It appears to be run by bike messengers,” was what a friend said of charming, wood-paneled épicerie and greengrocer Le Zingam when it opened by Voltaire in 2014. And lo, indeed it is. But who says bike messengers can’t also have impeccable taste and wallet-friendly politics?
Longtime friends from the neighborhood Lelio Stettin and Sonny Lac offer rigorously-selected vegetables, cheeses, meats, eggs, craft beers, organic and natural wines, and tinned preserves – all of opulent quality at quasi-socialist prices. Lac formerly worked nearby at the quaint wine-bistrot Mélac, and his wine selection at Le Zingam is honest and simple, geared towards casual refreshment over geek reverence. The shop’s product selection overall is a work of low-key brilliance – from tomme de chevre to pancetta to yogurt pots, Le Zingam’s selections are laser-targeted to invite wholesale adoption into one’s habitual home meals. For any Parisians perturbed by the slow transformation of quality foodstuffs into luxuries in their city, Le Zingam – discerning, refined, and unpretentious – is a godsend.
Practical Information
Address: 75, rue du Chemin Vert, 75011
Nearest transport: Saint Maur (3) or Voltaire (9)
Hours: Tuesday – Friday: 11am – 2:30pm and 5-9pm; Saturday from 10am-9pm; Sunday from 10am-2:30pm and 5-8pm; Closed Monday
Telephone: 01 43 66 62 63
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Reviews of Interest
Not Drinking Poison In Paris (2015) “Lac and Stettin have done something that runs up against my most basic principles as a Parisian consumer: they’ve created a place that supersedes the weekly street markets. Le Zingam’s products are better, and just as cheap, if not cheaper.”
Le Monde (2014)“C’est une épicerie à l’ancienne, comme on en voudrait à tous les coins de rue, dans toute la ville…”
Trés Trés Bon (2014) “Pour des courses gourmandes à des prix très très légers, on vous emmène aujourd’hui dans une petite épicerie de quartier du 11ème, le Zingam…”