À la Mère de Famille

The oldest chocolate shop in Paris (opened in 1761) is exactly as you would picture it: the classic Parisian storefront says epicere fine (delicatessan) printed above the door in gold belle époque lettering. The window display draws shoppers in with its stacks of exquisite tins and boxes of confections. Inside this Montmartre gem, the scene is just as nostalgic: subway tile floors, white-on-blue enamel signs, and wooden countertops lined with glass jars bursting with sweets, including bon bons, fruit confits, caramels, and cookies. Everything is divided into two categories—les incontournables (roughly, “impossible to ignore”) and nouveautes (novelties)—but all are irrésistible.