Paris - recommend cafes, bakeries, restaurants, shops in the 6th?
 

We will be staying at the Hotel Lutetia in November. Would anyone like to recommend any cafes, bakeries, restaurants or shops in the 6th that are close by? Perhaps some place that you love for breakfast even? Or maybe an open market that you love? I saw that one Fodorite recommended a bakery named Paul at the corner of Rue de Seine and Rue de Buci, so we will check that out. Thanks, in advance, for your help.

The open market on rue Buci is one of my favorites in Paris. Check out the sausage guy (in the bleu de travail and felt black hat) - he comes from the Périgord and sells, among other things, saucisse d'âne (for the adventurous palate). I also love the Asian place on rue Buci that has about 20 kinds of dumplings, all of them delicious.

Had wonderful eclaires at Paul. Apparently this is a chain? Had croissants and bread from a bakery called Carton on Rue du Buci 3 mornings in a row. Wonderful.

Two excellent boulangerie/patisseries right nearby. Carton on Rue de Buci and Gerard Mulot at 76, rue de Seine. You can have breakfast in your hotel or in one of the cafes, but I've never come across a place that stood out for breakfast. The street market at Rue de Buci is small, but interesting. There's also Rue Mouffetard in the 5th. The grand cafes are Les Deux Magots and Cafe Flore, which are next to one another, but all you get there are excessive bills for the pleasure of sitting where Ernest Heminway did 50 years ago. There are other cafes along the Bd St. Germain that are quite adequate. You may want to check out Vagenende, a Belle Epoque style restaurant on the Bd. Toward the western end you'll find L'Entrecote. Off Place de l'Odeon is Au Petit Prince. Make sure to check out www.zagat.com for Paris restaurants in the 6th. Their recommendations are usually worth paying attention to.

Hi CJ. Check out the famous Poilâne bakery at 8, rue du Cherche-Midi. <BR> <BR> <BR>Here's a brief excerpt from a January 1995 Smithsonian article about Poilâne: <BR> <BR>http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smi...5/poilane.html <BR> <BR>And another article about it: <BR> <BR>http://www.1france.com/features/fwf_polane.html

I wouldn't go farther than across the street where the large food store of Le Bon Marche dept store is, I think it's one of the best such stores in Paris. They have lots of food, including take-away, although I wasn't shopping for baked goods so can't recall exactly how they do in that area. Here's their URL www.lagrandeepicerie.fr I can't recall any super special cafe around there I know of, I just wander and plop down mainly on rue St-Placide when I'm shopping around there or something, or rue de Cherche-Midi. I try to avoid the cafes on bd St-Germain myself.

I second Gerard Mulot. It has delicious pastries and the best chocolates. Expensive but worth it. I went before Easter this year and they had these amazing huge eggs and animal characters all made out of chocolate.

I second Carton, if Mulot is too crowded. Wonderful everything!!! Definitely wander over to the Buci market and get some fresh oysters, too.

Ouuui, Gérard Mulot, Rue de Seine! <BR> <BR>My all time favourite.

Another recommendation for Gerard Mulot! The staff giggled a little at my indecision when faced with all the tempting choices in their case -- gorgeous to look at and even better to eat.

CJ, <BR>We couldn't stop gazing in awe at the window displays at Gerard Mulot. We stood and had coffee and one of their heavenly creations one day and just observed the fascinating scene. Also Barthelemy on Rue Grenelle #51 is a tiny, wonderfully old-fashioned cheese shop that caters to the well-heeled of the quartier (actually in the 7th, but only a few blocks from the Lutetia). We also liked the creative "tapas" of southwestern cuisine we had in the casual but rather plush ground floor room of Helene Darroze at #4 Rue d'Assas, a stone's throw from your hotel. The formal restaurant upstairs has a Michelin star-we dined for much less in the downstairs bistro called the Salon d'Helene.

My husband and I browsed in Gerard Mulot and decided to come back to buy gifts and a little something for the plane ride home. But they were closed on Wednesdays! I was seriously bummed!

If you enter the address and/or name at the following site, it will give you pictures of the place, including views of up and down the street: <BR> <BR>http://wfa.pagesjaunes.fr/pj.cgi?lang=en <BR> <BR>This site has been posted countless times on this forum, but it is always "discover" by somebody new. Enjoy Paris!!!!

Thank you so much for all of the wonderful suggestions. I suspected it would be fun for many of you to stroll down memory lane! Sounds like we can't miss Gerard Mulot!!

ttt f/Marge

Russell, <BR> <BR>Your recommendations for CJ were excellent with one slight correction. Au Petit Prince closed more than a year ago and the space is now occupied by a Chinese restaurant.

tttttt

To Anna: <BR>Thanks for the note on Au Petit Prince. Sorry to hear that they folded, but hope that the crepe guy just up the block is still open. We could always count on him for a pick me up.

I happened upon a great shopping street, pretty sure in the 6th, called Rue du Cherche Midi. Very trendy, fun stuff, especially clothes/accessories.

andi: Agree with you. Rue du Cherche Midi is one of the most charming streets and Poilane bakery is just one spot to mention. Some very nice restaurans too, like Joséphine! <BR> <BR>Two other favs of mine: Rue Notre-Dame-des-Champs and Rue Vavin, a little more south towards Montparnasse.