A Hip, Outdoor Food Court In Paris: Beaupassage

It seems like an oxymoron to have the words food court and gastronomy in the same sentence; however, I recently visited a place in Paris that defied the typical image of a “food court”. This is not your typical food court: Beaupassage Paris.

Beaupassage Paris

Update: Since this post was published, sadly Anne-Sophie PIc’s “Daily Pic” is now closed. Some of the originals are still there (ie. Yannick Alléno and Thierry Marx’s bakery. It’s still worth a visit for the experience of being in an outdoor food court in Paris. The restaurants and shops are in beautiful surroundings.

On August 25, 2018, the 7th arrondissement in Paris welcomed a 110,000-square-foot space devoted to gastronomy, design, and wellness. Beaupassage defies the typical image of a food court.

Impressive design? Check. Just look at the entranceways such as “La Traversée”, created by Eva Jospin, which has an enormous display of branches, wood, twigs, and roots on both sides of the walkway.

Outdoor seating at Beaupassage Paris (J. Chung)
Outdoor seating at Beaupassage Paris (J. Chung)
Entranceway at Beaupassage, Paris (J. Chung)
Entranceway at Beaupassage, Paris (J. Chung)
“La Traversée” entranceway at Beaupassage, created by Eva Jospin (J. Chung)
“La Traversée” entranceway at Beaupassage, created by Eva Jospin (J. Chung)

Beautiful surroundings? Check. Indoor and outdoor seating surrounded by nature and art.

Quieter side of Beaupassage
Quieter side of Beaupassage

Delicious food? How could it not? I’m not sure you’ll find any single location with such a high concentration of restaurants and eateries heralded by Michelin-starred chefs.

Michelin Star Chefs And Artisans include:

Yannick Alléno

L’Allenotheque by Yannick Alleno
L’Allenotheque by Yannick Alleno

Alléno received 3 Michelin stars for both of his restaurants, “Pavillon Ledoyen” (Paris) and Cheval Blanc (Courchevel, France). He has opened a restaurant here called “L’Allénothèque”.

Thierry Marx

“La Boulangerie” by Thierry Marx

Marx received 2 Michelin stars for his restaurant “Sur-mesure par Thierry Marx” Paris, France). He has opened an organic boulangerie aptly named, “La Boulangerie”

Anne-Sophie PIc

Anne-Sophie's Daily Pic
Anne-Sophie’s Daily Pic

Pic received 3 Michelin stars for both of her restaurants, “Maison Pic” (Valence, France) and “Restaurant Anne-Sophie Pic” (Lausanne, Switzerland). Pic’s gourmet cafeteria, “Daily Pic” is where I decided to have lunch.

Olivier Bellin

Bellin received 2 Michelin stars for his restaurant, “L’Auberge des Glazicks” (Plomodiem in Brittany, France). He has opened a seafood eatery called “Mersea”.

There are also renowned artisans such as:

  • Pierre Hermé: pastry chef and chocolatier known for his macarons with shops all over the world has opened his first cafe;
  • Nicole Barthélémy: who’s “Fromagerie Nicole Barthélémy” is a Paris favorite cheese boutique on rue Grenelle in the 7th arrondissement not just for local Parisians, but also for the Élysée Palace; and
  • Alexandre Polmard: breeder and butcher who has a special 28 to 56-day aging process for his beef. His restaurant is called, “La Boucherie Restaurant”.

and…….Abdoulaye Fadig
Fadig is also involved in this collaboration with the chefs in the area of wellness. He is the Thai Boxing World Champion and fitness expert and he has opened up a sports club where you can not only work on your body but also your mind.

My Lunch at Daily Pic: Jars

Entree, plat and dessert--Daily Pic
Entree, plat, and dessert–Daily Pic

Here’s the best part about Beaupassage? It’s hip and chic with casual dining or white-linen service. You can dine inside or outside (weather permitting) at most of their restaurants and the price for a meal is not outrageous.

At “Daily Pic” I couldn’t get a table outside, so I sat inside at a counter by the window. I wasn’t served at my table, but that was alright. I went there for the food. On the wall is a list of ingredients and the possible allergies and intolerances. I’ve never seen anything like that!

Daily Pic- list of allergies and intolerances
Daily Pic- list of allergies and intolerances

Daily Pic has three types of menu offerings and each category has 2 entrées (appetizers), 2 plats (main courses), and 2 desserts to choose from:

  • Les Végetales that are considered “light, fresh, and natural”
  • Les Signatures that “evoke creativity, associations of flavors and new tastes”
  • Les Réconfortantes that “evoke tradition, childhood, and regional specialties”

I mixed things up and got my entrée from the Vegetales section and the other 2 dishes from “Les Signatures”. My appetizer, main course, and dessert were in jars. Yes, jars. I was a little shocked by the presentation but decided to go with the flow.

I picked up my jars from the refrigerated section of the “cafeteria” and brought them to the cashier. While paying, a waiter tried to find me a table outside and my main course was taken from me. In its place, I got a numbered flag so that it could be brought to me.

As mentioned, I got a seat by the window and proceeded to open my jar to eat my Le Gazpacho de Tomate soup. It was quite delicious and soon after I finished, the waiter brought my main course—-still in its jar——but now hot. I had ordered the “L’agneau confit à la menthe”: big pieces of lamb with mint, raisins, and Mediterranean cereals. In this case, I believe it was couscous with semolina and durum wheat.

Dessert was L’Ile Flottante à la Pêche de Vigne, crémeux à l’estragon (Peach of the grapevine, creamed with tarragon)—L’Ile flottante (Floating Island) is becoming my new favorite dessert in France because it is light and flavourful. Typically Ile flottante is a poached meringue on crème anglaise; however, with my dessert at Daily Pic, summertime returned with just one taste of the peach sauce that was mixed with the meringue.

Beaupassage Paris

  • Cost for lunch: 25 Euros
  • Address: 53-57 Rue de Grenelle
  • Metro: Rue du Bac
Not your typical food court-Beaupassage Paris

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One Comment

  1. Keith Van Sickle says:

    There’s a place in Lisbon a bit like this, the Time Out Market, where top chefs have little storefront restaurants. But Beaupassage looks even better.

    FYI regarding the allergens: it’s the law in France (based on an EU regulation, I think) that all restaurants provide information on allergens in their dishes–there are 14 regulated allergens. The list is available if you ask for it and sometimes places will display it, as was the case with your restaurant.