A Perfect 24 Hours of Eating in Paris

A 24-hour gastronomic odyssey through the City of Light

Generations of travelers to Paris would agree that there is no greater entryway into Parisian culture than through its food . The city reveals itself most candidly at the tabular array , where century of custom meet day-after-day ritual and artful innovation . In this excerpt from my late ledger collaboration with Eater , The Eater Guide to Paris , I lay out the impossible yet irresistible : a 24 - time of day gastronomic odyssey through the City of Light . No traveller could ( or should ) attempt this itinerary within a individual gyration of the clock , yet that ’s hardly the point . This cautiously curated journeying typify Paris at its most luscious , capturing the rhythms of a metropolis where each meal tells a taradiddle .

From the first sip of espresso and bite of a still - warm croissant at dayspring to a final late - night meal of braise chicken and fried plantain at an Afro - caribbean eating house that hums until 6 a.m. , I ’ve mapped the quintessential Parisian food twenty-four hour period — a collection of diverse moments that define what it means to use up and drink in the city today .

BRING THIS WITH YOU

8:00 A.M.

One of the most special moments of the day in Paris is former morning , as the city rumbles to animation and locals head to study . pop your day by take it all in on the terrace ofLe Nemours , a chancellor the great unwashed - watch placement and historic café across from the Comédie Française theatre on the lieu Colette , mention for the source who lived around the Palais Royal in the early twentieth century . dead situated between the Louvre and the Palais Royal gardens , it is one of the very few cafés set on a public square toes and has the air of an Italian piazza . Go for a croissant and a uncomplicated tar- tine — toast and slice baguette with butter and fix — or a classic omelet , and ( if you ’re not picky about chocolate ) a simple espresso .

9:30 A.M.

Now , for a quality cup of deep brown , take the air ten minutes toCafé Nuances , a third - undulation coffee shop class set in a former crèmerie . Coffee fans should order a freddo espresso , pour - over , or one of the seasonal Milk River - based drinkable like the rose or popcorn latté. If you lean more toward tea , stress the rose matcha latté. Take your drink to go and stroll across the stead Vendôme .

10:00 A.M.

Since you ’ll be in close propinquity to the district dub Little Tokyo , stroll the streets fanning off from rue Sainte - Anne and kibosh for a mid - dawning French - Japanese bite atTakumi Pâtisserie . The Japanese cheesecake , as created on the island of Hokkaido , is the chief draw here and made bracing daily . They ’re golden as they come out of the oven , downlike , pear-shaped , and crustless . But it ’s also worth trying their clever twist on cream puff in yuzu , matcha , or raspberry — they use a crème atomic number 79 fromage ( a kind of tinny custard of pick cheese ) instead of pastry cream . You should also take a Hokkaido tall mallow tart to go . Here , it select on an oblong shape and comes in flavor like pitch-black sesame , yuzu , and more .

10:30 A.M.

work out your way toward the river via the Tuileries garden , cross the Pont Royal , and head through the minute Robert Penn Warren of street in Saint - Germain- des - Prés , which are sprinkle with artwork galleries and passe principal . Within thirty min , you ’ll encounter yourself on rue du Cherche - Midi , the historic HQ of the dear bakeryPoilâne , a family - possess thing since 1932 . black market by the bread maker and enterpriser Apollonia Poilâne , the bakery is best know for its sourdough bake by manus on the premises in the original Sir Henry Joseph Wood - fire oven . The loaves are expectant on tang and have a dense crumb . The hick apple turnover ( that now and then contract a sweet Irish potato twist in the autumn ) should catch your middle as well as the punitions — heavenly shortbread cooky that are the perfect variety of habit-forming ( and travel well ) . Get a loaf and some biscuits to go and lead nearby to beak up other essentials for a picnic tiffin .

12:30 P.M.

Tucked behind the oldest department storehouse in Europe , Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche , is its more than one - hundred - year - quondam babe shop , La Grande Épicerie . The city ’s premier ( and most bounty ) food department store carries nearly 25,000 products , including speciality condiments and buttery staples , brisk foods and fain meals , and the widest selection of vino and Bordier butter anywhere in Paris . Hit up the deli tabulator , cheesemonger , and bakehouse section to compose your own sandwich , then comprehend in from a bench in the Square Boucicaut down the route , bring up for Le Bon Marché ’s founder .

or else , kick back a bit atColorova , a five - moment walk from the memory board . This twelve - year - old neo - bistro running play by the innovative pastry chef Guillaume Gil help a seasonal lunch menu ( and an absolute banger of a feast for weekend brunch ) , which might let in Ajitsuke tamago ( soy sauce – marinated soft - boiled eggs ) with marinated and roasted bok choy , pickled jalapeños , and Thai spring onions ; miso - blackguard vegetables ; or lamb fillet with parsnips and roast figs — all in a attractively brilliant space . quest a posterior in the master dining room to find out the chefs wreak from the semi - open kitchen .

2:30 P.M.

take the air off lunch by traversing theLuxembourg Gardens . Take your time to search ( and digest ): There is an abundance of impressive plant sprightliness , floral beds , more than 500 ancient mixture of pear and apple trees , and 102 statues go out back to the 19th century scattered throughout , all of which give the garden experience like an open - air museum . Once you reach the other side , keep walking another twenty minutes ( or a fifteen moment ride by motorcycle - part ) to the heart of the Latin Quarter , where the botanic Jardin des Plantes awaits . But your dependable destination sits just outside of the park ’s grounds . La Grande Mosquée de Paris , a hundred - old Moresque mosque with Andalusian gardens and patios , has always service as a place of both prayer and calm . And many come to utilize the hammam and sip mint tea in the tea beauty salon , which is what you should take a break to do . Pair the tea with gazelle horns , baklava , and a variety of other North African pastries .

4:30 P.M.

At this level in the day , it ’s been several hours since your last definitive French pastry dough , and that must be rectified . Since there is nothing more Gallic than a goûter — an afternoon scented snack — it ’s an essential next stop . Take a twenty - minute metro on line 7 or keep the legs moving with a thirty - minute base on balls to reach the place des Vosges frontier settlement ofCarette , the Art Deco tea salon that first opened in 1927 on the home du Trocadéro . This location on the oldest planned square in Paris sits beneath its vaulted arcades with patio seating that customer angle for even when temperature duck below freeze . Wherever you sit , the key is to rank the chocolat Carette , a velvety hot umber that comes with a stainless - steel coupe run over with a chummy and fluffy cloud of lather cream . Skip the savory menu ; skip the macarons ; focus on the raging cocoa and , if your appetite allows , a housemade croissant or oversized prospering whose formula has n’t switch since the twenties .

6:00 P.M.

It ’s time to leave the sweet behind and move into more serious swimming business . A ten - second walk away isLe Mary Celeste , which has been a pioneering ground tackle for lifelike wine , creative cocktails , and seafood - leaden small plate for more than a decennium . Since you ’ll be quick to sip and nibble before the kitchen unfold at seven p.m. , your bite alternative will be more modified . But you could still try the one dish that never allow the menu : les oeufs du diable , or chafe egg . Here , they ’re fill with sesame mayonnaise and top with fresh ginger , shallots , late - fry wild Timothy Miles Bindon Rice , and spring onions . They couple well with originative cocktail and orangish wine , Deck & Donohue craft beer on tap , and Lutèce , co - proprietor Josh Fontaine ’s own Parisian spirit with a gentian infrastructure that ’s vivacious on its own over chalk or mixed with tonic .

7:30 P.M.

Head north , on base or by taxicab , to Belleville , where you ( hopefully ) book forrader for dinner party atCheval d’Or , the ultimate shape of how exciting and globally minded dining in Paris is today . A Chinese eating place since 1987 , it was take over by a talented quartet in 2023 who bring some- thing fresh and new to the neighborhood . Filipino - Australian chef Hanz Gueco lead the French - Formosan carte du jour with clever and balanced dishes that dish as flavorful reminders that “ fusion ” does n’t have to be a dirty Holy Writ . Choose between a six - path tasting computer menu for the table or a nine - course carte blanche , both of which feature moth-eaten and hot fledgling , sizable fish and meat main , and divine desserts . Either way , you want to ensure you ’ve tried the fresh pasta ragu à la mapo tofu , the canard à l’orange ( half or whole ) with hoisin sauce , and the challenging take on an Île Flottante ( floating island ) for sweet , the classic combination of a meringue patty float in crème anglaise revisit to call to head boba tea with tapioca pearls and caramelise Prunus amygdalus .

9:45 P.M.

Since you ’re already up in Belleville , stick around the neighborhood for a first turn of drinks atKissproof . The Beirut - born bar has a stellar cocktail menu , organized by format and style , and an intact inclination of absinthes ( chances are honorable you ’ll be offered a shot before the night is over ) . If and when you shift into wine , you have a wealthiness of Riesling to choose from — the owner have made it their mission to celebrate what they sense is an underrepresentation of an excellent varietal . Once the 1880s to nineties revival playlist kick into gear and the drinks keep flowing , you ’ll be ready for a snack before you move on for the night . The bar offer a right dinner menu , a mix of shareable photographic plate and comforting main like smoke labneh and stracciatella mizzle with togarashi fossil oil or , for something more solid , the all - star chipotle - lime Gallus gallus sandwich .

11:30 P.M.

Paris is n’t only for the toper and schmoozers , it ’s neat for live euphony . Take a fifteen - minute taxi ride to the Parc de la Villette , where , smack in the middle of the park , between the Zénith arena and the Cité des Sciences museum , Cabaret Sauvagehas been known for its multicultural and fussy - genre concerts , performance ( including terpsichore and circus ) , and club nights since 1997 . Some advance planning is expect , though , so if you favor to be more self-generated , brain across the park toLa Gare - Le Gore , an untypical locus in an abandoned string post at the edge of the city . Until one ante meridiem there ’s gratis admission for resilient jazz concert in what used to be the station ’s concourse . For true clubbers , it ’s near to nonplus around until later when ( for a fee ) the underground section of the locus transforms into a nine with electronic and business firm music . Simple cocktails , beer , and tatty snack are useable , but you ’d be considerably served reserving your appetence for a late - night bite elsewhere . But before you embark on your next repast , make another stoppage on the music circuit with a final glass atBambino . This listening wine-colored legal profession , open until two a.m. near the North Marais , is a hooking for its ledge trace with vinyl , a stylish late - night gang that invariably include food diligence phratry as they finish their shifts , DJ set , and cocktails on rap .

2:30 A.M.

Unlike New York City or Berlin , Paris is a city that kip . Quality alternative for staying out lately are limited , particularly if your goal is to wipe out after a long night of bar- and club - hopping , because most kitchens close by eleven p.m. What Paris lack in diners it wee-wee up for in a fistful of legendary all - night brasseries like Au Pied de Cochon . Located in Les Halles and dating back to 1947 , it is one of the last continue relics from the neighborhood ’s eight - century run as Europe ’s with child food market . Depending on your craving , you might order snail , marrow , sugarcoat pork barrel loin , beef fillet or maybe just something honeyed , like profiterole with fond deep brown sauce — until close at five a.m. ( though not for long ; the door reopen at eight ante meridiem ) . But to camp out somewhere more vibrant , with music and a hip bunch that often includes famous faces ( Erykah Badu , Rihanna , and Lenny Kravitz to name a few ) , get yourself to Babylone Bis , an Afro - Caribbean eating house in the 2nd arrondissement that stays open until six a.m. you may celebrate your marathon of a twenty-four hours in Paris with a round of capital of Ghana , deep-fried plantain , and braised poulet .

7:00 A.M.

After an epically rich day of dining , the idealistic cure is a sourdough croissant , a sesame roulé ( a spiral - shaped pastry ) , and a loaf of bread of Sencha green Camellia sinensis and puffed rice bread from Utopie . A standout in the 11th arrondissement that open at seven ante meridiem , this boulangerie - pâtisserie is acknowledge for its sourdough bread game and an awarding - win baguette that ’s on par with its stellar pastry and viennoiserie offerings — and the religious cult following that extend with such a reputation .

A few pulley block away on foot you ’ll find Fauna , an excellent specialism deep brown workshop opened by Jacob Köhler and Filip Josefsson , a Swedish pair of Parisian coffee industry veteran . The space is warm up by forest - unripened banquettes , candlelight on every board , and a ease card that include housemade kanelbullar ( Swedish cinnamon buns ) and cardamom knots , seasonal fruit granola , and mini sourdough sandwiches make full with hard - roil egg slices and Malva sylvestris . It ’s all the fuel you need to continue exploring the urban center .