An international bakery-café concept is expanding its North Texas presence: Paris Baguette will open a location in Carrollton, in the same center as H-Mart at 2625 Old Denton Rd.

Paris Baguette is a chain founded in Korea known for its cakes, pastries, croissants, and breads. This marks their second location in DFW; there's also a location in Lewisville that opened in mid-2019. A spokesperson from the Lewisville bakery confirmed that the Carrollton location would open in early 2021.

The chain was founded in 1988 by Korean businessman Hur Young-in, and has locations in South Korea, Singapore, Vietnam, and China. Their lineup includes classic French-style goods that sometimes incorporate Asian ingredients, such as buns stuffed with red-bean filling.

According to a Bloomberg story, the chain started out as a small bakery in North Korea founded by Hur's father in 1945. Hur came to Kansas to learn baking from the American Institute of Baking. Hmm, of all the places to learn baking, Kansas?

The Lewisville location is attached to the Zion Mart, a supermarket that's part of the expansion of a new Koreatown in the former Vista Ridge/Music City Mall, and it has a cafe component with sandwiches, salads, coffee, and tea drinks, which is unique for the chain.

Many of their items are croissant-based, and more than a few are savory, filled with ingredients like sausage and crab croquettes. They also have doughnuts, cronuts, cream puffs, and cream-filled pastries of all kinds. People also rave about their cakes.

As is the case with this style of bakery, most of the pastries are self-serve; you load them onto a tray and head for the cashier.

The first U.S. location opened in Los Angeles in 2005, one of many Asian-founded bakeries that specializes in French-style goods such as Mozart and Taiwanese bakery chain 85C.There are currently more than 80 locations in the U.S. selling up to 300 products -- from breads to pastries and cakes.