Deux Magots
Deux Magots is a historic Paris Cafe on Saint-Germain des Prés
(other notable establishments in this vicinity include Brasserie Lipp, Café de Flore and Café Le Procope)
Some mornings we jog past here in the dark, when it is empty
But I can’t conceive that I would ever step into this cafe, or several other Paris venues of grand acclaim
Today, these cafes may be crowded and expensive
On Christmas Morning one year, I attended the EARLY morning mass
Afterward, took a self guided walk through the empty streets of the Left Bank
The Café de Flore was practically barren (and inviting) and I came very close to joining the spare number of diners sitting outside
But you can always do better than “expensive” in Paris (“expensive” is crowded and lazy, it feels exploitative, but maybe it is only “supply-and-demand”)
And as i freely admit – i am often wrong
We found the answer at Pied de Corchon in Bastille
It has a foodie history, located in the Les Halles area of the city, which once contained an active Food Market,
It was open 24 hours each day as a place where people could always find a meal
The market is gone, it is still open 24 hours each day, but is now a tourist destination,
When I go there for breakfast and Onion Soup, I may be the only one in the restaurant. It is my answer to visiting a famous restaurant
https://www.eutouring.com/au_pied_de_cochon_history.html
If I want to hob-knob with the memories of Voltaire, Satre, Rousseau or Beauvoir, I visit the Pantheon and the other wonderful Paris cemeteries
Paris for the Holidays 