Fast Food Croissants Ranked Worst To Best

No longer do we have to book a hotel room — or, you know, fly to Paris — when major drive-thru chains are serving hot, delicious croissants. These French confections are flaky, puffy, and layered with buttery indulgence. Wherever the day takes you, so too can your pastry tag along, and the plain base is tantalizingly open to condiments and spreads (or le petit déjeuner). So considering croissants have even seen a rise as the quick breakfast of choice in recent years, fast food restaurants have followed suit adopting creative flavors or carving them into (exceedingly popular) handheld breakfast sandwiches. 

Having had our share of hectic commutes, we know the disappointment of getting a dry, fly-eaten pastry the coffee shop is clearly trying to get rid of. Every second matters when you're in a race against the clock and for that matter, so does every dollar. Crescents are baked at varying levels in the drive-thru lane, and the fact that they arrive in different styles can sway even the surest of diners. While we can't promise patisserie-level goodies at every chain, we can at least point you in the right direction. When traffic's in gridlock, here are the croissants that you'll want to look out for – which we've ranked from worst to best.

Croissants make an excellent vessel for mouthwatering breakfast sandwiches. It's impossible to dispute that Burger King's Croissan'wich put the confection on the fast food market, arriving in 1983 and staking its claim ever since. Regardless, we can't say "oui" to the croissant on its own. What do we mean by that? Although it's superficially similar, the texture is totally off-base. Certainly, biting down on a croissant will burst forth some softness, but Burger King's is squishy, perhaps a bit steamy if it's been abandoned under a heat lamp (which it probably has). You won't sink your teeth into any heavenly layers that are reminiscent of delicate phyllo dough. It's a drag. 

Leave it to a burger chain, predictably, to offer nothing more than a hamburger bun. One Reddit user was pretty irate with Burger King's flop of a croissant, and even accused the chain of "false advertising" by hawking a less-than-flaky imitation: "It's regular sandwich bread molded into the shape of a croissant." We can handle a shrug-inducing option if there was at least some attempt to make it good, but Burger King barely tries passing it off as a legitimate pastry. Nothing against Jimmy Dean here, but the freezer section boasts options that aren't far off from what this drive-thru's serving.

Given the welcoming spread of breakfast and brunch fare, Corner Bakery Cafe should technically satisfy the croissant itch. Take, for example, the Commuter Croissant. While the concept of stuffing a full continental breakfast between airy layers of pastry should entice us, we're afraid the crescent has some issues to contend with. Fixings or otherwise, there's no getting around the fact that this croissant is small. And for a price that's far from teeny-tiny, you'll likely wolf it down in seconds without silencing that gnawing roar in your belly. 

We would be less picky about the portion size if the taste went above and beyond the airport kiosk style. You know the type: dull, stale, and a smidge humid as all shrink-wrapped snacks tend to be. Reviewers have been less than thrilled with its oily, "pre-packaged" consistency, and in the case of warm bread smells wafting your way, those dreams would be dashed immediately with room-temperature blandness. 

If Corner Bakery Cafe freshened up the pastry case more often (and rolled out heftier ones), a promising bakery pick could be on its hands. As it stands currently, the glorified train station taste leaves little reason to go out of your way for one. 

Wendy's is another culprit hawking hamburger buns that masquerade as croissants. These sturdy squares of bread can be found topping breakfast sandwiches in the morning, and as we've already seen demonstrated by other chains, aren't going to be the most authentic. As a croissant roll, the Wendy's version achieves compactness that helps hold the sausage patties, egg, and cheese into uniform delectability. However, the pastry part suffers as a result. When you bite in, there aren't many air pockets lending that lightweight texture, and the flakiness is disappointingly low-key compared to the golden brown color of the exterior.  

Don't get us wrong: we're not opposed to a little sponginess in our French pastries. But the buttery buns Wendy's utilizes are just that — buns. That isn't to say customers are repelled by the bread to the point of avoiding it all together. Brand Eating was impressed by the hefty quality, since an airy confection would probably disintegrate from the load of greasy fillings. However, our rankings have to revolve around the croissant alone. It's fine for a quick fix, we'll admit that. But if you're tired of falling for blatant mimicry, we've got more findings that'll fit the bill for flaky, fall-apart deliciousness.

Whereas croissants can fill in the gaps of a bakery case, Boston-based Au Bon Pain stocks an entire section that can be warmed up to your liking. We find it noteworthy to see sweet and savory confections on the menu, and the craftsmanship is right on target. Anybody who's been burned by soggy pastries can take refuge in the appropriately flaky folds of browned, buttered dough. A reviewer on Yelp praised the Spinach & Cheese croissant in particular as a nourishing bite that's also budget-friendly. 

There's no doubt Au Bon Pain will brighten your commute or travels with its glorious minimalism. And while its small footprint puts it out of league with the Starbuckses of the world, we think the quality far outshines its competitors. Regardless, there is some truth baked into some of the criticisms lobbed at the bistro franchise. Some diners felt underwhelmed by the pastry's dense taste, while Foodology found the chocolate croissant lacking in the freshness department. In other words, the product doesn't always live up to the artisanal branding evoking chic, city-style eats.

So what's our verdict? Au Bon Pain might not be the best, but the generous array of flavors and higher quality beat the vast majority of croissants out there. 

We can't all hop on a plane to Paris for breathtakingly flaky croissants (don't we wish?), so when those moments of whimsy take over, La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe remains a viable substitute. Much like the romantic boulangeries dotting France, you'll find croissants that are ready-to-eat or sidelining a full breakfast, and in both formats they retain the provincial charm of a townhouse buffet. Excellently crackled with big shards on the outside, the pastry gives way to a dreamily plush center that's honeyed, but not saccharine in the least. 

It's always tempting to go the traditional route with hot coffee and a croissant, yet the offerings from La Madeleine's truly shine when they are incorporated into a full meal. Pressed into a breakfast sandwich, the cloud-like crescent infuses an indulgent air — as seen in the ultimate Breakfast Croissant Sandwich, which combines cured meat, egg, and sharp cheddar cheese. Even refraining from the bells and whistles, the flaky handhelds don't require anything extra to conjure the French spirit. Unlike the usual haunts that conveniently cart out your order, La Madeleine's rustic scenery invites you to rest for a spell, escaping into a delightful treat.

Don't let the name fool you — Paris Baguette sells a lot more than the slim loaves beloved by the City of Lights' denizens. The selection marries European patisserie with Asian delicacies like mochi and sweet buns, and demonstrably, an authentically glorious French croissant that's hard to tell apart from the real thing. There's also the fact that the Korean bakehouse, which has a massive footprint around the world and a minor handful in America, makes its array of gourmet goods on-site, from scratch. 

It's no coincidence that the dainty concoctions are deserving of all the accolades. Inspiring further adoration, the flaky crescents can be purchased as singles or bite-sized treats. In any situation — on a coffee break, catering an office party — there's no context where Paris Baguette's croissants won't dazzle or delight. Plus, the flavors are refreshingly unique. "The mini almond croissants are to die for," said one Trip Advisor user, but the savory side of the lineup is equally tempting. When was the last time you saw a garlic or whole grain croissant at a bakery? Better yet, a classic croissant combines the trifecta of eggs, flour, and butter that leads to a neat 250 calories, the most excellent counterpart to a creamy latte.