À la Mère de Famille
35 rue du Faubourg Montmartre (9th arrondissement)
Dating back to 1761, the oldest chocolate shop in Paris—and "one of the prettiest," writes Song—sells a tooth-tingling array of candies, including bonbons, lemon drops, caramels, candied chestnuts, and "artisanal marshmallows." The business has more than a dozen locations around the city and suburbs, but this is the original.
Shakespeare and Company
37 rue de la Bûcherie (5th arrondissement)
With regard to popularity, this tourist-beloved English-language bookstore is one of the heavy hitters drawn by Holland. A reboot of a Jazz Age store that was located nearby, Shakespeare and Company (opened at this location in 1951) has an impressive pedigree of its own, having been frequented by James Baldwin, Allen Ginsberg, and a bunch more literary stars of the postwar period.
Café des 2 Moulins
15 rue Lepic (18th arrondissement)
The interior of the Montmartre cafe where the title character in the 2001 movie Amélie works as a waitress no longer looks as it did onscreen, according to Song. The zinc bar is still there, but the rest has been made over. At least you can console yourself by ordering the “crème brulée d’Amélie.”
Barthélémy
51 rue de Grenelle (7th arrondissement)
Here's where you go to try the cheeses preferred by French presidents and noted gourmands such as Ina Garten. The signature item at the fromagerie, according to Paris Shopfronts, is the Fontainebleau, "a mild, light, airy cow’s milk cheese that looks like whipped cream and contains 60 percent fat."
Le Raidd
23 rue du Temple (4th arrondissement)
Admittedly, sometimes the facade of a business can't show off its most striking feature. A case in point: this gay bar known for a shower booth where, as Song explains, "gents with six packs lather themselves in bubbles in view of voyeurs." Sorry, but you'll have to step inside for that view.
Didier Ludot (now closed)
24 galerie de Montpensier (1st arrondissement)
Frommer's Paris author Anna E. Brooke described the swanky Didier Ludot as "more of an antiques shop than a clothing store," with a large collection of "haute couture of yesteryear" designed by the likes of Chanel, Dior, and Balenciaga. The boutique closed for good in January 2025. Think of Holland's illustration as a souvenir.
La Belle Hortense
31 rue Vieille du Temple (3rd arrondissement)
What could be better than a charming Paris bookshop? A charming Paris bookshop that's also a wine bar. Amid shelves stocked with French and English titles curated by the bartender, per Paris Shopfronts, tourists and locals alike sip organic French wines by the glass while snacking on charcuterie and cheese. Hard to think of a more inviting scene.
Au Pied de Cochon
6 rue Coquillière (1st arrondissement)
When it opened in 1947, Au Pied de Cochon was the first Paris brasserie to stay open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, writes Song. Among the luminaries who have occupied the red leather banquettes inside: Josephine Baker, Salvador Dalí, and Alfred Hitchcock. Though the restaurant closes during the early morning hours these days, the menu still features rich fare such as onion soup, confit pork ribs, seafood platters, and pig's feet, which is what the name means. We know, we know: Everything sounds better in French.
Paris Shopfronts, illustrated by Joel Holland with text by Vivian Song, is published by Prestel and costs $30.