Fire hits Paris food-hall market, but we reveal less-known options

It didn’t provoke the same level of national mourning as the 2019 inferno that devastated Notre-Dame cathedral. But news that a blaze had torn through the city’s oldest covered food market sparked tears among many Parisians on the morning of October 12, 2026.

Dating from the 17th century, the Marche des Enfants Rouge was a thriving pocket of the French capital’s 3rd arrondissement, part of the Marais district and adored by locals and tourists alike.

It owed its unusual name — Market of the Red Children — to a nearby former hospice that dressed its orphans in red clothing.

Since a major renovation in 2000, the market had served as both a place to buy flowers and fresh produce, and a food court with vendors — French, North African, Afro-Caribbean, Japanese — concocting culinary treats for winers and diners at counters and on communal tables.

The cause of the 3am fire is unknown and under investigation, but it quickly emerged that the market’s metal structure had collapsed and its stalls and kitchens were severely damaged, leaving traders and regulars bereft and the future of the Marche des Enfants Rouge up in the smoky air.

Whether it will enjoy a rebirth like Notre-Dame remains to be seen — as ever, this will largely depend on political will and funding — but don’t bet against it.

This wasn’t just historic, it was hip, happening and (usually) heaving, as it was on my last visit there in August, when I saw a mixed clientele: young, old and all ages in between.

Time Out had labelled it “the coolest market in Paris”.

Other markets

Paris is sprinkled with similarly alluring, gastronomically-pleasing markets.

+ Two of the best-known indoor markets (popular with local gourmands and food tours alike) are the Marche Alimentaire Saint-Germain, near the Saint-Sulpice church in the 6th arrondissement, and the Marche Couvert Beauvau, part of the cluster of markets in the 12th arrondissement’s Aligre enclave.

+ One market that may now see a spike in customers is Marche Couvert Saint-Quentin. In the 10th arrondissement, north of the Marais and the Place de la Republique, it’s comparatively unsung and certainly lacks the intimacy — and tourist crowds and trend-setters — of the Marche des Enfants Rouge.

It has a superb setting in a grand 19th-century building of brick, iron and glass with daylight pouring through its high roof onto aisles that contain many of the ingredients, aromas, chatter and banter you’d want at a Gallic market and food hall. Vendors hawk an assortment of cheeses, baked goodies, wines, meat, fish, seafood, fruit, spices, plants and vegetables.

You could piece together a picnic to have here — there are communal tables and chairs — or take away to munch by the nearby Canal Saint-Martin.

Or you could stick around and order a meal from the market’s modern Parisian bistro, Brazilian-Portuguese restaurant or Moroccan deli.

Open from 8am to 8pm Tuesday-Saturday and from 8am to 1.30pm on Sunday, Marche Couvert Saint-Quentin is located between Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est, so it’s a convenient option if you’re looking for a drink and a bite to eat before catching a train.

Bon appetit and bon voyage.

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+ To help plan a trip to Paris, see parisjetaime.com and paris.fr