Where to Get Tea, For REAL, in Paris

If you’re name-check­ing Ver­sailles, the poster-child of exces­sive­ness, in your store title, you have to live up to the classy expec­ta­tions. And boy do they in a Potemkin sort of way. The tea-room side of pop­u­lar bak­ery Au Petit Ver­sailles du Marais has a small but insane­ly dec­o­rat­ed venue full of opu­lent paint­ed ceil­ings, chan­de­liers, faux Greek columns, fan­ci­ly uphol­stered chairs, and of course, oodles and oodles of deli­cious baked goods from a renowned pas­try chef who hap­pened to have won the dis­tin­guished Meilleur Ouvri­er de France title for patis­serie (it’s a lit­tle bit kitsch not gonna lie). Despite the flair, it’s still a rea­son­ably priced expe­ri­ence, espe­cial­ly if you like (umm­mm… imi­ta­tion) glam­our but don’t want to deal with the schlep and the lack of elbow room of the real-life Ver­sailles. It’s also well-locat­ed in the thick of his­toric le Marais, so you might find your­self there for oth­er rea­sons and in need of a place to recharge. In fact, it’s locat­ed on the same street as our hum­ble lit­tle office and where the Curios­i­ty Col­lec­tive (our sis­ter posse) meets with their guests to ride into the Paris sun­set. So yeah, it’s our ‘hood. We are par­tial to their Gougères which are savory pas­try puffs and their deli­cious baguette.