Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [145]
Marché Brancusi (Map; place Constantin Brancusi, 14e; 9am-2pm Sat; Vavin) This weekly open-air market specialises in organic produce.
Marché Grenelle (Map; blvd de Grenelle btwn rue de Lourmel & rue du Commerce, 15e; 7am-2.30pm Wed & Sun; La Motte-Picquet Grenelle) Arranged below an elevated railway and surrounded by stately Haussmann boulevards and Art Nouveau apartment blocks, the Grenelle market attracts a posh clientele.
Marché Maubert (Map; place Maubert, 5e; 7am-2.30pm Tue, Thu & Sat; Maubert Mutualité) This market, spread over a small triangle of intersecting streets, reigns over St-Germain des Prés, the poshest part of the bohemian 5e.
Marché Monge (Map; place Monge, 5e; 7am-2pm Wed, Fri & Sun; Place Monge) This is one of the better open-air neighbourhood markets on the Left Bank.
Marché Président Wilson (Map; av du Président Wilson btwn rue Debrousse & place d’Iéna, 16e; 7am-2.30pm Wed & Sat; Iéna or Alma Marceau) This upscale market attracts a well-heeled crowd from the 16e.
Marché Raspail (Map; blvd Raspail btwn rue de Rennes & rue du Cherche Midi, 6e; 7am-2.30pm Tue & Sun; Rennes) This traditional open-air market north of Rennes metro station features organic produce on Sunday.
Marché St-Charles (Map; rue St-Charles btwn rue de Javel & rond-point St-Charles, 15e; 7am-2.30pm Tue & Fri; Charles Michels) This market may appear somewhat far-flung off in the western 15e, but shoppers will go any distance for its quality produce, including organic goods.
Marché St-Quentin (Map; 85bis blvd de Magenta, 10e; 8am-1pm & 3.30-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 8am-1pm Sun; Gare de l’Est) This iron-and-glass covered market, built in 1866, is a maze of corridors lined mostly with gourmet and upmarket food stalls.
Rue Cler (Map; rue Cler, 7e; 7am or 8am-7pm or 7.30pm Tue-Sat, 8am-noon Sun; École Militaire) This commercial street in the 7e is a breath of fresh air in a sometimes stuffy quartier and can almost feel like a party at the weekend when the whole neighbourhood turns out en masse.
Rue Montorgueil (Map; rue Montorgueil btwn rue de Turbigo & rue Réaumur, 2e; 8am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, to noon Sun; Les Halles or Sentier) This rue commerçante is the closest market to Paris’ 700-year-old wholesale market, Les Halles, which was moved from this area to Rungis in 1969.
Rue Mouffetard (Map; rue Mouffetard around rue de l’Arbalète, 5e; 8am-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 8am-noon Sun; Censier Daubenton) Rue Mouffetard is the city’s most photogenic commercial market street and it’s the place where Parisians send tourists (travellers go to Marché Bastille).
Rue Poncelet & Rue Bayen (Map; rue Poncelet & rue Bayen, 17e; 9am-1pm & 4-7.30pm Tue-Sat, 8am-1pm Sun; Ternes) This rue commerçante caters to the flush denizens of the 16e and 17e arrondissements.
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Those in search of Asian food flock to rue Ste-Anne and other streets of Paris’ so-called Japantown, which is just west of the Jardin du Palais Royal. There are also some good-value restaurants serving other Asian cuisines in the area.
LE GRAND VÉFOUR Map French €€€
01 42 96 56 27; www.grand-vefour.com; 17 rue de Beaujolais, 1er; starters €79-92, mains €85-102, menus €88 (lunch only) & €268; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 9.30pm Mon-Thu; Pyramides
This 18th-century jewel on the northern edge of the Jardin du Palais Royal has been a dining favourite of the Parisian elite since 1784; just look at who gets their names ascribed to each table – from Napoleon to Victor Hugo and Colette (who lived next door). The food is tiptop; expect a voyage of discovery in one of the most beautiful restaurants in the world.
GEORGES Map International €€€
01 44 78 47 99; www.centrepompidou.fr; 6th fl, Centre Pompidou, place Georges Pompidou, 4e; starters €20, mains