+33 (0)1 40 41 96 42
A great spot just a 10 minutes’ walk from the Relais du Louvre: It’s a beautiful Art Nouveau facade and for a good reason: the shop on its left was created in 1894. It has hardly changed since, which is quite rare in Paris and even for France. We are close to Les Halles, where until 1960, the area abounded with food businesses like this one.
So you must have a look around if you want to immerse yourself in the Paris neighborhood of Les Halles at the beginning of the last century, but it is also a great place for high quality products.
Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie is divided into a restaurant and a shop, both centered on the same specialty: products from the southwest.
The old-style cash till, typical “of the era.” Mariage Frères drew from it to create its decor (a must-see boutique: read our article on le Carrousel du Louvre).
Here, we don’t do “merchandising.” We just do our job well: Good products, good preparation, and good advice with a warm, friendly welcome.
The specialty of the shop is, above all, foie gras and the prices are quite competitive.
The store distributes goose and duck foie gras. But which one is for you?
The bulk of consumption is concentrated on duck foie gras. It has a stronger taste and is more attractive to connoisseurs. Conversely, the goose foie gras is thinner and may seem bland for a lesser trained palate.
If you have little experience or if it’s a gift you’re looking for, it’s less risky to fall back on duck foie gras, as goose foie gras is sold seasonally.
There are 3 levels:
Canned foie gras is cooked at high temperatures and can therefore be stored for several years. However, it has less taste.
Half-cooked foie gras is cooked at a low temperature. It will therefore retain its flavor. It may be stored for 6-8 weeks in the refrigerator. It’s vacuum packed and can withstand transport for 12-20 hours without problem. For transport by air, we recommend that you put it in your checked baggage because the temperature there is cold. You can also buy an isothermal bag.
Raw foie gras is only used in cooking: fried foie gras, Rossini tournedos, quail with foie gras… and of course half-cooked foie gras. Two drawbacks: It doesn’t handle transport well, and you have to know how to cook it.
The price of half-cooked foie gras is €120 per kg, which is very reasonable, especially since it’s a quality product.
You can also find very good pâtés, hams, white sausage, terrines, ham whether marbled or off the bone, smoked quail thigh, smoked duck breast, or cassoulets…
All the meat and fish are prepared on the premise. The laboratory is in the basement. The pig is purchased as a single piece and comes from Vendée. The pig is not confined to a stable and is raised free-range.
As for fish, we have red-label (organic) smoked salmon from Norway and Scotland. We also have dill-marinated salmon, smoked trout, smoked eel and great quenelle skewers (a Lyonnais specialty), taramasalata, and fish eggs…
As for groceries, a hundred different wines from €4 to €120-€130 and truffle-based products, truffle-scented oil, truffle sausage, truffle mustard…
So in summary, a very wide choice and quality products at a very reasonable price in an authentic shop.
This spot is ranked 166 out of 13,000 restaurants in Paris by Tripadvisor. Need we say more?
The presentation is nicely done well and smells tease you before your meal arrives.
There is also a “classic” menu offering mostly southwestern specialties (foie gras, confits, cassoulets…) as well as smoked and marinated salmon, fish eggs, including Osetra caviar. In short, a good choice!
We also serve a “set menu of the day”:
Drawback to success: It is essential to book a reservation!
Le Comptoir de la Gastronomie
34, rue Montmartre
75001 Paris
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 33 31 32
Service hours:
Store hours: Monday to Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
See the Seasonal Menu
19, rue des Prêtres-Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois
75001 Paris
+33 (0)1 40 41 96 42