It can be hard to imagine why someone would ever want to find American sub-culture or food when in Paris but sometimes you just need a little dose of home. Compiled by our editors who have lived in Paris for many years, here are some great places to get a little bit of Americana in the City of Light not just this Thanksgiving, but all year round.
The Thanksgiving grocery store in the Marais is the most well-known and has been around since 1990. You can get all the ingredients you need for a real Thanksgiving dinner or to make American fare all year round, from spices and utensils to imported NYC bagels, farm raised turkeys, bacon, hamburger buns, Philadelphia cream cheese, and god forbid…hot dogs. In the shop they also have moonshine, rye whiskey and bourbon!
[Update: This store has closed!]
2. McCoy Cafe
In the 7th Arrondisement on Avenue Bosquet near the American University of Paris is McCoy Cafe, a sandwich shop and grocery. It differentiates itself from Thanksgiving by carrying all the junk food that has made America famous but the familiar packaging might give you a pang from home. Also, lots of American flags if you missed those too.
Just three storefronts down from McCoy Cafe is the Chattanooga Surf and Skate Shop which has been open since 1978. The owner is originally from the French Basque country who saw what was happening in California and decided to import the culture over. The Chattanooga website (translated) describes the shop as “more than just a store, Chattanooga is primarily a story that can be read on the walls.”
Where to go when you have a hankering for a divine pulled pork sandwich. Blue’s Bar-B-Q on rue Sedaine in the 11th arrondissement is run by a woman from Dallas, and really hits home with the déco and everything on the menu. They’ve got Brisket to Bar-B-Q platters to cornbread and of course Mac ‘n cheese, along with a classic Root Beer Float is certainly the cherry on top of the menu.
American-style thin crust pizza but better and organic. GreenPizz even has green delivery scooters, eco store design and packaging. It’s located in the 15th arrondissement on 32, rue Dantzig.
It doesn’t get more literal than this. Breakfast in America is a staple in the expat world here in Paris. The little breakfast restaurant with toasters on the tables, a cozy, yet hopping atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re in a diner in Brooklyn. They’ve got delicious burgers, impeccable breakfast and heaps of delicious syrup. Breakfast is served all day long, from 8:30am to 11:00pm.
7. Brooklyn Brewery in Paris
Brooklyn Brewery entered the Parisian market in the last year, with a strategy focusing on outlets with expert bartenders. American beers tend to be pricey (Brooklyn Brewery and Bud Light, are both 2x the price of a Kronenburg, for example) but Parisians particularly love Brooklyn! You can get it at bars like Candelaria, Glass, restaurants like Le Marie Celeste and Le Dauphin, and shops like Paris St-Bière
For a little bit of old New York, stroll into Harry’s New York Bar near Opera, which was actually a real New York City bar at one time. It was dismantled and then rebuilt in Paris in 1911 where it became a hangout for American expatriates including Hemingway.
Schwartz’s Deli has three locations, one in the Marais, one in the 17th and one in the 16th. The chain is known for its fabulous decoration and vintage quotes all over the place. Their burgers are as big as ever, and they’ve got a variety of American favorites on the menu: Mac ‘N Cheese, Veggie burgers, Mozzarella sticks, and of course some great breakfast choices that are perfect after a night out.
Along the Seine next to Notre Dame is one of the oldest and most humble English bookstores in Paris. Shakespeare and Company has a fairy tale history; the original shop was owned and run by an American, Sylvia Beach but was closed down by the Nazis during the war and became the meeting point for Hemingway’s “Lost Generation.” It was then taken over in 1951 by George Whitman, another American, and moved to its current location on rue de la Bucherie seducing artists and writers all over the globe.
Glass is a Pigalle hotspot, opened by the folks that brought us Candelaria. With a pinch of a rock feel that will make you feel like you’re somewhere underground, Glass has a little something extra to offer. They are focused more on the music, the feeling–and of course they’ve got great taste in beer. Like Candlaria, they’ve also got Brooklyn Brewery on tap, and homemade hotdogs and pickles.
Camion Qui Fume is Paris’s first food truck. Run by an American, she has brought a whole new market to the City of Light that has blown all of the locals’ minds. Camion Qui Fume has a variety of different burgers, from classic to a bit more French and parks in various spots across the city. Burger lovers everywhere can follow through social media to find out where she is, and to stop in and order a burger the New York way. These burgers are just sublime. And half the fun is the environment!
The Cali Classic from Cantine California, one of Paris’ new food trucks. Photo by Diane Ruengsorn for Untapped Cities.
Cantine California, another popular food truck, hit the streets of Paris in March 2012 offering up some favorite standbys: tacos, burgers, brunch, and cupcakes. The founder of Cantine California trained at the same place as the owner of Le Camion Qui Fume and also uses organic quality ingredients.
14. Bedford Avenue Diner
Near the Eiffel Tower is this diner that claims to have a location on Bedford Avenue in its logo (but doesn’t). The food is supposedly not great, but we think its worth a peek in for the decor.
