Favorite Eats, Drinks & Shops in Paris
Updated: Dec 17, 2022
Here is a list of some of my favorite places to eat, drink, shop and be merry in Paris, France.
Food
If you can only hit two, then hit Le Louis Vins and Aux Négociants. This said, I recently learned that Le Louis Vins is under new ownership, so, maybe it isn't as good as is used to be...
Le Louis Vins
This is where we had our wedding day lunch.
Good real French food.
Menu 27/20 euros (entrée, plat, and dessert)
9 Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, 75005 Paris, France
Metro: Maubert-Mutualite (Line 10)
Tel: 01 43 29 12 12
Aux Négociants
Backside of Montmartre, near Lamark-Caulincourt metro stop
http://www.yelp.fr/biz/aux-n%C3%A9gociants-paris-2
27, rue Lambert 75018 Paris
Metro: Jules Joffrin (Line 12)
Tel: 01 46 06 15 11
Au Petit Fer à Cheval
Great little bistro-brasserie-style place in the Marais. Great place to people watch.
30,rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75004 Paris, France
Metro: Hôtel-de-Ville (Line 1)
Tel: 01 42 72 47 47
http://www.yelp.com/biz/le-petit-fer-%C3%A0-cheval-paris-2
La Palette
If you are looking for quintessential Parisian cafe with a great terrace for summer drinks, then this is the cafe for you. The decor dates back to 1902, and gives a feeling of turn-of-the-last-century art nouveau inspiration. Some very illustrious and famous, or even notorious, people have frequented this cafe, such as Hemingway and Morrison. Today it is frequented by art students and young Parisians. There are quite a few cool art galleries on the same street, all worth checking out when you're done here. Due to the location, tourists seem to miss it, and therefor you're more sure of a French experience here. If you're in a hurry, this is not the place to go. If you're ready to sit, relax, enjoy your drink, perhaps write in a journal or have a long conversation with a friend, then definitely it is the place to be. I have found that if I do the eye-contact trick with the waiters, as one does in France, then the waiters always come along eventually. It is the favorite place for French people to get an ‘apero’ (afternoon drink) drink on a patio.
A block away you’ll find all the tourist traps near Odeon, but go here, and you’ll only meet French people.
43 rue de Seine, 75006, Paris
Metro: Odeon
Tel: 01 43 26 68 15
Le Petit Prince
This flamboyantly-Liberace-meets-LouisIV-resto has great French food.
5th Arrondissement, not far from the Pantheon. It is not far from where Le Louis Vins is.
http://www.lepetitprincedeparis.fr/
12, rue de Lanneau 75005 PARIS
Metro: Maubert-Mutualite (Line 10)
Tel: 01 43 54 77 26
Café Constant
Near Eiffel Tower. Bistro-style French food.
139 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, France
Tel: 01 47 53 73 34
http://www.maisonconstant.com/cafe-constant/
My Favorite French dish:
You MUST try the Confit de Canard (roasted duck) while there. It is a dish from SW France, near Bordeaux. It is duck leg that was roasted and preserved in its own fat. Though it has Godzilla-sized-calories, it is amazing, and comes with potatoes that are roasted with garlic. Get a glass of red Bordeaux wine, or one of the Valle de Loire wines, to go with it.
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Best Place to Picnic:
A favorite of ours was on the boardwalks around the Islands in the Seine.
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Best Brunch:
Go to Le Pain Quotidien, which I think is actually Belgium , but they have several locations in Paris. There is one near Place Monge on Rue Mouffetard n the Latin Quarter (5th arr). Then you can walk up rue Mouffetard after, a quaint pedestrian-only street.
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Best Shopping in Paris:
My favorite place to shop in all of Paris is the Marais (Hotel de Ville metro stop, Line 1). Just getting lost in this area is a perfect-Paris-day. Small cobble-stoned streets, and endless boutiques.
Known for its alternative scene, the Marais is overflowing in cool shops selling everything from funky charm bracelets to outlandish belt buckles to the latest styles in clothes. It is also full of stores specializing in vintage and used clothes.
Second-hand clothing in French is frip, and store selling it is a fripperie. A consignment shop, on the other hand, is a dépôt-Vent. In the Marais, rue de la Verrerie, basically, turns into rue du roi de Sicile - and here you'll find both fripperies and dépôt-Vents.
Even better are the prices. If you want to shop for cool, alternative styles in Paris without breaking the bank, then hitting up the retro second-hand stores is just the ticket. There are few better places in Paris for this than the Marais.
Start at BHV, the huge store next to Hotel de Ville, walk up Rue des Archives and turn right on Rue de la Verrerie, which next leads into the Rue du Roi de Sicile. Here you come upon many vintage fripperie shops worth checking out. Then, next, head down Rue Vieille du Temple to Rue des Rosiers, or rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie.
These five mentioned streets are cute in charm, everything Paris, and cover the part of the Marais that will fill your day with cool shops and boutiques and tons of vintage flare.
Here is a short list of my favorite vintage shops in the Marais:
Vintage Bar.
They will buy your coolest items too, and have a fantastically cool collection of vintage jewelery. There is a downstairs full of items too, don't miss that.
16 rue de la Verrerie
75004 Paris
+33 (0)1 42 74 56 13
Frip'irium.
The owner of this place is a lively fun guy who went into a long description with me about why his shop was the best on the street. They apparently clean all items before selling them, only sell the nicest vintage items and apparel, and indeed had gone to great lengths to make a clean, organized, nice shop, with oils burning so that even your nose was happy to enter.
2 rue de la Verrerie
75004, Paris
+33 (0)1 40 29 95 57
Mamz'Elle Swing.
The women working in this place is all decked out in 30s swing attire. It puts you in the mood as soon as you walk in, as does the swing music being played. A nice collection of 30s and 40s vintage items and clothing. Very cool.
35bis rue du roi de Sicile.
75004, Paris
+33 (0)1 48 87 04 06
The King of Frip.
This place is a bit more disorganized than the other establishments mentioned, and seems to care a bit less about being choosy in what they sell. That said, there are some pretty good finds here, for great prices, if you dig. Don't miss the downstairs too.
33 rue du roi de Sicile.
75004, Paris.
+33 (0)1 42 78 33 72
Vintage Desir.
A cool place to get selected, collected, vintage shoes, clothes and accessories.
32 Rue des Rosiers
75004, Paris.
+33 (0)1 40 27 04 98
Chapellerie Simon.
This is one of my absolute favorite hat shops in all of Paris. They are filled to the roof with hats from all decades. Whether you want that sweet little 30s hat, or a stylish one for your man, or a summer wide-brimmed straw hat...this place has it all.
11 rue Ste Croix de la Bretonnerie
75004, Paris.
+33 (0)1 48 87 25 61
And, last, but not least, is this cool vintage shop over in the Latin Quarter, behind the Pantheon, called Générique.
A small, simple shop, it could be easy to pass by it as you ramble about the Latin Quarter in Paris, France.
But be sure to stop by and check out the wonderful collection of vintage jewelry from the 50s, a dazzle of old-school rhinestones and semi-precious stones.
There were vintage and modern syles, both generic and name-brand. There are sales from time to time, which are worth checking out. For example, this month it is -20% on the jewelry. Générique isn't just a second-hand store (fripperie), it is instead a consignment shop (Dépôt-Vente).
This means you bring your items there, and they sell them for you, and you get a cut of the money upon its sale. So, if you have a funky little 50s cocktail dress to sell, the owner is happy to do it for you, and you get 50% of the sale price. She has been running this store for 15 years so clearly does well in business.
You can use the money you make to pick up some new items!
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Favorite Hot Cocoa Place:
I have put a list of my favorite places to get hot chocolate in Paris below – though if you can only go to one, go to Angelinas!
If you’re anything like me then you start jonesin’ good when too much time goes by without some form of chocolate fix. For me it’s a never ending desire for good hot chocolate; particularly when the Paris winter is upon us.
I’ve been to places that served something they called hot chocolate, but it tasted more like a diluted cup of cold milk with some Nesquick in it. Ack. Then at other places you get this fancy little silver tray, with your steamed milk on the side of your cup of hot thick gooey chocolate syrup. You mix the milk and chocolate to your own personal preferred chocoa-milk ratio and eat the little speculoos (hard gingerbread) cookie that came with it, and suddenly heaven descends upon you.
So where to find the good and ditch the bad? I have my own little growing list...but I was pleased to learn about an article in Le Figero by a host of authors (Colette MONSAT, Dominique COUVREUR, Gilles DUPUIS, Emmanuel RUBIN, François SIMON, Sylvain VERUT) on the best hot coco in Paris. I actually stumbled upon a reference to this article by a food critic I like called Madam Pimm, who often writes about her eating adventures in Paris. I will put the links to both these other articles below, and if your French is quite good you might just go to the Figero source yourself!
Angelinas
There are several locations. The two I would go to most often were on Rue de Rivolee across from the Tuileries Gardens, or in the Versailles Chateau. You get a thick chocolate syrup and add milk to your taste (see photo to right). They also have amazing deserts!
Jean-Paul Hévin
Near the Jardin des Tuileries et la Concorde one will find a vast display of chocolate creations. The hot chocolate isn’t cheap at 6.30 euros per cup, but raved as an original in the old style of thick and tasty goodness.
231, rue Saint-Honoré, 1st arrondissement. Tel. : 01.55.35.35.96. Open everyday except Sundays. Tea salon is open from the afternoon to 19 h (7pm) http://www.jphevin.com
Ladurée
Deemed as one of the most famous tea-houses in Paris the hot chocolate is made to high standards. The restaurant can be a bit expensive, and it’s recommended to arrive for your hot cocoa after the hour of 15.30 (3:30pm) when the hectic food-serving time comes to an end. You can order “Le Basique” (the basic, 6 euros) which is your standard chocolate and steamed milk. Or, for the coco-gormandize among us you can order the “Viennois” (6.50 euros), which is hot cocoa with Chantilly cream.
75, avenue des Champs-Elysées, 8th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.40.75.08.75. Open every day until Midnight.
Dalloyau
This “mom’s” tea-house in Faubourg Saint-Honoré has a delightful clear ambiance. Order the hot chocolate called “Chocolat à l’ancienne” (5.80 euros) and you won’t be displeased. It comes in its own white porcelain pot with a little square of chocolate on the side.
99-101, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, 8th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.42.99.90.00.
Café Lenôtre
This is a multifunctional place that operates as a small art boutique, a cooking school and a restaurant. It’s very brightly colored in orange and violet and they serve a hot chocolate that is 55% cocoa, enriched with milk and whipping cream. It’s rich indeed! Order the mini-macaroons on the side. Best to go after 15.30 h (3.30pm) when the restaurant crowds leave and there is more room for the coco goers.
Pavillon Elysée : 10, avenue des Champs-Elysées, 8th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.42.65.85.10. Open everyday from 12 noon to 23 h (11pm), and Sundays from 12 noon to 19 h (7pm).
La Maison du Chocolat
The name says it all : The house of chocolate. A trio of places to get some tasty hot chocolate. The classic is called “Guayaquil”, and one with Rum is called “Bacchus”, and the last is called “destiné aux amateurs de chocolat noir”. Open everyday except Sunday, from 10h to 19h (5pm).
52, rue François-Ier. Tél. : 01.47.23.38.25.
8, bd de la Madeleine, 9th arrondissement. Tél. : 01.47.42.86.52.
89, av. Raymond-Poincaré, 16th Arrondissement. Tel. : 01.40.67.77.83.
Christian Constant
Among the many wonderful chocolate delights here you must try “Le Guanaja” that is dense, creamy with a wonderful odor and taste. There are many choices besides this to please all.
37, rue d’Assas, 6th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.53.63.15.15. Open everyday. The Tea Salon is open from 11 :30 to 19h (5pm).
L’Heure gourmande
Order the “Viennoise” which is enriched with Chantilly creme, or the classic called “à l’ancienne” (6 euros), or order one of their fantastic teas and don’t miss out on the pastries and other tasty items all made in-house.
22, passage Dauphine, 6th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.46.34.00.40. Open everyday from noon to 19h (5pm).
Les Cakes de Bertrand
This small place in the shadow of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette is full of little chairs and mirrors and carries an theater ambiance. Your hot cocoa comes in a porcelain jar with a long spoon to stir, and is made of 70% chocolate! (5 euros) Be sure to try their famous in-house made cakes too.
7, rue Bourdaloue, 9th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.40.16.16.28. Open everyday until 19.30h (5 :30pm), and until 18h (6pm) on Sundays.
L’Artisan des saveurs
The name « Flavor Artist » isn’t without warrant when you taste the teas, jams/jellies and other treats here. Decorated in an ochre-yellow and rouge this place feels warm even before you taste your hot coco. There are 4 varieties of hot chocolate to choose from, “Cabosse” which is made with pure cacoa, the “Havane” which has rum in it, the “Souvenir du Navigateur” which has a zest of orange to it, and the “D’Autrefoir” which comes with creme. This place is also completely non-smoking...a rarity in Paris (until this coming January 2008...).
72, rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.42.22.46.64. Open everyday except Wednesdays from 15h (3pm)-18.30h (6:30pm).
Au Pain quotidien
This is a really fun little place where one can get a great brunch and tartines (toasted bread with delicious items on top) as well as excellent hot chocolate. It’s usually decorated in a very rustic-log-cabin kind of style, and one feels right at home at the large tables and warm atmosphere. The best is the basket of bread they bring you with a tray of different jams, jellies, spreads, and other tasty items to spread on rustic wholesome breads of many kinds. It can get a bit crowded on the weekends for those reasons. The hot chocolate is thick and creamy and very worth any wait in line it took to get a table.
18, Rue des Archives. 4th arrondissement Tel :01 44 54 03 07
Open everyday from 8.30 h to 19 h (7pm)
Kayser
Master of the artisan breads also has a Tea-house near Odéon which has a modern appeal. The classic hot chocolate is thick and creamy, and you can have it with pastry to make the experience complete. If you’re looking for more than be sure to check out the Sunday brunch.
10, rue de l’Ancienne-Comédie, 6th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.43.25.71.60. Open everyday except Sunday, from 7h to 21.30h (9 :30pm).
Aux deux Magots
While a very well known and even overly-touristy place this very traditional Paris bistro has a classic hot chocolate that is very well done. Here is possible to have brunch, lunch, dinner, and many a wonderful dessert.
6, place Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 6th arrondissment. Tel. : 01.45.48.55.25. Open everyday from 7.30 h to 1.30h ( 1 in the morning !)
Rose Thé
A very charming little tea-house near Bastille has a classic hot chocolate well worth checking out.
104, avenue Ledru-Rollin, 11th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.48.05.75.24. Open everyday except Sundays.
Cacao et Chocolat
While this is a chain store in Paris found in the most touristy parts of Paris they manage to have some of the best chocolate delights I’ve found anywhere. Chocolate bars, truffles, and other treats are just a few of the things you can purchase along with your hot chocolate. (3.60 euros) Open everyday from 11h to 19.30h (7:30pm).
29, rue de Buci, 6th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.46.33.77.63.
63, rue Saint-Louis-en-l’Ile, 9th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.46.33.33.33.
36, rue Vieille-du-Temple, 9th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.42.71.50.06. Tlj. de 11 h à 19 h 30.
Salle à Manger
This used to be the old location of Au Pain Quotidien, who then moved over to rue des Archives. So, needless to say this place still has the same style and ambience that the Au Pain Quotidien has, and as good hot chocolate. Get your brunch, lunch or tartines in the open air plaza next to fruit stands and accordion players on the wonderfully ‘Paris’ rue Mouffetard.
136, rue Mouffetard, 5th arrondissement. Tel. : 01.55.43.91.99. Open everyday from 8.30h to 19 h (7pm). Tlj de 8 h 30 à 19 h.
For original article in French: Le Figero
For other original article: Chez Pim