If you find yourself near the old Les Halles markets (which is now a revamped state-of-the-art multi-story shopping mall), you might consider wandering over to rue Montorgeuil, an ancient pathway that starts just behind the Église Saint-Eustache and runs all the way up to the Grands Boulevards on a busy pedestrianised street full of life. In contrast to some of the more over-run tourist hot-spots, this vibrant thoroughfare is packed at most times of the day with locals doing their shopping, taking a break from work and also letting their hair down after hours. The route was the main entry point for fish arriving from the northern coast headed towards the markets (via the old city gates at the appropriately named rue Poissonnière) and today the many fresh and varied food shops here are the primary draw. Founded in 1730, the Pâtisserie Stohrer at #51 is considered one of the oldest still-operating bakeries in Paris, and also reputedly the birthplace of the famous (some might say infamous) Baba au rhum. Come nightfall, the brightly-lit street continues to hum with cafés and restaurants packed to the gills and probably the most famous of them is L’Escargot, which first opened its doors in 1832 and counted Marcel Proust, Sarah Bernhardt and Picasso among its clients. Specialising in snails (and there is a very large unmissable one over the entrance) the restaurant has retained its Second Empire hand-painted deco which is classified un monument historique. Whether you are shopping for food, looking for a hangout to have a coffee, or just soaking up the atmosphere, the rue Montorgeuil should be part of any serious itinerary for flaneurs curious to observe the habits and rituals of the Real Right Bankers, soon to be an award-winning TV series modeled on the Real Housewives of ...
Rue Montorgeuil, 75001 and 75002.