High up in Belleville, near the Télégraphe metro station, Épicerie Tounette feels like an oasis in the middle of a food desert. On their little square, Marie Van Labeke (ex-Miam) and Arnaud Cabaret, two cousins who switched careers to work as greengrocers, keep the neighborhood supplied with locally-sourced eats. Their products? Cheeses, fruits and vegetables straight from Picardie, where Arnaud lives, and whose prices are determined by the producers themselves. Beers, wines, and épicerie products (tea, coffee from the Brûlerie Saint-Jacques in Pantin, biscuits…) complete the offer. Being a shop with a big heart, Tounette also sells floral creations by the Japanese florist Yu Yoshida and seafood from Poiscaille. // Farah Keram 

The hidden gem: The perfect selection of cheeses!