PARIS
PARIS
These are the spots in the city of love, light (& butter, unofficially) that I would want someone to tell me about if I didn’t live here.
voici ma vie à Paris ★
Eating & Drinking
restaurants
Margaux: they serve food so comforting that it makes me recall a childhood I never had, where I was fed until I was beyond full by a French grandmother. from leeks vinaigrette and smoked salmon with blinis to coquillettes with truffle and chocolate mousse by the heaping spoonful, this is one of my favorite restaurants. the view of the Eiffel Tower from everywhere in the room is the cherry on top. 10 avenue de New York, 75116.
La Fontaine de Mars: the best way to describe this bistro, which specializes in cooking from the southwest of France, is to call it ‘chaleureuse’ - cordial, warm, homelike. the atmosphere is just as wonderful as the food, whether you’re watching the fountain which the restaurant is named for or in a room with pretty floral wallpaper and checker print tablecloths. 129 rue Saint-Dominique, 75007.
Breizh Café: look no further than Breizh for the crêpe of your dreams. it’s a bit of Brittany in Paris, and I recommend going for a meal so you can experience both sarrasin (the magret de canard is my favorite) and dessert crêpes. 14 rue des Petits Carreaux, 75002.
Takuto: for a break from french food, I recommend this tiny sushi spot. they may specialize in hand rolls, but the chirashi bowl is a must. 71 rue de Seine, 75006.
Sourire de Vietnam: of course the vietnamese food in France is excellent. with its firm and silky noodles and lots of fresh chili, this is my favorite bowl of pho I’ve had yet. I also enjoy the papaya salad. 20 rue Scheffer, 75116.
Le Marché Président Wilson: though it’s not a restaurant, it is near impossible to walk from or to Iéna through the market without eating a meal-worth of food. you’ll be offered samples and tempted into buying a chèvre-miel man’ouché. there are beautiful fowls, scallops, oysters (which they’ll serve you on the half shell), every variety of cheese, produce, nuts, and rainbows of fresh flowers. it’s an education in what’s in season and an exercise in French small talk with sometimes flirty, always friendly vendors. market days are Wednesday and Saturday mornings. avenue du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris.
bars
Little Red Door: a chic and cozy bar with a fun cocktail menu. 60 Rue Charlot, 75003.
barhopping on rue Frochot: I love the little dives across from one another on this little street in Pigalle. they’re cute and buzzy with a comfortingly dingy vibe that I can’t help but enjoy. 75009.
cafés
Fauna: I will take the 9 to Oberkampf any day, so if there are cardamom rolls and outdoor seats involved, I’m all in. 12 rue Oberkampf, 75011.
Pâtisserie Viennoise: if you manage to squeeze into this itty-bitty café, you’ll have the best hot chocolate (ask for it with cream) in the whole city. I must, however, keep it real and suggest you spend your pastry euros/calories elsewhere. 8 rue de l’Ecole de Medecine, 75006.
pâtisseries & boulangeries
Aux Merveilleux de Fred: while the merveilleux are wonderful little treats, what I dream of often is their cramique sucre. they are so warm and delicious that I could eat one in its entirety in one sitting. 24 rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004.
Butterfly Pâtisserie: of course, any excuse to walk through the lobby of the Hôtel Crillon is wonderful, but heading to Butterfly is an especially welcome one. this is my favorite cake mabré. 6 rue Boissy d’Anglas, 75008.
Cédric Grolet: the creations you can get here approach unbelievability. there is little for me to say here besides that you must try them. pro tip: order ahead via click & collect from the Le Meurice location. you skip the line and if you select an early pickup time, you can snag some croissants as well. 35 avenue de l'Opéra, 75002.
Cyril Lignac: from beautifully-assembled large and small-form desserts that are never dense, to perfectly crusty, chewy, flavorful loaves of bread at locations scattered about the city, this bakery is easy to love. 133 rue de Sèvres 75006.
Ritz Paris le Comptoir: go for the madeleines and stay for the tall and skinny sandwiches. my personal favorite is the one with saumon fumé and aneth. 38 rue Cambon 75001.
Exploring
sites
la Sainte-Chapelle: I hadn’t visited this small, dazzling gothic church on Île de la Cité until I moved to Paris and am so grateful I finally did. I recommend it whenever anyone asks for suggestions. 10 boulevard du Palais, 75001 Paris
la Fondation Cartier: a contemporary art foundation which you might not spontaneously come across. it is always worth it to be on top of their expositions. 26 boulevard Raspail, 75014.
la Fondation Louis Vuitton: another museum you may not stumble upon without making plans to see it. even if the exhibit of the moment does not pique your interest (it probably will), I recommend visiting because the building and waterfall level are beautiful. at the very least you can have a nice meal or afternoon coffee at Le Frank, where I found my favorite frites outside of Brussels. 8 avenue du Mahatma Gandhi, 75016.
rue Montorgueil: on this little stretch you can select from many terrasses a post to people watch from while you sip a glass of wine. 75001-2.
Jardin du Luxembourg: speaking of people watching, I recommend admiring the Medici Fountains and then setting up camp on one of the gently reclined green chairs beside the fountain to soak up all the leisurely Paris you can. position yourself properly and you’ll notice the Eiffel Tower peering over the treeline to smile at you. 75006.
shops
Balzac: like Sézane’s playful younger cousin. the prints here are always fun, and their racks are also reliably filled with crisp staples. 82 rue d'Hauteville, 75010.
Fleux: three or four storefronts in the Marais, each one filled with more trinkets and tchotchkes than the last. 39 rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie, 75004.
Guerlain: who doesn’t need a personalized lipstick case which conveniently doubles as a pocket mirror ? 68 avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008.
Hervé Chapelier: my first week in Paris I got my small gray & light blue purse and not a single week has gone buy when I didn’t use it at least once. 1 rue du Vieux Colombier 75006.
Merci: a store full of baubles, clothing, and toiletries where you could spend anywhere from five minutes or five hours perusing. 111 Bd Beaumarchais, 75003.
Officine Universelle Buly: the customized combs, lip balms, and soaps are the ideal Paris souvenir. the lines are long, but for good reason: once you get inside this dark, apothecary-style boutique, one clerk helps you through the entire process and won’t roll their eyes no matter how many times you change your mind about which font you want your name written in. if you don’t have anything specific on your wishlist, the Marais location may be the way to go as lines there tend to be shorter, though selection is more limited. 6 rue Bonaparte, 75006.
Repetto: what can be said about the ballet flats at Repetto which has not already been said ? 22 rue de la Paix, 75002.
Sézane: finding the perfect sweater in the giant honeycomb of knit pieces is like your foot fitting into the glass slipper. and then you never want to take your new treasured accessory off. 63 boulevard des Batignolles, 75008.