The Most Charming Kitchen Supply Store in Paris: E. Dehillerin
Just a few streets from the busy cafés and shops of central Paris is one of the most charming kitchen stores in the world. Walking into E. Dehillerin kitchen supply store feels like stepping into another era, where copper pots are stacked high, the wooden floors creak, and every shelf seems filled with tools for serious cooks. This historic kitchen supply store has served professional chefs and passionate home cooks for generations. In fact, they are celebrating their 200th year of operation, and it’s still in the same family. It’s perhaps best known to American visitors for its connection to Julia Child, who famously shopped here while living in Paris.
A kitchen store frozen in time
I think the most charming thing about E. Dehillerin is that it feels like a working kitchen supply store rather than a curated boutique. Old wooden shelves run from floor to ceiling with every imaginable cooking tool. The aisles are narrow, really narrow. Which gives it an intimate kind of vibe. You’ll find copper pots, boxes and boxes of Staub Pots, kitchen whisks in all sizes, an assortment of tart tins (more than you ever knew existed), a large selection of other kitchen utensils, and baking pans in every size and shape.
In the basement, the concrete floors blend with old, worn wood flooring. You wander down aisles that abruptly come to an end. Boxes of every kind of pot, pan, food mill, and other kitchen supplies line the shelves. The entire feel of the store is unfinished in a deliberately organized and finished kind of way.
The yellow numbered stickers
Then, there are the yellow stickers. On my first visit, I quickly found a few items I wanted to buy. But when I looked more closely at the yellow sticker on one of them, I realized it showed only a set of numbers and not the price. Somewhat confused, I looked around the store. I noticed other customers flipping through price books placed throughout the aisles. Only then did I understand the system: each number on the sticker corresponds to a listing in the book, where you can look up the item and see its price. The pages are tucked into old-fashioned plastic sleeves, and once you find the matching number, you’ll see the price listed with or without the VAT tax refund calculated for you.
A favorite of Julia Child
For many American visitors, E. Dehillerin is especially famous because Julia Child shopped here regularly while living in Paris in the early 1950s.
While studying French cooking at Le Cordon Bleu, she began exploring the city’s professional kitchen supply stores, and E. Dehillerin quickly became one of her favorites. Today, many Americans still stop here because of that connection.
What to buy at E. Dehillerin
While the store carries thousands of professional kitchen tools, many visitors gravitate toward a few classic items. Copper cookware, pastry rings, whisks, and baking molds are especially popular purchases. Even a small item from E. Dehillerin makes a wonderful souvenir or gift for anyone who loves to cook.
A paradise for serious cooks
Whether you’re a serious cook or simply someone who enjoys spending time in the kitchen, it’s almost impossible to walk through the aisles of E. Dehillerin without feeling tempted to take something home. The shelves are filled with practical, beautifully made kitchen tools. And many of them are the same kinds of items used by professional chefs in Paris restaurants.
Even though I have just about everything I need in my own kitchen, I somehow manage to discover something new on every visit. And long after I’ve returned home, that small purchase always makes me smile. It’s a simple reminder of wandering through the creaky floors and narrow aisles of this amazingly unique Paris kitchen store. It’s my way of bringing some French memories home with me.
Where is E. Dehillerin in Paris?
E. Dehillerin is located in the 1st arrondissement, which is Central Paris. Chatlét is the metro stop, and it’s close to Centre Pompidou and Forum des Halles.
Originally, Les Halles was Paris’s central food market and was nicknamed “the belly of Paris”. It’s orginal structure has since been demolished and is now a modern shopping center and park.
E. Dehillerin address: 18-20 Rue Coquillière, 75001 Paris, France
Store hours:
- Monday: 9:00 – 12:30, 2:00 – 6:00
- Tuesday: 9:00 – 7:00
- Wednesday: 9:00 – 7:00
- Thursday: 9:00 – 7:00
- Friday: 9:00 – 7:00
- Saturday: 9:00 – 6:00
- Sunday: Closed
Why E. Dehillerin is worth visiting
One of the most charming details many visitors notice at E. Dehillerin is that purchases are often still written up by hand. Staff members sometimes use calculators and handwritten receipts rather than modern point-of-sale systems, which only adds to the store’s old-world charm and atmosphere.
Not surprisingly, my favorite part comes at the very end of the experience, when your purchases are wrapped in brown, kraft-style paper and sealed with bright yellow tape. The handwritten receipt and neatly wrapped parcel feel so old-fashioned. It just reinforces the sense that this kitchen supply shop operates much the same way it has for decades.
When I return home and unpack my bag, it feels like opening a small gift from Paris.
