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olive's top 10 must-visits for foodies in Paris
Where to stay in Paris
Local neighbourhood spotlight
Best restaurants in Paris
Best patisseries in Paris
Best food shops in Paris
Best bars in Paris
Best coffee shops in Paris
olive's top 10 must-visits for foodies in Paris
We've included insider information about what to order where below, plus plenty more places to visit, but for those who want a quick insight into our favourite spots in the city, here is our pick...
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- For an old school bistro: Le Pantruche
- For steak frites: Aux Bons Crus
- For boulangerie treats: Mamiche
- The must-visit market: Marché des Enfants Rouges
- For cheese fans: Crémerie Rochechouart
- For co*cktails: Little Red Door
- For a lazy Sunday brunch: Les Enfant Perdus
- For picnic supplies: Maison Plisson
- For a group dinner: Boubalé
Where to stay in Paris
Le Grand Mazarin, Le Marais
- Doubles from £515, check availability at booking.com or expedia.co.uk
With twin inspirations of Wes Anderson’s Grand Budapest Hotel (hence the purple-clad staff) and Alice in Wonderland, Le Grand Mazarin achieves an impressive feat of being full of eclectic colours and patterns, yet still remaining a chic and calm oasis in the heart of the bustling Le Marais district. The hotel has 61 rooms and suites, an indoor pool, restaurant, bar, courtyard dining and gym.
There is an extraordinary level of detail to discover in every corner of the hotel, including nearly 500 artworks scattered throughout. Bedrooms are decorated with carefully sourced vintage objects, custom rugs and Murano light fittings. Rooms are bold and colourful yet always elegant. Think raspberry pink walls, tapestry canopies over beds and yellow tiles in the bathrooms. Extra touches such as Diptyque toiletries in the waterfall showers and curtains that close from a touch of a button by your bed add a luxurious feel. If you can drag yourself away from the comfy bed or super warm underground pool, don’t miss the gym with stone vaulted ceilings and chandeliers, surely the prettiest place to work out in the city.
In the morning, breakfast is served in the colourful surroundings of hotel restaurant Boubalé. The buffet is laden with croissants, cakes, madeleines and brioche, with butter served in chic mini tins. Don’t miss the warm chocolate chip hazelnut cookies.
Hotel Panache
- From £108, check availability at booking.com, mrandmrssmith.com, expedia.co.uk or lastminute.com
Charmingly wonky, with an intriguing jigsaw of room shapes, and super chic, thanks to Dorothée Meilichzon’s textile-led design, Hôtel Panache occupies a wedge-shaped corner of the 9th arrondissem*nt.
Spread over seven higgledy-piggledly floors, the hotel’s 40 bedrooms share certain features, such as fancy filament pendant lights, tiled bathrooms, and lots of fabric and colour toning (blues or pinks, depending on the floor). Some individual rooms are decorated with striking wallpaper or metallics, and a few have tiny balconies – not to be sniffed at in summer.
Your everyday breakfast spread (not included in the room rate: it’s €18 extra) is an enjoyable offering of viennoiseries, thick yoghurt, hams, cheeses and dried figs, apricots and almonds. We loved the seasonal fruit juices from Provençal producers Kookabarra. At weekends, the popular brunch menu runs from Iberian charcuterie and scrambled eggs to an excellent club sandwich or fish n’ chips, via granola and maple syrup crêpes.
Local neighbourhood spotlight: The 11th
Weekenders often stick to the single-figure arrondissem*nts but if you’re willing to head slightly further out you’ll find a dynamic foodie hotspot around Charonne Metro in the historically working class 11th arrondissem*nt. Bertrand Grébaut’s rustic, unpretentious fine dining restaurant Septime is the area’s big hitter (book three weeks in advance, or try for a lunchtime table) but if you don’t manage to get a reservation, try Grébaut’s nearby walk-in-only spot, Clamato for sublime seafood.
At Le Petit Keller, Kaori Endo serves exciting French/Japanese fusion food (a là mackerel donburi bowls with marinated, poached eggs) served with natural wines, while Mokonuts Cafe and Bakery bakes the best cookies in Paris.
Where to stay
The handily located Eden Lodge is Paris’ only zero carbon guesthouse and serves a communal organic breakfast in the garden.
Doubles from £187, check availability at booking.com
Best restaurants in Paris
Le Pantruche
For an old school bistro
Although it opened in 2011, Le Pantruche feels old-school. Slide onto a banquette, unfurl a white napkin, and eat deftly executed classics such as braised ris de veau (sweetbreads), scallops with cauliflower purée, or roast sucking pig with pear, celery and chestnut, followed by Grand Marnier soufflé or cheese from dairy royalty Pascal Beillevaire. The team’s stablemate, nearby Caillebotte, is equally admirable. facebook.com/LePantruche
Les Enfant Perdus
For a French brunch
An elegant Parisian neighbourhood bistro whose vintage wooden bar is lined with liqueurs and a gigantic coffee machine, this is a great place for an aperitif (we’re fans of a Kir Royal), a co*cktail (they specialize in juleps) or a leisurely glass of wine (you can also buy bottles to take home from the wine shop across the road).
It’s real pull, however, is weekend brunch. Sink into squishy white cushions in the bistro’s conservatory room and enjoy an excellent value (£27 for three courses) brunch menu. Platters of classic goat’s cheese salad, perhaps, or olive and cheese muffins, eggs cocotte, tiny parcels of cheese- and herb-filled pasta and thinly sliced duck breast. Mini viennoiseries, generous baskets of fresh bread and condiments, fruit juice and the house hot chocolate fill any gaps left. les-enfants-perdus.com
Aux Bons Crus
For steak frites
In the heart of the 11ème, Aux Bons Crus stays true to its humble roots. Reserve a gingham-clothed table for hearty bistro dishes: steak-frites with delightfully gloopy bearnaise, Lyonnaise-style quenelles de brochet or tender tête de veau. auxbonscrus.fr
Boubalé
Even if you don't stay at Le Grand Mazarin hotel, the hotel restaurant Boubalé is worth a visit. The colourful dining room is perfect for a cosy date in the corner or a big group dinner at the round central tables. Meaning 'little darling' in Yiddish, Boubalé combines Mediterranean and Eastern European flavours: expect generous chicken schnitzel, cheesy risotto and a top notch bread selection. Don't miss the signature 'benimousse' dessert of chocolate mousse, olive oil and Maldon salt. boubaleparis.com
Judy
For nourishing comfort food
Winter menus in Paris don’t all major on melted cheese. At St Germain’s uber-chic but daytime-only cantine, Judy, there’s a nourishing spin on seasonality: spiced almond milk hot chocolates, paleo pancakes and sweet potato waffles. judy-paris.com
Dilia
For Italian flavours
Hike up the hill from Ménilmontant to find a seriously inventive Italian tasting menu at Dilia. In a bare-brick dining room, at tables decorated with posies, feast on courgette tortellini or linguini with rascasse then onglet served pink with salsa verde. dilia.fr
Best patisseries in Paris
Looking for more patisserie recommendations?
Author and baker Edd is an expert in patisserie and in this episode of the olive podcast he shares his 10 must-visit shops, plus the best sweet things to sample from each.
Best food shops in Paris
Marché des Enfants Rouges
Best indoor street market
Tucked behind wrought iron gates on the rue de Bretagne, Marché des Enfants Rouges is the oldest covered market in Paris, and a protected historic landmark, having first been founded in 1615. The market takes its name from the former orphanage on whose site it stands (its children wore red jackets) and, having evolved over the centuries, is now both a charmingly haphazard affair and a destination dining hotspot. Aromas of Moroccan, Lebanese, African and Japanese food stalls all mingle here to delicious effect – try fluffly couscous from Le Traiteur Marocain, or crêpes and sandwiches from Chez Alain Miam Miam. marchedesenfantsrougesfr.com
Crémerie Rochechouart
For new cheese discoveries
On the eastern slopes of South Pigalle, Crémerie Rochechouart is an old-fashioned encyclopaedia of a cheese shop, stocking pretty much every style, from obvious to obscure. Pick up some comté (young and nutty or the ultra umami 24-month aged version), or the highly transportable vieille mimolette.
Maison Plisson
For artisan products
There’s no better one-stop shop for picnic provisions than Maison Plisson, France’s answer to Daylesford. The locally sourced produce, cold-pressed juices and array of breads make this a local favourite. Pick up a crunchy country loaf and some tapenade to compose your own sandwich. maisonplisson.com
Taka & Vermo
For French cheeses
Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis hasn’t quite shaken off its seedy past, but change is slowly on the way. Artisan fromager Taka & Vermo is one its shining stars. Stop by this minimalist boutique to stock up on winter classics, perhaps a blue-veined Morbier or Mont d’Or ripe for baking in its box. takavermo.fr/
Ground Control
For street food
Occupying the ex-industrial Halle Charolais on the edge of the Gare de Lyon, Ground Control’s sprawling community spaces offer everything from yoga classes to street food. Sample dishes from the roster of chefs at La Résidence, run in collaboration with Refugee Food Festival – perhaps Syrian mezze and shawarma followed by riz au lait from project mentor Stéphane Jégo. groundcontrolparis.com
Best bars in Paris
Little Red Door
Best co*cktail bar in Paris
The team at this cosy bar operate an Evocative Menu; customers are asked to take a leap of faith and choose a co*cktail not by preferred ingredients but by image. Appropriately, the Little Red Door is set in the backstreets of Paris’ arty Enfants-Rouge district (in the 3rd arrondissem*nt, the area takes its name from a covered market, Paris’ oldest, which is itself named after an orphanage that once stood on the site) and eleven artists, from tattoo artists to fashion designers and painters, were invited in for co*cktails and asked to create a visual representation of the feelings each co*cktail evoked. Those collected images now work as an alternative drinks menu, or an interactive picture book for adults if you like, complete with pull-out lists of ingredients if you really don’t like surprises. Sink into a chair on the bar’s more private mezzanine level, or pull up a blue velvet barstool and be seduced by this charismatic, apron-clad team. lrdparis.com
Frenchie bar à vins
For a smart wine bar
During his time at Fifteen restaurant, Nantes-born chef Greg Marchand was nicknamed ‘Frenchie’ by Jamie Oliver. When he set up his own bistro in Paris that was the obvious name for it. Now, having taken the city by storm, Marchand has launched a bar à vins, a Frenchie-to-go spot and a new restaurant Frenchie back in London’s Covent Garden. Our preferred choice is the bar à vins (think wine bar): perch on a bar stool at one of its high wooden tables nestled into exposed-brick alcoves and pair French and international small-batch wines with artisan British cheeses from Neal’s Yard Dairy (yes, Greg has given a big fat nod of approval to the British cheese industry!). frenchie-bav.com
Le Renard
For affordable co*cktails
For cool co*cktails at cool prices, head to Le Renard (the “fox”), a locals’ spot just back from the Canal St Martin. Try the Chateaurenard with gin, lavender syrup, Suze, lime juice and egg white. animaux.bar/le-renard
Best coffee shops in Paris
KB Café Shop, South Pigalle
When you wake up and smell decent coffee in Paris, there’s often an Antipodean influence. Set up by a Frenchman ‘pining’ after a spell in Sydney, KB Café Shop (the KB is for ‘kooka boora’) is a cheery, laptop-friendly space where the carrot cake is homemade and the beans are roasted on site. kbcafeshop.com
Ten Belles
Ten Belles is worth heading to just to mooch along the charming neighbourhood street it’s set along. Pop into Bleuet Coquelicot, a teeny convent-turned-florist where greenery, flowers and tropical plants have colonised the building’s 17th-century tiling and murals. Then continue two doors down, to the trendy Ten Belles coffee shop, and perch on one of the funkily painted wooden stools that pepper the pavement outside this narrow, open-fronted café. Enjoy excellent Guatemalan and Honduran coffee, blended at Paris coffee star Thomas Lehoux’s roastery, Brulerie Belleville, with a sausage roll, cheese toastie or a savoury bun studded with cheese and chorizo. tenbelles.com
Vegan spots in Paris
La Guinguette d’Angèle
For a vegan lunch
Natural eating never looked (or tasted) as good as it does at La Guinguette d’Angèle. The perfect spot for a casual lunch, eat-in or takeaway veggie and gluten-free standouts include lentils on pesto rice with smoked tofu, hummus toast with roast vegetables and vegan hazelnut cake.
Jah Jah by Le Tricycle
For vegan salads
One of few fully vegan canteens in the city, Jah Jah by Le Tricycle blends reggae vibes with flavourful, rainbow-hued ingredients. Don’t miss the three vegan bowls (they rotate daily) and raw rolls with carrots, beets and papaya and Dakatine peanut dipping sauce -perfectly paired with a bissap-hibiscus tea. jahjahparis.com
IMA
For middle Eastern food in Paris
‘Mama’ in Hebrew, IMA excels at the kind of bountiful seasonal salads and Middle Eastern dishes that made Ottolenghi’s name: kale and brussels sprouts with hazelnuts and apples, Turkish galettes with za’atar, tomatoes and onion, and refreshing homemade ice teas. ima.paris
Café Méricourt
For a vegetarian café
This is a great vegetarian café in Paris. Equal parts coffee shop and canteen, Café Méricourt draws a crowd for dishes big on flavour and spice. Choose from shakshuka, green eggs with feta, vegetarian congee or granola with a generous helping of seasonal fruit. cafemericourt.com
Wild & the Moon
For juices
The greenery and reclaimed wood tables are a giveaway at Wild & the Moon: plant-focussed and organic are the operative words. The juice and veggie bar serves up spirulina smoothies, avocado wraps and colourful salads (try the twist on tabbouleh, with raw cauliflower, cucumber, mint, chickpeas and pomegranate). wildandthemoon.fr/
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How to get to Paris
If you want to continue your premium drinking experience right until the end of your trip, book a business Eurostar class ticket back to London and relax in the terminal’s business lounge while you wait to board your train.
