AS WELCOME ON
the dessert cart as in the bakery case, these cream-filled French confections turn up in old-school bake shops and new-wave coffeehouses alike. Here’s a short but sweet taste test of our four finest.
① Boyden’s Southside Bakery
Generously filled and crowned with a smear of milk-chocolate icing to seal the deal, the eclairs are no slouch at this Southside institution known for its cider doughnuts and pumpkin rolls. 3953 S. Meridian St., 317-784-2992
② Foundation Coffee Company
The pastry selection switches out seasonally, but this fresh take on the classic eclair is framed by lightly sweet bread-like pastry and filled with a tangy Meyer lemon curd, a departure from tradition. 4565 Marcy Lane., 317-932-3737, foundationcoffeecompany.org
③ Long’s Bakery
Don’t look for them in the cases of famous yeast doughnuts at this old-school bakery. Instead, ask for them from one of the counter clerks, and they’ll fetch them from a cooler where the soft pastry barely contains the pudding-like filling under gobs of rich frosting. 1453 N. Tremont St., 317-632-3741
④ Rene’s Bakery
Among the brioche loaves and flaky croissants in the cases at Albert Trevino’s Broad Ripple patisserie, local pastry lovers can find some of the most textbook eclairs around with crisp, light choux dough, a custardy filling, and just enough chocolate icing for a two-bite teatime indulgence. 6524 N. Cornell Ave., 317-251-2253
