Overstimulated
Rive Gauche (7th) & 16th Arrondissement
TL;DR – Two luxury food temples. One’s bliss, the other’s a nightmare. Both will empty your wallet with alarming elegance.
Who should go here: Foodies with full wallets and zero patience for Monoprix queues.
Why you shoud go here: Because where else can you buy €30 cookies and call it cultural immersion?
I walked in to La Grand Épicerie de Paris ready to hate it.
Not mild irritation or a polite shake of the head. Full chef-mode disdain. I wanted to rip it apart—aisle by overpriced aisle—exposing it as the bougie food theme park I was certain it had become.
And honestly? It is.
But it’s also kind of magnificent.
Let’s get this straight: as a chef, I know where to get everything here for half the price and twice the soul. I know the butcher who sold them that meat. I’ve drunk wine with the cheesemaker whose products sit prettily in their chilled cabinets. I can tell you who grew the asparagus they’re flogging at €16 a bundle. I know how the sausage gets made—literally.
And yet… I still couldn’t stop gawking.
This place is a fantasyland for the food-obsessed. A glorified pantry for people with black Amex cards and no interest in shopping at an actual market. If Paris has a village square for rich food voyeurs, this is it.
There are two locations. One feels like a luxury showroom. The other like being stuck in a very expensive lift with American tourists shouting, “OH MY GOD THEY HAVE NUTELLA!”
Let’s break it down.
The Food
- What We Saw (and Almost Bought):
- Artisanal pâtes de fruits in boxes so pretty they should be insured.
- Truffle-stuffed everything.
- The sexiest rotisserie chickens in the country.
- Fresh produce at eyewatering prices (€26 asparagus, anyone?).
- An entire aisle of chocolate bars, each more pretentious than the last.
- Texture Talk:
- Not applicable unless you count the glossy shine of the pastry case and the crackle of financial regret as you swipe your card.
- Drink Pairings:
- If you want a €2000 bottle of Bordeaux to pair with your foie gras popcorn, you’re in the right place.
Rive Gauche (Bon Marché): The Chaos Temple
This one’s off Rue de Sèvres, inside the Bon Marché department store, and it’s an unhinged mess of shiny surfaces and lost souls. It’s where tourists come to feel cultured while spending €40 on tins of sardines. A full-contact sport. You’ll leave with bruised elbows, a bottle of olive oil you didn’t need, and mild existential dread. The service? Practically subterranean.
Passy (16th Arr.): The Calm Cult
This one’s quieter, posher, and weirdly serene. It feels more like an actual food shop. Still overpriced, yes—but you get the sense that someone, somewhere, is actually in charge. If you must go, go here. You might even enjoy it.
So what’s the catch?
The catch is: it’s all good. The selection is undeniably solid.
The sourcing? Chef-approved.
The layout? Dreamy. The pastry section alone is enough to make you weak in the knees and dangerously close to financial ruin.
You can sneer, but you’ll still end up buying the truffle mustard and pretending it’s for a gift.
That’s the trap. It’s not a rip-off if you don’t care about price—and most people shopping here don’t. They’re here to feel something. And Le Grand Épicerie knows exactly how to deliver that hit of gourmet dopamine.
It’s not local. It’s not sustainable. It’s not honest, everyday food culture.
But it’s not pretending to be. It’s retail theatre—and the staging is phenomenal.
Would I come Back?
Yes—but only to the one in the 16th. Ideally after I have won the lottery or after my visit to the crematorium. Bury me beneath the mustard aisle.
🛒 Keep Reading: How to Shop Like a Chef in Paris
Looking for more food shopping truths from the belly of the beast? Check out these freshly baked blog posts:
🔗 Shopping in Paris Like a Chef
Tips, etiquette, and how not to look like a lost intern at a cheese counter.
🔗 What Foodies Should Buy in Paris: A Complete Guide
From unpasteurised cheese to the butter that changed your life—this is your ultimate Paris foodie souvenir list.
La Grand Épicerie de Paris
Addresses:
📍 38 Rue de Sèvres, 75007 Paris (Bon Marché)
📍 80 Rue de Passy, 75016 Paris
Reservation Needed?: No
Price Range: €€€
Website: lagrandepiceriedeparis.com
Google Maps Links:
Bon Marché Location
Passy Location
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From the bustling streets of Paris to the heat of a professional kitchen, my life has always revolved around food. A Brit who moved to France at 16, I trained as a chef in a Parisian palace kitchen at 18 and have spent decades cooking, eating, and living like the French.
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