Paris: Street Food

Thin pancakes served sweet with sugar, lemon or chocolate, or savoury as buckwheat galettes with ham, cheese and egg. Street stands and creperies serve them across the city. The Montparnasse district holds a cluster of Breton creperies. Fold-and-go versions are a common quick snack.

Deep-fried chickpea balls stuffed into pita with salad, aubergine and sauces. The Jewish quarter on rue des Rosiers in the Marais is the address for it, with long weekday queues. Portions are generous and eaten standing or walking. Several rival stands sit within a few doors of each other.

Ham and butter in a fresh baguette, the best-selling sandwich in France. Simplicity is the point: good bread, good butter, good ham. Bakeries and cafés sell it everywhere at lunch. A well-made version rivals any fancier sandwich in the city.

A Breton snack of grilled sausage wrapped in a savoury buckwheat galette, eaten by hand. It is common at markets and Breton stands rather than sit-down creperies. The pairing is simple and filling. Look for it where Breton food is served.

A savoury tart of eggs and cream with bacon in a pastry shell, from the Lorraine region. Bakeries sell slices to take away for a quick lunch. It is served warm or at room temperature. Variations add cheese or vegetables, though the classic keeps to bacon.

A spiced North African lamb-and-beef sausage served in bread with harissa and onions. It is a market and street-stand favourite tied to Paris's Maghrebi communities. The sausage is thin, red and fiery. Weekend markets are a reliable place to find it.

A Vietnamese baguette sandwich of pâté, pork or chicken, pickled vegetables, coriander and chilli, a legacy of French-Vietnamese history. The 13th arrondissement's Asian quarter and Belleville are the strongholds. It is cheap, fast and full of flavour. Several shops sell little else.

A thin chickpea-flour pancake from Nice, cooked until the edges char and eaten hot with pepper. It appears at southern-French stands and markets in Paris. It is naturally gluten-free and vegan. Best eaten straight from the pan.

Pressed, grilled sandwiches sold from cafés, bakeries and street kiosks for a fast lunch. Fillings run from ham and cheese to Italian-style combinations. They are cheap and everywhere. A reliable choice when time is short between sights.

A thin Turkish flatbread topped with spiced minced meat, rolled with salad and lemon. The Faubourg Saint-Denis, with its Turkish and Kurdish eateries, is the place to try it. It is cheap and quick. Rolled up, it makes an easy walking snack.

A newer fast-casual dish of crispy fried chicken over rice or in a bowl with sauces, popular with a younger crowd. It reflects Paris's growing street-food and takeaway scene. Shops cluster in busy central and student areas. It is a quick, filling option on the move.