Once upon a time, a foray in the French capital wasn鈥檛 complete without scoffing a sweet cr锚pe on a street corner in St-Germain des Pr茅s, eye-balling Notre Dame鈥檚 grimacing gargoyles over silky slurps of Berthillon ice cream and standing in line for falafel from L鈥橝s du Fallafel. Throw in a buckwheat galette, Moroccan couscous or steaming bowl of Chinese noodles for lunch from March茅 des Enfants Rouges 鈥� the city鈥檚 oldest covered market, in the street-eats biz since 1615 鈥� and you were practically Parisian.

Contemporary street food in Paris travels taste buds a million miles beyond these faithful old-timers. Current culinary trends place local, seasonal, organic produce on a sky-high pedestal and have morphed 鈥�la street food鈥� into a movement against 鈥�la malbouffe鈥� 鈥� a French phrase for junk food. The trick to tracking down the finest street eats crafted by experimental chefs with skill, sass and sustainable care? Follow the local street-smart crowd to these new-gen foodie favorites.

Top 10 things to do in Paris in spring

Les sandwiches: savory and plant-forward

Plan D 鈥� Dwich & Glace

Urban vegans can鈥檛 get enough of this increasingly cult, plant-based sandwich shop by Canal St-Martin. Each dwich is jumbo-sized, with two chunks of succulent olive-oil bread toasted and stuffed with seasonal produce and ingredients. Veggies run the gamut of cooking styles, from raw or charred, to pickled, mashed and marinated, and the smoked sauce is addictive. Grab an ice-cream sundae for dessert, a bottle of fruity pale ale brewed by BapBap in the 鈥榟ood, and lunch like a king on the alfresco banks of the green-hued canal.

Handy pit stop: in between street art discoveries or a bike ride along Canal St-Martin.

La Baguette du Relais

Purists seeking a fix of Parisian steak-frites (steak and fries) need not despair. Head to Le Marais where La Baguette du Relais doles out wedges of crispy baguette filled with tender sirloin steak, a herby sauce whipped up according to a secret recipe and perfectly crisp, skinny fries. The concept might sound hideously 鈥榰n-French鈥�, but anyone familiar with the 1950s brasserie behind this recent street-food venture 鈥� Le Relais de l鈥橢ntrec么te, famous for serving everyone the same salad-steak-and-chips meal 鈥� will instantly understand the allure. Pick from regular, gluten-free or charcoal bread and know how you like your steak cooked: saignant (rare) in France is very pink and 脿 point (medium) is akin to medium-rare or even rare by American and British standards.

Handy pit stop: after Notre Dame and the islands, M茅morial de la Shoah and Centre Pompidou or a boat tour on the Seine.

Discover the Louvre's hidden treasure in this lesser-visited wing

Cr锚pes: where to find the most authentic in Paris

Cr锚perie de St-Germain

Authentic street stands are like gold dust, but scoffing a cr锚pe in the street 鈥� laced with warm Nutella chocolate spread and banana slices perhaps or uber-sweet cr猫me de marron (chestnut cream) 鈥� remains one of Parisian life鈥檚 simple pleasures. Join the eternal queue at Cr锚perie de St-Germain, a retro racing-green kiosk by 脡glise St-Germain des Pr猫s where large thin pancakes have been served to a faithful crowd for decades.

Handy pit stop: after 脦le de la Cit茅鈥檚 Sainte Chapelle, splendid unsung museums Mus茅e Eug猫ne Delacroix and Mus茅e Maillol or during a DIY walking tour of literary St-Germain des Pr猫s.

L鈥櫭塸icerie du Breizh Caf茅

Authentic Breton cr锚pes to take-away are the order of the day at this specialist Breton grocery run by the neighboring Breizh Caf茅. Order a savory galette made with organic buckwheat flour and your choice of fillings, and eat it in the small park across the street. Sweet cr锚pes too, doused in salted-butter caramel and a bevy of other killer-calorie toppings.

Handy pit stop: after the treasured Mus茅e National Picasso or on a Marais shopping spree.

Where to stay in Paris

Buns & dumplings: go to this takeaway window near the Louvre

Petit Bao

Vegetarians and carnivores alike enter seventh heaven at this trendy neo-Shanghai canteen on Canal St-Martin. Takeaway dishes cooked up by Paris-born Chinese chef C茅line Chung at the achingly cool, waterside joint include veggie-stuffed buns and wontons, rice and noodle dishes and deep-fried tofu with a killer homemade garlic sauce. Begin with crispy-fried, cumin-dusted oyster mushrooms from the super-local underground urban farm La Caverne in the 18e arrondissement.

Handy pit stop: during a Canal St-Martin bar crawl or chill Sunday stroll when brunch at noon beckons.

Boutique Yam鈥檛cha

In the Louvre area, dig into succulent baos (Chinese steamed buns) to go from the takeaway window at the upmarket boutique of Michelin-starred chef Adeline Grattard from fine-dining restaurant Yam'Tcha. Unusual flavors include Stilton cheese with Amarena cherries, onions and curry, or Basque pork with Sichuanese eggplant. Wash them down with aromatic green or oolong tea on a bench in elegant Jardin du Palais Royal or between voluptuous statues on the romantic pea-green lawns of Jardin des Tuileries. If a Full Monty Chinese banquet appeals, grab one to take away from Yam鈥橳cha鈥檚 nearby cafe .

Handy pit stop: for lunch in the park after hobnobbing with Mona Lisa at the Louvre and/or Monet at Mus茅e de l鈥橭rangerie.

Things you should know before traveling to Paris

The best Paris p芒tisseries that are worth the wait

C茅dric Grolet Op茅ra

Queues stretch down the street for world-renowned pastry chef C茅dric Grolet's elaborate creations at his same-name boulangerie-p芒tisserie, many of which resemble floral blooms almost too good to eat. Sit in or take away exquisite viennoiserie (pastries), magnificent filled still-warm baguettes and signature cakes aka edible works of art. Gastronomes won鈥檛 be disappointed by the unmatched caramel-and-Tahitian-vanilla St-Honor茅 or Paris-Brest.

Handy pit stop: a decadent bite between fashion-boutique shopping in the 颁丑补尘辫蝉-脡濒测蝉茅别蝉 and Grands Boulevards district.

Tapisserie

An elegant mint-green box of seasonally flavored macarons from Ladur茅e or a flamboyantly filled 茅clair from a Chrisophe Adam boutiques is a Parisian rite of passage. For something more grassroots and experimental, pop into the seductive cake shop of Michelin-starred chefs from neighboring Septime and Clemato. From creamy egg tarts and seasonal fruit flans to sinful maple syrup tartlets, everything at is artisanal and insanely fresh 鈥� a sign in the window tells you what time to expect what hot from the oven.

Handy pit stop: a decadent bite between fashion-boutique shopping in the 颁丑补尘辫蝉-脡濒测蝉茅别蝉 and Grands Boulevards district.

Top things to do in Paris

The best burgers in Paris are a gourmet delight

Baby Love Burger

Rumor has it Baby Love Burger in the 11e dishes up the most authentic burgers in town. Certainly the ethically-farmed beef, twice-fried fr卯tes (fries) and Real McCoy, British cheddar cheese in a bun pack a serious gourmet punch 鈥� as does the Pop-styled interior with cherry-red linoleum and house motto 鈥楴o panini, no wrap, no cr锚pe!鈥� lit up in neon. Monster-sized triple burgers, a tasty veggie version and crispy fried chicken flesh out the no-messing menu.

Handy pit-stop: after a mooch around the Belleville market or between drinks on a 惭茅苍颈濒尘辞苍迟补苍迟 bar crawl.

The 10 best parks in Paris

Deli picnics: the best takeaway to get away

Chanceux

Back in the new millennium, Thomas Lehoux introduced Paris to decent coffee by co-founding an artisan roastery in backstage Belleville. The visionary barista and epicurean is now injecting serious doses of panache into street food with his gourmet 茅辫颈肠别谤颈别 (delicatessen) in the 11e. Everything on his market-fueled menu 鈥� two starters, two mains and two sandwiches, different each week 鈥� can be taken away as a deli picnic. Every course has a vegetarian option: young goat鈥檚 cheese marinated in Provencal herbs and zaatar perhaps, Hokkaido pumpkin brioche with grilled leeks and mushrooms, a goat鈥檚 cheese sandwich with beetroot cream, roasted hazelnuts, apple and watercress.

Handy pit-stop: after a digital light show at Atelier des Lumi猫res or cemetery stroll around P猫re Lachaise.

Tawlet

Dip into the soul food of multicultural Paris with a lavish picnic of takeaway dishes from this by Lebanese food activist Kamal Mouzawak. The Lebanese buffet served at his hybrid 茅辫颈肠别谤颈别-restaurant screams 鈥榗uisine maison鈥� (home cooking) and celebrates regional farmer kitchens. Each day showcases dishes from a different part of Lebanon 鈥� green bean moutabbal (dip) or spinach and grilled walnut salad from the north, tabbouleh and stuffed cabbage much-loved in the mountains, warak enab atee (stuffed vine leaves) from the Beqaa wine region.

Handy pit-stop: when exploring hipster Canal St-Martin 鈥� there really are few lovelier spots in Paris for a waterside picnic.

The 7 best day trips from Paris: add a new dimension to your city break

The best donuts: small batch wonders

Nonette

Bite into an explosive French-Fusion combo at . Female Franco-Vietnamese chef Kh谩nh-ly Huynh and Pearlyn Lee from neighboring Asian-styled coffee shop, The Hood, craft b谩nh m矛 (sandwiches) bursting with creative Asian-French fusion fillings such as spicy turkey pastrami with liver p芒t茅, pickled daikon, carrots and coriander.

But it is their cardboard boxes of sugar-dusted or -glazed donuts to take away that are the icing on the cake: the moreish balls of deep-fried dough overflow on first bite with homemade cream in 鈥榗lassic or 鈥榰napologetically Asian鈥� flavors (kaya, spicy mango, durian, passion fruit, sweet-and-sour pork floss). Wash them down with a fresh coconut, golden milk latte or bubble tea to go.

Handy pit-stop: during a shopping spree in the fashionable Haut-Marais or at the open-air March茅 Bastille on Thursday and Sunday mornings.

Boneshaker Donuts

May-time鈥檚 sour rhubarb even manages to sneaks its way into the seasonally filled donuts at Boneshaker in the foodie 2e. What began as American pastry chef Amanda home-frying donuts to fuel the city鈥檚 burgeoning coffee-shop scene has now blossomed into a small-batch donut-and-coffee shop. Donuts mix French pastry know-how and American sass to ensure a menu rooted firmly in Paris: vanilla, chocolate and caramel beurre sal茅 (salted butter caramel) alongside wild cards like Fluffernutter (peanut butter cream, marshmallow glaze and peanute brittle), banana cream pie and summer berry crumble.

Handy pit-stop: after a morning at Europe鈥檚 oldest science and technology museum, the Centre Pompidou, Bourse de Commerce Pinault Collection or the Louvre.

Paris vs Rome: which iconic city is right for you?