There are a few stores in Paris that should be on your “must know” list if you are into cooking and need either utensils and/or hard-to-find ingredients such as sugar-coated violet petals or high-end bittersweet chocolate bars. These are the stores where professionals shop. And if you aren’t into cooking or baking, you could still go check them out because they are truly uncommon stores, if not unique. You can find most of these stores in one small walkable perimeter, in the center of Paris.

-E. Dehillerin has been selling cookware since 1820 and has an impressive collection of copper pans. It has a whole section dedicated to pastry molds and pans as well. This store is definitely worth a detour.
E. Dehillerin
18/20 Rue Coquillière & 51 Rue Jean- Jacques Rousseau
75001 Paris
tel: 01.42.36.53.13
Metro: Les Halles (Rue Rambuteau exit)
RER: Châtelet - Les Halles

M: 9am-12.30pm / 2pm-6pm
Tu-Sat: 9am-6pm
Closed on Sunday

-Open since 1814, Mora specializes in pastry utensils and cutlery. You can also find all sorts of to go packaging, from muffin cups to plastic boxes, as well as food colorants, gold or silver leaves, food extracts… It’s a neat shop.
Mora
13 Rue Montmartre
75001 Paris
tel: 01 45.08.19.24
Metro: Les Halles (Rue Rambuteau exit)
RER: Châtelet - Les Halles

M-F: 9am-6.15pm
Sat: 10am-1pm / 1.45pm-6.30pm
Closed on Sunday

-Open since 1884, Simon sells everything for the table and the kitchen. It specializes in high end brands, from silverware to china and glasses to cutlery. Their biggest clients are hotels and restaurants.
Simon
48-52 Rue Montmartre
75002 Paris
tel: 01.42.33.71.65
Metro: Les Halles (Rue Rambuteau exit), Etienne Marcel
RER: Châtelet - Les Halles

M: 1.30pm-6.30pm
Tu-F: 9am-6.30pm
Sat: 9.30am-6.30pm

-With its eighteen stores in France and a nineteenth one in Casablanca, Morocco, La Bovida doesn’t have the charm of the 200 hundred-year-old kitchen stores down the bloc-it’s only centenarian-but if you are looking for kitchen equipment, clothing, restaurant items, spices, chalk boards and much more, you can find it here too.
La Bovida
36 Rue Montmartre
75001 Paris
tel: 01.42.36.09.99
Metro: Les Halles (Rue Rambuteau exit), Etienne Marcel
RER: Châtelet - Les Halles

19 Avenue Corentin Cariou
75019 Paris
tel: 01.40.36.12.62
Metro: Corentin Cariou, Porte de la Villette

-Famous pastry chef David Lebovitz says “If G. Detou didn’t exist, I couldn’t live in Paris.” The stores sells only edible goods and as its name indicates G. Detou (I. haveverything) has it all. It is a heaven for baking goods and the great pastry chefs shop here for ingredients that can’t be found anywhere else. You’ll also find lots of savory regional goods on the floor-to-ceiling shelves such as the tasty sardines from Brittany La Belle-Iloise or jars full of all different kinds of dried mushrooms. G. Detou is a must-shop at.
G. Detou
58 Rue Tiquetonne
75002 Paris
tel: 01.42.36.54.67
Metro: Etienne Marcel

Mon-Sat: 8.30am-6.30pm
Closed on Sunday

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Kunitoraya is a small Japanese restaurant in Paris that specializes in udon noodles—they are made in the traditional way by the owner himself. The udon dishes come in many different variations, hot when in a soup (i.e: Tempura-Udon, 13€) or cold with a sauce on the side (i.e: Kitsune-Udon, 11€). They come in regular or small sizes (count 5€ for the small Udon Wakame.) Aside from the delicious udon dishes I highly recommend the Tonkatsu (fried breaded pork, 9€), the Tentoji (omelette and shrimp tempura, 10€) and the Tempura (veggies and shrimps, 12€). Since the restaurant fills up quickly and doesn’t take reservations, the best time for lunch or dinner is after the regular eating hours.
Kunitoraya restaurant does not take credit cards.

Kunitoraya
39 Rue Saint-Anne
75001 Paris
tel: 01.47.03.33.65
Metro: Pyramides

7/7
M-Sun: 11.30am-10pm

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It doesn’t really matter if Paris lacks good Japanese restaurants as long as there are a few that you can always count on to deliver the kind of food that you are looking for: extra fresh fish, great sake, perfectly fried tempura, delicious meat and fancy appetizers. Takara in Paris is one of Europe’s oldest Japanese restaurant and has been among France’s best one thousand tables for many years. Aside from their consistent, excellent food, what I love about Takara is that they make me feel like I’m not in Paris. The restaurant is very peaceful; the absence of music makes it easy to speak softly and hear one another. You can walk out of Takara feeling satiated as well as rested! Last but not least, the service is great. Here are a few dishes to make your mouth water: whelk wasabi (7€), spicy sauteed cuttlefish (12€), breaded oysters (24€), tempura assortment (18€-24€), sauteed foie gras nigiri (10€/2 pieces), sashimi assortment (20€-28€), shabu shabu (beef “hot pot”, 49€ for 2). They also offer lunch (obento) and dinner menus.

Takara
14 Rue Molière
75001 Paris
tel: 01.42.96.08.38
Metro: Palais-Royal, Pyramides

7/7
Tu-F: 12pm-2pm (closed for dinner)
M, Sat, Sun: 7pm-10pm (closed for lunch)
Closed 10 days in August

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“Penhaligon’s is one of the few true perfume houses in the world: designing and making its own scents, going to great lengths to achieve precise effects. Only fine and rare ingredients are used, such as hand-squeezed oil of bergamot and jasmine oil at twice the price of gold.”
Once upon a time back in the 19th century there was a Cornish barber—William Henry Penhaligon—who moved to London and became Court Barber and Perfumer to Queen Victoria. One hundred and thirty-seven years later, with 22 fragrances to its list, Penhaligon’s house has grown and established itself all over the world. Penhaligon’s perfumes are some of the most sophisticated and original scents on the market. They have been worn by Winston Churchill, Rudyard Kipling, Vivienne Westwood, Kate Moss…

While looking in vain for an old Caron perfume that has been discontinued for many years now, I stumbled upon Penhaligon’s shop on rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. I tried Malabah and was sold. I’ve been stopped on the street a few times and asked about my perfume. Yes, it’s that nice!

Penhaligon’s store and stands in Paris:
Penhaligon’s
209 Rue Saint-Honoré
75001 Paris
tel: 01.49.26.91.66
Metro: Tuileries, Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre

M-Sat: 10am-7pm (until 7.30pm on Friday and Saturday)
Closed on Sunday

Le Bon Marché
5 Rue de Babylone
75007 Paris
tel: 01.44.39.80.00
Metro: Sèvres - Babylone

M-Sat: 10am-8pm (until 9pm on Thursday and Friday)
Closed on Sunday

Old England
12 Boulevard des Capucines
75009 Paris
tel: 01.47.42.81.99
Metro: Opéra

M: 10.30am-7pm
Tu-Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

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“Sophie Ristelhueber (French, b. 1949) traveled to Kuwait at the end of the Gulf War to record the physical traces of the conflict. Entitled Fait or Fact, the resulting series of photographs—aerial and ground-level, in color and black-and-white—depicts trenches and tank tracks, bomb craters, dense smoke rising from blazing oil wells, battle detritus scattered in the sand. Ristelhueber hangs the large prints in an expansive grid that at first reads as a beautiful abstract field, then reveals itself to be a reconstitution of the battlefield on the gallery wall.”
The series “Beyrouth”, “Vulaines” and “Eleven Blowups” as well as two videos made for this show, are also exhibited at the Jeu de Paume until March 22, 2009.

January 20-March 22, 2009
Sophie Ristelhueber at the Jeu de Paume
1 Place de la Concorde
75008 Paris
tel: 01 47 03 12 50
Metro: Concorde

Tu-F: 12pm-7pm (until 9pm on Tuesday)
Sat-Sun: 10am-7pm
(Ticket window closes 30 min before closing time)
Closed on Monday

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Now you can get your OPI nail polish in Paris too. World leader in professional nail care, OPI’s nail polish collection is incredible. From sizzling springy colors to more classic and sophisticated tones, the color palette has a hue for your every mood, outfit, need, desire… The beauty retailer Sephora and some of the Monoprix supermarkets carry this product. In addition to these chains, Opi nail polish is also for sale at beauty centers, hair salons and perfume stores. Following is the list of places, per arrondissement, selling the fashionable OPI nail polish (some places sell them for less than others—10€/bottle at Uptown Nails vs 13€/bottle at Culture of Color Nail Bar):

OPI
1st arrondissement
Monoprix
21 Avenue de l’Opéra
75001 Paris
tel: 01.42.61.78.08
Metro: Pyramides

M-F: 9am-10pm
Sat: 9am-9pm
Closed on Sunday

Institut Capsules
14 Rue du Cygne
75001 Paris
tel: 01.40.26.60.06
Metro: Etienne Marcel

M: 2pm-7pm
Tu-Sat: 10am-7.30pm
Closed on Sunday

2nd arrondissement
Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
18-20 Rue de la Paix
75002 Paris
tel: 01.42.61.37.13
Metro: Opéra

M-Sat: 10.30am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

3rd arrondissement
coming soon

4th arrondissement
Coming soon

5th arrondissement
Parfumerie des Ecoles
10 Rue des Ecoles
75005 Paris
tel: 01.43.26.06.67
Metro: Cardinal Lemoine, Maubert-Mutualité

Tu-Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Institut-Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
84 Rue Monge
75005 Paris
tel: 01.43.37.93.67
Metro: Monge

Tu: 11am-2.30pm / 3.30pm-7pm
W-Sat: 10am-2.30pm / 3.30pm-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

6th arrondissement
Monoprix
50 Rue de Rennes
75006 Paris
tel: 01.45.48.18.08
Metro: Saint Germain-des-Prés

M-Sat: 9am-10pm
Closed on Sunday

Monoprix
2-8 Rue Sarrazin
75006 Paris
tel: n/a
Metro: Cluny - La Sorbonne

M-Sat: 9am-11.50pm
Closed on Sunday

Espace Epilation
71 Rue de Seine
75006 Paris
tel: 01.46.33.54.60
Metro: Mabillon, Odéon

M-F: 10am-8pm
Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Autour de Christophe Robin (by appointment only)
9 Rue de Guénégaud
75006 Paris
tel: 01.42.60.99.15
Metro: Odéon

Maison de Beauté Carita
39 Rue du Cherche-Midi
75006 Paris
tel: 01.45.49.13.57
Metro: Sèvres-Babylone, Rennes

Tu-Sat: 10am-6.30pm (until 8.30pm on Thursday and Friday)
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Cours Georges
19 Rue de Tournon
75006 Paris
tel: 01.43.26.04.38
Metro: Odéon

M-F: 9.30am-8.30pm
Sat: 9.30am-6pm
Closed on Sunday

7th arrondissement
Culture of Color Nail Bar
196 Rue de Grenelle
75007 Paris
tel: 01.45.50.20.66
Metro: Ecole Militaire

M,Tu: 11am-8pm
W-Sat: 10am-8pm
Closed on Sunday

8th arrondissement
Monoprix
52 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
75008 Paris
tel: 01.53.77.65.65
Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt

M-Sat: 9am-12am
Closed on Sunday

Jean-Claude Biguine Concepteur Beauté
10 Rue Marbeuf
75008 Paris
tel: 01.53.67.81.90 #80
Metro: Alma Marceau

M-Sat: 9.30am-6.30pm
Closed on Sunday

Espace Epilation
20 Rue de Liège
75008 Paris
tel: 01.42.93.46.60
Metro: Liège

M-F: 10am-8pm
Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Salon Alexandre de Paris
3 Avenue de Matignon
75008 Paris
tel: 01.42.25.57.90
Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt

Tu-Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

L’Espace Payot
62 Rue Pierre Charron
75008 Paris
tel: 01.45.61.42.08
Metro: George V

M-F: 9am-9pm (from 7am-10pm for members only)
Sat: 9am-7pm
Sun: 10am-5pm

Maison de Beauté Carita
3 Rue de Boccador
75008 Paris
tel: 01.47.23.76.79
Metro: Alma Marceau

Tu-Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
24 Rue Marbeuf
75008 Paris
tel: 01.43.59.72.87
Metro: Franklin D. Roosevelt

M: 11am-7pm
Tu-F: 10am-7pm
Closed on Saturday and Sunday

9th arrondissement
Institut-Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
62 Rue de Dunkerque
75009 Paris
tel: 01.45.26.00.80
Metro: Anvers

Tu: 11am-7pm
W: 11.30am-7pm
Th: 10am-8.30pm
F, Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

10th arrondissement
Uptown Nails
45-47 Boulevard de Strasbourg
75010 Paris
tel: 01.47.70.87.41
Metro: Château d’Eau

M-Sat: 11am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Delorme
17-19 Passage de l’Industrie
75010 Paris
tel: 01.44.83.65.00
Metro: Starsbourg - Saint-Denis, Chateau d’Eau

M-F: 8.30am-6.30pm
Sat: 9am-1pm / 2pm-6pm
Closed on Sunday

11th arrondissement
Beauty Monop
64 Rue Oberkampf
75011 Paris
tel: 01.55.28.33.84
Metro: Parmentier

M-Sat: 10am-8pm
Closed on Sunday

Espace Epilation
144 Rue de Charonne
75011 Paris
tel: 01.43.71.42.50
Metro: Charonne

M-Th: 10am-8pm
F: 9am-9pm
Sat: 9am-7.30pm
Closed on Sunday

12th arrondissement
Ongles et Beauté
250 Rue de Charenton
75012 Paris
tel: 01.43.40.53.48
Metro: Dugommier

M:12am-7pm
Tu, W: 10am-7pm
Th, F: 11am-8pm
Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Institut-Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
1 Rue de Parrot
75012 Paris
tel: 01.43.43.00.30
Metro: Gare de Lyon

M-Sat: 11.30am-2.30pm / 4.30pm-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Sephora
28 bis Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine
75012 Paris
tel: 01.53.46.61.36
Metro: Bastille

M-Sat: 11am-8pm
Closed on Sunday

13th arrondissement
Beauty Monop
55 Avenue d’Italie
75013 Paris
tel: 01.53.79.64.10
Metro: Tolbiac

M-Sat: 10am-8pm
Closed on Sunday

14th arrondissement
L’Institut
12 Avenue Jean Moulin
75014 Paris
tel: 01.45.43.14.14
Metro: Alesia

M-W: 10am-8pm
Th: 9am-9pm
F: 9am-8pm
Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

15th arrondissment
Monoprix
340 Rue de Vaugirard
75015 Paris
tel: 01.56.23.90.60
Metro: Convention

M-Sat: 9am-10pm
Closed on Sunday

Beauty Monop
118 Rue Saint Charles
75015 Paris
tel: 01.45.78.30.05
Metro: Charles Michels

M-Sat: 10m-8pm
Closed on Sunday

Sarl DCC
135 Rue du Théâtre
75015 Paris
tel: 01.45.77.95.56
Metro: Commerce

M-F: 9am-7pm
Sat: 10.30am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Institut-Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
4 Boulevard de Grenelle
75015 Paris
tel: 01.45.79.88.05
Metro: Bir-Hakeim

Tu-Sat: 11.30am-2.30pm / 4.30pm-7.30pm
Closed on Sunday an Monday

So… Beauty
125 Boulevard de Grenelle
75015 Paris
tel: 01.47.34.94.97
Metro: La Motte-Picquet - Grenelle

Tu-Sat: 9.30am-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Institut Maelle
176 Rue de Vaugirard
75015 Paris
tel: 01.47.83.73.95
Metro: Pasteur

M-Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

16th arrondissement
Salon Jean-Claude Biguine
6 Avenue Mozart
75016 Paris
tel: 01.42.15.01.40
Metro: Muette

M-Sat: 9.30am-6.30pm
Closed on Sunday

Salon Jean-Claude Biguine
145 Rue de la Pompe
75016 Paris
tel: 01.47.04.35.96
Metro: Victor Hugo

M-Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Salon Jean-Claude Biguine
80 Avenue Kleber
75016 Paris
tel: 01.47.55.65.65
Metro: Boissière

M-Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Salon Jean-Claude Biguine
20 Rue des Sablons
75016 Paris
tel: 01.47.27.32.10
Metro: Rue de la Pompe

M-Sat: 9am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Espace Epilation
69 Rue Nicolo
75016 Paris
tel: 01.40.50.07.27
Metro: Rue de la Pompe

M-F: 10am-8pm
Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

Institut-Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
121 Avenue Mozart
75016 Paris
tel: 01.42.88.10.30
Metro: Jasmin

Tu-Sat: 11.30am-2.30 / 4.30pm-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
19 Rue Jean Giraudoux
75016 Paris
tel: 01.47.20.82.27
Metro: Charles de Gaulle - Etoile

M-F: 10am-7pm (opens at 11am on Wednesday)
Closed on Saturday and Sunday

Au Coeur des Ongles
31 Boulevard Exelmans
75016 Paris
tel: 01.46.47.57.60
Metro: Exelmans

M: 11.30am-6pm
Tu-Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

17th arrondissement
Institut Marlene Ferreire
25 Avenue Carnot
75017 Paris
tel: 01.45.74.43.43
Metro: Charles de Gaulle - Etoile

Tu-Sat: 10am-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

Institut-Parfumerie A Vous de Plaire
29 Rue Poncelet
75017 Paris
tel: 01.47.66.36.32
Metro: Ternes

Tu-Sat: 11.30am-2.30 / 4.30pm-7pm
Closed on Sunday and Monday

18th arrondissement
Beauty Monop
28 Rue des Abbesses
75018 Paris
tel: 01.42.52.89.61
Metro: Abbesses

M-Sat: 10am-8pm
Closed on Sunday

Salon Jean-Claude Biguine
81 Rue Mont Cenis
75018 Paris
tel: 01.53.28.10.10
Metro: Jules Joffrin

M-Sat: 10am-9pm
Closed on Sunday

19th arrondissement
Coming soon

20th arrondissement
Sephora at Printemps-Nation
22 Rue de Lagny
75020 Paris
tel: 01.43.71.12.41
Metro: Nation

M-Sat: 10am-7.30pm (Open until 9pm on Thursday)
Closed on Sunday (Open from 10am-8pm December 6, 13, 20)

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When a Japanese restaurant serves Pierre Herme pastries for dessert you know that the place has high-quality standards. Kai serves authentic and creative Japanese cuisine in Paris. The decor is sleek and contemporary. This restaurant is a little jewel located a few blocks away from a big jewel—the Louvre museum. Lunch menu goes from 25€ to 40€ and dinner menu is 60€ and up.

Kai
18 Rue du Louvre
75001 Paris
tel: 01 40 15 01 99
Metro: Louvre-Rivoli

Tu-Sun: 12pm-2pm / 7pm-10.30pm (Closed for lunch on Sunday)
Closed on Monday, July 14 and August.

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Vintage, made-to-order and costume jewelry are the specialty of jewelry designer Françoise Montague. She has worked for fashion houses Nina Ricci and Franck & Fils. Her anemone brooch is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry in her store. It’s one of her staple designs. I could see my 80-year-old grandmother wearing it as well as my 21-year-old cousin. They come in several sizes and many bright colors and the biggest one will run you around 65€. Unfortunately, the other store rue de Ponthieu had to be closed because of fire.

Françoise Montague
231 Rue Saint-Honoré
75001 Paris
tel: 01.42.60.80.16
Metro: Tuileries

M-F: 10.30am-7pm
Sat: 11am-7pm
Closed on Sunday

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