I’ve been going to write a post about Brussels recommendations for aaages, also since I’m asked for advise from time to time and then usually have to storm my brain like from zero, don’t remember names and can’t find places online… Now here comes Paris first, because I’m afraid I might forget things there, soon. Purple are places I haven’t been to, myself, but that are on my own list for next time. Of course I can’t really recommend those, but why not share them? Please keep in mind that I don’t know if all this information is still up to date! If you find mistakes – don’t hesitate but let me know! And please also consider that I’m not a local of Paris. This is simply based on what saw and liked.
Food and Restaurants:
I can’t give you a detailed restaurant guide for Paris, I’m sorry. Had to keep my money together and decided to save at this point and moreover I don’t like eating at a proper restaurant when I’m on my own. But nevertheless here are some things I liked:
Le Paradis du Fruit + Falafel in the street
Le Paradis du Fruit:
Grands Boulevards/Blvd des Italiens/near Opera (2nd or 9th)
Great selection of dishes, drinks and deserts with a focus on healthy food and fruits, of course! But they also offer heavy, yummy stuff like ice cream with Brownies. Stylish interior. NOT your typical French place. One option is to compose your meal by choosing sauce, supplement and 3 + main dishes from the menu. I went for fruit rice with Balsamic sauce, chicken sticks, aubergine mousse and Falafel. Soo good but way too much for me. Frozen yogurt with pineapple, kiwi and an espresso for desert was delicious, too! Actually this was the beginning of my love for frozen yoghurt.
Chez Marianne
4th/Marais, Rue des Rosiers
Must admit I haven’t been there but I love the building, which is all covered by ivy, since I saw it for the first time. Maybe next time!
Le Tresor
4th/Marais/7 Rue Trésor/close to Rue Vieille du Temple
I’ve been there with my Parisian friends, it’s been a while and all I remember is that I really liked it. You can sit down outside, it’s less packed than other places in Marais but still all the pretty bars in Rue Vieille du Temple are just around the corner.
Falafel
4th/Rue des Rosiers/Marais
I just mentioned that I don’t like to sit down in a restaurant when I’m on my own. That’s one of the reasons why I often went to Marais to have some Falafel in the street. Other reasons are that it became a favourite dish and that I simply love Marais and the Jewish culture there. You’ll find a lot of places that sell Falafel in Rue des Rosiers, and two of them are claiming to sell the best ones, but I don’t remember the names and a quick google search doesn’t help, I’m sorry. David Leibowitz recommends L’As du Fallafel here. Don’t miss his other tips!
Rue Mouffetard
5th/Quartier Latin
Rue Mouffetard is one of the oldest streets of Paris and close to (or better to say in the) university district. Besides being a sight itself, there are plenty of little and less expensive restaurants and often Street Markets. I sat down at a little square, hadn’t noticed that it wasn’t the restaurant of which I had studied the menu in the street, nevertheless had a yummy Cesar Salad, but then realised that apparently I had ended up in one of the few not THAT cheap places….
For next time Hôtel Costes is on my list. Because I love Stephane Pompougnac’s music….
You can use the hair straightener in the restroom of Le Tresor
Chains :
Brioche Dorée
This place offers a great variety of delicious sandwiches and sweet French stuff. I went for “Vesuvio” (tomatoes, mozzarella, vegetables), Chicken Curry or Chicken sandwich. Luckily it was very close to my school, but you can find it everywhere in Paris, I think. I couldn’t believe it, when I spotted one at Munich Central Station after I was back.
Exki
Grands Boulevards/9 Blvd des Italiens/close to Opera + many more
I know and love Exki from Belgium. It follows a “quality food” concept, and offers salads, sandwiches, soups and sweet things. When will it finally come to Germany?
Quick
Not much explanation here. I love Quick as a fast food chain only because we don’t have it in Germany and so it’s connected to lovely moemories of Belgium and France.
Bars :
at Buddha bar - Le Progres – Buddha Bar
Buddha bar
8th/8 Rue Boissy d'anglas/next to Place Concorde, behind Hôtel Crillon, close to Champs Elysées
Bar and restaurant but we only went for drinks. Don’t know if I’d really recommend it. If you don’t mind spending a little more on your drink and like the famous lounge music compilations and the “rich” atmosphere, you should go! The huge Buddha statue in the middle of the room is nice to look at, too! If you’re just up for a casual drink, it might not be the perfect destination. Very chic!
Footsie
2nd/10-12 rue Daunou/close to Operá
Footsie is the nickname of the stock exchange of London. And that’s the concept of this bar. Drinks’ prizes go up and down according to demand. Overall I’d call it reasonably prized even despite its location. Only alcohol-free drinks were expensive in relation to the rest – due to demand, of course. I liked the music and people also dance there. NOT your French nostalgia place. I’d call it “medium-chic”. It was packed when we were there.
No specific places:
My favourite area to go for drinks is Marais again. Especially in Rue Vieille du Temple there are so many bars, I don’t really remember many names. La Perle, Les Philosophes and further up Le Progres are in my pictures ;). Typical “French” bars and a great, atmosphere – sophisticated, a little alternative, Parisian and at the same time very International.
A few years ago I stayed at my friends’ place in the 7th arrondissement and I remember some nice cocktail bars close to École Militaire, at crossroads of Ave. de la Bourdonnais. Online I only find Café Le Dome, at 149 Rue Saint-Dominique, and so I’ll give you this as a hint where to look for the bars, when you’re staying in this area.
Lots of bars in St. Germain too, of course, but I never found one I really loved. St. Germain is for during the day (for me!).
Cafés:
Angelina – Le Nemours – Les Deux Magots
Le Nemours
Place Colette/close to Louvre, Tuileries, Rue St. Honoré (1st I think)
Le Nemours, close to the Louvre, Rue St. Honoré and the Tuileries became my favourite café, I think. I love the location at Place Colette, next to the Comèdie Francaise. Even though it’s right in the middle of everything you’ll find a relaxed atmosphere outside, between the high, nearly white pillars. Perfect for having a coffee on your own while reading or writing. Food is said to be very good, too, great service and beautiful Art Nouveau style inside. I’d call it THE perfect French experience!
Les Deux Magots
5th/6 Place St. Germain des Prés/Boulevard St. Germain
Les Deux Magots, its neighbour, Café de Flore and La Coupole in Montparnasse are probably the most famous cafes in Paris. Hemingway, Picasso and Simone de Beauvoir are just a few of the well-known people who used to go there. It’s extremely busy at times and one can’t deny that it’s a see to be seen place. You might have the chance of sitting next to Karl Lagerfeld or Alain Delon and often have paparazzi running around in front of it. I have to say that this situation isn’t really my cup of – well - coffee but I was there with a “local” friend for breakfast during the week. It was very quiet and cosy then, coffee and pain au chocolat affordable and delicious, very good service, and I like the location – at Blvd St. Germain right next to the old Romanic church of St. Germain. Perfect start of the day! Next time maybe Café de Flore but only for breakfast during the week.
Angelina
Angelina offers delicious and creative cake creations. And Macarons, of course! The top dessert is called “Mont Blanc” but I didn’t have that one, because I don’t like cream. There are several of their cafés in Paris, and I’ve only been to the one at Tuileries. Very pretty, rich, baroque interior, but too packed with people IMO, which somehow contradicts the exclusive ambience (and stresses me). Maybe I was not overwhelmed simply because one can’t sit outside there and it was such a beautiful, warm day, when we went.
Rue Vielle de Temple in Marais, again is a general recommendation.
A bar I’d like to go to next time is the Vogue Bar at Hôtel Crillon, which is open ONLY during Fashion Week. link Another one I’ve read about recently is Coutume Café in the 7th arrondissement. link Also in the 7th, but it seemed to be full of business men, when I passed by: L’esplanade.
Sweeties in the street: Frozen yoghourt, Macarons and Crêpes
Crêpes
I love Crêpes and found my favourites in the street at St. Michel, close to the fountain. I tried those after I had been waiting (and ignored by the seller) at a proper Crêperie a few meters further. Found them rather better than those I had in more expensive places.
Macarons
La Durée are the most famous ones, Pierre Hermé is said to make the best ones, but I preferred Georges Larnicol. You’ll find him in St. Germain and at Rue St.Honoré in Marais. link. Ok, maybe I should add that the queues at the other two places simply scared me….
Frozen Yogurt
I loved the one at my berri in Marais, Rue Vieille du Temple. My favourite: simply pineapple as a topping. http://www.myberry.eu/link
Ice cream
Almost the first thing we were told at language school was that Berthillon made the best ice cream of Paris. And it’s true. ;) link
Clubs:
VIP Room
Champs Elysées no wait, it seems to have moved to 1st/188 Rue St. Honoré
I’ve only been to one proper club in Paris and that was VIP Room on Champs Elysées (not anymore!). Very nice place, very expensive and full of beautiful people. Also liked the music (in 2007). The bathrooms are quite strange, full of mirrors. Entering might be difficult, I don’t know, my longchamp and I were let in (little reference to the designer bags around me) but I was out with my very pretty best guy-friend. Very chic!
I’d love to see more clubs in Paris, other names I come across from time to time are Le Baron, Le Cabaret, Les Bains, Man Ray, Maxim…
Favourite place for recovering during an exhausing Paris day
For me it’s the parc of Musée Rodin in the 7th arrondissement, 21, Boulevard des Invalides. Beautiful gardens with some space for resting. There are even some sculptures but you don’t have to pay an entrance fee.
Museums:
I’ll keep this short, but my favourites are the Musée Rodin, de l’Orangerie and d’Orsay. Centre Pompidou always has some nice exhibitions, too! Next time hopefully Musée Marmottan and Quai Branley!
Shopping:
shoes shoes shoes at Lafayette. I want the Chanel flats, please!
First: the big department stores:
My favourite here is Galeries Lafayette (Blvd Haussman, Operá): You’ll find the high end brands, the popular French ones like Maje, Sandro, Petit Bateau …. but also high street names like Mango or French Connection. Look at the website to find out, what they offer. On the ground floor there’s a huge make-up department, that has MAC, Benefit, Bobbi Brown etc etc. It’s just always very busy. Besides the shopping aspects I like the copula that is topping the make-up department and the rooftop terrace. You’ve got a splendid view towards Sacre Coeur.
Other big names are Le Bon Marché in Montparnasse, Printemps right next to Galeries Lafayette and the concept store Colette.
Grands Boulevards/Madeleine/down to Tuileries
Around Operá and Grands Boulevards there are many high street stores, like Zara, Mango, h&m, but also Repetto and that Uniqlo store I read about online lately. When you move further down towards Tuileries it becomes very expensive, so only window shopping for me here… You’ll find the top high end, but also not THAT high end French designers like Gerard Darel. Place Vendome is famous for its jewellery designers, for example Chanel’s jewellery department. There’s also the Ritz Hotel. Just around the corner there’s Rue Cambon with Chanel’s Couture House. Good for a sightseeing stroll! Oh, and La Durée has a busy store at Madeleine, too.
Champs Elysées
I wouldn’t recommend going there only for shopping, just too many tourists, but on the other hand it’s part of any sight seeing trip. I remember lots of high street (h&m, Zara, Mango, NafNaf), Louis Vuitton, tons of food, cinemas and another overcrowded La Duree. The HUGE sephora should be mentioned, too.
Le Forum des Halles Shopping Centre
If you don’t care for a nice shopping atmosphere but want to shop the High Street I’d recommend this shopping centre. It’s very big so you’ll find a lot within a few metres. French High Street stores like NafNaf and jennifer(?); André, eram and Minelli for shoes, the European ones you find everywhere, but also New Look for example. Moreover FNAC, Kiko cosmetics and lots of small accessories stores, but really 0,0000 pretty. There are also lots of places that offer food, internet hot spots, a public swimming pool and cinemas.
St. Michel/St. Germain/Montparnasse
For shopping the above mentioned French high street stores in nice surroundings I’d recommend Blvd St. Michel. There’s also a MAC store which is usually less busy than the counters in the big department stores. Around the corner in Blvd. St Germain it becomes pricier. The main house of Sonia Rykiel is there, for example, and around the St. Germain des Prés church also Dior etc. I also remember a Montblanc store and some of the French “usual suspects”, like Isabel Marant, Gerard Darel. When you move away from the big boulevard you will find many little boutiques, interesting stores and galleries to check out. In Rue de Rennes which goes from Blvd St. Germain up to the tower of Montparnasse you find high street stores like NafNaf, Mango etc again. St. James was there, too, if I remember well. Le Bon Marché isn’t far, either.
Marais:
If it wasn’t that full of tourists, Marais would probably be my favourite shopping corner. Many boutiques, galleries, Maje, Sandro, Les Petits, Zadig&Voltaire and Cos. In Rue Vieille du Temple there’s also an Aesop cosmetics store – I had read about this brand on French blogs, a lot. And a very nice tea store. I got some cooled flavoured Ceylon tea to taste and really bought it right away. “Only” as a present for a friend, but I somehow regret not having got two. Other remarkable stores were the Jewish bookstore right next to the Chez Marianne restaurant, a lomography store and a very well selected magazine store when you walk from the lomography one towards Les Halles. Closer to Hôtel de Ville you will find more high street stores, once again.
Marais: Zadig et Voltaire and the window of the Jewish bookstore
Passy
In Rue de Passy in the 16th arrondissement there are a lot of mid and high end stores, too. It’s a lot quieter than other areas. At the cheaper side I remember Kookai, Cos, Mac and Zara home.
Bookstores
My no. 1 favourite here is Shakespeare and Company at Seine river, you’ll pass by it when waking from St. Michel towards Nôtre Dame(pix). For French books I recommend Gilbert Jeune at St. Michel, it’s so packed with books, I like that feeling! Big chain shops that sell books are Virgin and FNAC, which you will find in many corners of Paris. For magazines apart from the store in Marais I’d recommend to take a look at any kiosk in the street. I found them a lot better selected than the ones here in Germany.
Letters are dancing in front of my eyes now, yet I hope that this posting is ok to read, and gives some help! Have fun in Paris!! :)
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