Best Paris Food Tour Sweet and Savory: What to Know Touring Paris by Mouth
You know you've made a wise choice when a flavor burst of fresh black currant jam hits your tongue in the morning as you people-watch traffic move in and out of a small bustling boulangerie. But do you know how to tour Paris by your tastebuds and smell, and find the best Paris food tour?
Dan and I like to be as close to the local culture as possible when we travel. As France is known for culinary delights, I like to think we are known as travelers who immerse ourselves in the local cuisine and food scenes. We also have a habit of wanting to taste a lot to try it all but in small quantities and bites of a lot of options.
Our gourmet food tour in Paris satisfied our every need.
It's a tour for the senses: an edible Paris tour that's a feast for sight, smell and touch though, of course, the taste was first and foremost. We tasted fresh brioche, aged cheese, and delightful rich coffee. And through it all, we gained the knowledge of what helps makes Paris one of the culinary capitals of the world.
Our experience was with Original Food Tours Paris and we highly recommend them!
Disclosure: There are affiliate links in this post, which means we may earn a small commission if you click the link and proceed with a purchase, at no cost to you. We truly only recommend hotels, products, and services we personally use. As Amazon Associates, we earn from qualifying purchases.
Our Paris Food Tour Guide
The key to a good tour is a great tour guide. Without this, you'll be left wondering why you paid for expert guidance in the first place. We met Camille, our guide who is fluent in English and French, on the designated street and store number at 10:00am. We said hellos (or bonjours!) and introduced ourselves.
I was anxious to get to know Camille's background, which blew me away! She studied culinary arts and formally operated a food blog. (A woman after my own heart!)
She planned various events surrounding Parisian cuisine and chefs and, in this fashion, was able to become familiar with many reputable industry professionals. I was instantly confident that she was going to educate us in this edible Paris food tour and also be able to answer any questions we had.
Sweet Start to our Edible Paris Food Tour
She expertly ordered us breakfast of an assortment of pastries at the shop we started our tour, run by an award-winning pastry chef. We tasted a croissant laden with buttery orange rind zest and the two-toned brioche swirl seen below with black currant jam.
As our tastebuds virtually smiled Camille educated us on two important things: 1) what constitutes a “boulangerie” in Paris and, 2) how to spot award-winning pastry shops from the sidewalk without ever having to go in. (I could tell you, but you'll have to take the tour to find out!)
Outdoor Food Market
We merrily walked a few blocks to the food market. They had both outdoor and indoor stalls and Camille pointed out some specialties as we walked to our next destination. The thing I loved about the tour was it was immersing us in local life.
It wasn't a tour for tourists – it was as if we were being taken on a journey preparing us for life in Paris, not a vacation in Paris.
It's nice to eat out day after day at fabulous restaurants but, as is the case anywhere, locals don't live like that. They go out to eat sometimes but not all the time. They cook at home, entertain friends at their houses or apartments, and they certainly shop at markets for ingredients.
Morning Caffeine
I could envision myself as a customer in the market and stopping at the local coffee bean shop she took us to, to get my daily java fill. They roast their own beans, on the property, and the machine wasn't the only cool thing to see and sip an espresso next time.
It was also the camaraderie and banter between customers and store workers that was heart-warming to be a part of.
**We learned there are less than ten places in Paris that roast their own beans. It was truly extraordinary to be taken to one of them.**
Gourmet Goose
Paris is famous for some of the best foie gras and pates in the world. (Goose liver and the like.) We stopped by a lovely L'epicier shop whose shelves were filled with beautiful jars organized by regional specialty, whether salt, sugars, spices, or pates.
It was incredible to learn that some of what makes regions in France so unique are what food exports they offer. (A lot of shops in Paris are centered around a specialty of some sort.)
Furthermore, France honors certified regional products that cannot, by law, be produced in other regions. We sat at a table in the back of the shop as our guide explained a bit more about this, and how to identify the official symbol showcasing certification, as we tasted delicious snacks provided by the friendly store owner.
A Lesson in the History of the Area through Old Shops and Photographs
The history of the Marche D'Aligre area we were in is rich and long, as is the background of a lot of the city's food spots whether restaurants or markets. Camille was certain to provide historical context about the area as we walked within its blocks.
We stopped at a unique specialty shop unlike any I've ever seen: a tiny, quaint store where you could purchase all sorts of specialty flours and beans by the kilo.
The store also had historic photos of the area on display, where we could see how the area really withstood the test of time. It was a visual bridging of the gap between decades ago and today.
A Paris Food Tour is Incomplete Without Some Sugar!
What food tour is complete without a true, pure sugary sweet? We stopped for one of these mounds of sugary goodness! I was happy we did because I've seen them around Paris wondering what they are.
They're actually very delicate and airy like a soft meringue. It was nice sweet to break up the savory delights were indulging in.
Trader Joe's, in Paris?!
I was in Colmar for a few days before I traveled to Paris. Colmar is in the Alsace region of France, just next to Germany. There's a lot of German influence on food in the region because of it. I felt a kind of recent familiarity when we walked into our next destination, focused on Alsace foods.
A warm Flammekeuche “pizza” was awaiting our arrival. This thin dough is topped with a brushing of light cream and baked onions and bacon. It seems like it would be heavy but it is surprisingly light.
We learned that Trader Joe's, the well-known small American grocery store chain and personal favorite food shop, licensed the recipe for this from a man in the Alsace region and you can buy a version of the regional delight in America. Woohoo!
Indoor Market in Paris
The area's really interesting because there are three distinct areas to explore in the market:
- The temporary street stands in front of the indoor market area. These stands consist of home-grade quality ingredients including many fruits and vegetables. These are more so for your everyday kitchen refrigerator and recipes, not necessarily restaurant grade.
- The permanent small shops around the perimeter of the street stands. These are not temporary (in other words, they aren't broken down and packed into a car at the end of the day). It's where we visited the coffee shop and L'epicier, for instance.
- The indoor market. This is the market that has higher quality ingredients and people working at the stalls whose families have been in the industry for generations.
This was our next stop. I loved that we had a few minutes of free time to walk around on our own and explore the market as Camille waited in line for cheese for us. There's so much to take in and photograph there! From a flower stall to a cheese counter, meats, and more it's a lot to take in.
I learned there's a poultry counter separate from the beef counter, something I either never noticed or experienced before. Camille was able to share interesting information about all the vendors there, which really added to our experience.
➜ Secure Your Date: Book Your Paris Food Tour 🥐
Savory Notions
We finished the tour up with two delectable stops: at a local bottle shop where beer abounds and at a wine store with 45 different wines to choose from.
The beer shop provided local brews for us to try the different cheeses Camille carefully selected from the indoor market. She expertly sliced up the baguette she purchased that morning at the boulangerie for us to enjoy with the varieties of cheese.
She answered questions we had, like “How and when can you tell if the cheese rind is edible or not?” and explained a bit about “good to know” cheese info I never knew.
Our last stop on our wonderful edible Paris Gourmet food tour with Camille of Original Food Tours was at a very traditional wine bar, packed with locals! We toasted to a great morning with our Loire Valley wine as we neared the 1:00pm hour.
Paris Gourmet Tour FAQs Answered
How long is the tour?
The March D'Aligre tour is approximately three hours.
What do we need to bring?
Bring some money in case you want to buy anything on the tour and wear comfortable shoes, as you'll be on your feet for most of the tour and walking quite a bit. We also recommend bringing a bottle of water, which always comes in handy when traveling.
We recommend the following two refillable water bottles:
- Memo bottle: We love it because it’s flat, so it fits in a pocket, on the side of a backpack, in a purse, etc. very easily and comfortably.
- MiiR bottles: They’re insulated and keep the liquid at the temperature you added it to the bottle in for HOURS and hours. They rock. We also love that the wide-mouthed bottles are easy to get ice cubes into. Use code “SOMETIMESHOME” for 15% off your order.
How much does the tour cost?
The tour is approximately $112 per person. Considering the expert guide and plenty of food you get to try it's a steal. Don't forget to bring extra cash to tip your guide!
Is the tour good for vegetarians?
There were only two stops we ate meat: the gourmet L'epicier and the wine store. While a replacement for meat may be difficult to find at the L'epicier it wasn't really the focus of that stop (the education of the “regional specialties” was).
It's certainly easy to avoid meat at the wine shop too – I am certain your guide would be happy to ask for the pickles and meat to be provided on separate plates to be sensitive to vegetarian needs.
And, as we all know, the wine's already vegetarian-friendly! (I do think it would be difficult to take the tour if you are vegan, however, as eggs are in brioche bread, butter in croissants and cheese was a highlight of the tour too.)
Is this tour appropriate for children?
It depends on how old your children are and how much they enjoy culinary delights, from tasting food to learning about it. Be okay with them being in Europe and having tastes of beer and wine as part of the cultural experience if any teenage kids would like to try it.
As they say, “When in Rome…” (Do as the Romans do!) If your child is perhaps younger and it's harder to hold his or her attention with historic information and education about ingredients that may fascinate adults, it is unlikely it will be a great fit for them.
Please note: We thank Original Food Tours for generously hosting us. All the opinions in the post are ours and we bring you genuine content with real facts, photos and thoughts. Always.
Interested in more Parisian adventures? Also check out:
- Time and Money Saving Paris Travel Tips
- The One Tour that Altered My Perspective of Paris
- The Coziest Boutique Accommodation in Le Marais Paris
Love the photos. I’m intrigued about this pizza-like thing. Have no idea why I decided to read this before breakfast. Mission accomplished Bud, Starving
Haha I often read food posts before a meal and think, “Great, I did this to myself, didn’t I?” Right there with you, Romeo!
I had no idea about the Trader Joe’s connection!! I will have to buy that now!!
Yeah I bought it for this weekend. SO FUN, RIGHT?!?!!
Wow – to visit one of few coffee shops that roast their own beans must have been awesome. Sorry to know that there are not too many options for vegetarians. I am also discounting the sweet shop as I do not eat sugar, which leaves me with a limited option. However, I love the idea that you went to places where Parisians go and not the places that cater only to the tourists.
Yeah it’s definitely great to let any food tour guide know dietary restrictions! The sweet shop was actually perfect though because the meringue was light and airy and simply a stop on the route!
Your pictures are simply magical…they transported me to Paris for this walk. I could almost smell that coffee, and taste those sweet little things 🙂
The Original Paris Food Tour seems perfect – a great guide, and a little bit of everything. However, I think, unlike you, I will binge eat those desserts 🙂
Haha we all have our weaknesses! Cheese, beer and wine are definitely mine! Thanks for your great comment, Siddhartha!
Such excellent photos! Almost feels like I was on the tour too. But now I’m especially curious about ‘how to spot award-winning pastry shops from the sidewalk’.. thanks for not spoiling the surprise. I’m definitely signing up for this tour.
Vanessa, once you know you’ll be thankful for the tip! Definitely worth taking the tour for! 😉
Oh I love these pictures and the way they bring the tour to life. I have never really considered a food tour as I am not a massive foody. I however think it would be great to take a tour that showcased the best bars and pubs so like the fact you had a beer stop!
Thank you, Anne! I love hearing that the photos bring the food to life. It really is a great tour – excellent point you make as well. You don’t have to be a huge foodie to enjoy it. There is so much great information about regional delicacies on the tour too! And the beer stop was wonderful!
Seriously, I’m not sure I assimilated anything written. All my eyes were focused on the varieties of sweets. Your pictures are just too alluring! Back to the little I read(don’t blame me), I think Camille will be the perfect food tour guide I need. A trip to Paris ain’t complete without the services of The Original Paris Food Tour.
Thank you for the compliment, Lydia! They say you eat with your eyes, regardless! 😉
Wow, what an amazing food tour. You surely didnt go home hungry from that tour. I saw all the most delicious French dishes on your photos. Yummy!
I’ve never taken a food tour and haven’t really considered it, even though I am a foodie and I love trying local delicacies. However, I think I’m going to have to give it a serious thought because I can see you visited some amazing places and tried some great foods. I especially love the outdoor market, I can totally imagine walking through, trying different locals foods there. The cheeses look amazing, and pairing that with some wine would be heavenly! I love Parisian sweets too, yummy!
Medha, I completely know what you mean! It’s great to hear you’d consider it now. I really wouldn’t have known the info and locations Camille showed us without the tour so I’m so glad I did it!
Wow, I learned so much from this post! You got me starting from the pates and foie gras! We love markets and the Marche d’Aligre will be heavenly to explore! But wouldn’t we have been able to explore those 3 sections by ourselves even without the guide and sample a lot of stuff, too? I will stay away from all the sugar, too
It was certainly heavenly and a bit of a wonderful indulgence kind of morning!
A food tour of Paris is definitely an indulgent outing for the palate. The confectioneries and pastries of Paris make one drool. We have not done this in Paris as when we were there owing to constraints of time we focussed only on the main sights, but this is something we would love to do as this combines food with history and heritage.The quaint grain store and the graffiti displayed there really fascinates me.
I’m so glad you like the post, Sandy! The grain store and the art – whether street or otherwise – were beautiful!
This is a great experience. Have seen thousands of posts on Paris, but finally, one that focuses on a certain niche. Great to see that the food is vegetarian friendly too. Europe has a certain image that makes the vegetarians worried to explore.
I’m so glad to hear that you liked it was focused on a specific niche and was a powerful post! Yes, I was also happy to see it could be tailored for vegetarians! Thanks for your great comment!