Originally published in Condé Nast Traveler.
Paris is a moveable feast, indeed, and most visitors tend to wonder: what are the spots every foodie shouldn't miss? From luxurious department stores to quirky bottle shops, coffee roasters to an English language cooking school, we've crafted an enviable itinerary of edible adventures for a DIY food tour. These are our picks for the best places to snack, sip, learn, and, when you inevitably must leave, to stock your suitcase with souvenirs.
Let’s start with scale. Where are we between global flagship and neighborhood boutique?
O/HP/E is a silly name, but it also gets right to the heart of what's sold in this elegant little concept shop; that is, objects, homemade pâtisserie, and épicerie. Indeed, the bright and minimalist shop packs in a café with a seating area, a bakery, an épicerie, and a home-goods section.
Excellent! What can we find here, or what should we look for?
In the housewares section, you’ll find a carefully curated collection of pretty paper goods, guide books, notebooks, coffee equipment, and modern decor. In the épicerie, stock up on hard-to-find honeys like carrot or coriander, English jams, and containers of O/HP/E’s house cookies. The café, meanwhile, serves homemade sweets, coffee from Terre de Café, P&T teas, Sassy ciders, and juices from Borderline.
If money’s no object, what goes in the cart?
A jar of shop's artisanal version of Nutella, which is made with Piedmontese hazelnuts and Ecuadorian cocoa—and no palm oil.
And … what if we’re on a strict budget?
Chow down on one of the reasonably priced pastries, like a classic croissant or a nid d’abeille, a brioche bun stuffed with vanilla pastry cream and topped with honey and sliced almonds.
Who else shops here?
Friends and neighbors catching up over a pastry, plus quiet solo readers sipping tea.
Any secret tips, or “don’t go home without” purchases? All pastries are made on-site; make sure to pop into the back room for a peek into the pastry laboratory through the Plexiglas wall. Seating is limited so be prepared to take your treats to-go, if needed.
Let’s start with scale. Where are we between global flagship and neighborhood boutique?
You’ll find products from Terroirs d’Avenir all over the city, often without knowing it, as the shop started as a food supplier to star chefs and restaurants. It's now branched out to offer the same quality products to customers at a butchery, poissonnerie, bakery, and grocery, a retail quartet perched along rue du Nil in the 2nd arrondissement. The company has another collection of small food shops in the 11th arrondissement, too.
Excellent! What can we find here, or what should we look for?
Terroirs d’Avenir is the key link in the supply chain between small producers who grow heirloom fruits, veggies, and grains, farmers who raise meat and poultry flavorfully and humanely, fishermen who sustainably source seafood, and us: the consumers and/or chefs. Stroll along the rue du Nil and you’ll be in for a cornucopia of tasty, ethical food options between the four shops; it's like a beautifully designed and permanent farmers market.
If money’s no object, what goes in the cart?
Meat and seafood. The butcher shop works exclusively with whole animals, and offers a range of game birds, specially cured dry-aged grass-fed steaks—hard to find in France—and the poulette affinée La Cour d’Armoise, a chicken straight from a Portlandia sketch: It's raised by a sixth-generation poultry man who feeds it a special diet of 25 wild herbs. Walk farther down the market street and you’ll find sweet blue lobsters from Brittany, which aren’t available at your average seafood shop.
And … what if we’re on a strict budget?
A humble loaf of bread made with heirloom grains from the bakery. The pastries and breads are made with flours you won’t find elsewhere, and they’re not extravagantly priced.
Who else shops here?
Chef Gregory Marchand made rue du Nil a foodie hotspot with his Frenchie mini empire (the eponymous restaurant and its siblings), so you'll find gastronomes wandering up and down this tiny street, now a true food-lover's mecca.
Any secret tips, or “don’t go home without” purchases? There are very few streets with rue du Nil's high-density concentration of quality food shops and restaurants; it’s really a special experience to ping-pong back and forth from one half of the sleepy side street to the other.
Let’s start with scale. Where are we between global flagship and neighborhood boutique?
This is the flagship location for award-winning fromager and affineur Laurent Dubois, who has been awarded the rare honor of Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF), which distinguishes him as one of the best in his industry. The cheeses are displayed as beautifully and pristinely as jewels in a case.
Excellent! What can we find here, or what should we look for?
An exceptional selection of top-quality cheeses, many of them aged on-site by Dubois and his staff, plus dairy products like yogurt, butter, and crème fraîche.
If money’s no object, what goes in the cart?
Sweet and nutty Comté cheese is one of the most popular cheeses in France. Here, Laurent Dubois does a particularly excellent version; make a beeline for the back of the shop, where you can sample Comtés at a variety of ages to see which you like best.
And … what if we’re on a strict budget?
The goat's cheese selection here is extraordinary. You can find one at every price point, and because goat’s cheeses tend to be priced by the piece rather than by weight, you’ll know exactly how much you’re paying upfront.
Who else shops here?
Well-heeled gourmets and camera toting tourists. People trek across the city and from around the world for Dubois' hard-to-find artisanal products.
Any secret tips, or “don’t go home without” purchases?The case to the left as you enter features original cheeses from Dubois, like boozy Calvados-drenched apples sandwiched inside a round of Camembert and a nougat-like aged gouda studded with nuts.
To read the rest of the article, head over to Condé Nast Traveler.
