Foodie Shopping: Fauchon in Paris

Most food markets in Paris are for those who live there: those lucky residents with refrigerators and stoves. Those of us who are merely tourists can look at the tempting displays in the windows of the butcher shops and greengrocers and fishmongers only with longing.

Fauchon is an exception. Open since 1886, this set of food markets on two “legs” of the Place de la Madeline (8th arrondissement) is perfect for visitors (they’re easy to spot with their shocking pink decor). The delicatessen and bakery have goodies for picnic lunches and snacks, and the nearby grocery has all sorts of exotica to take home, from wines and Champagnes to mustards, candies and tea.

I do not recommend stopping at the second floor café above the Fauchon épicerie. It was extravagantly expensive to have a rather pedestrian Parisian breakfast there (café au lait, chocolate brioche, croissant and orange juice). Better to stick to the first floor and basement levels, which are packed with Fauchon-label jams, crackers, pastas, canned goods, wines and liqueurs.

This is the place to buy souvenirs to stash in your suitcase for the trip home (don’t forget to pack bubble wrap and zip-top bags to prevent breakage/leakage on the return flight). You can dazzle your friends and family by serving chocolates with the Fauchon logo with coffee after dinner one evening or just open that jar of Fauchon fig jam to spread on your breakfast toast!

The must-stop, however is the combination delicatessen and bakery around the corner (map). In that Fauchon location, you’ll find everything you need for a take-out meal. Of course, they can assemble a “pique-nique” box for you (salad, sandwich and dessert for about 20€), but it’s even more fun to put together your own lunch or snack.

The choices are phenomenal: cheeses, desserts, terrines, pâtés, caviar, risottos, soups, fruits…. The boulangerie bakes everything from Parisian baguettes to baguettes aux cereales to mini-breads with hazelnuts, poppyseeds or walnuts. The madeleines can be either sweet or savory, the fresh juices either fruit or vegetable, with or without added vitamins. And then there are all the flavored macarons (my favorite are the caramel).

Where else but Fauchon would you expect find an éclair with the Mona Lisa’s eyes recreated in sugary confection on the top? In fact, many of the desserts are too pretty to eat (they’re so perfect, they look plastic!).

What: Fauchon (grocery and wine)
Where: 30 place de la Madeleine, 8e, Paris
What: Fauchon (delicatessen and bakery)
Where: 24-26 place de la Madeleine, 8e, Paris
When: Open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays
Métro: Madeleine

(Photo by Susan McKee)