Paris Guide, Part Deux

shopping + culture + hotels + recommendations from the parisians you want telling you where to eat + shop

The Paris guide continues, kicked off by recommendations from some of my favorite locals — the people whose tips I always ask for.

APOLLONIA POILANE is the third-generation owner and baker behind the essential Parisian bakery, Poilâne, home to some of the city’s best bread (and apple tarts). We met when I crazily offered to host a tea party for her excellent bread book, and I have admired her business acumen — and taste in motorcycles — ever since.

Classic/Café de Flore I love Café de Flore: It’s one of those places that everyone knows about but forgets. I love to go in the morning to eavesdrop — it’s always wonderful to hear the locals talk about the news — as well as in the evening and have a cup of tea, especially during fashion week. A hot drink is the thing in the mornings. (With my father, I used to have hot chocolate, but I’ve graduated to tea.) Evenings, a welsh [rarebit] with a beer is what I do.

New/19 Saint-Roch Pierre Touitou’s new restaurant is really wonderful — I just wish it was closer to my house! I especially adore the aesthetic in which he set it up. I met Pierre when he was 16, and he said, “I want to become a chef.” Like me, he’s someone who’s very passionate about his craft, and that is worth so much.

Neighborhood favorite (6^th)/Chantelivre My childhood bookstore! They have children’s books in English and French. They’ve grown their adult section over the years, so I’m still able to go. At the back of the store is La Maison des Histoires, a wonderful immersive space for kids from 0 to 6. If you book a ticket ahead, you can drop your kids for a few hours and enjoy a nice afternoon.

BENOIT ASTIER DE VILLATTE and IVAN PERICOLI, the impish and refined founders of the ceramics company Astier de Villatte, are two of my favorite Paris guides. When I can’t ask them which oddball, not-of-this-century spots to hit next, I pick up their delightful book, Ma Vie à Paris. Be sure to visit their store on the rue du Rivoli — and read this article first.

Benoît

Classique/Poilâne My grandmother, who was both stylish and an excellent cook, surprisingly never had a taste for desserts. However, she always says “yes” to Poilâne’s tarte aux pommes. I used to visit their shop on the rue du Cherche Midi often, and it remains my favorite bakery.

Nouveau/ Shopu A charming store in the 7^th, beautifully curated by Nathalie, offers a delightful selection of Japanese daily products.

Dans mon quartier (10^th)/Restaurant Casimir I visit this restaurant frequently; it has a lovely ambiance, and their boeuf Wellington is absolutely delicious!

Ivan

Classic/La Maison du Rocher My favorite honey store on the planet. The remodeled décor of this 1956 boutique isn’t exceptional, but the honeys are. The owner, Seloua Grolleau-Raoux, is also a beekeeper: She makes divine honeys, such as an excellent one gathered from a hive on a Parisian rooftop, where the bees mostly feast on linden blossoms in the Jardin du Luxembourg. Most of the honeys come from small beekeepers throughout France, who Seloua visits every August. The buckwheat honey is a folie: It has a strong flavor and a low glycemic index. Seloua knows about all of honey’s health benefits, and helps you discover the flavors, which change from one harvest to the next. Good honeys are a little like good wines: You could talk about vintages! Considering all of that, the prices are very affordable.

New/Fruttini At this glacier in the 6^th, beautiful fruit ice creams are tucked into their skins (or shells made from the fruits in question): peaches, strawberries, oranges, kiwis, figs, coconuts, chestnuts… Magnifique et délicieux.

Neighborhood favorite (5^th)/Le Bonbon au Palais Once again, the décor might not be a success, but who cares: The mix of candies is crazy! Here you’ll find jars and jars of marvels made by brilliant and cantankerous small producers from the four corners of France: We contacted a few of them for a Christmas market at Isetan [in Japan], and they all hung up on us! They make mostly great things, especially all kids of incredible chocolates filled with alcohol, or tiny raisins infused with Sauternes and dipped in dark chocolate: une folie.

CHRISTINE DOUBLET, co-director of Le Fooding, not only knows the best new restaurants in Paris; she’s also the person you’ll run into at breakfast at the coolest auberge opened by ex-Parisian chefs in the part of backstage Provence you thought no one knew about yet.

Classic/Bontemps While I don't have a sweet tooth at all, the only sweets I actually ever crave are the sablés treats from Bontemps in the 3^rd and 17^th. No one does pâtisseries better than them. You can get the small assorted sablés to bring to a tea, have one of the maxi sablés filled with gianduja for an afternoon snack, or grab one of the large seasonal sablé tarts with fruit for a lunch or dinner party. Hot tip: they also do an incredible, not very traditional, sablé galette des rois in January.

New/Cheval d’Or I find the food at this restaurant in the 19^th just so exciting and delicious. The mix of classic French techniques with Asian (mostly Chinese) recipes just works so well (like the croque monsieur shrimp toast or the Pekinese canard farci), and the wine and beverage selection by Crislaine and her team is excellent. It's definitely the spot I recommend both to out-of-towners and in-towners.

Bonus rec/ Bistrot des Tournelles in the Marais never disappoints, and there are often last-minute spots available at the bar if you're just one or two people 😉.

REBEKAH PEPPLER is a three-time cookbook author and NYT cocktail columnist. She always has the best tips, which you can find in her newsletter, Shortlisted.

Classic/Mokonuts This is a more personal classic, but my move to Paris coincided with the opening of Mokonuts, and I've been dragging out-of-town friends there for lunch ever since. It can be difficult to get in if you don't plan in advance, but luckily they just opened Mokochaya just up the street, so you can now get one of Moko's perfect cookies sans res.

New/La Panifacture I've long been a staunch croissant > pain au chocolat person. That is, until I had the pain au chocolat at La Panifacture, which opened this summer in the 11ème. I don't live anywhere nearby, but I will subtly or not so subtly direct a morning walk that way any time I can.

Neighborhood (18^th)/ My local coffee shop, Clove in Montmartre, also happens to make some of the best pourovers and cappuccinos in the city. When they're closed, I head to one of the Dreamin Man locations in the 11th, 1st or 3rd for a coffee and canelé. Even though I'm outside my quartier, they always make me feel at home.

PIERRE TOUITOU is the chef and owner of the new restaurant 19 Saint-Roch, which just won Le Fooding’s award for “Meilleur Sophistroquet.” (I sat down with him for Airmail a few weeks ago.)

Classic/La Poule au Pot Jean-François Piège’s restaurant near Les Halles captures the essence of Parisian tradition with comforting, beautifully executed dishes that feel like home.

New/Restaurant Buttes A fresh addition to the Belleville scene, Buttes brings a creative touch to seasonal ingredients, perfect for those looking for something a bit different.

Neighborhood favorite (6^th)/Tsukizi This is my go-to spot for Japanese flavors: It's cozy, authentic and feels like a hidden gem right in my neighborhood.

ANNA POLONSKY is the creative director of Polonsky & Friends — the agency behind NYC’s best restaurant graphics — and cofounder of the Deligram newsletter. I met the Paris native when she was an intern at Le Fooding, and she quickly became an essential part of the New York food scene.

Classic/Chez Georges I hesitate to even share this, as it seems to have become everyone's top choice thanks to the gram, but Chez Georges on Rue du Mail has been a family favorite since it opened in 1964. No other place in Paris feels as much like home to me. If you’re after a truly classic Parisian bistrot, look no further. The hors d’oeuvres are served family-style—I’m especially fond of the ratatouille and frisée aux lardons. Seasonal specials are always a treat (if they have sautéed chanterelles with butter and garlic in season, don’t miss it!). The turbot with béarnaise and fries is perfection, and the profiteroles are a case study in indulgence and delight.

New/Le Cornichon A few #CoolKidsInThe11th have reimagined a classic PMU (the French equivalent of a dive bar where you’d grab tobacco and mediocre coffee) with a twist. Here, they serve classic dishes like oeuf mayo and entrecôte that are far better than you’d expect, all within an electric atmosphere. Last time, by 10 pm, everyone was dancing, glasses of vin nature in hand. It’s rare to find both great food and vibrant fun at the same spot.

Neighborhood favorite (9^th)/ My parents still live near Place Clichy and Pigalle. For us, Brasserie Wepler is the go-to “cantine” for excellent oysters and a refreshing coupe glacée. And each morning, I visit Sébastien Gaudard for my croissant fix—truly, la crème de la crème.

LAUREN COLLINS is the New Yorker's correspondent in France and author of When in French: Love in a Second Language. Subscribe to her always-delightful Lettre Recommandée newsletter.

Classic/Le Quincy This restaurant in the 12^th satisfies all of my friend Fanny's criteria for a proper old-school restaurant. (They include: no credit cards, family-style dessert, regional biscuits and "debatable cartoons on the walls.")

New-ish/Billili This restaurant in the 10^th the satisfies all of my friend Valentine's criteria for a proper new-school one. (They include: "It's an old friend of mine who opened it" and phenomenal oeufs mayonnaise.) Stretching the definition of place to include Instagram accounts, I'm also taken with @_amuse_bouche_ (and its Substack) for the best Paris intel of all sorts. 

Neighborhood (9^th)/ Doing two! The Oolong à la Fleur d'Oranger tea at the Sébastien Gaudard pâtisserie on the rue des Marytrs and the whole steamed sea bass with peanuts, red chilis, scallions and lotus root at Phoenix on rue Saint-Lazare.

A FASHION FRIEND SO FABULOUS SHE ASKED TO REMAIN ANONYMOUS…

Le Marché d’Aligre One of my first destinations when I was a kid. Great for produce — chefs get their supplies there. I also got an amazing Comme des Garçons jacket that I gave to a Cali lover.

Librarie du Jeu de Paume A wonderful bookstore for art and photography — and a walk in the jardin [des Tuilleries] after.

Studio28 A great movie theater in my neighborhood that’s still independent!

FANY PECHIODAT founded the marketing and tourism juggernaut My Little Paris, going from a single email to millions of followers, sold it to Axel Springer’s group, and has been going full bore since, launching beauty companies and book imprints, keeping traditional French companies afloat and more.

Classic/A bench in Montmartre At the intersection of the rue St.-Vincent and rue de la Bonne in the 18^th, you will find an exceptional view of Paris. It’s my fallback spot when I need to make an important decision, or simply find refuge.

New/Cheval d’Or All I need for a restaurant to really please me is a few smiles, some steam and superb energy. At this reopened restaurant, I felt a culinary emotion that I haven’t experienced in a long time.

Neighborhood favorite (3^rd)/Caractère de Cochon For me, a charcuterie plate is worth all the yoga in the world. At this sandwich spot in the Marais, they have a very large selection of sausages. I especially love the très sec (very dry) and the one with green peppercorns.

NICOLAS CLERC opened Télescope, one of the first (good) coffee bars in Paris, over a decade ago. We met when he was photographing a disastrous New York Times shoot that bonded us for life. In addition to making exceptional coffee and homemade treats, which he bakes downstairs, he always knows which photography shows to see and restaurants to try. No visit to Paris is complete without seeing him.

New/Dandelion I recently fell for this restaurant, opened by a former chef from Septime (another one!) in the 20^th. I’m also looking forward to trying Rosette in Clichy and Adrien Cachot’s restaurant, Vaisseau, which is apparently extraordinary.

Coffee-wise, I really love Fauna in the 11^th.

KAMAL MOUZAWAK is a legend in his native Lebanon, where he has opened restaurants, farmers’ markets and hotels celebrating local communities. He’s been living in Paris and Arles for several years, where his unbelievably chic dinner parties (and recently closed restaurant, Tawlet) are the best meal in town.

Classic/St-Etienne du Mont A space of light. A church that is rather low and large, with walls of vitrail that are just white, making them transparent and radiant. Just wonderful.

New/Anatolia Village Ethnic is getting sexy (finally) in Paris. Love the thin, crispy lahmacun at this Kurdish restaurant in the 10^th. As good as the best Armenian lahmacun in Beirut!

Neighborhood favorite (6^th)/Jardin du Luxembourg Sit in my favorite chair ever — the low “chaise du luxembourg” — near the beehives and in front of the “pommier en espalier.” I go for a light sieste, then read a few pages of my fave magazine, Regain.

And now, on to shopping (chocolate! vintage! affordable flea markets!), hotels, off-the-beaten-path museums and more…