There’s a time and place for purists. Nothing hits quite like the perfectly flakey, buttery, rich, layered croissant from a Parisian boulangerie. But trust that there is room in our wide carb-loving hearts to fit the totally bastardized croissant shaped pastries that Hazukido churns out en masse every day. Nothing is sacred in Taiwanese food culture and though the French may be appalled at some of the concoctions they’ve slathered, stuffed and sprinkled atop the pastries here, it isn’t too wild of a leap within the context of Taiwan’s bakery scene. And when you see the breadth of flavors in the form of miniature croissants lined up neatly in the pastry case, replenished with fresh batches throughout the day, you can’t help but get in line.

The flavors that make regular appearances in their croissant line up track with typical flavor profiles one might find in a typical Taiwanese bakery, but also span more “westernized” flavors. On the sweet side there’s basics like praline, chocolate hazelnut, lemon and earl grey all the way to taro with pudding, matcha red bean, brown sugar warabi, and the truly unhinged durian custard. On the savory side, there’s everything from garlic to spicy mentaiko to salted egg yolk. The point is, the croissants are miniature in size, so you can (and should) get a whole bunch without feeling bad about it, and you can afford that wild card flavor (worst case you aren’t into it you can think of it as the “get one free” one). In a sea of food court chain stores and the highly competitive bakery landscape in Taiwan, Hazukido has established a niche and is a tried and true option, whether you’re looking for a little pick me up or a photogenic spread to share.