Paris grocery buying: your picks
 

We will be self-catering in Charonne/St. Blais. Near our rental, there are several stores to shop at. Which would you favour for your grocery needs, exclusive of boulangeries and outdoor weekly markets? Any opinions or comparisons between Monoprix, Casino, Franprix (all apparently owned by same same company), Lidl, Carrefour and Intermarche? Are they all 'six or half-a-dozen' or are there worthy contrasts to be made between?
I am done. The full basket.

For fresh food place d'Aligre is a daily market, probably close enough if you have a rolling cart for your groceries. Otherwise I would look at the local shops rather than the supermarkets.

Lidl wouldn't be my choice. Why go all the way to Paris to shop at Lidl?

Monoprix is where I buy most of my groceries. I used to find it too expensive, but it really does have the best selection. However I have a direct bus to the Leclerc supermarket at Rosa Parks, and I find myself going there more and more often. Using the various loyalty cards can make a significant difference in the amount you pay.

Can you be more specific as to location? There is a Rue de Charonne, a Blvd. de Charonne. a reservoir de Charonne, a parc de Charonne. and a metro stop Charonne. St. Blais(e) is a street, and a place. Makes a difference.
I buy most of my groceries at the Franprix because those in my neighborhood have a much more pleasant air than my neighborhood Monoprix which is the size of any US suburban super market with the same amount of charm. I frequently stop at Intermarche which is sort of close.

Thx all, I was hoping that locals would weigh in, Kerouac et al. Understand, we've shopped at nearly all of those chains across France before, I was simply wondering whether the Paris versions were comparable. Envierges, we'll be a few doors north of Pl. Reunion, whose weekly market we're learning is not much to write home about. However, there does seem to be some decent boulangeries in that immediate area.
Traveler N, never been to a Lidl but saw a recent post by an ex-pat who has lived in France for decades describing it. Michael, we've enjoyed visiting pl. d'Aligre marche in the past, but this Paris stay will be coming after a month's visit to the Aveyron and as in the past, we will likely be exhausted---can't handle too many big crowds when we're that tired, especially Mrs Z.
I am done. Merci tous.

Lidl is actually quite a good chain in rural areas and middle-sized cities. In Paris, it is a mob free-for-all for the poor. It has good German cold cuts, and the wine and beer section defies belief in terms of prices, but just about all of the rest should be ignored. I try to set foot in a Lidl maybe once every 4 months, so that says something about it.

None of us has mentioned the Picard frozen food stores yet, but they are an absolute must. You won't necessarily buy many things there, but you will be astounded by the variety and quality of the things in that huge multitude of freezer cases. The one item on which I am hooked is the salmon tartare.

Picard, for high quality frozen foods--the ready-to-bake appetizers are especially noteworthy.

Is Lidl so very different in France? or are you all just food snobs?
Here it has excellent fresh fruit and vegetables (far better than most French supermarkets have) and the meat and cheese sections are normally good. Good coffee for a low price too.
I don't remember going in one in France - they never seem to be in convenient places for us, though they are popular with camper owners throught Europe.

I have been to Lidl only in France, but since it is the second market of the chain after Germany, it is clearly doing something right. But I will repeat that the Lidl stores in Paris are absolutely awful. They look very nice in other parts of France.

I shop at Lidl for German specialties especially at Christmas time. I used to go for canned things like tomato sauce but since my local Lidl was closed, I'm no longer in shopping cart distance. Picard absolutely!! The one here ( 137 Rue des Pyrénées ) is close to where you will be. I don't like their one serving meals except for the endive/ham/cheese sauce but in general for the same price chain stores charge for frozen foods, Picard is heaps better and is the Favorite Brand of French, according to marketing surveys. Excellent for self caterers. I don't shop much at local street markets. There are so many excellent fruit and vegetable vendors in my neighborhood that a market trip is unnecessary. I can see why visitors are interested in the street markets but they are in no sense farmer's markets unless specifically noted. Unless they are true farmer's markets, the produce comes from the big central market at Rungis. For my farmer's market, I place my order on the website from a market dealing with farmers in Picardy, and it's delivered later in the week to a neighborhood location for pickup.

Just for interest, the website
https://www.kelbongoo.com/

Once again, I want to thank you all for responding. Getting to the fine details of your faves was exactly what I was after (i.e. Kerouac's salmon and Underhill starting mention of Picard, which is a new one for me; glad to see one on r. Pyrenees). Envierges, that link looks like an outfit worth being part of---good for you. Our pal in San Francisco is part of a similar arrangement and once, we tagged along. There, we bought some of the largest strawbs we'd ever seen, and I was born on a farm! Yeah, we too are not so keen on the Rungis reselling aspect of markets, seems that the Pl. de Reunion one is mostly like that. C'est plat au bout. Here at Toronto's various weekly markets, that kind of bogus re-selling controversy has been a hot topic for years, even resulting in a hidden-camera doc by the CBC.
We always have enjoyed Bastille (yo Mme Moufid et votre tajine--a bientot!).
Various & Sundry:
-gotta love some of the place names that come up in that area: Passage Satan and the nearby bar Chez Laid!
-we'll visit Pere Lachaise (first time) on All Saints day and in our eventual Trip Report, will clarify some of the circumstances of Jim Morrison's death. I'm something of a classic rock historian and there are still some myths about how and where he died. I love Doors music but in truth, don't give a rat's ass about his grave. We're going to the cemetery for its atmosphere and visuals.
-gotta make this trip as easy-peezy as possible for Mrs Z, coz she is still suffering from the death of her sister, the sole surviving family member. The circumstances of that unattended death last year were incredibly messy (and here's the tie-in with this post topic), prompting Mrs Z to quip as we left after the first visit to the ghastly death scene,
"We're never going to eat again."

I am done. The oversharing.

In the Too Much Info dept.

For the cemetery, for me, the most moving part is the wall where many Communards were shot. You might like to read up on the Commune. A start is this Wiki link
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communards%27_Wall

I don't think LIdl outside Germany is the same as within Germany. It's not run by local Germans and the suppliers and other things are different, except for packaged goods, maybe. I know the LIdl near me in the US is awful, also. A lot of the produce is poor quality, although there are a few things I like there. Yesterday I had to throw out a complete jar of alfredo sauce which was still 3 months away from its expiration because somehow it had completed separated and kind of turned to water. I don't know how that could happen, just shaking it a lot didn't make it the same as before. I know the store near me is run by locals, obviously, and they have to get produce fairly near the store. I would expect local produce to be better in France than where I live in the US, but sounds like the Paris stores have management problems.

Thx Christina, I had no idea that Lidl was international. Envierges, thx for that cemetery reference. From the get-go in our planning, that wall has been our main interest (I'm a history major).
I am done. The omission of personal details (whew).

I like to grocery shop at Fauchon because there are no poor people there.

It is bad enough to have to ride the metro and have some office worker rub up against my Louis Vuitton.

Thin, terrified of the poor 🐝

Fauchon 1988, my first time to Paris, backpacker days, pre-Mrs Z:
I strolled the aisles out of mere curiosity, never planning to actually make a purchase (see 'debtors prison'), when suddenly out of the corner of my eye, I spied it. The urge to shout, 'Get. The. Fuck. Outa'. Here!' was strong.
Lion meat.
I am done. The roar.

From Picard, we liked the ready to bake escargot in puff pastry and the pancakes you could make in the toaster. From Franprix, the various fruit nectars, especially the pear and peach ones. Also the Corsican sparkling water.

We had a Picard close by us last trip but also an Auchan supermarche that had a good selection. I bought huge mushrooms for omelettes, cheese and brought home some of their spices. The Christmas goods were amazing but loved Marks&Spencer for Christmas Cake and plum pudding in mini sizes. We have a 24 stopover in Dublin at Christmas headed to Germany and will be toting a Christmas Cake to Munich.

Lidl is a discount chain. Maybe 1/3 of the items are exactly what you'll find in every other local shop. If you're looking for a large name brand product it'll be the same. The produce can be just fine .Then there are some brands you've never heard of and never see outside of Lidl. Then you have a bunch of German products. If instead of fromage blanc you want the German equivalent Lidl will likely be a better option. Locally in Italy they bake Rye bread in the shop. Good luck finding that almost anywhere else. They tend to stock electrical goods made for the German market. That means if you need an extension cord with a German plug on it Lidl is the cheapest option.

But going to Lidl is like flying to the US to visit Walmart.

Lidl in Paris bakes fresh baguettes for something like 0.37€.

Lidl is by far the best grocery store around here, but I've been disappointed in Lidls elsewhere in France. In Paris I try to stay away from all the chains and just visit fresh markets and small stores.

As for Leader Price, it can be pointed out that just about all of the house brand Leader Price items are sold also at Franprix. In fact, it was considered to be the Franprix house brand until that chain created its own Franprix label -- more expensive than Leader Price and often in competition in the same store.

The debate concerning street markets and small shops versus supermarkets will of course never end. It is both a question of lifestyle and economics, not to mention upbringing. As for myself, I would have to say that I probably buy 90% of my food at supermarkets (but five different ones because I know which one is best for various products) and perhaps only 10% at the small places, not because of quality but because I couldn't find a specific item that I was looking for. Practically all of the vegetables, fruits, meat and fish in Paris come from the Rungis central market whether they are sold in supermarkets, street markets or in market streets. Obviously, there are different qualities because there are a huge number of Rungis vendors for both the high end and the low end of the market (and yes, even the middle). Basically in Paris, there are only a few butchers who have direct connections to suppliers and just a few greengrocers with a connection to a local farm. Good luck in finding them if that's what you want.

I really got into the baking and spice section in Paris groceries. I love looking for things we don't get. The Maille mustard and mayo are delish but the commissary carries now. Great selection of wine and ciders from Normandy.

Merci tous encore. Aaarrgh!! I now feel like one of those soccer/footie players who have scored an 'own goal'. It appears that I messed up our aforementioned rental, which was next door to the Legacy restaurant. Could've sworn that I'd reserved it properly a couple months ago, but apparently not. Can only attribute this frustrating gaffe to my hospital episode, which happened around the exact same time. Worse things happen, yeah?
Anyway, we got a new rental in same same Charonne area, down near Buzevenal metro station. So Macross, we'll be close to an Auchan, plus Carrefour City. Lidl beckons just beyond but I hear you all saying that the Parisian ones fall short of the mark.
I am done. The rocket surgeon.

(voice of Freddo in The Godfather)
"I'm SMART Mikey! I'm SMART!!"