In Switzerland we have a great selection of breads and pastries. But the most famous of Swiss pastries is the «Gipfeli» (a croissant). Some of them are flaky moon shaped and very similar to its French relative but slightly less buttery. You can find «Gipfeli» almost everywhere! That’s something I always wanted to write about and of course to test and find the best croissant in the city… so I went on a «Gipfeli»-test Shoppingtour.
In almost every bakery you can choose between the classic «Buttergipfeli» (butter croissant), «Laugegipfeli» (lye covered) or «Vollkorngipfeli» (whole-grain). We even have sweet sorts like «Schoggigipfel» (filled with chocolate),«Nussgipfel» (filled with hazelnut) and «Madelgipfel» (filled with allmonds) or salty sort like «Schinkengipfeli» (filled with ham). Generally we eat the classic «Gipfeli» with butter and jam but you can also eat it simple pure.
Normally we eat «Gipfeli» only at special occasions like for example birthdays or only at weekends because if you eat them regularly you will perhaps someday collapse of a heart attack at an unfashionably young age because of over-greasing. (Ok maybe a little hard expressed). Of course you can buy «Gipfeli» whenever you want, they are always fresh and you can buy them everywhere. You can buy a cheap croissant in a normal Supermarket (they are not bad, especially if you warm them) but there are not comparable to the ones in the bakeries. A croissant has to be fresh and warm to reveal its flaky, buttery charms, in order to ensure maximum contrast between that wonderful crisp shell and its soft, pillowing inner folds.
I bought twelve different «Gipfeli» in total in different bakeries. Some bakeries were already sold out. Of course I could not test all the delicious bakeries, otherwise I would have come home with over 20 croissants in the end. However… the price range was between CHF 1.40 and CHF 1.90.
When I bought the «Gipfeli» I was more than amazed at how different they look like and taste because they taste all different. I had never paid attention to this until today. By the way: All bakeries haven’t known anything about my plan to do this blogpost.
Bäckerei-Konditorei Beck Beck
Webergasse 1
www.beckbeck.ch
I very much liked this croissant for its texture, weight, smell and the perfect and traditional shape. For me, this is a classic «Gipfeli» like it should smell and taste.
Café Goldkind
Marktplatz 10
www.cafe-goldkind.ch
This croissant is wonderfully different to the others. Still warm, fresh backed, handmade by herself. The color is also different to the others!
Gschwend in St.Gallen
Goliathgasse 7
www.cafe-gschwend.ch
A little bit dry inside but the rest is how you would expect – a traditional Swiss croissant.
Kuhn Back & Gastro AG
Vadianstrasse 29
www.baeckerei-kuhn.ch
The shape is beautiful and for me it tasted a little bit like a typically Swiss Sunday-Bread (Zopf).
Bäckerei Konditorei Lichtensteiger
im Neumarkt 4
www.genussbaeckerei.ch
So good! Soooo sweet and made with hundreds of light layers. Delicious!
L’Ultimo Bacio
Poststrasse 14
www.ultimobacio.ch
Crispy and little bit salty. I like that this one tastes different than all the others. By the way, they also sell vegan ones!
Bäckerei Schwyter
Neugasse 16
www.schwyter.com
These are a little bit sweeter than the others and I really like this! But if you bit it, its crumbly and your sweater is full 🙂
Vögeli Beck by Schwyter
Spisergasse 25
www.voegeli-beck.com
The same as above because this ones comes from the same bakery only the shape is different.
Starbucks
Marktgasse 9
www.starbucks.ch
This was the most expensive one and I unfortunately need to say that he wasn’t worth it but maybe my expectations were too high.
Metrobeck by Weder
Bahnhofplatz 1
www.beckweder.ch
These croissants are big and bulky; yet, light and airy. They need absolutely nothing else to be enjoyed, no confiture, no butter… nothing; it can stand completely on its own. I just love them!
La Panetteria Cappelli
Linsebühlstrasse 80
facebook/lapanetteriacappelli
There he is! The most famous one of all inhabitants of St.Gallen! He is very popular and this for a good reason: He is exceptionally good.
Chocolaterie Kölbener
Schmiedgasse 15
www.chocolaterie-koelbener.ch
This is a classic and good croissant.
Gnuss
Lämmlisbrunnenstrasse 4
www.gnuss.info
100% Handmade by Stefan. Super delicious crispy croissant! I love this one, it’s nice crispy outside and airy inside!
My favourite croissant
You know what. It’s only my personal favourite. We are all different like all these croissants. Do you prefer a sweeter pastry? More substantive on the inside? Do you like it golden, dark, over baked or dry? That are all personal preferences… but of course you can also look for some points: Price, Size, Lightness, Aroma, Holes, Fluffiness and Flavor.
At least it was very exciting to try all of these «Gipfeli». And I must confess, I never expected this result! NEVER! You know, we all have our experiences, opinions and automatically find some places more „friendly and welcoming“ than the others. And we grow up with traditions that our parents give us.
But wow, when I tried the «Gipfeli» from the bakery Lichtensteiger it surprised me A LOT! It was like I’m in Heaven! I fucking loved this croissant! It tastes a bit sweet – which I love extremely. And it was really fluffy and soooo damn good! This one, was one of the best «Gipfeli» I’ve ever tasted!
Join the conversation!
Which «Gipfeli» do you prefer? Do you have your own opinion on who makes the best croissants in St.Gallen? And are you able to get quality croissants where you live?
Note: Some of the bakeries listed have multiple locations.
