Eastern Paris: a new gastronomic destination on the outskirts of Paris

For a long time, the eastern side of Greater Paris was associated above all with the guinguettes on the banks of the Marne, if not the many farms of Seine-et-Marne, from which great chefs draw their inspiration. Since the health crisis, both the inner and outer suburbs, from Seine-Saint-Denis to the outskirts of Fontainebleau, have become home to a growing number of new addresses committed to eating well. Patisseries, food shops, restaurants... We've put together a selection of ten addresses that reflect this delicious dynamism.

in Vincennes, Noémie Giorno - My Little Kitchen

She's THE new sweet sensation on the outskirts of Paris. After a career in wealth management in banking, Noémie Giorno left everything behind to take up the challenge of becoming a pastry chef. After training at the prestigious Ferrandi school, the chef finally opened her first boutique in Vincennes in 2022. She quickly built up a local clientele, before finally making Parisians and travelers visiting the nearby château salivate with a range of modern pastries. Her cakes are faithful to the classics of French patisserie, but there's always a twist: burrata in the strawberry tart, or yuzu in what could be likened to a cousin of the Saint-Honoré. His vanilla flan is also a must-have.

• 5 rue Lejemptel, Vincennes
• www.noemiegiorno.com

camille Huguenot / DR

in Lagny-sur-Marne, Maison Dijols

There's boudin noir, but also jambon blanc de Paris and rillettes de porc. Jean Dijols proudly displays his award-winning delicacies at the entrance to his store in the Seine-et-Marne region. Heir to a family business launched by his great-grandfather, the artisan is a competition beast. Just last year, he won a gold medal for his duck terrine at the Confrérie de la Gastronomie de Flers competition. His laboratory is located in Crécy-la-Chapelle, where a second boutique also sells his charcuterie recipes, including Papy's must-have pâté!

• 14 place de la Fontaine, Lagny-sur-Marne
• www.jeandijols.fr

in Montreuil, Villa9Trois

It would be a mistake to interpret the departure of the talented Camille Saint M'Leux as a reason to stop booking at Villa9Trois. Sylvain Grosjean brilliantly maintains the restaurant's reputation, and a fortiori the town of Montreuil. The Seine-Saint-Denis commune has taken on the delicious air of a Mediterranean seaside resort since the arrival of the chef from the Var region. Anchoïade, bourride, artichokes en barigoule... All the hallmarks of the South are there, perfectly mastered by this discreet chef who has gained in confidence since his stint at the Domaine de Murtoli in Corsica. An experience that only further forged his talent after his apprenticeship with Bernard Pacaud at L'Ambroisie and Villa Madie, Cassis.

• 71 rue Hoche, Montreuil
• www.villa9trois.com

pierre Lucet Penato

in Fontainebleau, Frédéric Cassel

The pioneer of good taste in Seine-et-Marne. A former student of Pierre Hermé 's at the time of Fauchon, he set his sights on the former city of the kings of France back in 1994! Winner of the title of World Pastry Champion in 2013, Frédéric Cassel has crowned Fontainebleau a gourmet destination thanks to his sweet panoply based on French pastry classics, but always crafted according to contemporary codes: the poaching is worthy of palace desserts, and the flavor combinations are always straightforward. The vanilla millefeuille is a must, as is the lemon tart, meringue or not. available to take away or in the tearoom.

• 71-73 rue grande, Fontainebleau
• www.frederic-cassel.com

in Villeneuve-le-Comte, La Vieille Auberge

Trained in prestigious brigades such as those of Jean-François Piège, Christian Le Squer and Meilleur Ouvrier de France Christophe Pacheco, Nicolas Tissier finally returned to the family business, at home in Seine-et-Marne. He is now at the helm of the Vieille Auberge, in the village of Villeneuve-le-Comte, which owes its charm to its foundations dating back to the XIIIᵉ by the Counts of Champagne, as well as a restoration by Viollet-le-Duc. Here, Chef Tissier continues the sunny cuisine he structured when he was chef at Hôtel le Christopher in Saint-Barthélémy.

• 11 rue du Général de Gaulle, Villeneuve-le-Comte
• www.la-vieille-auberge-77.com

in Meaux, Dalissier Pâtisserie

You don't just come to one of the capitals of Brie (don't forget Melun!) to visit the museum dedicated to it, or to open a page in history at the Musée de la Grande Armée. Meaux is also a tasty detour since Noémie Dalissier opened her own boutique in the town center at the end of 2023. The young chef is not just anyone: she previously worked in the brigades of the Elysée Palace and the French Senate, composing desserts. Her career also includes a stint at Le Chabichou in Courchevel. Baba au rhum, flan, strawberry tart... Noémie Dalissier composes with what makes sweet tooths salivate and also thinks of gluten intolerants, with an adapted Paris-Brest.

• 24 rue du Grand Cerf, Meaux
• www.instagram.com/dalissier_patisserie

in Fontainebleau, Fuúmi

Japan's Hiroshima is usually the place to go for okonomiyaki, a speciality that resembles a large omelette (some say an omelette). a large omelette (some might say a pancake), topped with eggs, noodles, pork, shrimp and all the rest. Except that you can also find the same culinary experience... at Fuúmi in Fontainebleau. Where Kunihisa Goto, chef of the gourmet restaurant L'Axel and L'A Pâtisserie KG, has opened a bistro in the same spirit as a Japanese izakaya. The Oita native has returned to his roots in this den of popular cuisine, serving grilled fish cooked on teppanyaki, ramen in the purest tradition, and the famous okonomiyaki.

• 39 rue de France, Fontainebleau
• www.restaurant-fuumi.com

in Fontenay-sous-Bois, Silax Pâtisserie

Silamaka Soukouna, aka Silax, is as much a sensation for his successful pastries as for his story. Of Malian origin, the chef first slept on the streets of the capital alongside his family when he was just six years old, before finally being housed by the Red Cross. But it was also pastry-making that saved him. Although he was mistaken for the dishwasher in the back kitchen, he was in fact an apprentice pastry chef. Silax worked in prestigious houses before finally opening his own store in 2021, in response to the ever-increasing demand for cakes at confinement time. It was no longer enough to deliver them downstairs... The chef chose not to launch his business in Paris, but where the wheels turned for him, in Fontenay-sous-Bois. His must-try: the Paris-Brest.

• 3 place du Général Leclerc, Fontenay-sous-Bois
• www.silaxpatisserie.eatbu.com

dR

in Bois-le-Roi, Papylles

Not far from the forest of Fontainebleau, in this well-to-do village in the Seine-et-Marne region, Thomas Briandet couldn't have paid better tribute to his grandfather (which is why the "y" replaces the "i" in the restaurant's name). It's here, in the family home, that Christophe Moret's former apprentice creates a cuisine that's unadorned, direct and totally sincere. No doubt because the entrepreneurial chef draws on his childhood memories, like those forged right here, to accommodate a tasty "mackerel à la flamme, moutarde fumée, piquillos, ail des ours", or to resurrect memories of seaside vacations with this "Saint-Pierre de nos côtes, glacé aux algues, artichauts poivrades, pâte de citron". A timeless culinary experience, away from the hustle and bustle of the city, well worth the trip.

• 7 rue Demeufve, Bois-le-Roi
• www.restaurant-papylles.fr

dR

in Vincennes, L'Ours

We must give credit where credit is due, in this case to Jacky Ribault. The Breton-born chef was one of the first to believe in the potential of the eastern Paris region as a new culinary Eldorado. Initially owner of the Qui Plume la Lune restaurant in Paris's 11th arrondissement, the temperamental chef chose Vincennes to open his second restaurant. It was L'Ours in 2019. A haven in the image of its owner: unfiltered and daring. No menu, just raw, instinctive cooking. In fact, to understand the dynamism of the many new businesses opening on the east side of the capital region, you need to lay the foundations of this trend by sampling Chef Ribault's cuisine. It's the epitome of a gastronomy that's not afraid to change the game, and dares to go beyond conventional wisdom.

jordan Sapally

• 10 rue de l'Église, Vincennes
• www.loursrestaurant.com