Street Food in Paris

Counting the number of articles and sections devoted to Street food in French media or in blogs about Paris you could think that this is a new concept that has just arrived in France.

Anyway it’s really the theme of the moment, and it is no coincidence that the third international festival of culinary photography chose this theme this year!

Yet it has existed for all times, in France we are not so used to, with maybe the exception of our National « Jambon Beurre. »
In France, we have a rather negative image of street food that is often associated with junk food / fast food (McDonalds, KFC etc…)
But if you have the opportunity to travel, you will notice that street food is a cultural custom in many countries in Asia or Magrheb regions.
This is part of everyday life for all, regardless of their standard of living and social class.

But things are changing even in French gastronomy and Street Food is beginning to gain momentum.

Thanks to the support of « Grands chefs » and also to new trends in shorter lunch breaks, we eat on the go and new stalls offering a range of increasingly varied sandwiches, pancakes, bagels, sushi, pastas, etc., multiply in the city centers and business districts.

So to ride the wave I propose a small evolving list of my favorite places

1-I will start with a typical French product and one that is widely available (although not always very good quality): crêpes. They are pancakes that may be sweet or savory.
I’m pretty demanding in this area because I remember the flavor of the pancakes that my mom baked us on Wednesday afternoon, my little Madeleine de Proust that I associate necessarily with warm and delicious.
I found only two places where sweet pancakes have the taste of my childhood:

– L’Avant Comptoir: a small « counter » tapas with take-away pancakes of all kinds. The sweet one are very good and sweet with a taste of orange blossom. I love it.
I’m fairly traditional in general. I like sugar or butter. In cold weather, I like sugar with some Grand Marnier for comfort.
But the savory galettes (buckwheat dough) also seem very very appetizing
L’avant Commptoir
9 Carrefour de l’Odéon 75006 Paris

– The other place I found excellent sweet pancakes was on my way to work, and when I have nothing in the cupboards and I’m really late, I always stop at one of the best bakeries in my neighborhood, Avenue Mozart. Very often I get to eat them still warm. Of course they are of smaller sizes (like at home). And no question of choosing her flavor but I love flavor with a little sugar.
La Baguette de Mozart
56 Avenue Mozart 75016 Paris

– Buckwheat pancakes: Market President Wilson, there is a booth offering excellent Breton galettes warm and salty. They are a little more unique than the traditional ham and cheese or ham, cheese, and egg. For my Wednesday lunch break, I like to get a cake and eat on the terrace of the Palais de Tokyo with a beautiful view of the Seine

2-falafel sandwich:
I love these vegetarian falafel (balls with chickpeas )sandwiches prepared at Rue des Rosiers, They are really good.
At L’as des Falafels, there is always a line – a guarantee to the quality and freshness. We begin to find falafel in pitas everywhere on Paris. A friend told me about a street stand near Rambuteau Film MK2 Beaubourg.

L’As de la Falafel
34 rue des Rosiers Paris 04

3-Kurds Sandwich: Urfa Durum
Several weeks ago I heard about this place several times and on different media . They told that we can find the best sandwiches there in Paris.
I also wanted to try it. Last week I won tickets to a concert au « New Morning » which happens to be less than 5OO meters from this little shop. And I had just enough time before the concert to make a small jump to judge for myself.
So I can only confirm what I read. The « galette » serving as bread is made in front of you by request, and nothing but the smell emanating from the oven whets the appetite. Then it’s the filling of your choice: ground beef, lamb, chicken, vegetarian and, for the more adventurous lamb liver.
I chose the minced meat. It was really good and tasty. The raw vegetables were crispy and added an excellent mix of flavors.
The place also offers kebabs, some beverages. and that’s all.
Urfa Durum
58 rue du Faubourg St Denis
75010 Paris

I can also add to the list the corner hot dog stand I mentioned recently in one of my articles on the Marais: The Mosaic 56 rue King of Sicily 75004

I will not discuss Pasta bars because I find them all bad quality. The pasta is almost always overcooked.

I would love to find a good soup bar. I remember have eaten soup in a tiny room next to the Bastille, but I can not remember the address. The soup was good but not great .
So as usual, I would love it if you could share your experiences and places … ..