If you want to truly understand Paris, you have to eat it. There are plenty of touristy attractions and things to do, but the food is the heart of Paris, and the Ultimate Paris Food Tour is definitely one you want to book.
Walks and Devour Tours has several different options in Paris and around the world, but this one happens to focus on Le Marais, which spans the 3rd and 4th arrondissements. Our guide Vanessa, an artist from Milan who has been guiding for six years, did a great job giving the history of the area in addition to information about the food, and I love the combination of the two.
Vanessa explained to us on her tablet how the city is set up like a snail shell with the districts spiraling out from the center. It was a cool way to visualize where we were standing.
A fun tip she shared right away is to look at the blue street signs because they have the arrondissement number right on them, so you never have to guess where you are. I’ve been to Paris so many times, but I never knew that before this tour.
I was provided a complimentary tour. That doesn’t stop me from sharing my true opinions ever, and this one was fantastic, though not cheap.
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Why Do A Food Tour?
I absolutely love taking food tours whenever I travel. It is my favorite way to explore a new city because you learn about the history and culture through its most universal language: food.
I’ve had fantastic experiences with Devour Tours in Boston and their sister company, Walks, in Salem, so I knew I was in good hands in Paris. They have 14 (currently) different tours in Paris, ranging from skip the line tours (which I highly recommend) exploring the Louvre and the Catacombs to food tours in Monmartre and Paris sweets.
Their philosophy is all about connecting you with local, authentic businesses. They don’t take you to the tourist traps; they take you to the places where the locals actually eat and support family-run shops that preserve culinary traditions.
Book This Paris Food Tour!
How Many People Are on the Tour?
The tour is intimate with a maximum of 10 people. We had eight in our group, which made it feel more like a group of friends exploring than a rigid tour, and a few of us exchanged info at the end of the tour to keep in touch afterwards.
How long does the tour last?
The tour is advertised as 3 to 3.5 hours, but ours ran perfectly at around 3 hours. It felt like the perfect amount of time to eat, walk and learn without getting too tired.
How much walking is involved?
You do cover some ground as you explore the Marais, but it is broken up by frequent stops. It is a walking tour, so wear comfortable shoes, but it’s not a strenuous hike.
There is some walkng on uneven streets if you have mobility challenges. We also stood to eat some of our dishes, so keep that in mind when you book.
Can they accommodate dietary restrictions?
It depends on your dietary restriction, but they can work with vegetarian, pescatarian, and non-alcoholic needs. When you book, they ask for any allergies or dietary needs.
However, because this is France and specific shops are visited, it’s best to be as clear as possible in advance. And if you’re gluten-free, I do not recommend you book this. The same holds true for vegans, as too many of the stops won’t work for you.
Where Does the Ultimate Paris Food Tour Meet?
This tour runs twice a day in the off-season and three times a day most of the year Tuesday to Sunday. You meet 15 minutes before the start of your tour by a statue at 111 Rue de Turenne, 75003.
It’s easy to find the guide, because they will be holding a red flag or bag that says Devour Tours on it. I appreciated that our guide was there even earlier, unlike a few food tours I’ve done where I panic that I’m in the wrong place because the guide isn’t there when I arrive.
Do I need to tip the guide?
Tipping is not mandatory, but you know the guides always appreciate a tip if you enjoyed the experience. Vanessa was fantastic, passionate, and knowledgeable, so we were happy to tip her.
What if I get full?
First, come hungry. This tour stops at eight different locations with even more tastings, and some of them are pretty hearty.
Some of the locations have a little box or another way to save your treat for later, but not all of them. You’re a tourist, so you’ll have some sort of bag with you already, right?
Is the Tour Kid-Friendly?
I mean, the tour lasts for over three hours. And you eat things like fancy cheeses and veggie crepes, so know your child.
If your kid can handle walking and standing for three plus hours, go for it. There is not an age restriction on the tour, and kids ages 2 to 14 have a discounted price.
So yes, you want to book this Paris food tour. It’s worth it.
The Art Of The Croissant
Our first stop was a classic boulangerie. Vanessa explained that if a shop doesn’t have the word “boulangerie” on the sign, then the bread wasn’t baked on-site. She taught us to look for small bakeries that make small batches rather than places with giant pyramids of food, which often means things have been sitting out and getting soggy.
Did you know that the French government actually controls the price per kilo of croissants and the ingredients in them? They even regulate the hours of bakeries to ensure fresh bread is always available to the people, so there’s always a boulangerie open nearby.
Croissants can only contain butter, flour, yeast, and a pinch of salt. We grabbed our croissants and ate them outside while soaking in the neighborhood vibe.
Chocolate And Macarons With A Master
Next up was a visit to the shop of Jean-Paul Hévin, a master chocolatier who holds the prestigious MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France) title. I learned about this when I was in the Jura region of France learning all about comte cheese.
Let me tell you, this is a huge deal because you only get two chances in your life to compete for it, and the competition only happens every four years. Hévin won Best Chocolate Macaron in 2022.
We got to choose a macaron from 16 different flavors and then did a chocolate tasting. The tasting changes based on what the proprietor chooses, but we had one praline and one ganache.
Vanessa gave us chocolate advice I first heard at the Valrhona factory. Unlike wine tasting where you go from lightest to most robust, you should eat the darkest chocolate first and then move to the lighter ones which have more sugar.
Markets And Moroccan Flavors
We then headed to the Marché des Enfants Rouges, which is the oldest covered market in Paris. Vanessa took us inside to show us around before we stopped for some food and drinks.
We sat at a table near a Moroccan stall, a local favorite since Moroccan food is the third most eaten cuisine in Paris. This was also our first bathroom stop, if needed, on the tour.
We enjoyed a ratatouille mix crepe made with semolina flour along with some refreshing mint tea. It was a savory break from the sweets and absolutely delicious.
Celebrating Jewish Traditions
After the market, we walked over to the Jewish quarter. I didn’t know it, but the biggest Jewish community in Europe is here and concentrated mostly on one street, Rue des Rosiers.
We stopped at Sacha Finkelsztan, a yellow-fronted bakery that has been in the family since 1946. Vanessa ordered ahead, so we had a few minutes to wander while she grabbed our little sandwiches.
It was a nice break to have a little time to explore this small neighborhood that I hadn’t known existed. And the pastrami sandwiches? Well, until this one, I didn’t think I liked pastrami.
A Bistro Lunch And Onion Soup
For our next stop, we visited a bistro called La Chaise au Plafond located on a street known as the “street of the treasure.” This area is also the heart of the gay neighborhood, which was established in the 1980s.
The bistro is part of a group of four restaurants on the corner owned by the same person, and they are open until 2am, which is the latest in the area just in case you need a late-night bite after an evening on the town.
Vanessa pointed out a house logo on the menu, which means everything is made in-house and nothing is processed or frozen. Restaurants that display this can be inspected at any time, and if they don’t pass, the coveted designation is immediately removed.
We enjoyed a large bowl of their signature onion soup made with chicken stock, yellow onion, Chardonnay, and topped with Comté cheese. It was hearty and delicious but surprisingly not as salty as traditional versions.
A Light Sweet Treat
We saved room for a small dessert at La Maison Aleph, which is run by the only female chef featured on our tour. This stop offered a bird’s nest pastry made up of a fresh cream egg with different fillings like fig or lemon.
We had six flavors to choose from, and it was a light, delicate finish to the heavier lunch. The hardest part was deciding which flavor to choose because they all sounded amazing.
You Can’t Leave Paris Without Cheese
We walked off some of the food by stopping by the Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis Church where Louis XIII placed the first stone. There is even a Delacroix painting inside, though we had time for just history outside and not a visit to the interior.
Our final food stop was at the cheese shop of another MOF, Laurent Dubois. Vanessa picked out cheeses based on some of our personal preferences, and we had a chance to look around the shop to drool.
Because the shop is so small, we took the cheese to a nearby wine cellar called La Chablisienne, where we had a private tasting with a bottle of white and a bottle of red wine, plus a fresh baguette.
We started with the mildest cheese and worked our way up, and I only wish I had a fridge to go back to Laurent Dubois to get some more of their cheese. Vanessa gave us the history of the different cheese varieties and what makes them unique, as we relaxed and scarfed them down.
The lineup included a 75% butterfat triple-cream Brillat-Savarin (heavenly and one of my new favorite cheeses), a goat cheese rolled in ash called Sainte-Maure de Touraine, and an 18-month Comté. It was the perfect French ending to the day.
I Loved This Tour and Wholeheartedly Recommend It
The food on this tour was fantastic and ridiculously filling, including items I would never have thought to try. My friend and I ended up skipping dinner altogether because we were so full.
Vanessa was a fantastic guide, and she gave us all sorts of recommendations along the way from museums to visit to a lesser known bar by Moulin Rouge.
We actually went to that bar to enjoy a drink – and touch the famous windmill! – in place of dinner, and all the tips and info we gleaned from this tour were like that. It gave me the confidence to navigate French bakeries and menus for the rest of my stay, and I left with a full stomach and a happy heart.
