There is a scene in “Emily in Paris” where Emily enters a boulangerie, orders a pain au chocolat in painfully butchered French, and immediately sinks her teeth into the pastry. Her eyes grow wide, she blinks rapidly, and her lips part into a comical “O” shape.
This is how I felt when I bit into San Francisco bakery Maison Danel’s chocolate hazelnut croissant. Rich butter, flaky pastry, nutty chocolate… fireworks. But unlike Emily, I did not then post a cringey Boomerang of myself munching my pastry with the caption “butter+chocolate=<3.”
Maison Danel, a French bakery located at 1030 Polk St, San Francisco, recently hosted an "Emily in Paris" takeover.
Madeline Wells/SFGATEOn Monday, two days before the premiere of the popularly hate-watched Netflix show’s second season about an annoying American girl (Lily Collins) who moves to Paris, elegant Polk Street pâtisserie Maison Danel hosted an “Emily in Paris” takeover. A poster of Emily on the streets of a rose-tinted Paris welcomed patrons at the front of the store, and pastries and tea were served in special “Emily in Paris” branded boxes and cups.
Maison Danel, a French bakery and tea salon that opened in February 2020, certainly looks the part of the romanticized image the Netflix show paints of Paris. An extravagant chandelier hangs over the glass pastry case, and a combination of exposed brick, ornate tile and cushy blue leather seats encourage those coming in for holiday tea service to sip slowly and stay awhile.
Currently, the bakery is all decked out for the holidays, too, with a massive Christmas tree and wreaths and poinsettias everywhere.
Maison Danel, a French bakery located at 1030 Polk St, San Francisco, recently hosted an "Emily in Paris" takeover.
Madeline Wells/SFGATE“I'm a freak with Christmas,” said co-owner and chef Danel de Betelu. “I love Christmas. It's the best season of the year.”
When I showed up around 11 a.m., a few people in line buzzed excitedly about the “Emily in Paris” display, but mostly groups were just checking in for their high tea reservations.
“We are known for high tea service, which is extremely popular for the holidays,” said de Betelu. “There are very few places in San Francisco that do that, and it's only a couple of days in December for the holidays. Here we do it every day, 365 days a year.”
Maison Danel, a French bakery located at 1030 Polk St, San Francisco, recently hosted an "Emily in Paris" takeover.
Madeline Wells/SFGATEOpening the Parisian-inspired patisserie was a lifelong dream for de Betelu, who hails from Biarritz, France, and his husband/co-owner David de Betelu.
“We love travel, and each time we travel we always try to find a high tea service everywhere in the world,” said de Betelu. “It was a dream to create something like this in San Francisco. It took years and years, but we finally did it.”
Opening just a month before the March 2020 shutdown, however, was not quite the dream they’d envisioned. Maison Danel closed for a few months, then reopened for takeout only. They survived the pandemic, but the de Betelus’ other restaurant, Cow Hollow’s Baker Street Bistro, didn’t make it — the husbands closed it in August 2020 to give their full attention to Maison Danel.
Maison Danel, a French bakery located at 1030 Polk St, San Francisco, recently hosted an "Emily in Paris" takeover.
Madeline Wells/SFGATEThese days, the swanky patisserie seems to be doing just fine, bustling with holiday business and warm French hospitality. Those eating here are drawn by a joie-de-vivre similar to that of “Emily in Paris'' — because no matter how unlikable you find the show’s main character, you can’t help but be a little jealous of her charmed life of cobblestone streets, perfect croissants and handsome French lovers.
I was curious, though, how an actual French person feels about a show as ridiculous as “Emily in Paris.” Some French people have criticized the show for its clichéd presentation of Paris and exaggerated stereotypes about Parisians being mean (to be fair, Emily’s over-the-top outfits and ignorance are so grating that she absolutely deserves to be bullied).
Maison Danel, a French bakery located at 1030 Polk St, San Francisco, recently hosted an "Emily in Paris" takeover.
Madeline Wells/SFGATEBut to my surprise, de Betelu does not share this contempt for the show.
“I think it's really fun. I like it,” said de Betelu. “Obviously it’s very stereotyping of the French people in everything, and the American people as well, but I think it's just fun to watch.”
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Maison Danel, a French bakery located at 1030 Polk St, San Francisco, recently hosted an "Emily in Paris" takeover.
Madeline Wells/SFGATELater in the day, long after I left Maison Danel, I dug into my “Emily in Paris” pastry box for the final treat I’d saved for myself: a chausson aux pommes (apple turnover). De Betelu had mentioned it was his favorite, and I could see why. Biting into the impeccable pastry made me want to burst into an impassioned rendition of “La Vie en Rose” in the middle of a public park.
“Emily in Paris” may not be your cup of tea, but I promise you, these pastries will be.
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