Sadly in France, you can’t go for a cheeky Nandos when the mood strikes. However, during my time in Paris, I have stumbled upon a few places that give a good stab at sating my hunger and providing a quirky French experience that every time I visit.
La Droguerie du Marais – 56 Rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris
When you think of France, you can’t help but think of crêpes. However, when it comes to my local area of the Marais, falafel is the first thing on everyone’s mind.
Situated on the historic Rue des Rosiers or ‘Street of the Rosebushes’, L’as du falafel or Chez Marianne draw the tourists and locals into massive queues down the narrow, cobbled street.
But with my nut and sesame seed allergy, I’m not really a fan of anaphylactic shocks, so La Droguerie du Marais is my heavenly alternative to the sesame seed peppered falafel. With its unimposing little blue window, it’s easy to walk past this crêperie. But, with its eccentric chef and tasty but budget-friendly selection of both sweet and savoury crepes, it’s worth checking out.
Be warned though, there may be a rota of chefs but the main, eccentric one is quite keen on a bit of playful teasing, which is fine for the French-speaking expat but can catch the unsuspecting tourist unaware.
However, the others are kind enough and will always welcome you to take shelter from a rainy day in the tiny but charming inside and perhaps may be as willing as Monsieur Eccentric to take a photo together.
L’Etoile Manquante – 34 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75004 Paris
This little coffee shop is my absolute favourite as I often dream of its heady and fragrant chai tea.
Introduced to me by my goddess of a friend, this spacious café (by Parisian standards) balances French quaintness with a futuristic style. Upon discovering the weird, blacked out toilet, our group must have looked a bit odd trouping into the bathroom one after the other.
The service is great and unobtrusive, if that’s what you’re looking for. However, be careful that while all the drinks may be correct, yours may not be set down in front of you!
Apart from this one mishap, there’s a particularly jokey waiter who will never fail to put a smile on your face and seems willing to have a natter – especially when you ask for the WiFi password, ‘je sais pas’ or ‘I don’t know’. See what I mean? Honestly, this place seems to be the French version of top-quality banter with the odd body part MRIs on the wall. Whoever came up with this place is definitely an absolute ledge.
La Caféothèque – 52 Rue de l’Hôtel de Ville, 75004 Paris
La Caféothèque helped to pioneer speciality coffee in Paris. Located just off the Seine and on the periphery of the trendy Marais area, this artsy café was started in September 2005 by Gloria Montenegro.
A former ambassador of Guatemala who challenged the stereotype of bad Parisian coffee in the early 2000s (see Oliver Strand’s now famous article: “Why is Coffee in Paris So Bad?”), she has now become an ambassador of excellent, speciality single estate coffee from all over the world, including producers in South America and Africa.
In fact, it was during her work as an ambassador that she couldn’t understand why the gourmand French didn’t seem to have access to great coffee and has now gone on to create more than a coffee shop, but a salon with classes, art exhibitions and concerts.
Ideally just around the corner from the Memorial de la Shoah, anyone who fancies a break from being touristy with an hour of free WiFi, can find a spot in one of its several cosy rooms.
If you want to take a break from your book or one of your friends has popped to the toilet, there’s no need to sit bored on your own as the many rooms boast a piano, an immense draw display of the café’s collection of unroasted beans and there’s an odd, but fun coffee plant display, with twenty different varieties growing.
It’s like going to a quirky aunt’s beach house with lots of wood, jute sacks and mismatched furniture, but you don’t have to awkwardly pretend to like your tepid drink.
In fact, sit back, snuggle up with your beverage and one of the collections of yummy sweet treats to gaze at the art collections on the walls – maybe take a cheeky Instagram photo while you’re at it or grab some beans to take home.
