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Certains L’Aiment Bio: 37 Rue Mauconseil, 1st, M° Etienne Marcel or Les Halles, ☎ 01 42 36 52 17. Organic/vegetarian (€). Open 10:30am to 6pm, Monday through Friday.
This little deli on a pedestrian side-street off Rue Montorgueil serves organic and vegetarian sandwiches, soups, quiches, smoothies and desserts to eat in or take out. On warmer days a mini-terrace is set up outside.
Amici Miei: 53 Rue Beaumarchais, 3rd, M° Chemin Vert or Bastille, ☎ 01 42 71 82 62. Gourmet pizza (€€). Open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 2:30pm; and Monday through Saturday, 7:45 to 11pm. No reservations.
Get here early unless you want to be stuck in a line going out the door. This Sicilian trattoria specializes in gourmet pizza, including pizza blanches (without tomato sauce), as well as antipasti, fougasse (the French version of focaccia) and fresh pastas. If you don’t feel like waiting for one of the few tables, get your pizza to go and find a spot on the lawn of the nearby Place des Vosges.
TERMS TO REMEMBER Takeout (to go)...........à emporter Eat in.....................sur place |
Au Duc de Montmorency: 46 Rue de Montmorency, 3rd, M° Rambuteau, ☎ 01 42 72 18 10. Organic deli (€). Open Monday through Friday, 9am to 9pm; Saturday, 9am to 5pm.
Owned by the medieval Nicolas Flamel restaurant across the street, this tiny organic deli with a 1960s new-age décor sells simple, inexpensive dishes and light wines to go. There are also a few tables in the corner for on-site enjoyment if it’s not too crowded.
Adolis: 15 Rue du Grenier St-Lazare, 3rd, M° Rambuteau, ☎ 01 42 77 46 77. Lebanese takeout (€). Open daily, 11am to midnight.
The heavenly scents coming from this Lebanese deli make it hard to pass by without ordering one of the falafels or sandwiches, made with high-quality, fresh ingredients (the deli actually shares a kitchen with the Lebanese restaurant around the back).
BEST PICNIC SPOTS Picnicking has become quite the rage in France over the past few years, with periodic “neighborhood picnics” organized in parks or open squares. Head to the nearest open market to stock up on supplies, or any traiteur or épicerie (deli) counter for prepared meals to go. And thanks to the absence of “open-container” laws in France, it’s possible to bring along a nice bottle of rosé. Just don’t forget the bottle opener! Anywhere along the Seine or the Canal St-Martin is ideal for boat watching. The pedestrian-only bridges, Passerelle Solferino (7th) and Pont des Arts (6th), are always lined with picnickers on summer evenings, and offer the best views of the sparkling Eiffel Tower and the illuminated Pont Neuf. Parks where you’re allowed to picnic on the grass include the Champ-de-Mars (7th), for sunset picnics after 6pm, when the park guards have gone home, Parc André Citroën (15th), and Parc de la Villette (19th). |
Le Petit Jean Bart: 84 Rue St-Antoine, 4th, M° Bastille or St-Paul 01 42 72 04 41 Brittany Crêpes (€-€€). Open daily from 11am to midnight, closed two weeks in August.
Almost directly across from the St-Paul-St-Louis church, this charming little Breton restaurant and crêperie has a huge selection of crêpes, pastas, soups, sandwiches, salads, hot dishes like steak-frites, and desserts served in a whimsical seaside décor. The prices are amazingly low for the service and quality, and everything can be ordered to go.
Le Pain Quotidien: 136 Rue Mouffetard, 5th, M° Censier-Daubenton, ☎ 01 55 43 91 99. Country brunch (€-€€). Open daily, 7am to 7pm. Non-smoking.
Okay, there’s a branch of this chain in LA, but it’s still one of the best places in town for brunch. This one overlooks the historic Marché Mouffetard and the Eglise St-Médard, with signature communal wooden tables and takeout bakery counter. For those eating in, there are organic salads, hearty sandwiches, vegetarian dishes, and a selection of teas and coffees to go with your brunch.
Le Pot au Lait: 41 Rue Censier, 5th, M° Censier-Daubenton, ☎ 01 42 17 15 69. Takeout crêperie (€). Open Tuesday through Saturday, 11:30am to 2:30pm and 6:30 to 10:30pm.
Generous crêpes (sweet or savory) and friendly service, just a few steps from the markets of Rue Mouffetard.
La Buvette des Marionnettes: Jardins de Luxembourg, 6th, M° Odéon or RER Luxembourg, ☎ 01 43 26 33 04. Park café (€). Open daily, 8:30am to 7pm.
Have a salad or croque monsieur on Poilâne bread while kids watch the marionnette show in the beautiful Luxembourg Gardens.
Nils: 10 Rue de Buci, 6th, M° Mabillon, ☎ 01 46 34 82 82. Scandinavian takeout (€). Open daily, 10:30am to 10pm.
This Danish deli has Scandinavian sandwiches, salads, and smoked fish platters to take out or eat in at the tiny bar that resembles an IKEA store restaurant. Beverages include Nordic specialties like glögg (mulled wine), and beers from Finland and Denmark. There’s a second location on Rue Montorgueil in the 1st.
Cosi: 54 Rue de Seine, 6th, M° Mabillon, ☎ 01 46 33 35 36. Gourmet sandwiches (€). Open daily, noon to 11pm.
Order from a menu of tasty sandwiches or have one custom-made with the wholesome and original ingredients and piping hot bread. They can be wrapped to go or eaten in the bright dining room upstairs. Lines stretch onto the sidewalk between noon and 2pm, so try to get there earlier or later in the afternoon to have the best selection of ingredients.
La Grand Epicerie du Bon Marché: 38 Rue de Sèvres, 7th, M° Sèvres-Babylone, ☎ 01 44 39 81 00. Gourmet deli (€-€€). Open Monday through Saturday, 8:30am to 9pm.
This high-end gourmet supermarket attached to the Bon Marché department store is the perfect place to put together a picnic basket with fresh baked goods, antipasti and charcuterie at the deli counter, and the perfect bottle of wine. At lunch and dinner there’s also an Asian fast-food counter open for takeout rice, veggies and meats cooked the way the client wants (steamed, grilled or fried). The only danger in this store is that you’ll end up with a whole cartload of food!
BE: 73 Boulevard de Courcelles, 8th, M°Monceau, ☎ 01 46 22 20 20. Trendy deli (€€). Open Monday through Saturday, 8am to 8pm, closed August.
BE stands for boulangerie-epicerie, an Alain Ducasse-owned gourmet deli with minimalist décor and designer packaging for the takeout sandwiches, salads, fruit juices and picnics (you could try to eat in-house, but there’s rarely enough room). Popular with local bobo’s who double-park their Mercedes 4x4s outside the front door.
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La Butik du Flora Danica: 142 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 8th, M° Etoile, ☎ 01 44 13 86 26. Danish deli (€). Open daily, 9am to 10pm.
There’s not much in the way of healthy takeout on the Champs-Elysées, but this Danish deli, attached to the Maison du Danemark’s gourmet restaurant, is the perfect place for herrings, soups, sandwiches and smoked salmon to go. Prices are slightly higher if you decide to take a seat on their vast terrace overlooking the Champs-Elysées.
Bert’s: 4 Avenue du Président Wilson, 8th, M° Alma Marceau, ☎ 01 47 23 43 37. Trendy sandwich bar (€). Open Monday through Saturday, 8am to 8pm.
This deluxe breakfast and organic sandwich bar serves salads, sandwiches and soups in a fashionably hip eggplant-colored dining room and sidewalk terrace. There are comfy club chairs, bar seating, and plenty of reading material for solo diners. Service at the counter, whether you’re eating in or ordering to go. Other locations at 6 Rue de Ponthieu, 8th, and 5 Rue de Presbourg, 16th.
Des Crêpes et des Cailles: 13 Rue de la Butte aux Cailles, 13th, M° Corvisart, ☎ 01 45 81 68 69. Brittany crêpes (€). Open daily at lunch and dinner.
Located in the center of the Butte aux Cailles, this is the only authentic Brittany crêperie in this part of Paris. A selection of dinner or dessert crêpes can be eaten on-site with a mug of cider or ordered from the window to go.
Pizzeria Enzo; 72 Rue Daguerre, 14th, M° Denfert-Rochereau, ☎ 01 43 21 66 66. Modern pizzeria (€€). Open for lunch Monday through Saturday, dinner Monday through Friday.
A neighborhood favorite, this tiny Italian café is always full. Call ahead if you’d like to order a pizza to go (€7-€10): the Enzo Speciale is highly recommended.
Aquavence: 17 Rue Desaix, 15th, M° Dupleix, ☎ 01 53 86 70 45. Organic deli (€). Open Monday through Friday, 8am to 6pm; Saturday, 9:30am to 5pm.
Just a few steps from the Champ-de-Mars is an organic deli selling healthy sandwiches, soups and salads to take out or eat in the small dining room with counters overlooking the street. Perfect for a healthy picnic lunch at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.
Pend’Art: 14 Rue Ruisseau, 18th, M° Lamarck-Caulaincourt, ☎ 01 42 62 06 72. Organic pizzeria (€). Open daily (dinner only), 7pm to 1:30am.
Just north of Montmartre is a bijou restaurant where hearty salads, gooey desserts and gourmet pizzas with toppings like seaweed are made with fresh, completely organic ingredients of the highest quality. Artsy locals squeeze into vintage cinema seats in the low-lit interior, or spill out onto the sidewalk when the weather is agreeable. Pizzas can also be ordered to go.
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