Favorite Paris Supermarket Finds?
 

We need to start a thread now for the Paris supermarket finds -- for those of us who haven't been or are not going to be in Italy for the foreseeable future.........

Prisunic was the store of choice when I was in Paris which is now Monoprix. Although only the lower level was a supermarket, it was great fun to look at their merchandise. I brought back coffee and Madeleines (and probably more things -- just can't think right now).

So, what's your favorite Paris supermarket find that you can't leave Paris without?

I think Prisunic and Monoprix were actually two different companies originally, although perhaps Monoprix bought them out eventually. I think there have been threads like this on here before, also, before the Italy one. I just appreciate the good cheap wine you can get in France at a supermarket.

I LOVE pears, so when I found pear yogurt (and many different kinds, too!)I was thrilled.

Why don't we have pear yogurt in the US?

Actually I joked that the supermarket was my favorite place to shop while in Paris this spring. I stocked up on Savora mustard (with spices) which I can no longer find in the states, Amora mustard (zesty and very inexpensive in small jars that become little juice glasses once empty), and very nice and inexpensive face soaps. Of course, these are just the things that I brought home and not the perishables that we purchased and ate while in Paris, i.e. fromage blanc. Most supermarkets have a decent selection of inexpensive table wines that complement any picnic lunch. Yes Paris does taste delicious! ((#))

Maille mustard for the elegant packaging.

Chocolates especially the ones with hazlenuts and almonds and cookies. The chocolates made in France taste lots better to me than the ones in the States. Also the chocolates with nuts are really packed with nuts.

All the wonderful LU cookies that they don't sell in the US. We must have ate 4 packs of butter cookies in 2 weeks. Thank god for all the walking.

Sea salt with iodine -odd one but the sea salt i've seen here doesn't have it so I had to buy a small container.

I think I could eat those 4 packs of butter cookies in 2 days! :) Yes, thank God for all that walking we do...

Leader price is another grocery chain similar to Monoprix. I always drop by a super or two when in Paris, last trip even bought an extra suitcase at Rayon d'Or to haul back some goodies. One of my favorite finds was Speculoos, the Belgian spice cookies - there are sources in the US but they are a bit pricey, and at LP they had boxes for about a dollar. Chocolate is another thing that I stock up on in Paris grocery stores. Mustard, spice blends, vinegars... yum, yum, yum.
In another stratum altogether is the Gran Epicerie at Au Bon Marche - certainly no bargain basement prices, but selection and quality that is not to be believed.

Speaking of supermarkets....I am staying on Rue Armand Moisant in Montparnasse.....anyone know of a Monoprix ( or other ) near by? Thanx.

There's a branch at 30-40 Rue du Commandant Mouchotte and another at 129 rue d'Alesia.

Persillade. It's an unusual mixture of herbs found in the spice section, in the same type of glass jar that you see in the US. It's particularly good sprinkled on a white fish such as haddock before sauteeing it. Learned about it from much-missed Elvira.

this past March we stayed in an apt and I used the laundry. The laundry soap smelled so good that I ran down to the FranPrix and bought 2 boxes .. now my daughter does the same thing, she brought me soap and softener from Belgium LOL
I also buy chocolates, cookies, crackers, cheeses, anything that catches my fancy.
I do the same at Pharmacies :) Where I find shampoos, conditioners & lotions that are not sold in the US.

Chocolates - for sure. I also bought wonderful Tapenade at Monoprix and I like the section with toiletries - Monoprix's own label toilet soap - it is wrapped in brown paper and comes in wonderful flavours e.g olive, mandarin, lavender. From this section I also bring back home shower gel and lotion - bought a lavender and mint combination last time that is so fresh!
And of course mustard and a bottle or two red wine!

And as everyone said - that is not even to mention what is consumed while in Paris!

Seamus, did you know that Leader Price, Franprix and Monoprix are all owned by the same group (Casino)? So much for competition!!

There is a wonderful Monoprix food store near Gare St. Lazare that carries Fauchon items. I love buying dried morels and cepes, wine, foie gras, great chocolate bars,fleur de sel,

I also like to bring home Amora mustard. Last time I brought back a dozen jars! Also pate, foie gras, and sel de la mer.

A big hunk of cotton in a bag, rather than cotton balls. Goes a lot further than cotton balls and is cheaper.

Gretchen, the Monoprix that you mention is on the pedestrianised section of Rue Caumartin, between Boulevard Haussman and Rue St Lazare. It does have a good selection of gourmet foods, Fauchon items, etc.

I also love the Lafayette Gourmet department in the Galeries Lafayette on Bd Haussman. It has the most incredible selection of gourmet food as well as everyday items. It also has little counters with stools/tables dotted around where you can stop and get a drink or bite to eat - pastries, coffee, wines, antipasti, seafood, etc. Not cheap, but definitely fun :)

Carte Noir coffee, madeleines (often eat most of them in the hotel room.) The yummy butter cookies, some are very inexpensive -- I think Gallettes St. Michel. Chocolate. The little boxes of LU cookies and crackers, especially mini-quiche. Wine. Mustard.

One year, could have been Nov. 2001, I had my mini-quiche and cute cookie boxes spread throughout my packed suitcase and a very serious young man at CDG asked me to open the case before it was checked through. He did a doubletake when he saw the cookies & crackers and laughed.

I love walking through the Grand Epicerie at Bon Marche. I've seen food there I've never seen before, but don't remember buying more than a sandwich and chocolate, which I ate in the park across the street.

I usually shop whatever grocery is closest to my hotel, so have bought pretty much the same items at Franprix, Monoprix and the grocery on Rue Cler. I like the fruit stands too and usually buy a few Clementines to keep in the mini fridge at the hotel.

I'm getting more ideas from this thread.
Yum.

Hanl, thanks for clarifying. It really is quite nice. And the Monoprix on rue Rennes (I think) is also a sort of "cut above.".

Last December in Paris, my friend and I hit every Monoprix we passed by...among the items we brought back were spices, tapenades, mustards and these enormous boxes of Christmas chocolates by Lindt in these beautiful boxes that had a scene of the Champs Elysee on them. My co-workers were recipients of that enormous box of chocolates and let me tell you, they were suitably impressed!
Also stock up on lots of bars of Lettuce soap (smells sooooo good) by Roger and Gallet at every pharmacy we can find it in! We each bring a seperate bag just to bring back these goodies in. We are leaving in 2 weeks for Provence and Paris and can't wait to shop again!

I buy Orangina...of course, it's not really something I can bring back. I just drink it there. I CRAVE Orangina. Our Tom Thumb use to carry it, but they stopped. Anybody know where I can buy Orangina in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area?

dmkujat -- Do write a trip report when you return. I'm particularly interested in what you find at the markets in Provence as 7 of my girlfriends and I are going next June for 8 nights and then Paris for 8 nights. You ARE going to the market at I'lle sur la Sorgue, aren't you??
Have a great trip!

luvparee - I actually don't have the itinerary with me, my friend I am travelling with is an American Travel Agent, but a "French Travel Specialist" and she is making all the arrangements etc., and I am going along for the ride. This is my 3rd France trip with her and she is excellent at building all everything we are interested in...shopping, museums, churches, etc. I took lousy notes on our last 2 trips, hence no travel report, but I will try to do a better job at it this time so I can actually offer an intelligent opinion for a change! I do know we are spending the last 4 days in Paris for the Travel Show at the Expo...but she is leaving us plenty of time to hit those Monoprix stores!

Luisha,
I had to smile when I read your statement about the park across from Le Grand Epicerie at Bon Marche. My husband and I always take our treats from the marche and eat them in the park. It is a wonderful experience...

missypie.
Do they have Whole Foods in Dallas/Ft Worth? That is where I get mine.

katyaNY look at this:

http://www.bluebunny.com/ProductDeta...;productId=269

Blue Bunny makes pear light yogurt

Monoprix is the best value, but the Le Grande Epicerie at Bon Marche is the Eight Wonder of the World....don't miss going there.

My favorite was drinkable yogurt by Yoplait branded under the name Yop. I loved it! Sure enough, a few months after I got back they were finally selling it here in the U.S., too, but at greatly increaded prices. Looking forward to buying it at a decent amount next February.

I was delighted to find that there are others here who love to shop in supermarkets in Europe. Yes, the little individual shops - boulangeries, boucheries etc. are fun, but I also like to shop the chain stores where the suburban families shop. The last time we were in France, we stopped in several Monoprix stores and brought back lots of chocolates and children's candies for my daughter's friends. And yes, Faina, Blue Bunny has pear yogurt and also "vanilla pear."

<b>Faina- bolshoe spasibo!!</b>

I have to go check out whether my local grocery stores carry Blue Bunny! Thanks again- I know that I can get it in Saint Petersburg, and I'll be there next week! Yay!

%%-

hanl - well, as long as they are not all a subsidiary of Halliburton I'll keep shopping there!

Agree with the posts about house brand toiletry items - some great soaps and shampoos to be had.

Last December we went out to the Val d'Europe designer outlets (worth it to say you've been but otherwise just like every other outlet mall in the world) and found that it is located behind a rather typical mall that included a large Auchan. We stopped by Auchan and picked up a considerable pile of great chocolates in just-for-the-holidays packaging that went over quite well with the folks back home. We also got some CDs that were not available in the US.

I moved to Paris in August of 2005. Because I was missing home I wanted to hold a Thanksgiving dinner with 14 of our new French friends. I ordered a turkey from Monoprix on Rue des Ternes and to my horror it was not there! We were told that we could only have the turkey on the morning of our dinner party so you can only imagine our frustration!


When we filed a complaint I received a rude email from the Director M. Muller that basically stated that they spent 20 mins. on the phone with me (which apparently was too long) and that they never have turkeys before Dec. 10th so it was my fault!


So I am boycotting Monoprix and ask that you ALL do the same. This is not the place to shop if you want to be treated with respect!

only1zarina, lesson learned: cultivate a local butcher.

Michael is absolutely right. What made you choose Monoprix in the first place?

Ha! Ha! I was just in Paris and bought a huige jar of Dijon mustard in the :Franprix&quot; supermarche for less then a Euro! It is delicious!

Just a reply about food shopping in Provence...In my mind I can still smell the spices from the streets of Old Town Nice. In the evening when the breeze from the ocean blows in it is heavenly! Now back to more Paris shopping ideas...Lavaender honey!

With so many independent butchers in France who can do just about anything you ask, why would you order a turkey from a gigantic supermarket chain?

I have heard that in Paris, they don't eat whole turkeys the way we do in the States.
I am sorry to hear of your mix-up , 1zarina..what did you end up cooking?