The day after Passover David and I decided it was time to sample Paris’s renown chocolate, pastries and more. I want to thank Nicole Sahimi and Amelia Merwin for their suggestions and give a plug to ChocoParis which provided half of walking tour. We ended up going to a famous grocery store, four chocolate shops, a pastry shop, an ice cream shop and a famous Parisian tea room. Thanks to our Navigo passes it was easy to go between all of the stops though if you have to walk it ended up being only 5 km or so.
First Stop: Bon Marche Grande Épicerie
We started with a TripAdvisor’s suggestion and checked out this massive French grocery store. Everything inside is distinctly French and though it is set up like a normal Target you would be hard pressed to find anything that isn’t made in France here. It had a lot of things that you would find in a normal grocery store in Paris and also stuff you wouldn’t find. Our favorite sections were the artisan water (yes that was a thing) and the giant collection of wine and liqueur in the basement. Nothing struck our fancy here so we left without buying anything.
Second Stop: La Maison du Chocolat
A quick walk down the street brought us to our first chocolate shop. I wish pictures could show the amazing smells that we encountered inside this and all of the other stores but sadly they can only show the beatfully gourmet treats. David and I decided to each try a chocolate from every store so here we chose two of their ganaches. Mine was a chocolate and caramel ganache and his was a dark chocolate infused and cinnamon ganache but of course we sampled each other’s choices. Both were fantastic and David said at the end that this first ganache was his favorite.
Third Stop: Pierre Herme
A few blocks down the road was our third stop, one of the famous Pierre Herme patisseries. Herme is famous for his macarons and the shop was packed full when we got there! The display was filled with delicious looking pastries and the wall behind us was lined with chocolates and Easter displays. It took us a while to make it to the front but we ended up choosing two chocolate macaroons, one dark and one milk. We crossed the street to enjoy our macarons in front of a nearby cathedral and fountain. It was both of our first time trying a macaron, we each had a bite from both, and if his are any indication, they taste like heaven!
Fourth Stop: Pierre Marcolini
Marcolini is a famous Belgian chocolatier with stores all over the world. Though it was close to Pierre Herme’s shop it took us forever to find the store, we actually ended up walking right past it three different times! I think of all of our stops this was by far the most professional. Here the chcolates were priced by their weight so David and I were able to each choose two sine they were so much smaller. I chose another caramel infused ganache along with a basic ganache flavored with the different types of chocolate he uses while David selected a dark chocolate, caramel and vanilla ganache along with a hazelnut and almond praline. David’s dark chocolate ganache was actually my favorite taste of the whole tour!
Fifth Stop: Patrick Roger Chocolatier
Of all of the places we visited this won hands down for it’s decor. The entire store was brown and turquoise with colorful displays all over. The chocolates were beautiful but it loses a point for not having a guide to which chocolate is which! We had to rely on the advice of the saleswoman and ended up with two different ganaches, though neither of us were sure what was inside. They were tasty but not our favorites but the pretty bag that came along with the chocolates was a big bonus for me!
Sixth Stop: Berthillon Ice Cream
We took the metro to Ile de St. Louis, though I think it took longer than walking there, and made our way to Berthillon. Everyone who has been to Paris has told me this was the place to go for the best ice cream and honestly they were not exaggerating! They had two pop up stands open outside their main stores to serve customers so the wait wasn’t unbearable and the shop front were so cute! I chose a mango ice cream (I needed a chocolate break) but David stuck with his favorite dark chocolate. It was expensive but our first real taste of good ice cream since leaving Italy so it was extra delicious…just writing about it here is giving me cravings!
Final Stop: Angelina
No Parisian Treat Yo Self Tour would be complete without a visit to a tearoom. Our choice was Angelina and thanks to only being two people, we got in with no trouble despite the queue at the door. According to the internet, and Amelia, this place has the best hot chocolate in Paris. At 8 euros a pop I think most people are afraid to say it wasn’t the best they ever had but it is easy to admit that the rich, decadent cup of hot chocolate is delicious. I think you’re really paying for the atmosphere though because with it’s crowded tables, gilded walls and porcelain cups it really feels like you’re sitting in the fanciest tearoom you have ever seen!
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