A week in Paris with a friend was just what the doctor ordered! Who doesn’t need beautiful scenery, amazing culinary inspiration and a bit of shopping, once in awhile!? Literally, our main goals on this trip were to eat lots of great food, explore the city and shop! Being that this was my second trip to Paris, I didn’t find the need to head to the main Parisian attractions. I was able to let the days unfold with a loose plan based on multiple recommendations. Every night, we planned our route of culinary treasures and shopping excursions for the next day. Although we made great utilization of the Paris metro, we managed on walking 5-10 miles a day! (Comfortable shoes, moleskin and bandaids are a must!)
Our trip began with booking a great apartment in Le Marais through Airbnb. This is a very inexpensive and fantastic option! It allowed us to have our own bedroom and bathroom, have coffee and breakfast in the apartment every morning, freshen up our clothing (it had a washer and dryer) and bring back culinary goodies to snack on throughout the week (it had a well equipped kitchen).
I highly recommend our apartment in Le Marais if you like to stay away from the touristy areas and want easy access to a wide variety of restaurants and shopping;)
My food recommendations in Le Marais:
Robert et Louise
64 Rue Vieille du temple
A fantastic, rustic, tiny restaurant that specializes in wood roasted meats. Simple and delicious, the meal is accented by the glow and amazing scents emanating from the wood oven.
Reservations are a must! Since our apartment was a few steps away, we opted to show up, right as they opened at 7:00pm. We lucked out and managed to secure two seats at the tiny bar which provided us plenty of entertainment throughout the meal!
The duck confit and salad were amazing! Tasty, simple, good. We also shared a half bottle of red wine and a cheese course.
This was an amazing value at €56! Rumor has it, they have a €12 price fixe lunch menu! Upon further investigation, I’ve just read that it was featured on Anthony Bourdain’s show a few years back!
-La Petite Marche
9 Rue Bearn
We stumbled into this charming, corner cafe our first day in Paris. I’d found it on Pinterest as one of the best restaurants in Le Marais. We were not disappointed. It was packed with locals and the tiny kitchen was hopping! I ordered the daily lunch special which included an amazing goat cheese salad and a choice of two plates of the day. I choose the lentils with sausage. I don’t know how something so simple could be so amazing! We washed it down with some local white wine, content and happy:) Infact, we loved this place so much, we went back for dinner for the burrata salad and the Black Angus steak dinner.
All dinner items come with the creamiest mashed potatoes you’ve ever had and sugar snap peas! Yum! I finished the night with the flourless chocolate molten cake…..amazing!
-Au Merveilleux de Fred
28 Rue de Francois Miron
You can’t miss this corner gem of a bakery. An enormous crystal chandelier greets you as you walk in the door. As you look around, it’s clear that they only sell one thing….merengue. But not just any meringue…..the lightest, fluffiest, bites of heaven, you can imagine. I’ve never had anything like it!
The sizes range from small, bite sized morsels, to a large, cake sized masterpiece. They come with a variety of toppings (hazelnut, dark chocolate, white chocolate, caramel and berry). I tried them all. We stopped by there 3 times. Yum!
-L’ As Du Falafel
32-34 Rue des Rosiers
A must if you are in the area! Even if you have eaten already! Share it with friends! Do what you must! The line looks long, but moves quickly. The To-Go line is on the left, the dine-in line is on the right. If you don’t want to deal, with a mess, order the plate of falafel (costs more).
Besides getting the most amazing falafel you’ve ever had, you get two types of cabbage salad, cucumber and tomato salad and the most delicate, melt in your mouth roasted eggplant, ever! This place is famous for a reason:))
-Au Petite Versailles du Marais
1 Rue de Tiron
Even though I’m gluten free, I have to post this amazing find! Apparently, this boulangerie, which has been open since 1860, has received the highest honor for their patisseries (and few have achieved this status)! It is considered one of the best boulangeries in Paris. It is small, but beautiful. If you order a baguette, be sure and order a baguette traditional, which only contains 4 ingredients (salt, flour, yeast and water)!
-Breizh Cafe
109 Rue Vielle du Temple
I couldn’t eat here either, but I have been assured, these are some of the best crepes in Paris. If you can’t get into the restaurant, you can order to go in the shop next door, which is well stocked with salted caramel, crepe mix and other tasty gift items! Breizh Cafe Paris
Other food recommendations, while out and about:
-Laduree
Multiple locations throughout the city! We visited the tea room off of Bonaparte and Jacob. The menu was amazing! Lots of sweets, including their famous macaroons! They also serve breakfast and lunch!
We ended up sharing an omelette (the best I had in Paris) and a salad, sipping on some champagne and finishing our meal with coffee and macaroons! Immensely decadent, indeed! Funny, I don’t have a single picture of a macaroon from Laduree! I ate them immediately;)
-Le Relais de L’ Entrecôte de Paris
20 Rue Saint Benoit
I love, love, love this place! A fun find and interesting Parisian experience! Show up at 7:00pm, or wait in line. The vibe is casual and vibrant:) There is only one thing on the menu and it is their steak frites dinner. Your meal starts with a tasty green salad. The steak is cooked to order (medium or rare) and comes with a pile of fries and a generous portion of the tastiest green sauce you can imagine (I’m hoping to recreate it)! The game changer is that the meal is all you can eat for €26. Order some wine and come with an empty tummy! Le Relais de l’entrecote
-Angelina’s
226 Rue de Rivoli
This needs to be on every girl’s bucket list! A beautiful, but bustling spot to enjoy their famous drinking chocolate (or coffee or tea), champagne, breakfast, brunch or lunch. A perfect place to rest your feet after hitting the Louvre:)
We enjoyed lunch, champagne, dessert (Their famous Monte Blanc) and coffee! It is worth the wait! If you are in a hurry, all of their beautiful desserts are available for purchase in the adjacent shop, as well! Angelina’s on Rivoli
-Au Petit Riche
25 Rue Le Peletier
A more serious French meal, with an extensive wine list, oysters, escargot, organ meats, etc. Off the beaten track, and open since 1854, it has a rich and interesting history.
Great service, old school setting and a wonderful meal. This was our most expensive meal in Paris. Au Petit Riche
Culinary Goods and Specialty Shops & Services
-La Cuisine Cooking School
American owned and operated, but offers authentic lessons in
the basics of French cooking. I opted for the 4 hour evening French Market Class. Our instructor had worked at Michelin Star restaurants in Paris for the past 10 years and was very informative.
We visited the local market to determine what the freshest and best options were for our dinner. We vote on our menu (dietary restrictions were easily accommodated) and we worked together to cook a fabulous meal! Highlights of the meal for me were simple knife skills, basting techniques for cooking fish, making buerre blanc and cream brûlée, making a variety of whipped cheese for stuffing, simple and tasty salad dressings.
Our meal included a cheese course, salad, veggies, fish, dessert and wine. €150 La Cuisine Paris
-E. Dehillerin
18 et 20 rue Coquillière
This famous cooking supply shop was frequented by Julia Childs, back in the day! It is filled to the rim with the most extensive variety of baking supplies, pots, pans, knives, and implements, you’ve ever seen.
The copper items are splurge worthy, but impossible to get home:/ I opted for a gorgeous set of skewers, cheese spreaders, a cheese knife and an apron. The prices are really good. E. Dehillerin
If you are more of a baker, see below….
-Mora
13 Rue Montemarte
Right around the corner from E. Dehillerin, but specifically geared towards the baker. Tons of madeleine and tart pans, unique cookie cutters, specialty sprinkles and such!
-Nicole Barthelemy Fromager
51 Rue de Grenelle
-Bon Marche Groceries
Set in the heart of St. Germain, this large department store has all of the exclusive brands of clothing, shoes and housewares, you can imagine! But forget about that stuff! The grocery store on the 2 lower levels, is my food heaven! Even if you have zero intention on buying anything, you should check it out! We ended up buying the makings for a beautiful cheese course back at our apartment.
Cheese, pate, GF crackers, figs and Rosé. It was perfect! And I hear that this Rosé is available in the states;)
I love this!