Sumptuous food stores are to be found all over Paris: the listings below are for the specialist places , many of them palaces of gluttony, with prices to match. Everyday food shopping is best done at the street markets or supermarkets , though save your bread-buying at least for the local boulangerie . The cheapest supermarket chain is Ed Discount. 

Le Baron Aligre 1 rue Théophile-Roussel, 12e. Mº Ledru-Rollin. Tues-Fri 10am-2pm & 5-9.30pm, Sat 10am-9.30pm, Sun 10.30am-1pm. 
Stocks a good selection of dependable lower-range French wines; ?1.07 for a small tasting glass. Very drinkable Merlot at ?2.44 a litre, if you bring your own containers. 

Barthélémy 51 rue de Grenelle, 7e. Mº Bac. Tues-Sat 8.30am-1pm & 4-7.30pm; closed Aug. 
Purveyors of cheeses to the rich and powerful. 

Carmès et Fils 24 rue de Lévis, 17e. Mº Villiers. Tues-Sat 8.30am-1pm & 4-7.30pm, Sun am; closed Aug. 
Run by a family of experts who mature many of the cheeses sold here in their own cellars. 

Caves Michel Renaud 12 place de la Nation, 12e. Mº Nation. 9.30am-1pm & 2-8.30pm; closed Sun pm and Mon am. 
Established in 1870, this wine shop purveys superb-value French and Spanish wines, champagnes and Armagnac. 

Comptoir du Saumon 60 rue François-Miron, 4e. Mº St-Paul. Mon-Sat 10am-10pm. 
Specializes in salmon, but sells eels, trout and all things fishy as well - there's also a delightful little restaurant in which to taste the fare. 

Debauve and Gallais 30 rue des Sts-Pères, 6e. Mº St-Germain-des-Prés. Mon-Sat 9am-7pm; closed Aug. 
A beautiful, ancient shop specializing in chocolate and elaborate sweets. 

Diététique DJ Fayer 45 rue St-Paul, 4e. Mº St-Paul. Mon-Sat 9.30am-1.30pm & 2.30-8.45pm. 
One of the city's oldest specialists in dietary, macrobiotic and vegetarian fare. 

Divay 4 rue Bayen, 17e. Mº Ternes. Tues-Sun 8am-1.30pm & 3.30-7.30pm; closed Wed pm, Sun pm & Aug. 
Purveyor of foie gras , choucroute, saucisson and such. 

Fauchon 26 place de la Madeleine, 8e. Mº Madeleine. Mon-Sat 9.40am-7pm. 
Carries an amazing range of super-plus groceries and wine, all at exorbitant prices; there's a self-service counter for pâtisseries and plats du jour , and a traiteur which stays open a little later, until 8.30pm. 

Goldenberg's 7 rue des Rosiers, 4e. Mº St-Paul. Daily 9am-2am. 
Superlative Jewish deli and restaurant, specializing in charcuterie. 

Hédiard 21 place de la Madeleine, 8e. Mº Madeleine. Mon-Sat 8am-10pm. Since 1850 the aristocrat's grocer. 
Several other branches throughout the city. 

La Maison de l'Escargot 79 rue Fondary, 15e. Mº Dupleix. Tues-Sat 9am-7.30pm, Sun 9am-1pm; closed mid-July to Sept. 
As the name suggests, this place specializes in snails: they even sauce them and re-shell them while you wait. 

Mariage Frères 30 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, 4e. Mº Hôtel de Ville. Daily 10.30am-7.30pm. 
Hundreds of teas, neatly packed in tins, line the floor-to-ceiling shelves of this 100-year-old tea emporium. There is a salon de thé in the back with exquisite pastries (daily noon-7pm). 

À la Mère de Famille 35 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 9e. Mº Le Peletier. Tues-Sat 8.30am-1.30pm & 3-7pm. 
An eighteenth-century confiserie serving marrons glacés , prunes from Agen, dried fruit, sweets, chocolates and even some wines. 

Poilâne 8 rue du Cherche-Midi, 6e. Mº Sèvres-Babylone. Mon-Sat 7.15am-8.15pm. 
Bakes bread to ancient and secret family recipes; there is always a queue. 

Rendez-Vous de la Nature 96 rue Mouffetard, 5e. Mº Cardinal Lemoine. Tues-Sat 9.30am-7.30pm, Sun 9.30am-noon. 
One of the city's most comprehensive health-food stores, with everything from organic produce to herbal teas.