Paris is a city of gourmands, for gourmands. From sultry Franco-Asian dishes to experimental vegetarian Middle-Eastern cooking, the city has much to offer on the epicurean front beyond French classics; although yes, French hot chocolate is reason alone to book your next trip! If you needed any more inspiration, gathered here is this humble foodie’s guide to Paris, balancing timeless haunts with the thrill of our new and recent discoveries. Bon Apetit.
Explore our full guide for things to do, see and eat in Paris, here.
A Foodie’s Guide To Paris
Restaurants With A View
Girafe
The breezy outdoor terrace of this hyper-stylish restaurant is the place to park yourself at during warmer months, positioning you right onto Place du Trocadero with an unencumbered view of the Eiffel Tower. The menu majors in seafood and the limited vegetarian options (including a truffled pasta) are admittedly not all that memorable, although the experience certainly makes up for it with our afternoon unfurling at a languid pace, soundtracked by soft chatter and the delicate clink of wine glasses. 1 Pl. du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75016 | https://girafe-restaurant.com/en/
Perruche
Translating to parakeet in French, Perruche is perched atop Le Printemps, one of our favourite Parisian department stores, lending a bird’s eye shot of the city’s skyline. If you can’t make it for a breezy brunch amidst their chic rooftop garden, worry not mon chérie. Perruche’ scenic bar is the ideal spot for a sunset cocktail too! Printemps De L’Homme, 2 Rue du Havre 9ème étage, 75009 | https://perruche-restaurant.com/en/
Best Hot Chocolate in Paris
Carette
This rustic cafe in Paris’ oldest planned square, Place des Vosges, may be single-handedly responsible for making a viral Instagram-sensation of classic French-style hot chocolate. Decadently-dark and served with a heaping swoop of Chantilly cream – Carette’s signature cups of hot chocolate are nothing short of swoon-worthy, best paired with buttery bites of choux pastries! 4 Pl. du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre, 75016
Angelina’s
With outposts around the world from New York to Doha, one may wonder – is there still a charm to visiting Angelina’s original location opposite Paris’ Jardin de Tuileries. Mais, oui, bien sûr (but yes, of course!). Chocolat chaud at this iconic tea house still contends amongst our top picks for the “best hot chocolate in Paris,” although truth be told, we revisit as much for the chic ambience, parade of people-watching and pastries too exquisite to eat, including Angelina’s legendary Mont Blanc. https://www.angelina-paris.fr
Bucket-List Restaurants
Tekés
Translating to “ceremony” in Hebrew, the all-vegetarian restaurant is helmed by Assaf Granit, the chef credited with bringing bold Middle Eastern-Israeli cooking to Paris. Run by Cécile Levy, a chef of Franco-Moroccan and Israeli heritage, the eclectic menu marries a confluence of cultural inspirations with Jerusalem’ traditional cooking practices over charcoal, flames and ember. Dishes are spiced with the usual suspects from sumac to zaa’tar, but suffused with a startling twist. Sabich for instance (the classic pita-stuffed sandwich) metamorphoses into an open-faced sandwich layered with Japanese eggplant tempura. “Chicken liver” steals the show, starring caramelized onions and mushrooms mixed tableside. The evening is noisy, cheerful and a celebration in itself. 4 bis Rue Saint-Sauveur, 75002 | https://www.tekesrestaurant.com
Breizh
Brunch is worth the accompanying wait at Breizh, a rustic pared-down café in the Marais district, championing Breton galletes. With its original outpost in Japan, Breizh is in fact the Breton word for the French region of Britanny. Their sweet and savoury buckwheat crêpes are a thing of beauty, delicately latticed and crisp around the edges, giving way to an unexpectedly-delicious compilation of fillings. 109 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris | https://www.breizhcafe.com/le-marais
Dragon
If you close your eyes and dream of a sultry Parisian bar, it may resemble something like Dragon. . Discreetly tucked away in an eponymous side street of St Germain, rue de Dragon , this intimate cocktail bar reflects the “je ne sais quoi” factor characteristic of Cyril Lignac who is also behind the achingly-cool Bar des Prés on the same street. The interiors are as moody as they are incandescent, constellating on a sleek jade onyx bar foiled by fiery shades of red blazing through the diminutive space. A few craft cocktails down, we stay on for Lignac’s signature Franco-East Asian menu, which takes shape in a parade of small sharing plates spanning the spectrum from marinated yellowtail and vibrant salads to delicate parcels of gyoza and yuzu aubergine speckled with sesame. 34 Rue du Dragon 75006 | https://cyrillignac.com/en/
historic cafes
The legacy of pioneering philosophers, artists and literary greats from Picasso to Sartre lives on at the cafés they all but lived in, Les Deux Magots and Café de Flore on Boulevard Saint-Germain. Café de Flore is the quintessential Existentialist café where Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir shaped a new line of philosophical thinking, while Hemingway, Picasso and Julia Child were just a few of the prolific patrons at Les Deux Magots. Today these cafés thrive on a frission of their gloried past and whilst they are mostly filled with tourists, they remain one of our favourite places to spend an idyl part of an afternoon with a book in one hand and a coffee in the other!
The Unmissable
- Fabula : This pop-up terrace restaurant is a hidden gem, open only between the warmer months of May through to October. Nestled within the Carnavalet museum’s verdant courtyard, the breezy al fresco cafe sets a whimsical frame for a pick-me-up coffee in the midst of your meanders through Le Marais’ storied neighbourhood. 16 Rue des Francs Bourgeois, 75004 Paris | https://www.fabula.paris
- Cedric Grolet: Grolet is a pastry chef who needs no introduction. Known world-over for his modern take on classic French desserts, his exquisite pastries have been reason alone to saunter into Le Meurice’ elegant hotel in the heart of Paris. The celebrated patissier is also at the helm of an eponymous bakery/cafe at 35 avenue de l’Opéra. With the surrounding hype showing no signs of ebbing any time soon, you’ll have to get there early if you fancy snaffling his signature croissants. Gloriously-golden and marrying crisp buttery layers with an impossibly-light flakiness – they’re certainly worth the wait. 35 avenue de l’Opéra, 75002 Paris | https://cedric-grolet.com/opera/en/
- Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet: the food halls of Paris offer a chic experience for discovering all varieties of produce from fresh fruits, meats and cheeses to pantry staples. They also shelter some of the most underrated homegrown brands, such as l’Eclair de Genie’s impeccable choux pastries and eclairs which can be found in Galeries Lafayette Le Gourmet, alongside the likes of Maison de la Truffe which is a must-visit for all those keen on truffles! 35 Bd Haussmann, 75009 Paris | https://haussmann.galerieslafayette.com/en/category/universes/gourmet-en/
Leave a Reply