A running list of places to eat and to buy stuff that can be eaten in Paris.
Thumbs way up
- L’As du Falafel, 34 rue des Rosiers (4th). See post. $
- La Boulangerie Mauclerc, 83 rue de Crimée, 19th. This all-organic bakery operates one of only four wood-fired ovens in Paris. They make beautiful hearty loaves (all naturally leavened, no yeast on the premises) filled with whole grains and seeds and nuts — kind of rare here, despite the ubiquity of good baguettes. Favourite so far is the chataigne, miel, noisette (chestnut, honey, hazelnut) bread. (11/11/2009)
- Breizh Café, 109 rue Vieille du Temple, 3rd. See post. $-$$ (11/11/2009, 04/12/2009)
- Da Rosa, 62 rue de Seine, 6th. See post. $$ (12/11/2009, 19/03/2009, 16/11/2010)
- La Maison du Chocolat, 225 rue de Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 8th plus six other locations around Paris and a stand at CDG Terminal 2E. You can’t go wrong with a Coffret Maison Noir, an all-dark chocolate assortment (26€ for 230 g or approximately 30 pieces), or the truffes fine champagne. Favourites in the coffret include Andalousie (lemon zest ganache), Traviata (praliné of grilled and caramelized almonds), Jolika (pistachio-flavoured almond paste), Garrigue (fennel-infused ganache), Zagora (fresh mint ganache), Rigoletto (whipped caramel) and the Rocher (it’s no Ferrero).
- Mi-Va-Mi, 27 rue des Ecouffes, 4th. See post. $
- Jean-Charles Rochoux, chocolatier, 16 rue d’Assas, 6th. Go to see the incredible chocolate sculptures, and to taste the truffle cubes and caramelized nut tablettes.
Thumbs up
- Le Bistrot Paul Bert, 18 rue Paul Bert, 11th. Post coming soon. $$$ (25/11/2009)
- Café des Musées, 49 rue des Turennes (3rd). See post. $$-$$$ (18/11/2009, 1/12/2009, 16/11/2010)
- Chez Marianne, 2, rue des Hospitalières St Gervais, 4th. Good middle eastern combination plates (the artichoke and fennel salad was the best) and slices of berry tart to take away; decent house wine and beer. $ (4/11/2009)
- L’Estaminet, Marché des Enfants Rouges, 3rd. The excellent: espresso. The good: oysters, boudin, lemon tart. The okay: the salade de saison had nice, fresh mâche but the magret was so-so. $$ (7/11/2009)
- Les Papilles, 30 rue Gay Lussac, 5th. A cosy combination wine shop, épicerie and bistro. The procedure is you reserve ahead of time, show up, select a bottle of wine from the store shelves, eat whatever three-course menu they’ve assembled that day based on market ingredients, pay 31 euros (plus the wine) and leave immensely satisfied. $$ (9/10/2012)
- Patrick Roger, chocolatier, 108 blvd Saint-Germain, 5th plus three other locations around Paris. An old favourite, and though we harbour a slight preference for the chocolates at La Maison du Chocolat and Rochoux, the Couleurs half-globes are pretty amazing. And of course, the wild and wonderful window displays make any trip to PR worthwhile…
- Pierre Hermé, 72 rue Bonaparte, 6th (and locations around Paris). For the macarons, of course.
- Le Train Bleu, Gare de Lyon, 12th. Probably one of the most beautiful, grand restaurants in the world, Le Train Bleu overlooks the main hall of the Gare de Lyon train station. See post. $$$ (20/4/2011)
Thumb up
- L’Arbre à Cannelle (otherwise known as Aux Tartes), 14 rue Linné, 5th. Salon de thé near Jussieu with homemade savoury and fruit tarts and a good rotation of daily specials like boudin (blood sausage), blanquette de veau (veal ragout), pastilla (a Moroccan meat pie) and onglet de boeuf (hangar steak). The food isn’t always perfect (for example, the pastilla dough wasn’t as flaky as it could have been), but it’s very good and good value; the salon itself is cosy and the location is convenient for work day lunches. For dessert, the crumbles and the generous café gourmand are excellent. Can accommodate larger groups if you arrive before 12:30. Open 12-18. $ (2/12/2009, 3/12/2009)
Other places
- Amorino, 31 rue Vieille du Temple, 4th (and locations around Paris). Sampled the individually-wrapped tartufi nero alla nocciola and sachets of chocolate, all of which were good, but not the gelato. (24/11/2009)
- Le Royal Jussieu, 1 rue des Ecoles, 5th. Quite a decent salade du Sud-Ouest (foie-gras, magret, gésiers) but the goopy, overly salty salade de chèvre chaud was horrific. $ (9/11/2009)
Prices based on 2 courses with a drink or coffee.
$ = 20 euros or less, $$ = 20-35 euros, $$$ = 35-50 euros
