The Perfect Day in the Latin Quarter (10 Spots Locals Love)

In this video we spend a day eating our way through the Latin Quarter, right by Notre-Dame, with Sylvia, a Parisian food expert who knows which bakeries are worth your time. If you only have a few days in Paris and want a Latin Quarter food tour you can follow on your own, these are the kinds of stops she took us to.

The stops

• An artisanal bakery for flaky croissants and pain au chocolat. Sylvia’s tip: if your fingers are not covered in butter, it is not the right kind.
• A street-side creperie selling from the window: a Gruyère and mushroom crepe and a Nutella banana one, around 4 euros each when we filmed.
• A classic bistro for a slow-braised, fall-apart boeuf bourguignon with mashed potatoes and a Pinot Noir (and some very steep restroom stairs).
• A rotisserie for roast chicken with potatoes cooked underneath, plus roasted vegetables. Great to take back to an apartment.
• A vintage candy shop full of sweets from French childhoods, including Isigny caramels and marshmallows in many flavors.
• A wine and cheese shop where we tasted Mont d’Or and 18-month Comté.
• A fruit stand, a chocolate shop for praline and pistachio chocolate, and a merveilleux, a meringue and whipped cream classic.

Tips we picked up

Look for bakeries that bake on site, and check whether the pain au chocolat has one or two bars of chocolate: Sylvia believes a bakery that skimps there skimps elsewhere too. Between wines, a piece of Comté resets your palate. And do not skip a fruit stand: in season, French strawberries and clementines are a treat.

Our verdict

The Latin Quarter is often seen as touristy, but with a local guiding us it turned into one of our favorite food days. Prices we mention are from when the video was filmed.

If you would rather have a local guide plan it for you, book the Devour food tour we recommend, and use our 125 best restaurants in Paris guide for the rest of your meals. Our Paris Guide Bundle covers where to eat and sleep near the main attractions, and if you are visiting nearby Sainte-Chapelle, get skip-the-line tickets.