Batignolles Organic Open-Air Food Market (Paris)

The Saturday market on boulevard des Batignolles is one of the best organic markets in Paris. Although the Sunday market on boulevard Raspail is more widely known for its excellence as an organic market, the Batignolles market has similar high quality. Many vendors who attend the Batignolles market on Saturday also sell at the Raspail market on Sunday. The range of choices might be greater at Raspail, yet Batignolles has the advantages of being less crowded and a more tranquil setting with views of Sacré Coeur in the distance.

shopping for organic produce at Marché Batignolles

At the Batignolles organic market, vendors sell gorgeous fresh produce, and dairy and meat products from animals that were not given artificial hormones. The fish haven’t been treated with artificial coloring or bred in captivity. Breads, juices, nuts, and grains come in a variety of choices.

potato and onion pancakes, at Les Gustalins

There’s often a line of shoppers waiting for sizzling galettes de pomme de terre (potato and onion pancakes) hot off the griddle. The men, known as Les Gustalins, also sell them at Raspail on Sunday. Another of my favorite stops is the juice seller, Michel Beucher, who presses the fruits he grows at his orchard in Normandy. I fondly refer to him as the “singing cider man” since he sometimes serenades shoppers with songs that praise apples.

organic juices & ciders

One word of caution. There’s another market in Paris with a similar name. It’s Le Marché Couvert Batignolles, a covered market on rue Lemercier in the 17th arrondissement. That market is not organic and it’s inside a dreary, concrete structure. It’s not nearly as atmospheric as Le Marché Biologique along boulevard des Batignolles, described above. So, get yourself to the right place and enjoy!

Details:

Le Marché Biologique des Batignolles

Located on boulevard des Batignolles, from rue de Turin to rue de Moscou, in the 8th arrondissement (but on the border with the 17th)

Closest Métro: Rome and Place de Clichy