Decrypting French Restaurants: Brasseries, Bistros, Table d’Hôtes & More
With its some 40,000 restaurants and eateries, Paris is, as poet and songwriter Leonard Cohen quipped in a signing of his own lithograph print depicting the capital, […]
Eating Out on a Budget in Paris & France: A Few Key Tips
Harboring more Michelin-starred restaurants within its borders than many other countries combined, France is widely associated with “la haute gastronomie“: high-end cuisine that remains frustratingly inaccessible to […]
Some of the Most Beautiful Restaurants in Paris: 5 Stunning Settings
Recent trends in food have tended to de-emphasize the importance of the dining room from an aesthetic point of view– or at least pretend to. Cramped, tiny […]
The Best Street Food in Paris: Our Favorite Spots For a Cheap Bite
Growing up in a Los Angeles suburb well before the era of hipster food trucks, street food wasn’t much of a thing, especially since you rarely left […]
Some Of The Best Italian Restaurants in Paris: Our Picks
When I moved to Paris in the early 2000s, Italian cuisine was certainly not a notable feature or strong point in the local food landscape. I knew […]
Best Vegetarian (& Vegan) Restaurants in Paris: A Few Picks
As recently as a decade ago, the prospect of finding delicious, let alone decent, vegetarian or vegan dining options in the French capital was truly grim. Aside […]
A Few Paris Cafés Coveted & Recommended by (Today’s) Writers
Good Spots For Working, Thinking & World-Gazing Generations of writers have elected Parisian cafés as ersatz offices, even second homes. How many novels, short stories and essays […]
Where to Taste Delicious French Pastries in Paris: A Few Picks
The history of French pastry-making is, like almost everything else in the Gallic world, passionately debated. Some claim it starts with the 13th-century baker Régnaut-Barbon, who rolled […]
The Best Places for Picnics in Paris, From Parks to Riverbanks
Like they do with pretty much everything else, Parisians make a true art of the spring or summer picnic. It’s not just a quick meal on the […]
Where to Taste Delicious Falafel in Paris: Our Full Guide
It may seem odd that a culinary staple native to the Middle East is both wildly popular in the French capital, and often remarkably tasty. Yet it’s […]
Best Places for Brunch in Paris: Our Picks
It’s not always easy to find a decent brunch in Paris– or anywhere, for that matter. These days, brunch seems to be a bit hit-or-miss in the […]
The Best Places for Afternoon Tea in Paris: Our Picks
While I’m more of a coffee lover than a tea person, the winter season in the capital demands an extra jolt of coziness. Once or twice a […]
Some of the Best Places for Coffee in Paris: Roasters & More
It’s starting to feel like a routine to note that Paris has been getting significantly better at producing things it was once mediocre at. Craft beer, cocktail […]
Inside Paroles de Fromagers, a Great Stop for Cheese-Tasting in Paris
If cheese-tasting in Paris sounds like your speed, this unassuming little shop, tasting bar, and “cheese school” may be just the ticket. Paroles de Fromagers is a […]
French Brioche: Short History of a Popular Sweet Bread
True, the baguette is the most familiar bread staple in French households. Bakeries reportedly produce some six billion elongated loaves each year, and it’s believed that citizens […]
Inside Le Train Bleu, One of the Most Beautiful Brasseries in Paris
During the heyday of train travel in the late nineteenth to early-twentieth centuries, rail stations in major cities were places where wealthy travelers showed off their status […]
The Curious History of the Croissant (& How It Became France’s Favorite Pastry)
There’s something mysterious– maybe even alchemical— about the qualities that have to come together to yield the “ideal” croissant. To fit the bill, it should be buttery […]
5 Classic French Desserts & Sweets for Christmas
As this goes to press, December has snuck up on us– and I find myself craving a few classic French desserts and sweet nibbles typically enjoyed around […]
History of Champagne: How the English Helped Birth Bubbly, & Other Facts
There’s something deceptively timeless about raising a toast over a glass of champagne (or some other form of sparkling white wine). It’s easy to imagine that “bubbly” […]
Inside Maison Julien, the Bakery Awarded Best Baguette in Paris in 2020
It’s an annual tradition that’s certainly not taken lightly. Every year since 1994, a panel of judges gathers in the French capital to select the best baguette […]
In Review: Clover Green, for an Elegant but Relaxed Meal in Paris’ Saint-Germain
It can be surprisingly difficult to find a “traditional” French restaurant in the capital that offer reasonable fixed-priced menus and thoughtfully presented, delicious dishes. But this is precisely […]
Paris Cocktail Week: Sample the City’s Most Creative Drinks
Cocktails haven’t always been a strong suit in the French capital. Just a few years ago, procuring a decent mixed drink– much less a thoughtfully created and […]
Inside the Wine Museum in Paris (Musée du Vin)
Aside from the humble baguette, there is perhaps no other staple more common in French homes than the bottle of wine. Parisians have the luxury of choosing […]
Japanese Paris: The Best Restaurants & Grocers Around Rue Sainte-Anne
While most tourists with a taste for gourmet experiences come to Paris to try French food, a few know that the city harbors its fair share of […]
How (& Where) to Enjoy Beaujolais Nouveau Wine Tastings in Paris
The French may not celebrate Thanksgiving, but on the third Thursday of November they find something of their own to be thankful for: wine. To be specific, the […]
Where to Taste Some of the Best Ice Cream & Gelato in Paris?
A small confession: I’m not someone you can really trust with a pint of ice cream left in the freezer. If it’s there, it’s pretty certain I’ll […]
The 5 Best Places for Wine Tasting in Bordeaux: Bars & More in the City Center
A couple of years ago, I spent a little under six weeks living and working in Bordeaux, as I prepared to write a local guide. Like almost […]
In Review: Breizh Café & Cider Bar, for Creative Cocktails & Bréton Nibbles
Bréton-style savory pancakes and cocktails: if the combination sounds a bit odd, that’s because it is. But as I recently discovered, it can also be an eye-opening […]
Inside La Coupole, a Montparnasse Brasserie Haunted With Artistic History
Referring to the legendary Parisian brasserie on Boulevard de Montparnasse, French historian Georges Viaud once remarked: “If the tables [here] could talk, they would tell the […]
In Review: Ti Jos, a Traditional Breton Creperie in Paris’ Montparnasse
Looking for a good traditional Breton restaurant and creperie in Paris without even a hint of pretention or stuffy formality? Ti Jos may be the ticket, especially […]
Le Foodist: French Cooking Classes in Paris That Aren’t Intimidating
I arrive at Le Foodist, located near the Sorbonne University, notebook in hand and ready to observe a day of traditional French cooking. But as soon as […]
Le Potager de Charlotte: Simple, Flavorful Vegan Cuisine in Paris
For anyone following the Parisian food scene, it’s no secret that there’s something of a vegetarian and vegan revolution underway in the city. As little as three […]
French Choux Pastry: A Short History
The versatile marvel behind eclairs, profiteroles & more If French pastries are your thing, you’ve certainly already encountered the humble pâte à choux, or choux pastry: a […]
La Maison d’Isabelle: For Some of The Best Croissants in Paris
One of the great annual rituals of Parisian culture is the awarding of top prizes to local bakers and pastry chefs, who work hard year-round to snag […]
In Review: Coretta, a Refreshingly Unpretentious Gourmet Table in Paris
Recently, ahead of exploring the formerly sleepy Batignolles district in North Paris, I caught wind of a much-buzzed-about new restaurant in the area, and booked a table […]
In Review: Addis Abeba, Serving Some of the Best Ethiopian Food in Paris
The first time I tried Ethiopian food, it was at Addis Abeba in Paris: a wonderful place to sample the East African country’s distinctive cuisine. Located between […]
In Review: Farine & O, One of Paris’ Best New Bakeries
In France, there’s a strongly held belief that the most talented boulangers (bread bakers) are not generally equally gifted at producing top-notch pastries. Similarly, pâtissiers (pastry makers) tend to fall into […]
Some of the Best Crepes in Paris: A Few Favorites
Looking for some decent crepes in Paris? You’re not alone. Crepes are one of the world’s great democratic foods. They’re inexpensive, often portable, and remarkably adaptable, ranging from hearty and simple to lofty and gourmet. They’re also just as easily enjoyed by meat eaters as by vegetarians. In short, they make a meal that few would claim to genuinely dislike (including picky kids). […]
French Etiquette 101: Myths, Realities, & a Bit of History
Any cursory Google search on the rules of French etiquette can send you down a rabbit hole of exasperated forum posts on TripAdvisor or Reddit– ones with […]
Bo & Mie Bakery in Paris: My Full Review
First opening in central Paris with a single location in November 2017, Bo & Mie is a forward-thinking concept launched by two bakers-in-training, Magali Szekula and Jean-François […]
Du Pain et des Idées: A Fantastic Bakery Near the Canal St-Martin
If you’re strolling along Paris’ Canal Saint-Martin and happen to spot a long line snaking through (and congesting) a side street, you may have just homed in […]
A Short History of French and Dijon Mustard
From aristocratic extravagance to everyday condiment In 2022, French mustard shortages made the popular condiment scarce on supermarket shelves around the world, owing in part to an […]
In Review: La Cave de Belleville, an Intimate Wine Bar in Paris’ Northeast
Up until recently, you’d be surprised to find a trendy wine bar in Belleville, a Parisian neighborhood that has been a thriving center of working-class life and […]
In Review: Macéo, a Traditional Paris Restaurant With Modern Touches
It’s well-known gastronomic French restaurant culture in Paris is not typically very accommodating to vegetarians. Those who either eschew meat altogether or wish to cut back have […]
