I have a confession to make: I have purposely withheld sharing my favorite Marais café with you.

The already popular Le Loir dans La Theiere has hands down some of the best home made desserts in Paris. I’m not talking about fussy French pastries- I’m talking down home warm apple crumble, peach clafouti, fresh fig tart, Rosemary & peach tart, and the tallest lemon meringue pie (you have to turn it on its side to eat it) this side or on any other side of the Atlantic.



Taste me. Taste me!

Going backwards, the rest of the menu selections are excellent and their hearty savory tarts are their other specialty. Yesterday’s selection was onion & tomato, zucchini & Chevre, eggplant & tomato, and fresh Chevre and capers. The large slice is served with a light green salad and the crusty crust with the creamy vegetable fillings make it a perfect prelude to dessert. Some other menu choices include large fluffy omelettes, club sandwich and classic French lentil salad.

The dark, cozy interior looks like a flea market with a mish-mosh of beat-up tan leather club chairs, old-fashioned school chairs with attached desks and your grandmother’s quaint couch. The walls are filled with dance and theatre posters, abstract paintings, and amusing Alice in Wonderland murals.

They offer a special brunch menu on the weekends but go before 12PM to avoid the lines spilling out the door. Afternoon tea is served from 4-7PM and the 9.50-euro price includes a pot of tea and dessert.

I am sorry that I have withheld this place till now, but if I go there and they run out of my favorite dessert, I will blame you.

Le Loir dans La Theiere
Open Monday to Friday 11:30AM-7PM
Saturday & Sunday 10AM –7PM
3 rue de Rosiers, 75004
Metro: St. Paul

I am pleased as punch to announce the launch of Eye Prefer Paris Tours, which are 3-hour walking tours I will personally be leading. The Eye Prefer Paris Tour
includes many of the places I have written about such as small museums & galleries, restaurants, cafes & food markets, secret addresses, fashion & home boutiques, parks, and much more.

I look forward to meeting you on my tours and it will be my pleasure and delight to show you my insiders Paris.

Check it out at www.eyepreferparistours.com

 

Comments

[Grace]

Richard, you're forgiven, because it's one of my favorites too! I remember when it opened - probably about 20 years ago now! Soo charming with easy chairs and comfy seating and of course those fabulous desserts. Even the name is adorable. It means "The Dormouse in the Teapot." A reference to Alice in Wonderland, perhaps?

[richard nahem]

thanks grace.yes, i think it's a reference to Alice in Wonderland because all the murals reference Alice.

[purple]

Please forgive my ignorance. At a cafe such as this, does one seat oneself or ask to be seated or wait near the door to be directed? Many thanks!

[richard]

the seating policy is kind of loose. If you see a waiter just tell him you want to sit.you can also seat yourself and they probably won't make you get up.

[purple]

Many thanks!! I find that much success in French restaurants comes from starting off on the right foot and sometimes it's hard to tell which foot that might be...

Super website, BTW!

[Mary]

Paris pastry or not. The pictured desserts are just plain overcooked most are burned black. Any good cook knows this makes the dish taste BITTER. Not exactly what diner looks for in a sweet dessert.Desserts in the USA are much more carefully prepared not over browned. Many desserts and breads as well are just plained burned and don' taste good.

[romain]

The cakes are amazing but the place is not. Amongst the rudest staff I have ever experienced in Paris: upon our seeing a mouse the waiters merely laughed at us and told us to get out. Disgusting.

[Gigi]

To Mary. Creme Brulee is a "burnt dessert" as well. Be open and especially try to not compare US desserts to theirs. They have a different culinary tradition that we can learn from. I'll take a homemade French pastry over Betty Crocker with industrial ingredients and bleached flour..burnt or not, any day.

And yes, this place is best kept as a secret but oh well, it's out now. Love it there. :)

[Rita Schwartz]

Is it possible to request that they post their recipe for lemon meringue extravaganza. Every time I go to Paris, I stop at the cafe and order a lemon meringue pie/tart. I don't speak French well enough to cajole them into sharing their recipe and I am not sure if this is even appropriate in France, but I sure would like to duplicate this wonderful pie. In fact, I am wondering if there is a site where I can make this request. Thanks, R.Schwartz