Where to Get a King Cake in Time to Celebrate the Epiphany

The season to eat King Cakes, also known as galette des rois, has finally arrived! The galette des rois is a cake that is traditionally eaten around Jan 6 by the French to celebrate the Epiphany, when the Three Wise Men arrived to visit baby Jesus. The cakes consist of puff pastry that usually come with a ceramic figurine or the fève hidden inside. It is believed that the person who finds the charm inside the cake will have good luck and get to become the king or queen of the evening.

To get you ready to indulge in this French tradition, we've rounded up some of the capital's favorite places to get these cakes.

CHEZMOREL

If you're looking for a classic puff pastry galette des rois, look no further than CHEZMOREL, a homey bakery that serves some of the tastiest house-made almond paste filled cakes in Beijing. The owner is French and he has been in the restaurant industry for more than 40 years. He opened the first branch in Sanyuanli about eight years ago. Their second branch is in Maizidian, where you can expect to taste some of these time-honored pastries that look like they just came right out of a French bakery.

CHEZMOREL
East third Ring Nongzhan North Road, No. 5, Shouhoudajiadishang, Chaoyang district
朝阳区东三环农展北路甲5号首厚大家底商

Gontran Cherrier

For folks who are looking for some out-of-the-box flavored King Cakes, definitely head to Gontran Cherrier. In the past, the bakery shop has been feeding customers with traditional King Cakes filled with almond paste, but this year, they are offering a King Cake with a chocolate-flavored crust and a pistachio filling. The icing on the cake? This unique design looks like a giant Oreo, except with a much softer texture of course.

Gontran Cherrier
2F-72 Chaoyang Joy City, Chaoyang North Road, Chaoyang district
朝阳区朝阳北路朝阳大悦城2F-72

TIENSTIENS

The cakes at TIENSTIENS are made from scratch and also come with a ceramic figurine to put inside the cake. TIENSTIENS has been known for experimenting with bold flavors. Besides classic flavors like the almond-paste filled King Cakes, they also have been known to offer raspberry rosewater and chocolate hazelnut flavor in the past. However, this year they have introduced a brand-new filling for adventurous eaters who dare to try something different – black currant, a filling made from a variety of raisin that's a tad sweet, sour, and juicy.

TIENSTIENS
4 North Worker's Stadium Road, Chaoyang district
朝阳区工人体育场北路4号

Le Grenier a Pain

This age-old French bakery has been offering everything from croissants to buttery chocolate cookies for decades. It has more than 40 stores around the world, with its first store being opened in Beijing in 2018 in Wangfujing. Their classic King Cake is filled with almond custard filling and flaky pastry that will melt in your mouth the second you bite into it.

Le Grenier a Pain
4 / F, Wangfu Central, Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng district
东城区王府井大街王府中环四层

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Images: Irene Li, Dianping