Food & drink / Local

Treat yourself to a parisian craftsman

Paris, the world capital of gastronomy, yes but also artisanal!

© Antoine Buchet

Treat yourself at a food artisan’s in Paris

Paris is certainly a world capital for gastronomy, but also for artisanal food! Artisanal food products occupy a prominent place in Parisian restaurants, from family businesses established in local neighbourhoods to brand new concepts. Here are some great addresses, full of flavour!

Bakers and cake & pastry chefs

© Benoit Porteboeuf Flickr DR

Rue Yves Toudic, in the 10th arrondissement, has had a bakery since 1875! Christophe opened ‘Du Pain et des Idées’ there in 2020, where he produces bread and pastries according to artisanal traditions. Natural ingredients and traditional techniques guarantee delicious bread and pastries, including the famous ‘pain des amis’!

Take care when entering the ‘Emma Duvéré’ patisserie, you will find it difficult to leave! The shop opens for breakfast, brunch, lunch, snacks ... and dinner. Emma and her team make everything on site and in a friendly atmosphere as the kitchen is open and enables customers to see the making of financiers, cheesecakes, ‘gâteau de mamie’...

The Pajol Bakery loves bread, real bread! Here, there are no classic baguettes, but many different types of loaves of bread made with entirely natural sourdough, carefully selected flour, and various cereals sourced from farmers. In short, for an old-fashioned bakery, head to Rue Philippe de Girard in the 18th arrondissement.

More info : the best patisseries in Paris and Parisian pastries

Ice cream makers

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Rue Mouffetard and Rue des Lombards are home to the ‘Gelati Alberto’ shops where ice-cream making has been handed down for three generations! Made on site every day and in a traditional way, these amazing ice creams in the shape of a flower combine classic and daring flavours, such as violet, popcorn or red bull vodka.

Fabien Foenix’ has been delighting passers-by at Porte de Champerret for 34 years. Sorbets and ice cream in the form of desserts, cookies, take-out pots or frozen logs are the result of his many travels and talents. The former have enabled him to perfectly master flavours such as Madagascar vanilla or Sicilian pistachio, while the latter are perfected daily in his shop.

For artisanal frozen yogurt, head to ‘Chacun ses goûts’ in Rue Montorgueil, an original shop established by three school friends who have decided to let customers compose their own frozen dessert! Everyone chooses from a wide range of fresh products and flavours of ice cream and yogurt, then mixes and matches their creation as they wish.

More info : where to eat ice creams in Paris?

Chocolatiers

© Lenôtre

Tucked away in the heart of the 14th arrondissement is an artisanal chocolate shop that knows how to share its expertise. Carine is at the head of ‘My Chocolate Garden’, a brand that especially likes to imagine original recipes using pumpkin seeds, jasmine tea or puffed quinoa. Introductory workshops are also offered to enable everyone to learn about making chocolate in a traditional way!

Le Comptoir du Cacao’ boasts 20 years of expertise in artisanal chocolate making and two awards at the Salon du Chocolat in Paris! Family know-how passed on in the pure tradition of master chocolatiers and using local raw materials: lace crêpe from Brittany, nougatine from Calais, candied fruit from Clermont-Ferrand … Check out their shops in the 16th and 18th arrondissements.

With his chocolate shop, ‘Edwart’, the chocolatier Edwin has sought to put Paris and its diversity into the heart of his work: it is in this ‘jungle city’ that he discovered exotic and unfamiliar ingredients such as zest of combava or Tasmanian pepperberry, and took inspiration from them. No wonder the New York Times placed him in the top 10 of the best Parisian chocolatiers.

More info : the best of chocolate in Paris

Dairy food and cheese makers

In Montmartre, there are two ‘Chez Virginie’ cheese factory shops. These are great places to discover superb cheeses from small-scale farm producers using raw milk, all matured in their own cellars. The shops also have a delicatessen and wine section, an array of rare products that vary with the seasons.

If there was a kindness prize, it would go to the ‘Crèmerie Delacour’ in the 8th arrondissement! The attentive staff are both professional and passionate and they help amateurs choose from a wide range of carefully chosen local cheeses, or from the well-stocked delicatessen section.

The ‘Laiterie Gilbert’, present in the 9th and 14th arrondissements, combines more than 70 years of expertise in the dairy industry with the energy and enthusiasm of the young people who have taken over the business. A choice of more than 80 cheeses are available to garnish a cheese platter (including an excellent morbier and another with truffle) as well as a choice of charcuterie!

Meanwhile, the most recent prizes in Paris have gone to the bakery ‘Les Saveurs de Pierre Demours’ for the best baguette, to the ‘Laiterie de la Chapelle’ for the label ‘fabriqué à Paris’ (‘made in Paris’), to Quentin Lechat of the Novotel hotel in Les Halles for the Grand Prix de la pâtisserie, and finally to the vegetarian bakery-patisserie ‘JUS’, to the butcher ‘Viande & Chef’, to the brioche bar ‘BAB’, to the fishmonger’s ‘Poisson’ and to the dairy shop ‘Fernin’ for the quality of their project.

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