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Picnicking at the Esplanade des Invalides

Below you’ll find our suggestions for where to pick up cheese, wine, sweets and other picnic provisions before heading to the grassy expanse in front of the Esplanade des Invalides.


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Solids

Cheese

  • Barthélémy – Simply one of the most beautiful (and expensive) fromageries in Paris.
  • Androuet – A historic cheese shop with more than 100 years experience supplying Parisian picnics.

Bread

  • Eric Kayser – Don’t let the multiple locations fool you into thinking that this is some kind of mediocre chain bakery: The breads at Kayser are excellent (ranked #1 on our list of Five Great Baguettes in Paris).
  • Gosselin – Our contributing advisors and the judges of Grand Prix de la Baguette de Tradition Française de la Ville de Paris agree that Gosselin produces one of the best baguettes in Paris (#2 and #5 respectively). The pastries are gorgeous, too.

Sweets

  • Grégory Renard – A favorite for macarons – especially the salted butter caramel or gooseberry with poppy flower.
  • La Pâtisserie des Rêves – A hit since it opened in 2009, this modern and playful pastry shop has won raves for its Paris-Brest.
  • Dalloyau – This historic traiteur and pâtisserie invented the oft-imitated Opera Cake.
  • Hugo & Victor – Pastry chef Hugues Pouget gives classic and seasonal flavors dueling personalities – the innovative Hugo and more classic Victor – in this sleek boutique. Macarons, chocolates, and breakfast treats are on offer, too.
  • Michel Chaudun – Michel Chaudun is, simply, a master of chocolate.
  • Chapon – Don’t miss the single-origin chocolate mousse bar at Chapon.
  • Foucher – This chocolate shop has had a presence on the rue du Bac for nearly 200 years.

Everything

  • La Grande Épicerie – The food hall of department store Le Bon Marché is a bit of a stroll, but it offers fresh prepared food, beautiful bottles, and fine groceries for chic one-stop shopping.

Liquids

  • Ryst Dupeyron – The real specialty at this classic, luxe shop is Armagnac, with vintages dating back to 1868. Don’t know the first thing about Armagnac? Just ask, and one of the friendly staff will pour you a taste. The back room houses an impressive collection of first growth Bordeaux (Margaux, Latour) and Chateau d’Yquem, and R-D bottles their own lines of port and Scotch, too.
  • La Grande Épicerie – The food hall of department store Le Bon Marché is a bit of a stroll, but it offers fresh prepared food, beautiful bottles, and fine groceries for chic one-stop shopping.

invalides

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