Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [144]
Fresh bread is baked and sold at boulangeries; mouth-watering pastries are available at pâtisseries; a fromagerie can supply you with cheese that is fait (ripe) to the exact degree that you request; a charcuterie offers sliced meat, pâtés and so on; and fresh fruit and vegetables are sold at épiceries (greengrocers), supermarkets and open-air markets.
A boucherie is a general butcher, but for specialised poultry you have to go to a marchand de volaille. A boucherie chevaline, easily identifiable by the gilded horse’s head above the entrance, sells horse meat, which some people prefer to beef or mutton. Fresh fish and seafood are available from a poissonnerie.
Neighbourhood markets are equally a part of life here. If on a Saturday morning you notice throngs of basket-toting people passing you by with great determination, and others, laden down with bags, going the opposite direction in a more relaxed pace, then by all means follow the crowds, as you have stumbled upon the most Parisian of weekend pastimes: shopping at the marché alimentaire (food market). Bear in mind, though, that when buying fruit and vegetables, you should not touch the produce unless invited to do so. Indicate to the shopkeeper what you want and he or she will choose for you.
The city’s marchés découverts (open-air markets) – some 70 of which pop up in public squares around the city two or three times a week – are usually open from about 7am or 8am to 2pm or 3pm, depending on the time of year. The dozen or so marchés couverts (covered markets) keep more regular hours: 8am to 1pm and 3.30pm or 4pm to 7pm or 7.30pm from Tuesday to Saturday and till lunch time on Sunday. Completing the picture are numerous independent rues commerçantes, pedestrian streets where the shops set up outdoor stalls. To find out when there’s a market near you, check out the list opposite, enquire at your hotel or hostel or ask anyone who lives in the neighbourhood. Also, self-catering details are included at the end of neighbourhood sections in this chapter.
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LOUVRE & LES HALLES
The area between Forum des Halles (1er) and the Centre Pompidou (4e) is filled with a number of trendy restaurants, but most of them cater mostly to tourists and few of them are especially good. Streets lined with places to eat include rue des Lombards, the narrow streets to the north and east of Forum des Halles and pedestrian-only rue Montorgueil, a market street that’s probably your best bet for something quick. In addition, there are several worthwhile places in the passages couverts (covered shopping arcades; Click here).
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TO MARKET, TO MARKET
The following is a list of Paris markets selected according to the variety of their produce, their ethnicity and the neighbourhood. They are la crème de la crème of what’s on offer in Paris.
Marché aux Enfants Rouges (Map; 39 rue de Bretagne, 3e; 9am-2pm & 4-8pm Tue-Thu, 9am-8pm Fri & Sat, 9am-2pm Sun; Filles du Calvaire) This covered market south of place de la République has ethnic (Italian, Japanese etc) stalls as well as French ones.
Marché Bastille (Map; blvd Richard Lenoir, 11e; 7am-2.30pm Tue & Sun; Bastille or Richard Lenoir) Stretching as far north as the Richard Lenoir metro station, this is arguably the best open-air market in Paris, with a fair number of ethnic food stalls now in attendance.
Marché des Batignolles (Map; blvd des Batignolles btwn rue des Batignolles & rue Puteaux, 8e & 17e; 9am-2pm Sat; Place de Clichy or Rome) This was the first of Paris’ marchés biologiques (organic markets).
Marché Beauvau (Map; place d’Aligre, 12e; 8am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 8am-1pm Sun; Ledru Rollin) This covered market remains a colourful Arab and North African enclave not far from Bastille.
Marché Belleville (Map; blvd de Belleville btwn rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud