I love food markets so you can imagine how excited I was when I realised that we were staying about fifty metres from Rue Montorgueil, one of the oldest market streets in central Paris. It is one of the few reminders of the Les Halles covered market area before it was replaced in 1975 by a boring concrete shopping mall. Some of the buildings housing the restaurants and shops that line this pedestrian street have been there since the turn of the last century.
Every morning we headed to the boulangerie for croissants and bread sticks. There are quite a few in the street but our favourites were Maison Collant and Strohrer. It was a pleasure to join the queue- the smell of freshly baked bread permeated the air making the decision harder as to which type of baguette we would try today.
Patisserie Stohrer at No.51 is one of the oldest patissieres in Paris having been opened by Nicolas Stohrer in 1730. The patisserie became famous for his Baba au Rhum which is still being sold today.
The decadent displays of pastries proved too hard to ignore and were often seen at the breakfast table!!
  
Over the road from Stohrer, at No 86 is La Fermette, a fabulous cheese shop. Not being used to the amazing choice on offer, the boys who owned the shop offered their suggestions for different cheeses to try and a taste of each. I can highly recommend the goats cheese and the Comte!
Le Repaire de Bacchus, our supplier of wine and champagne for our stay in the apartment, was next door! The owner was very knowledgeable and a proved to be a great source of inspiration for our choice of french wine at a reasonable  price.
Just down the road was the perfectly named Palais du Fruit. Summer fruits filled the shop. Punnets of raspberries , strawberries, blueberries and gooseberries together with sweet nectarines and plums formed the basis of our morning fruit salad.
But the queen of the ‘Palais’ was the white asparagus.
The fishmonger and butcher were side by side to the fruit shop. Handy!
I loved the open fish mongers. A fabulous selection of fresh seafood was beautifully displayed. Whole fish, fillets , prawns, lobsters and coquilles sat on ice as calls to come and buy their fresh fish were heard from the staff.
We tried them all! The butcher provided a fabulous fillet of beef which we cooked for our celebratory dinner after the Paris Marathon. He also sold an excellent selection of sausage which, of course, we had to try!
Rue Montorgueil had everything we needed…. Fresh flowers filled the apartment thanks to the flower shop on the corner.They weren’t arranged as well as the flowers at the George Cinq Hotel but they made the apartment feel like home!
The Italian deli was there if we needed a change….pasta, burrata, proscuito…
and cafés and restaurants lined the street so we could sit and watch everyone shopping.
Most of the shops are open on Sunday till about 3 pm but there is also a Sunday open food market that takes place at the Les Halle end of the street just over Rue Étienne Marcel!
Do you have a favourite food street in Paris?
Rue Montorgueil Food Market
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I love your first photo, it sets the scene admirably. I enjoy standing in the bread queues. At Moclin in Spain I joined the old village ladies waiting at the mobile bread van. There was much miming and speaking of Spanish (not by me unfortunately). How exciting to have Rue Montorgueil as your go to shop. “Honey I am just going to the market”. That would be me twice every day! And I would want to buy something every time. If you needed inspiration for that night’s dinner you could just pop in to the market.
For years now I have always wandered the markets and, because of staying in hotels, I was only able to buy a few snacks etc. I loved being able to shop this trip. Popping down for fresh bread, pastries and cheese every morning was so much fun! A mobile bread van sounds a great idea too Jan.
The bakery was actually in the village but did not have a shopfront, so you could either be up early when they packed the van and get it then, or they drove around the streets of the village around noon and blew their horn to alert everyone. In between morning and lunch they serviced the other nearby villages.
Only in France can the front of a butcher’s shop look like a jewellery store, and arrange a fish display so even polystyrene crates fit artfully. I love this part of Paris, and even the architecture of the new(ish) Les Halles fascinates me. My favourite street however has to be Rue Mouffetard. I love its grittiness, and the way it changes as you walk down from the Pantheon end – it’s almost like a teenager who grows into old age by the time you reach bottom of the hill. The deli down at the end with its foresty art nouveau mural on the first floor can hold me for hours. And all the little African and Middle Eastern eateries in the alleys off it are pretty appealing too.
Beautifully written Sarah. A couple of years ago I stayed in a small hotel around the corner from Rue Mouffetard but as we didn’t have anywhere to cook, I didn’t use it as much as I did Rue Montorgueil. You’ve certainly inspired me to go back for another visit.
I am so jealous! That’s one of the things I so miss in Calgary is the little food stalls with daily trips needed for bread, fruit, wine etc. It may be more time consuming to shop like that – but not if it’s just a few doors down; it’s certainly more social and it feels so good to support the little guy instead of a chain. Your photos are wonderful and make me wish I was waking up to a cafe au lait and a hot croissant tomorrow morning.
Thanks Leigh.It really is fabulous to be able to shop as you can in Paris….and this is one of many food streets!I miss it when I’m home too but I suppose it makes us appreciate it all the more when we are away. Do you have grower’s markets or their equivalent in Calgary.
I REALLY need to stop reading your posts before I got to bed at night. I have nothing in my house to eat that can match anything in your photos! Thank goodness I will be back in Europe in 25 days so I can start eating some amazing local foods again…like loads of cured meat!
Don’t worry, I have nothing in the house either Keryn ! I’d love to be back in Europe- I’m looking forward to living vicariously through your travels!
And how do French women keep their figures with all this food around again?
I see the bread, the photo of the bread, and I smell and taste it. The produce look so appetizing — I’m getting hungry. Maybe I should do like Keryn said and stop reading but it’s too late!
I’m convinced the secret is that they walk everywhere Marcia. I only have to look at food and I put kilos on but on this trip, after eating at some amazing restaurants and constantly buying at the markets, I didn’t gain the kilos! For me travelling is all about food!!
I love your food posts, Jenny! I always get hungry after I read them. This brought me back to Paris and reminded me of why I love the city and its food markets. We loved Rue Cler the last time we were there. We will need to explore Rue Montorgueil next time.
Thanks Mary. There’s so many fabulous food streets dotted over the city, that I think we need to go for a month!!I believe Rue Cler is great so I must check it out when next we visit.
Palais du Fruit would be the one I’d visit most frequently, although I’d stop and drool every day at the Patisseries! I can just imagine the aroma right now. Love your photos Jenny and they make me feel as if I’m walking along beside you.
Thanks Jo. The displays of the fruit and vegetables were fabulous. They enticed you stop and buy all the time, especially the berries which were abundant at this time of the year.
Mmm, my fave breakfast is a small cafe-au-lait and a pain-au-chocolate. Though up here in Scandinavia, sweets for breakfasts are considered practically a sin. Love your photos and long for Paris, for the food but even more for the atmosphere.
Great pictures, I love markets, I visited those in Provence and they were great, so many typical products and a real burst of colors!
Every where I go, the markets are ususally my first port of call! They are so much fun and give a great insight into the community. Thanks for stopping by and commenting Angela
My mouth is watering! If I visited there, I would spend the whole day strolling the market and snacking. It looks so yummy. I always enjoy food shopping in a new place.
That’s exactly what I do Michele. Hubby is often heard wondering why we are going to another market…I just love them!
I’ve never been here, but it reminds me of the places I’ve visited in Europe. All those delicious looking pastries! And the cheeses! What I wouldn’t give to have a taste of those cheeses again (there are not so many varieties available here in the Philippines).
The pastries and cheeses are so fabulous in Paris.Just to wander into a cheese shop is heaven. I can imagine that your selection is not brilliant in the Philippines. Australia has some fabulous local produced cheeses but unpasteurized cheeses are still not allowed into the country.
OMG- these are beautiful and like i’m walking through the city myself. And dear god, that cheese… so much cheese!!
Thanks Jade. Can you imagine how it was staying around the corner and walking down the street every time we came home! I wasn’t very good at resisting all the temptations!
I love cheese shops! There’s always so many interesting kinds you can buy small chunks of to taste. What I enjoy most about these specialty shops/stalls is how knowledgeable the people who work in them are. They always know some interesting, delicious way to prepare the food or provide great suggestions as to what to serve with it.
It’s fabulous isn’t it that they know so much about their produce. Every morning we sort the advice of the guys in the shop as to what cheese to try that day.It was always accompanied by a taste and a small description of the cheese and where it came from. Makes the shopping experience so much more fun! Thanks for stopping by and commenting Margaret.
I missed this when I was in Paris 10 years ago. I think it’s about time to get back there!
Yes, time to go back Ryan! Paris is the most wonderful city..I can’t leave it too long between visits! I’d miss walking the streets…and the food of course!
At first I was drooling over the pastries, but then I got to the cheese- kill me now!! 🙂
Both with the promise of no extra kilos Becca, unlike this little piggy who had to walk everywhere so I could have another treat!
Pastries, cheese, wine, oh my! This is what I call a delicious post. Love the photo of Maison Collet’s – I want to walk right in there.
Thanks Cathy. I do love my food!!! I think you’re right though,the shop’s are so inviting!! That can be my excuse now!!
I love markets, and I can see that this could quickly become a favorite. I love all these shots. Last time I was in Paris I was 19 years old. That was a while ago 🙂
Thanks Nancie. I can’t stay away from markets either. Hopefully it won’t be too long until you can return to Paris. The markets in Daejeon must be fascinating!
I love the photos! Very colorful. And just look at how those fruits and vegetables are stacked! 🙂
Presentation is everything in Paris, even the fruity and vegetables. The seafood displays are tempting to. Thanks for visiting Lea.
I’m almost glad I didn’t discover this when I was in Paris. I would have gained ten pounds. Isn’t it wonderful how the French make EVERYTHING look artistic–even dead fish!
So true Vera, The secret of temptation is a beautiful display. Thankfully we walked everywhere in Paris so we were able to keep the weight gain to a minimum.
What a fantastic area to stay in Jenny! Having fresh flowers makes a space feel like home immediately! I am sure you had so much eye-candy every morning!
Fun days indeed Marina! I loved staying near the market, tempting as it was walking down the street!I’d certainly stay here again.
Travel and food – particularly food photography – your blog is combining two of my favourite things. And I loved Paris when we were there in 2005. I adored the food market in La Rochelle when we were taken there by our two French friends, and then had lunch with what we had bought on the waterfront – my most favourite picnic ever!
I found you through Jo Castor’s blog, and I am bookmarking your blog on my blog, so I can come back and sample more delights soon!
Thanks Jill for stopping by and commenting! For me food and travel go hand in hand. I’m always looking for the next restaurant or food market! Nothing beats being able to buy some local goodies from the market and having a picnic in a beautiful park or by the water…Italy or France, I’m happy anywhere! Hope to see you back here!
Hi! Are these street markets open on weekdays as well? Usually, what time do the shops (or street vendors) open and close? Thanks!!
Yes Kim, the street is open during the week. Strohrer Patisserie for example is open from 7.30 – 7.30 seven days a week. Most of the bakeries open at this hour as does la Fermette, the fabulous cheese shop. Other shops are a little bit later. Have fun!
Wonderful and informative post! Will visit some of these shops when I am in Paris next time.
It’s a great street Rayni…certainly worth a visit!