4th Arrondissement Specialty

Fragments calls itself an espresso bar. It says so right there on the sign you see walking up Rue des Tournelles in Le Marais. What the sign doesn’t say is that this particular espresso bar is très, très chic.

Enlisted by Louis XIV's court to explore the tea trade in the 1600s, Nicolas and Pierre Mariage sailed the globe in search of new offerings, passing the mantle down from generation to generation. In 1854, Henri and Edouard Mariage settled on land and launched a tea wholesale business in Paris, catering to the city's finest hotels and restaurants. They didn't open their doors to the public until the 1980s—and business has been brisk, to say the least, ever since. Outfitted with furnishings from the original Mariage Frères office (oversize tea canisters, heavy cabinetry, wicker furniture, potted palms), the Marais outpost offers a literal world of teas—along with small eats and a smattering of home goods, like teapots and gorgeously scented candles (Darjeeling is our favorite). There are outposts all over the city.

The farm behind this mini-chainlet is located in the Loire valley, where they make a range of unpasteurized cheeses, butters, yogurts, and crème fraîches from scratch—while aging the cheeses of area farmers. The demi-sel croquant unpasteurized butter is crazy delicious, and portable, as they're happy to vacuum pack it for the plane.

You could spend hours in this shop, where the walls are lined with imported spices and large sacks filled with lentils, rice, and other staples dot the floor. Owned and operated by the same couple for many years, it’s become somewhat of an institution. 

This is so much more than a grocery store: In fact, in true French fashion, it does simple clothing—streamlined totes, striped tees—really, really well. And at prices you’d expect from a supermarket. The baby selection is particularly sweet.

Operating out of a little window stand on the Isle St. Louis, the ice creams and sorbets here justify the sometimes long lines. After all, it’s arguably the best in Paris. Enough said.