© Aquasale Meersalz via Flickr
Paris is full of fine food stores, caterers, chocolatiers and other confectioners! With Christmas just around the corner, do some shopping at the Lafayette Maison & Gourmet fine food store for a meal with good regional flavours, all accompanied by a bottle of wine from the Caves du Louvre.
Other major stores in Paris, like the Bon Marché and its Grande Épicerie or the Printemps du Goût, also offer a selection of delicious products to serve on your table or put under the Christmas tree for your loved ones. Original spices, exceptional oils and vinegars, assortments of preserves... there's plenty to choose from! And don't forget to explore the well-stocked aisles of shops such as La Maison Plisson, Causses, the Italian grocer RAP, or the Asian grocer Tang Frères, to take your guests on a voyage of discovery.
To find delicious, prepared dishes, you can always order from certain restaurants, reserve seafood platters from your fishmonger, from the home delivery website Poiscaille, or from well-known establishments such as La Coupole or Le Dôme. The big names such as Lenôtre, Dalloyau and Fauchon are still the go-to restaurants for the festive season.
When it comes to drinks, wine shops have the best vintages to pair with your dishes. For beer lovers, the BapBap and Gallia breweries, among others, offer a wide range of made-in-Paris beer to suit all tastes. Serve as an aperitif or offer as a gift. As for spirits, you can always find what you're looking for at a number of specialists. La Maison du Whisky, La Maison du Saké, La Maison du Rhum, L'Extrabrut (specializing in Champagne) and La Cidrerie are sure to meet all your expectations. And if you're more of a tea and coffee connoisseur, take a look at Dammann, Mariage Frères, La Maison des Trois Thés or Betjeman & Barton for tea, and Caron, L’Arbre à Café, Coutume or the Caféothèque for coffee.
© P. Monnetta
For foodies, the choice is fantastic.
And that begins with chocolate of course! Chocolate is especially popular during the festive season, either as a gift or with coffee at the end of the meal (if you have any room left!). Some of the world's top chocolatiers offer attractive gift boxes or make-your-own assortments for the festive season. Some of the best in Paris? The house of Alain Ducasse, Patrick Roger, À la Mère de Famille (one of the city's oldest chocolate shops, well worth a visit), Jean Paul Hévin, the Maison du Chocolat, Pierre Marcolini, or very talented Edwart, Manufacture Cluizel, Jacques Genin, Alleno & Rivoir … One thing is sure, you won’t be able to resist them!
Paris, a patisserie capital. So don't hesitate to pick up a few sweet delights from some of Paris's best patisseries. On the morning of 25 December, opt for Praluline, the delicious praline brioche from master chocolatier Pralus, or Babka Zana's mouth-watering babkas. For desserts, take a look at those created by cake and pastry chefs such as Pierre Hermé, Jeffrey Cagnes, Philippe Conticini, Yann Couvreur, Benoît Castel, Stohrer, Sébastien Gaudart … You're sure to find something to treat yourself to, apart from the seasonal Yule logs!
Each year, everyone looks forward to the **traditional Christmas log**, which is always a new source of inspiration! Pastry chefs at Parisian palace hotels, including the Hôtel de Crillon, Le Meurice, or the Peninsula, big houses such as Lenôtre and Ladurée as well as the Café de la Paix put their signature on scrumptious original creations. True works of art, inspired by nature, childhood memories and by traditions and customs from near and afar.
Many gastronomic and regional products can be tasted and bought at Christmas markets where a festive ambience is guaranteed. And then there are the weekly Parisian markets that offer seasonal produce and which are ideal places to shop for the basics for your Christmas and New Year meals.
