Paris Food Tour Itinerary: Where to Travel

Paris is home to an incredible array of dishes and treats you can try which can take days to fully experience. Because of this, it can be difficult to make sure you stop at the best places in the city to experience the local cuisine.

You can sign up for culinary tours which will take you around to various stops or venture out yourself to the different Paris quarters to see what they each have to offer, like café au lait, baguettes, or freshly baked chocolate croissants.

Below you'll find a guide with more information behind certain quarters and the must-see places all foodies should try when in the City of Lights.

Getting Around

Most of the quarters in Paris are connected to each other in some way, so you'll be able to visit a few within one stop during the days of your tour. Altogether there are 20 different districts that are situated next to each other in a unique spiraling pattern, so you'll basically wind your way around this area when shopping for ingredients or trying dishes.

Where to Stop in Paris, the Week's Timetable

Monday

Ile de la Cité

Café Saint Regis

This café is a great spot to venture to during the day if you're looking to try some traditional French cuisine while in Paris. Situated in a historic neighborhood, Café Saint Regis offers a terrace you can sit out at while enjoying their homemade cocktails, hamburgers, and croissants.

Berthillon

This ice cream shop started in 1954 and has made a huge impact in this district. Open during the spring and summer, it offers many different types of creations with something new always on the menu. You can try their specialties like Tatin Ice (a mixture of apples and caramel) and Ice Bottle Opera (a mound made up of chocolate with coffee inside it).

Huré

This chic bakery in Paris is where you'll find some authentic pastries and bread. This bakery is well-known for its almond croissants which is a must to try when you visit here during your day trip.

Tuesday

The Tuileries

Amorino

This little shop is located near the Tuileries Garden and is the perfect place to grab some gelato, waffles, and homemade macarons you can enjoy during a day walk.

Flottes

Flottes offers a wide selection of brasserie cuisine and is a very elegant place to dine at. You'll find a large wine menu here as well as delicious sandwich, pasta, and seafood selections.

The Champs-Elysées

Le Gabriel

While pricey, Le Gabriel is a stop all foodies should make when in Paris, France. This 2 Michelin Star restaurant is made up of a modern decor and offers a large bar and mouthwatering selections like escargots, roasted scallops, and a variety of cheeses.

Rue Poncelet Market Street

If you want to make your own picnic for a quick day trip, this street is something you'll want to stop at. You'll be able to find numerous shops that sell a variety of fresh ingredients like vegetables, fruits, fish, wine, and honey. This street is also home to the iconic Alléosse, a cheese shop, that is known for making cheeses with traditional cheesemaking methods.

Wednesday

The Marais

Breizh Café

Situated in the heart of the Jewish Quarter in Paris, the Breizh Café is known for its incredible crêpes. Made out of a special mixture of buckwheat flour and fresh Bordier butter after an original Bretonne recipe, it's a must-stop place when in The Marais.

Fromagerie Jouannault

This small cheese shop is filled with a large selection of cheeses. You'll find seasonal options as well as the shop's specialty ones like Brie Trufflé and Brie Goat Cheese with Figs.

The Latin Quarter

Café de la Nouvelle Mairie

This modern Parisian café offers a great selection of wines and cheeses produced in France you can enjoy. You'll also find they sell freshly made sausages and tapas which are a local favorite.

Mococha

Mocoha offers numerous artisan chocolate options you can enjoy. These colorful and flavorful creations are unique from each other and are made out of various molds. The shop offers many chocolate collections you can try like the Fabrice Gillotte Collection, which offers a milk chocolate creation make out of vanilla marzipan and grapefruit, and the Johann Dubois Collection which has a dark chocolate base with a swirling mixture of lemon and caramel in it.

Thursday

Montparnasse

Montparnasse Market

There are plenty of markets you'll find in this section of Paris. One that should definitely be visited is the Montparnasse Market. This market feature stalls lining the streets and bins full of fresh vegetables, fruits, cheeses, meats, and breads.

La Coupole

This historic restaurant is known for its incredible art deco decor and amazing dishes. Here you'll find many fresh seafood and meat selections you can enjoy. This restaurant is also known for its spicy curry which can give you a taste of various world cuisines.

The Opera Quarter

Café Marly

Situated under towering arches and offering an amazing view of the Louvre, Café Marly is a very elegant spot to dine at. You can sit outside while dining on flavorful dishes that highlight the contemporary cuisine scene.

Café de la Paix

This famous place is a stop everyone should consider stopping at when on a tour. It offers a gourmet restaurant which tends to be a little pricey but has an incredible seasonal menu, a terrace where you can grab a quick bite to eat, and even an oyster bar where it serves flavorful oysters caught by local fishermen.

Friday

Bastille

Manger

This contemporary restaurant showcases some of the latest creations in the French cuisine. Here you'll be able to try black pudding and beetroot salad, two dishes which are very popular here.

La Cave, à la Bastille

When in Bastille you'll want to travel to this wine shop. Here you'll find a great selection of various wines that were created throughout France. You'll be able to learn more behind the history of the wines offered and even try some of the shop's specialties, like Jean-Claude Desmarty and Laherte Brothers.

Saturday

Montmartre

Pain Pain

Pain Pain is a chic bakery and pastry shop that all visitors to Montmartre should travel to. You'll find freshly made baguettes, croissants, brioches, sandwiches, and cakes here you can enjoy. This shop is also known for its mouthwatering Cinnamon Slipper pastry.

Chamarré Montmartre

This laid-back café overlooks the street below it and during the warm months has a beautiful terrace covered in fragrant flowers you can dine on. You'll be able to sip some fresh coffee while enjoying small dishes and edible items to fulfill your appetite like the tangy Sicilian lemon marmalade.

Paris is the perfect place to travel to for food tours. You'll find a variety of choices and this guide will help ensure you stop at some of the top places when in the city.

For more information, please refer to the following pages:

More About Our Baguettes Classes

Getting a bit technical during our Baguette Class in Paris

The French baguette, actually probably better known as the Parisian baguette has beome a true symbol of French popular gastronomy. A true icon of French life even - look around and you will see the Parisians strolling back home with their baguettes under their arm. But if you are French why would you learn how to do this? You can buy a baguette at any corner of Paris for about one Euro a piece. But in our Baguette Class in Paris you will learn how do this from scratch. It is somewhat technical, but also full of tips and tricks. But when you leave, it will have not secret left for you. From the original mix to the famous "scarification" through adding water to your oven through baking, you will see and do it all.

Learning more during your Baguette class in Paris: Croque Monsieur Bread and Brioche

This class is like all our other baking or cooking classes: totally hands-on. So you get to practice from beginning to end - and to taste at the end. But not only will you learn how to make Baguette, but you will also learn to make two more types of bread: the French Croque Monsieur bread. The basis for the classic French bistrot appetizer. And in your Baguette class in Paris you will also learn how to make your own Brioche. Probably the most indulgent bread you will find in France - if not the lightest ...

And you might learn some history during your Baguette Class in Paris

While you will learn the techniques to create - and get to taste - three classic types of French breads, you will also learn some of the stories on the origin of the baguette. Just beware it is still being quite hotly debated. What is for sure though is that the Baguette is absolutely part of today Parisian's life. A classic you will be able to take back home with you.

More About Our Wine and Cheese Lunch in Paris

Cheese and Wine in Paris

The pleasures we can derive from French cuisine can seem endless. However two of the best known and loved French gastronomic heroes are French cheese and wine. Whether we talk about a Brie which actually comes from very close to Paris, to a creamy Camembert from Normandy, or a Comté from the Alps, French cheese has a delight for all palates. And of course, French wines are even better known whether from Bordeaux great wines or Burgundy sophisticated whites – all of which enthral wine lovers. Well, at our course on cheese and wine in Paris you will come to appreciate that although each is delicious on its own, properly matched cheese and wine together can make the experience of each even more enjoyable and an absolute delight.

How to pair French cheese and wine

Because not all pairings are actually what people expect, at Le Foodist we have decided to call these experiences 'Daring Pairings'. Maybe because we like to step out of the ordinary to challenge our taste buds, but really all we try to do is give you the perfect match fo cheese and wine in Paris. So not only will you learn how to select the best wine to go with your cheese, but you will also learn what are the big cheese families in France – there are actually only five, and this is one of the keys to great pairing. In discovering all these pairings of cheese with wine you will be convinced that indeed two things together can be better than the sum of their parts.

It is important to have fun with pairing cheese and wine in Paris

Beyond the tastings though, we have found that the best way to help our clients remember and re-use their experience is to vary the way to approach both wine and cheese. That is why during our courses on cheese and wine in Paris we share sensory games and many an anecdote to bring the produce to life in your mind as well as on your palate. Overall we will feature four excellent wines, one Champagne and demonstrate to you how best each combines with cheese, letting your taste guide you along with our teaching.

Understanding cheese and wine pairing while in Paris

While for many top Parisian wine stores and restaurant wine lists can be confusing and even intimidating, we believe that after our lunch learning how to pair cheese and wine in Paris, you will feel much more comfortable navigating all of those. And we sincerely hope your knowledge will help you unlock a door to a whole new world of enjoyment of French wine and cheese pairing. At every step of the way our sommelier will also share unique tips and tricks to understand wines better and how culture and wine are so related in France; hopefully enriching your own experience as well.

And they do not have to do with what you will find in those markets. They have to do with when you can go shopping there. Open Air markets are only open in the morning. Typically from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm. And they are not open every day. As a matter of fact for the vast majority they are open either open every other day (Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Wednesday, Friday, Sunday), or sometimes only twice a week.

This is the case of the Bastille Market (Metro Bastille and Metro Bréguet Sabin )which is open only on Thursday and Sunday morning. We like to send people there because it is a very big market with over one hundred vendors. And it has a nice stand of Crêperie in the middle. Here you get a video of a lady preparing a crêpe there; and you can get that crêpe for only 3 Euros!
There is only one Open Air market open every day of the week, it is called Marché Aligre (Metro Ledru Rollin or Metro Faidherbe Chaligny) which happens on the eponymous street. It is an interesting market because you find all kinds of quality in that market – the good, the bad and the ugly. There is also a nice covered market in the middle of it called Marché Beauveau – sometimes called Marché Beauveau Aligre. On the contrary, Covered Markets are open every day, and not just in the morning, but also in the late afternoon. Typically from 4:30 pm to 8:00 pm.

We are blessed with two markets close to where Le Foodist is located, so we can walk to a market every morning – sometimes it is the Maubert market, and sometimes it is the Monge market. Both nice with their own specififies. Last but not least, none of these markets is open on Monday. Do not sign-up for a Market Tour on Monday, you might never see that money again …

Choosing Ingredients in Paris

While all markets are different, they also have some things in common. First they work on specific schedules as explained before. But also you will find always at a minimum the following vendors: a Maraîcher – this is the name we give to people selling fruits and vegetables, a butcher, a fishmonger, a cheesemonger and a baker. Normally you will find several of each, with different levels of quality, organic or non-organic, local or not local (but mostly not local unfortunately).
And we explain how to recognize each of those of course during our Market Visits and Cooking Classes in Paris. But choosing ingredients can be daunting at first, because of the variety that is on display. A typical fishmonger will carry 20 different types of fishes, and as many shrimp and shelf fish varieties. A good cheese monger will easily carry up to 100 different types of cheese and obviously you could get over 100 different cuts of meat at a butcher (from the type of meat to the cut itself). And a normal Maraicher will carry between 50 and 100 fruits and vegetables as well.
This is what makes these markets so exciting – the variety of products, the beauty of their display, and the exchange you can have with most of the vendors. We give you tips though on how to make sure that exchange with the vendors go well – a few magic words, and everything will be fine!

Cooking in Paris

Obviously going to markets is nice, but actually knowing that you are going to cook what you find there is even more exciting. It is not uncommon for Parisians to buy a little bit too much food because they get so excited at the idea of cooking it all! But as most of us have hardly any space where we live, that can limit the enthusiasm sometimes. Because of the lack of space, Cooking in Paris can be quite different from cooking in the rest of France. And there are also dishes that are typically associated with regions which the Parisian will not cook at home – but taste when they visit friends or families in the various regions of France. However our kitchen has plenty of space, so we can cook traditional French dishes without a problem – whether they come from Paris or any region. And the most important part for us is to ensure that we share techniques much more than just recipes. As a matter of fact, we love to share a bit of the science behind what we do so people can better remember the “what” by understanding the “why”.

Sharing Stories

In November 2010, some experts from the UN cultural organisation, decided tha France’s multi-course gastronomic meal, with its rites and its presentation, fulfilled the conditions for featuring on the “world intangible list” of the UNESCO.
In this list you can find all kinds of cultural practices, including Mexico Day of the Dead festival for example. Importantly this is not suggesting French cuisine is better than other cuisines (even though we the French tend to believe that …). It is only saying that the gastronomic meal and what it entails is a very vivid cultural practice which people in France partake into on a very regular basis. That is why the same experts indicated that the French gastronomic meal is a “social custom aimed at celebrating the most important moments in the lives of individuals and groups”. And in that social custom, there are many parts: the attention we pay to the way we choose ingredients, how we pair wine with food, how many dishes we will present to our guests, how we lay the table, etc… But one big part of the cultural practice is that commensality (the fact of sharing the food) is always accompanied by sharing stories about …. Well, you would have guessed it, Food of course!
To us it is THE perfect example of how Food and Culture come together – actually we decide to share food is a considered a cultural practice. I would argue that it is true of all countries, regions, etc… As the way we relate to Food is such a big part of anybody’s identity. But as a result and to make sure you have the most genuine experience of French culture, after the a coking class in Paris at Le Foodist, you will share a gastronomic meal at a common table with your Chef and fellow participants to the class.

French Wine and Food Pairing

As mentioned above, one of the big cultural practices in France is choosing how to pair Wine and Food in general and Wine and Cheese in particular. We actually have a class which focuses specifically on this. As it is so important though, we always make sure we share white and red wines during our meals, chosen to pair well in our opinion with the food we cook. And being at the table together is a good opportunity to discuss about wine as well, with concepts such as “terroir” (to simplify, terroir means “what you do depends on where you are”) which are essential to grasp the way the French think about Food.
And all this will always go with a cheering “Santé” – which quite simply means, to your good health!