| Grand Epicerie
du Bon Marché
Located at the corner of rue de Sèvres and the rue du Bac
Tel: 01.44.39.81.00. |
Located behind the Bon
Marché department store this large modern grocery features gourmet
counters for cheeses, fruit, coffee, and just about every international
food, ready for take-out. On the shelves the selection of top
French boutique brands like Fauchon, in pretty containers, make
this an easy place to pick-up a few food gifts. Many American
brands are also featured, thus the popularity with Americans
living in Paris. |
| Fauchon
26-30, place de la Madeleine
Tel: 01.47.42.60.11 |
Three stores in one, Fauchon,
located just behind the Madeleine is the uncontested king of
Paris traiteurs. Just the windows, with their elaborate food
displays are worth the visit. One store houses the pastry selection,
the other prepared dishes, fruits and vegetables, and the third
carries Fauchon brand foods from tins of cookies, to teas and
coffees. Downstairs at No. 26 is the Fauchon cafeteria. |
| Hédiard
21, place de la Madeleine
Tel: 01.43.12.88.88.
126, rue du Bac,
70 avenue Paul Doumer
and 106, blvd. Courcelles |
With the main shop at
the Madeleine and three satellite shops, Hédiard's deep red
façades enrobe a collection of gourmet jellies, chocolates,
spices, oils, mustards, a bakery counter, and a stand of blemishless
fresh fruits vegetables. The food is too pretty to eat. |
| Tang Fréres
168, avenue de Choisy
and an even larger store at 48, avenue d'Ivry. |
The Asian super market
par excellence has Parisians of all races trekking down to Place
d'Italie on Saturday morning to load up on rice noodles, green
tea, and hard to find spices and vegetables. The Tang brothers
live near their stores in what is known as the "China Town"
of Paris, where their success has made them famous both in France
and in their native China. |
| Izraël
30, rue François Miron
Tel: 01.42.72.66.23. |
Winding through the tightly
packed aisles of this two-room store, you'll find spices, chilies,
dried beans, rice, in short everything, brought in from around-the-world.
You might want to ask for help from the friendly, though busy
staff, since actually putting your hands on what you need might
resemble a treasure hunt in this jam-packed store. |
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|
Sweets |
| La Mère
de Famille
35, rue du Faubourg Montmartre
Tel: 01.47.70.83.69. |
This beautiful store,
dating to 1761, is an extraordinary candy shop, one of the last
of its kind in the city. In fact the store is classified as
a historic monument. Glass jars filled with colorful bon-bons
line the shelves and you can often watch them making chocolate
right there on the marble counter. |
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Bread |
| Poilâne
8, rue du Cherche Midi
Tel: 01.45.48.42.59 |
These bakers are famous
for their large, round miche simply called pain 
Poilâne by the many restaurants and boutiques who now carry
their bread. The dark crusty loaves can be bought in quarters,
halves or whole. Visit the original store to appreciate the
house specialties such as buttery cookies, and apple tartelettes.
Expect to see a line in the evening. |
| Poujauran
20, rue Jean Nicot
Tel: 01.47.05.80.88. |
The dainty pink façade
marks one of Paris' best loved boulangeries. Baguettes, bread
with walnuts, rolls, tarts, and Financiers, are just some of
the fresh-baked delights that fill this store. Space is tight
so if you don't know what you want, you might want to avoid
the pre-lunch and dinner rushes. |
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|
Tea Salons - Tea And Coffee |
| Mariage
Frères
30, rue du Bourg-Tibourg
Tel: 01.42.72.28.11.
New non-smoking location at 260, rue du Faubourg Saint Honoré
Tel: 01.46.22.18.54 |
Who hasn't discovered
these fragrant and royal teas - literally hundreds of varieties
at their home store in the Marais? Here an almost all-male staff,
dressed in jackets, still weigh the tea out on scales, then
send you to pay for your order at an old-fashion cashier's "cage".
The tearoom serves high tea, brunch or lunch. Today, Mariage
Frères tea can be found in their own in-store boutiques in most
of Paris' big department stores (Galleries Lafayette, Samaritaine),
along with exquisite gift box sets of teas, tea flavored jellies
and sables. |
| Café Verlet
256, rue Saint Honoré
Tel: 01.42.60.67.39 |
Sacs of beans surround
this small excellent coffeehouse and store, where you can have
your Colombian or Guatemalan roast ground to perfection. Light
fare served at lunch. |
| A Priori
Thé
35, Galerie Vivienne, 75002
Tel: 01.42.97.48.75
Open daily |
Tea or lunch in one of
Paris' prettiest covered passages, right next door to the shopping
area of the Place Victoire. Reserve for lunch hour, especially
if you want a table in the passage itself. Open daily. |
| Ladurée
75, avenue des Champs-Elysées, 75008
Open daily |
For the original tea room,
go to 16 rue Royale (closed Sundays), but for the newest go
to the spacious Ladurée on the Champs-Elysées. Here, upstairs
dining rooms are designed like individual salons, or libraries,
by French decorator Jacques Garcia. A full menu is offered and
it's the best place for breakfast on the world's most famous
avenue. Pastries and breads to go. |
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