants with whole pistachios. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Bake about 20 minutes at 160°C/320°F in a convection oven, or 190°C/375°F in a standard oven.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• Dust the croissants with powdered sugar.

Notes

Makes 15.