Paris: Asian travel guide - where to eat and what to see
The French capital is a city that does not need any particular preamble: a city overflowing with history, art and haute cuisine. Every time you return there you will find it fascinating, complex and full of surprises. Perhaps it is not the city of love as it is often said, but certainly Paris must be visited and discovered continuously over time.
Destination of countless ethnic groups, Paris has always been a kaleidoscope of cultures and of course cuisines: it is indeed possible to really eat a little bit of everything, so much so that, in my opinion, in recent years traditional French cuisine has been a bit set aside. in favor of a search for exoticism. If on the one hand there are restaurants that have made the history of the cuisine of this city (Lapérouse, Fouquet's, Le Train Bleu and Maxim's among my favorites), on the other hand they have developed over the years into real urban centers where you can enjoy a excellent Asian cuisine: first of all Rue Sainte-Anne. It is also no coincidence that Paris was for many years the most important center in Europe for otaku culture, hosting the Japan Expo (the convention on Japanese mass culture).
I am linked to Paris because many years ago I approached Asian cuisine in a serious and systematic way: here I ate for the first time in a real Japanese restaurant (my first sushi ever, by the way) in a time when there were no social networks and I photographed the dishes with a disposable film camera! For this reason, some of the photographs you will see in this compilation are of poor quality. But there is nothing to complain about the sincerity of the judgment (I assure you). Many tried restaurants have closed over time, so you will only find those I am sure are still open.
Here my guide to Paris.
SHOPS
Angelic Pretty
Parisian store of the legendary Japanese Lolita fashion brand Angelic Pretty. Simply adorable and unmissable if you too, like me, adored this trend from the early 2000s. The brand's main boutique is located in Harajuku district, in Tokyo.
🌎 https://angelicpretty-paris.com/fr/ 📍 3 Rue Saint-Roch, 75001 Paris📞 +33 9 73 23 00 59 💰 $$$$
Ace Mart
Korean food shop in the heart of Rue Sainte-Anne where you can buy many Korean niche products (some containers and bottles are nothing short of gigantic!), from spices to ready-made sauces, tins, snacks and above all many qualities of tea and instant coffee (if you are passionate about it, this is your paradise!). There is also a small showcase dedicated to fresh food, with ready-to-use homemade garlic and condiments.
🌎 https://acemartmall.com/ 📍63 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75002 Paris 📞 +33 1 42 97 56 80 💰 $$$
Cool Japan
Fancy shop selling fine Japanese items, perfect for both yourself and as a gift.
Here you can find kimonos and yukata (complete with all accessories), kokeshi dolls, bento boxes equipped in both wood and lacquer, elegant items for the home (such as the beautiful boxes covered in gold leaf) and tools for the ceremony of the you.
🌎 https://www.cool-japan.fr/ 📍 45 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris 📞 +33 1 42 60 20 85 💰 $$$$
Junkudo
Junkudo is a beautiful Japanese bookstore just a stone's throw from Rue Sainte-Anne. Arranged on two floors, Junkudo offers the possibility of purchasing manuals for the study of the language, novels, manga and fiction both in Japanese and translated into French, artbooks, stationery items and small souvenirs.
Whether you love to read or not, Junkudo is a fascinating destination.
🌎 https://www.junku.fr/ 📍 18 Rue des Pyramides, 75001 Paris 📞 +33 1 42 60 89 12 💰 $$
Kioko
Large Japanese food and spice shop opened in Paris since 1972.
If you want to find products for cooking, fresh or ready-made, and even niche products (there are in fact exclusive articles from local companies), this is definitely the right place. There is also a great selection of vegetables and mushrooms, as well as sweet snacks and sake.
They often don't have bags, so be well equipped before shopping.
🌎 https://www.kioko.fr/ 📍 46 Rue des Petits Champs, 75002 Paris 📞 +33 1 42 61 33 66 💰 $$$
K Mart
This is certainly the best-stocked Korean grocery store in Rue Sainte-Anne area.
All kinds of products are on sale here (noodles, sauces, snacks, drinks, etc.), but what makes this shop really interesting is the cool part where you can buy homemade condiments to marinate or season meat and your favorite dishes, the kits with vegetables and meat already cut and cleaned for traditional dishes, doshirak and bento box and, even, the meat already cut and marinated ready for cooking! And speaking of fresh meat, there is also a butcher's department here (where in addition to beef and ribs, you will also find Wagyu meat).
🌎 https://online.k-mart.fr/ 📍 4-8 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris 📞 +33 1 58 62 49 09💰 $$
Ogata
Housed in a 17th-century mansion in the Marais, Ogata is an elegant Japanese space, almost a temple, which includes an art gallery, an area where you can buy household items, a boutique where you can buy tea and wagashi sweets exclusive, a tea room where you can participate in the ceremony (by reservation only) and the Michelin starred restaurant.
🌎 https://ogata.com/paris/ 📍 16 Rue Debelleyme, 75003 Paris 📞 +33 1 80 97 76 80💰 $$$$$
WHERE TO EAT
Aki Boulangerie
It is a French-Japanese bakery and pastry shop located in the heart of Rue Sainte-Anne.
Aki offers some of the best desserts in this style in the city at very popular prices: éclaire and matcha muffins, classic melonpan or with whipped cream and strawberries, mochi in different types, cheesecake, tiramisu, beignet with azuki, crossaint and pain au chocolat but also numerous qualities of bread.
Along the display window and outside it is possible to sit down to have something quickly, perhaps sipping hot green tea or matcha latte.
It is also possible to buy bento boxes (meat or fish) and onigiri.
🌎 https://akiparis.fr/ 📍16 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris 💰 $$
A few steps from Aki Boulanger is Mochi Mochi Aki, a small space that sells a selection of products from the previous one (both sweet and savory) but exclusively in take away version.
🌎 https://akiparis.fr/ 📍28 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75001 Paris 💰 $$
