Absolutely love this shop, awesome selection of Indian and Ayurvedic herbs, spices, beauty…read moreproducts, health supplements, incense, carious decorations, and everything in between! The staff is friendly and helpful incase you have any questions and the prices are totally fair in my opinion. I absolutely love their activated charcoal toothpaste (3.45 euro) Its the best toothpaste I have ever used. They also have neem in several formats, dry leaves, powder and oil. The incense selection is quite big with the same scents from a few manufacturers. They have copper mugs and travel bottles. The store itself is not so huge but its definitely packed with a large variety. I will absolutely be back here and I totally urge you to check it out and have a look, don't be afraid to try something new!

A real spice wonderworld, Velan is my go-to shop which I'm craving anything with a kick…read more My mom and I recently went there with a full list of ingredients to buy for a Green Thai Curry Shrimp dish she wanted to make, and they had everything (except the shrimp) and despite our big purchases the total bill came to just over 10E. Shopping at Velan is always an educational experience as well. There are so many amazing foods to discover, and often finding the ingredients in French can be a challenge if you're used to the name in English. For example, we had to ask three different people where the dried Kaffir lime leaf was (it's feuilles de kokumba in French) since we had no idea what it was called. It was actually another shopper that steered us in the right direction.

A lovely neighborhood shop full of containers of spices you never heard about but once you sample…read moreyou are hooked. The owner of the shop was most helpful with nearly every item available in a sample taste or smell. I was especially drawn to over 20 peppers or pepper like spices and bought 3 to try. A small selection of cheese held a round disk of runny gooey yummy cheese which we had on fresh bread that night (never did get the name of it). She also had cured meats and most importantly artisan chocolates made by people trying to break into the market from Belgium, France and other places. See my review of Le Baratin then walk down the street and stop here on the way home. Between Pyrennes and Belleville Metro.

Excellent little specialty food shop. The owner is very friendly and helpful. The cheeses and cured…read moremeets are outstanding! She has all sorts of wonderful little spreads also for your baguettes. I hate to say this, but try the langoustine & truffle jar, it is amazing!!

This beautiful shop is right on Place de la Madeleine (you get a lively view of the church from the…read morefront door), and it is a must-visit for lovers of mustard and vinegar. There are, of course, the familiar classic mustards. There are also more exotic flavors on offer (I recommend getting one of their sets). The most exciting part? Mustard on tap--some classics, but also some exclusives. Pick a pot in the size and color of your choice and watch it get filled by one of their many helpful and friendly staff members. You'll pay a bit more, but the quality is excellent, and the experience unique.

I recently visited and purchased the 'original' mustard in large container. When I returned home…read moreand opened I was dismayed and annoyed they did not fill the jar!! This cost about 53 euro and you have no way of seeing how full it is. They dispense from a fountain like spout and close it up;( I call this...fleecing of Americans!

some of the best pastry and viennoiserie you can find in paris! historic location with a gorgeous…read moreinterior, fast and efficient service! make sure to go early so you get them at their best. croissant: heavy and rich in the aroma of butter, very large, good open crumb and honeycomb structure interior - clear demonstration of tried and true technique kougin aman: incredible caramelized sugar flavor, gorgeous lamination, perfect overall pain au chocolat: chocolate is very high quality! does a good job of remaining buttery despite the strong flavor of the chocolate!

On a mission to experience Paris's legendary pastry history, I was looking forward to trying the…read moreoldest bakery in Paris. Stohrer is located on the quaint Rue de Montergueil alongside other cute cafes and shops and was marked by a historical landmark sign that explains the bakery's historical and cultural significance. The storefront had a regal appearance, which was fitting given its rich history and designation as the birthplace of the rum baba. We arrived in the early afternoon when there wasn't a line, and the pastry case was fully stocked with a wide assortment of pastries and macarons of every color of the rainbow. I decided to try the brioche with candied citrus, and we also ordered an eclair and cream puff. I took my pastries to-go since there wasn't any seating in the bakery or outside. The brioche was decadent but not too sweet, and I noticed pieces of candied fruit laced between layers of pastry. The pastry itself was drier than a croissant, and it paired well with a cup of tea. It was such a cool experience to visit the time-honored bakery, and we'll have to try the rum baba on our next visit.

Best service ever! Exceptional food, such a cosy place, I would keep coming back to France just to…read moreeat here! Silvana was just amazing at making this experience happen. Il miglior servizio di sempre! Cibo eccezionale, un posto così accogliente, continuerei a tornare in Francia solo per mangiare qui! Silvana è stata semplicemente straordinaria nel realizzare questa esperienza. Melhooooor lugar da terra!!!!! Amo muito! Melhor atendimento, melhor comida, amo!!! Me senti tão acolhido, valeu a pena demais! Juro, melhor da terra!!

Can't Stand Greedy People. It was a lovely half-hearted…read moreeffort to show italian hospitality. The lady was sweet and informative. Two pizzas plus a small salad cost us €45. Overpriced if not opportunistic. She offered and served us Focaccia bread and charged €5 without telling us that she charges for bread. The salad was really small and set us back €10. Mineral water €6. Pizza was doughy and cheesy. Felt more like NY pizza than Sicilian. I make a better pizza at home. Overall it was a pleasant experience crossed out by the banality of human greed. Surprising set back for usually very warm and generous Italians. She refused to take off the "trap" Focaccia bread from our check after being confronted. If she did take it off we would have come back in the future and dealt with the rest of irregularities. We would recommend this place to friends. She could have made €40 again and again, yet decided to take €5 "now" in a true "make the money and run" opportunistic fashion. In hospitality business one should know better. This place will be gone by next Christmas. I do not recommend. Can't stand greedy people.

This is an extraordinary Michelin experience-style restaurant. There is no real menu other than a…read morewine menu. You just choose how many courses you want your tasting menu to consist of and whether or not you'd like to add a wine pairing and caviar tasting to start. It can get quite expensive but you have a lot of options to fit your budget. As frame of reference, we went all in with a 7 course tasting menu accompanied with a pairing of five wines and added caviar tasting and it came to ~$700 for two. This is in line with the prices of other high-end Michelin places around the world so it's not all that egregious, you just have to know what type of place this is before you book. As with any other fancy tasting menu experience I've participated in, some dishes weren't great while others make the list for best-of-all-time. Specifically at Boutary I found the first several courses to be particularly underwhelming. But the last several courses they redeemed themselves many times over. They made us feel special by giving us one dish that they said we were the first to try it, and overall I do feel like the served us more than seven courses. So they are certainly generous. There were two dishes in particular that stood out. One was what I think was an aged Galician beef which looked raw but didn't taste raw and was absolutely delicious. It was like a French wagyu, and as tourists visiting from the US this was exactly the type of French representation we were after. The second stand out dish was this mashed potatoes and caviar combo, one they said that has been on their menu since they first opened. That dish in particular leveled up this entire experience for us. The aforementioned beef dish was brilliantly paired with a French red wine which elevated that dish further, but the rest of the wines were white wines and didn't necessarily seem to be thoughtfully paired with any particular dish. But they give you quite a bit of wine with each tasting and we walked out pretty tipsy. The staff here are very professional, and speak English (if you're visiting and that matters to you). In fact, most of the other diners in there at the same time we were also were English-speaking. This doesn't seem to be a local spot, but I could be wrong. The interior is also beautiful and great for pictures. Overall Boutary is an excellent choice for a date night in Paris and I highly recommend.

Just a superb (Michelin star) restaurant in Paris in the Saint Germain area. Small and intimate…read more Great service and unique menu every evening. You won't see a menu as each day is unique to the ingredients available to the chef. We enjoyed the 5 course selection with caviar. There is also a 7 course choice! You will enjoy this experience and the food.

Haute Food Court and Culinary Market including a number of counter seating and sit down…read morerestaurants. Finding all different gourmet brands of chocolates, pastries, pates, caviar, and, truffles. Friendly service found at each counter. Discovering something new to try on each of my visits! CHEERS!

Want a couple of floors of some of the world's best pastry chiefs creations? This is your dream…read morecome true then. We went an hour before they closed and were still met with great service. The employees happily explained the choices we had and what to expect from each pastry if needed. The ambiance is as expected being surrounded by delicious pastries. Only good things.... Only good things..... They are part of a shopping mall that stays open about an hour after the regular retail stores close. This way you can get what you really came for without having to carry it around while shopping. Once outside one can go from window to window looking at the Christmas displays. This is a great place to sample different items such as 10 different flavors of eclairs. How can you give this less than 5 stars? You really can't. I love this place.

If you're looking for an amazing place to learn about wine basics, this is the place. If you want…read moreto experience good wine... go somewhere else!!! The caves of the kings is amazing. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing where the kings wine were stored. The basics of wine in general were well done. Unfortunately, the 3 wines we were given were undrinkable. Keep in mind that this is a super basic lesson.

If you are coming to Paris and are buying the Paris pass from Go City, make sure to sign up for Les…read moreCaves du louvre. This was one of the most incredible experiences I've had in Paris from sommelier Lou giving us a full understanding of wine, I cannot say enough. Most locals don't even know about this place, but it is a historical location that is worth a visit, I highly suggest upgrading your experience for the premier wines and receiving a bottle of wine with a commemorative label. I went with my father who does not drink, but there was a nonalcoholic option for him. At the end of the tour, he was asking where to purchase the grape juices. Inside of the caves, you are transported from Paris to a completely different world of wine and history... Make sure to watch your head, the ceilings are low. Ever room in Les Caves du Louvre were full of history and made you feel like you were eternally out of this world