Critic films hilarious taste test of best croissants in Paris while surrounded by riot chaos

Paris may be on fire and full of stinking junk, but that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying your morning croissant.

That’s the message from intrepid video critic Luis Sal, who braved riots and strikes last Thursday during a citywide taste test of crumbly pastries.

The 25-year-old Italian was at the center of a day of action last month against President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote.

“My name is Luis and today I’m in Paris to try the five best croissants, and we’re going to see which one is the best,” he says in a YouTube video that was viewed 650,000 times within a day of being posted.

Luis is immediately shoved in the back by a riot police officer, while La Rotonde – Macron’s favorite Parisian restaurant – is on fire in the background.

Before he could even imagine himself, he was shoved in the back by a riot police officer, while La Rotonde – Macron’s favorite Parisian restaurant – burns in the background

The 25-year-old Italian was at the center of a day of action against President Macron’s decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote.

Youths in black cagoules swarm around, some picking up street furniture that is later thrown at cops.

However, the super calm Luis marches on, despite telling the newspaper Le Parisien: ‘The croissants tasted better without tear gas.’

“The idea of ​​my video was to be as real and transparent as possible for the audience, so they could taste the real experience of the croissant.”

Luis, who is from Bologna, asks some protesters around him how to pronounce certain French words as the sound of explosions fills the air.

He’s clearly a devoted foodie, who soon begins to ignore the riots, as he praises “the perfect shape” of certain croissants, and praises one of the bakeries for “knowing what it’s doing” and “flexible in its performance.”

But he is highly critical of some of the less salubrious parts of Paris, including around the Gare du Nord Eurostar interchange, from which high-speed trains depart for London.

“The area isn’t the best, I mean there’s a Subway, there’s a pub there, there’s a Popeye’s Chicken, there’s a train station.

“And usually in Europe, where there’s a train station and a McDonald’s, there aren’t any good people.

‘It is very difficult to find good quality in an area that is so touristy.’

Nevertheless, Luis finds quality in Carton, a bakery just before Gare du Nord, which comes second in his Top Five.

Luis somehow managed to wade through the crowd while also having time to taste the croissants

The food critic tested the best croissants in Paris, including Tout Autour du Pain (behind him)

The 25-year-old Italian joked that the croissants “tasted better without tear gas.” Pictured: Demonstrators under tear gas on April 6

France has been engulfed in riots and strikes over President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reforms

President Emmanuel Macron decided last month to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote

At the end of his review, Luis tries to grab a bite to eat at the very posh Cédric Grolet, on Avenue Grolet, but the line is too long and the croissants are gone.

This forces Luis to rank the boulangerie in fifth place without a taste test.

Luis’ video comes as Mr Macron continues to face massive domestic troubles, with more strikes and street demonstrations planned for this week.

On Friday, France’s Constitutional Council will decide whether Macron’s decision to push through his retirement plans without a parliamentary vote was legal.