Rue Montorgueil is near the center of Paris, in the 2nd arrondissement, and just a few blocks away from Les Halles — the former wholesale food market for all of Paris. Les Halles' commercial market was moved to the suburbs many years ago, but food shops like those lining rue Montorgueil have replaced it for the local cooks. And what great shops they are!
I had coffee here with David Lebovitz and then returned the next day for a market walk with Paule Caillat. She took me through some of her favorite shops, from the seafood purveyor to the cheese shop. Here's a little look at each place, with some notes on each (see captions above). It's a wonderful street for food shopping, and there are some acclaimed restaurants here as well.
Parisian-knowledgeable folks will note the sad absence of one memorable place: La Maison Stohrer! This pastry shop opened in 1730 and therefore claims the honor of the oldest still-existing pâtisserie in Paris. There was some construction and cleaning going on there that day, so I wasn't able to take photos, sadly.
• See the rest of my day with Paule at her cooking class: Kitchen Tour: Paule Caillat's Splendid Paris Kitchen
Have you ever visited or shopped in rue Montorgueil?
Related: Market Tour: The Famous Cours Saleya
(Images: Faith Durand)
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ah Paris...:sigh: I want to live there!
Weird about Stohrer--like gone gone? I just had a baba au rhum from there when I was visiting in June.
YOU'RE KILLING ME. Thanks, Faith....
I stayed in an apartment near here a couple years ago and rembering gathering supplies for a few meals here. It was lovely and energetic. There was a smaller cheese shops with lovely people in it and buying a beautiful Loire valley goat cheese. And I also remember very well the Baba au rhum I had at Stohrer! Such a great memories.
I used to live on this rue...that cheese shop was marvelous but such a smell! So many all at once! When Queen Elizabeth came she visited Stohrer and the whole street was packed. It's still open, splatgirl, just ongoing renovations.
where can I find a shopping bag like that?
@splatgirl yeah they were just cleaning or working on the awning, or something like that.
You guys are really making me miss Paris more than I do already. I'm even more determined to make the trip this year. The food shops, the bookstores. Big sigh.
I'm so jealous! Why can't we have places a bit more like this in America?
Where can I find a fabulous shopping trolley like the one in the picture? I have been searching for a cute one, but here in Boston the ones I have seen are hideous plaid monstrosities.
I buy all my shopping carts (caddie en français) at BHV (Bazar de l'Hotel de Ville), they have a great selection on the third floor. In the US, je ne sais pas ...
Faith, I love your website
Paule
I'm loving all these French Week posts! My parents are in Paris now (mom's first trip to Europe ever!), so I've been sending them all your tips and ideas.
LOve LoVE lOvE French week!!!!! Je'taime (?)
@polariss, sells some colorful shopping trolleys.
I have been to Paris a few times. The last time was 2005 and we went to Montorgueil Street Market for part of a day. My husband and I had a delightful time buying wonderful cheese, an olive mix, and I stopped in Storer's and so wished I could buy some of everything they had. We were renting a studio in the 1st Arrondisement and some of our best memories are of me enjoying cooking really fresh, good meals for us. The French do really know about food and how pleasant the whole experience of food shopping, selection, preparation and enjoyable eating can be. I miss Paris very much. The people we met were all very pleasant and helpful. And of course, the food was mouthwatering fabulous!