Find the Best Things to Do in 2nd Arrondissement - Montorgueil
By Paige Donner
Former Contributor
About 2nd Arrondissement - Montorgueil
Photo courtesy of Paige Donner
Rue Montorgueil is a fun little pedestrian (mostly) street. It's a locals' favorite and it's also a food lover's favorite, probably because it's lined with shops selling tasty treats: chocolate, wine, cheese, Italian delicatessen items and fine pastries. It's also an impressively historical street, home to a bakery that dates to 1730.
See & Do
Aside from the neighborhood's main attraction, food, there are still a few landmarks to take note of. One is the Musée du Barreau de Paris This museum, located in cellars dating back to the 1600s, is where you can learn all about famous Paris trials through exhibits illustrated with art and old manuscripts.
Another historical landmark is the Jean-sans-Peur Tower, the last remains of the palace of the Dukes of Burgundy.
Eat
The Montorgueil neighborhood is known as the food lovers' district. This was true in the past and it's true today. What's especially appealing is that this compact neighborhood offers a range of diversity in terms of price points for meals and also selection. Here you will find expensive Asian resturants and cheap Thai takeaway, also traditional sit-down French fare alongside creperies and innovative new places like the one specializing in sweet and savory waffles both.
Party
The craft cocktail movement is alive and thriving in Paris, thanks in large part to some of this area's pioneer cocktail bars. Among the most notorious are the Experimental Cocktail Club, but some of the newcomers, such as Club RaYé and Lockwood round out the night's cocktail crawl.
This being Paris, there are also a few stellar wine bars in the area. Two favorites are Le Pas Sage Bar à Vin and L'Art Source.
Shop
There are three reasons you shop in this district: food, kitchen/cooking utensils and discounted last season's fashion. The first is an obvious and any good food lover can just follow their nose to find the chocolate, wine and cheese.
For kitchen equipment shops this is the area in Paris where the city's chefs shop. For the last season's discount shops, Ekyog is here, offering their ethical, sustainable fashions at slashed prices.