Le Marché des Enfants Rouges was created in 1912 and is the oldest covered market in Paris.

The marché is petit and covered in wooden roof in the area of Le Marais. Le Marché des Enfants Rouges means “Market of the Red Children”. Red children here refers to children dressed in red clothing as they are the uniform of the orphanage nearby.

While there are lots of food markets in Paris, this one is my favorite. First because of its great location, there are lots of different individual boutiques around this area. You can easily discover some lesser-known brand and boutiques and find one of a kind fashion items there. Secondly, it is not only stocked with fresh produce of fruits, vegetables, flowers and bread, this market also has a wide selection of food stalls serving different cuisine such as Italian, Moroccan, and Japanese.

All the stall owners are so welcoming and seating area is airy. It is definitely a nice place to grab some lunch while you spend day shopping in Le Marais.

On the day we went there, we tried the Italian food stall. You can see the selection of food with lots of photos on the wall. Which is great for non-French speaker, and you can also know what to expect.

The pasta is to die for, perfectly done and al dente. The truffle cream sauce penne is the bomb! While the squid ink penne is a little less than what I have imagine. I thought the penne itself is also made with squid ink. But they are both really good.

The owner and manager is also super friendly, and he greeted us in Italian! He also gave us some suggestions on the dishes as well.

I also love how they provide really good quality olive oil and balsamic vinegar for you to dip the little baguette pieces. I just cannot resist olive oil and balsamic vinegar with bread! Heaven!

 

Here is a little tour of Le Marché des Enfants Rouges.

image source – my own photo, flickr