Vacation in Paris Blog

The Kitchen Stores of the 2nd Arrondisment

Places To Visit - Posted on Sep 22,2015 by Hampton*Jan

In 1995 when I first moved to Paris, I unwittingly moved myself right into Emile Zola’s “Belly of Paris” very close to Les Halles in the 2ième arrondissement. My tiny studio apartment was situated around the corner from the rue Montorgueil, which was definitely not the ”destination street” for visitors to the city that it is now, but as I slowly learned my way around the neighbourhood, I realized that there was even more for the food enthusiast than the gorgeous market atmosphere in the rue Montorgueil.

As this was back in the days before the magic of the Google search, I had precious little information about this area, apart from what I had learned in my French literature classes at university (finally – my classes paid off!), but I quickly realized that the area is a food lover’s dream. The area grew out of the market “les Halles” which has been around since 1183 (Paris’ original central market and one of Europe’s oldest) and has developed today into quite the “must” for serious foodie tourists. Though the area is no longer quite what it used to be (and how I had imagined from reading Zola), it was indeed a flourishing working market until 1969 when most of it was moved out of Paris to Rungis into more modern, hygienic buildings to give it the space it required.

On a recent trip to Paris, I stayed at the Scaramouche Studio for a week, and I took some time to really explore the quartier again, looking beyond the beautiful produce, fish, meat and cafés of the rue Montorgueil. I was thrilled to see that the area still has so much to offer the culinary tourist – my one tip is that you’d better bring an empty suitcase to carry home all your cooking and baking souvenirs!

Dehillerin is the Aladdin’s cave of cookware. Prepare yourself and arm yourself with patience and a smile. When it’s busy in there, the cramped aisles can feel overwhelming but if you allow yourself a bit of time, you’ll most likely discover all sorts of items you didn’t know you needed until you see them! They honestly do have everything in every size! If you’re looking for a specialty item, it might pay to look up the words in French before you go in because not all the sales assistants will speak English. They do know their stuff so if you speak a little French you’ll be able to get some advice. Once you’ve found the item you want to buy, you’ll have to flag down an assistant (don’t wait for them to come and find you) and they’ll write the sale up on a piece of paper with the item numbers which you’ll then take to the cash desk where you will pay. Once you’ve paid, you’ll go to another desk to pick your items up. Yes, a little convoluted but the system has been working like that since 1820 so it does work! Don’t forget to check out the basement where there is the biggest supply of copper pots and pans you’ve ever seen!