Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 My 25 Bites to Try in Paris... Part 1

What to eat in Paris... breakfast edition.

Just over a week ago, a New York Times story began making the rounds of Paris foodie Instagram: a collection of the 25 essential dishes of Paris, curated by some of the best palates in the city. I read it with interest, bookmarking more than a couple for later visits... and then, Sara Lieberman, one of the journalists who contributed to the original (and the author, among other things, of the newsletter Overthinking It...) released her own list of the 25 essential dishes to try in Paris, as far as she and a handful of her nearest and dearest were concerned. And, well, it got me thinking...

I think you know where this is going, friends.

I took the time to consider my personal top 25: the essential bites that my life in Paris simply wouldn't be complete without. We're talking the things that, if you were visiting me for, let's say, a year, I'd make it my personal mission to ensure you sample.

Let me be clear: These are not necessarily the restaurants I love best (though there are definitely some favorites on here...). Many of my top spots boast ever-changing, seasonally-driven menus, which means that expecting the same bites to consistently be on offer is an effort in futility (and disappointment). Rather, this list is composed of my stalwarts: the individual bites I could – and can – return to again and again. 

While I had initially set my heart on rounding all 25 all up in one big email, I realized it might be more palatable (and easier to digest) if I break things into meals.

So let's begin with breakfast.

Breakfast in the U.S. or the UK is a Big Deal. (FWIW, a blueberry short stack with a fried egg on top and real maple syrup is my go-to for the former, tied with an everything bagel with cream cheese, lox, red onion, and lemon; a Full Scottish [gotta have that potato scone] hold the bacon [all the better for me to fully appreciate the wonder of the British breakfast sausage and blood pudding] is my go-to in the former. [And yes, my breakfast preferences need double parenthetical. What of it.]) 

But breakfast in France, conversely, always strikes me as a bit of an afterthought: small, sweet, and consumed at home, if at all. (I was describing the French breakfast tradition of coffee and a bit of bread to some visitors on one of my food tours recently, and my fromager quipped, "You know the most traditional is a café-clope [coffee and a cigarette]." He's not wrong.)

(If you're interested in knowing more about the whys and wherefores of this difference, I reported on the history of French breakfast in depth – including why we skew sweet instead of savory – for Life & Thyme.)

The traditional approach to French breakfast suits me fine: I'm an intermittent faster and usually have coffee (no clope) for breakfast. That said, Paris specifically has recently become home to a bit of a trend of le brunch, which I'm averse to for a number of reasons: You usually have to queue (no thanks), plus brunch offerings here tend to be prix fixe rather than à la carte, which means you're required to order 30 euros worth of food, including a dessert, which is far more than I can ever bring myself to eat, let alone in the morning.

That said, if ever I do eat breakfast in Paris, these are the places I go to. (You'll note, of course, a 10th-arrondissement leaning, which makes sense given the aforementioned tendency of the French to have their morning meal at home. Never fear, Left Bankers: Next week's lunch options will definitely take you further afield.)
 

1. Croissant au Beurre from Tout Autour du Pain

Paris is home to no shortage of croissants, and while many are similar (and many are delicious), a few stand out, like this classic from a little bakery in the Marais. The croissant here is rich and buttery with a surprisingly light, airy crumb and an exterior that positively shatters into delicious flakes the moment you take a bite. It will make you a lot of pigeon friends, and you will wear evidence of it down your front all day long. In short: croissant perfection.

Tout Autour du Pain (134 rue de Turenne, 3rd)

2. Chausson aux Pommes from Sain Boulangerie

Despite my love of Benjamin Turquier's croissants, my favorite viennoiserie selection in Paris hails from Sain Boulangerie, just off the Canal Saint-Martin. Not only do they make a dope sourdough croissant (denser and more flavorful than the classic, which to my mind is a worthwhile tradeoff for the airiness a great classic delivers), but Anthony Courteille also bakes up unique creations like the roule ma prune, a plum-filled bun baked in the shape of an S. While it's hard to go wrong in the viennoiserie case, the standout for me is undoubtedly the chausson aux pommes, with its dense, richly appley filling and deeply caramelized, buttery base. It's a seasonal offering, replaced by chaussons (aka pastry slippers) filled with other fruit like mirabelle plums when apples are no longer at their peak.

Sain Boulangerie (13 rue Alibert, 10th)

3. Filter Coffee and House Sourdough from Ten Belles

While Paris is home to no shortage of beautiful cafés, the quality of the coffee served therein is generally... wanting. (I reported on this back in the day for Curiosity Mag in a story that has since unfortunately been taken down, but this oddity really comes down to a number of factors including trade monopolies, the preponderance of robusta beans in France, and, as opposed to in Italy, the lack of barista training for those usually making the espresso or café crème – Read: your local server.)

But a coffee revolution has been underway in Paris for almost 20 years now, and one of my favorite spots to reap the benefits is at Ten Belles. The coffee here is roasted in the Paris region, at the Bonneuil-based Deck and Donohue brewery. I love that the beans aren't under-roasted, as in many third-wave coffee shops, and instead take on dark, caramelized notes that really shine when brewed as the perfect filter cup.

In addition to its coffee, Ten Belles is also known for its delicious sourdough bread: the bread of choice on some of my favorite tables like le Saint-Sébastien and Le Mermoz. At Ten Belles itself, you can enjoy this loaf as a side to one of the lunchtime salads or a base for one of the house toasties, but since they also sell their beans for home brewing (ground fresh on site), you can brew your favorite (mine's Mixtape) at home to enjoy with a fresh slice of the sourdough slathered with butter or simply all on its own. What could be more traditionally French than that?

Ten Belles (10 rue de la Grange aux Belles, 10th; 53 rue du Cherche-Midi, 6th; 17 rue Bréguet, 11th)

4. Chai Latte from 5 Pailles

Considering how much I enjoy spices, I probably live in the wrong place.

(I jest. Kind of.)

But in all seriousness, while traditional French cuisine certainly boasts a mastery of luxurious textures like a silky, rich pomme purée and the depth of flavor you'll find in a slow-cooked beef bourguignon, the use of spice tends, here, to be limited largely to black pepper and mustard. Thankfully, this is changing: I can now get the incredible Hainan burrata from Reyna or some of the best Korean fried chicken from Coupi. But in a country filled with people who even dub cinnamon spicy, it's been hard to find the chai of my dreams: unsweetened and super spicy.

Luckily, 5 Pailles has got it down pat, with just the right dose of chai masala and barely any sugar. It's also my favorite place in Paris for brunch, thanks to a lack of the aforementioned reliance on a prix fixe menu, but even as a takeaway pick-me-up, this chai is kind of perfect.

5 Pailles (79 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 10th)

5. Sacristain from du Pain et des Idées

Du Pain et des Idées has become pretty famous for its smoky pain des amis as well as for its super-Instagrammable escargot pistache-chocolat, which sees the more traditional rum-soaked raisins usually found in a pain aux raisins replaced with bright green pistachio paste and dark chocolate chips. I'm not saying these rolls aren't tasty (I'm partial to the berry-cream cheese iteration, myself), but the unsung hero of the viennoiserie case here is the sacristain: a length of laminated, croissant-like dough twisted around a simple yet luxurious pastry cream filling. It's just sweet enough and has the ideal blend of crispy exterior and tender interior. And if you, like me, are not much of a breakfast fan, it also makes the perfect mid-afternoon snack. (But more on that in a later missive!)

Du Pain et Des Idées (34 Rue Yves Toudic, 10th)

Stay tuned for lunch next week!