Tucked away in the 5th Arrondissment of Paris is a street that has hosted food merchants, shops, and restaurants since the early 1400’s — Rue Mouffetard. Best known for its twice weekly produce market, Rue Mouffetard is a delightful place to spend a few hours on any day of the week.

We had visited Mouffetard on our prior trip, but really didn’t have the opportunity to experience the street on a “normal” day, so we took advantage of a rare, non-rainy Thursday to head over for a leisurely stroll and lunch.

The first thing you notice about Rue Mouffetard is how narrow it is — just barely wide enough for one Parisian-sized vehicle to pass through. The sidewalks are rather narrow, too, making it challenging for mom and me to walk side-by-side. I can easily imagine this street in the late Middle Ages, lined with food stalls and teaming with residents going about their daily errands.

The next thing you notice is the amazing variety of food establishments. First are the crepe stands, where your choice of sweet or savory crepes are prepared right in front of you through an open window.

Then you start to see lots of ethnic “grab and go” style places offering Chinese, Lebanese, Syrian and French snacks. This is a clear reflection of the local population, which looked to be international students on a student budget. Next we moved to the traditional French sit-down restaurants, offering regular favorites like Croque Monsieur (essentially a grilled cheese sandwich) and onion soup, as well as regional favorites of fondue and raclette.

I loved this little chalkboard because it helped me explain raclette to mom.

Halfway down the hill, we stopped for a minute to look at this restaurant’s daily offerings board. No sooner had we stopped walking than a cute young lady popped out of the door and started to speak to us in rapid-fire French. Turns out she was telling us the fish and pasta selections of the day, and describing the restaurant’s three-course lunch special. I was a bit skeptical, seeing the duct tape holding the sign in place, so we thanked her and moved on.

But Rue Mouffetard had more to offer than just food. There were lots of cute little boutique stores, with window displays reflecting the eye for elegance and design we have come to associate with France.

We did pop into a tea shop we had visited during our last Paris trip and picked up some gifts for ourselves and some friends. I love how elegantly all the merchandise is displayed in these little shops.

We also enjoyed catching glimpses of little private courtyards and alleyways as we walked past. Definitely a window into the past.

We also found the restaurant where we had lunch with Louise — she will be tickled to know that our waiter is still working there.

Mom and I briefly considered going there again, but we just couldn’t get the thought of the Boeuf Bourguignon that server told us about out of our head. So we turned around and headed back up the hill. And boy am I glad I got past the duct tape on the sign!

Mom and I both ordered the Escargot appetizer and the beef entree. They were, in a word, A-MAZ-ING!

And for mom, as always, a glass of Côtes du Rhône to accompany her meal. For our third course, mom ordered the house-made warm apple tart and I had the cheese plate.

Wish I knew what this little cheese was called. It was a soft cow cheese with what tasted like a creamy goat cheese in the middle. Loved it.

Apart from the great food, one of the highlights of our meal was watching the other tables and how the one server on duty managed to provide attentive service to all the patrons, while popping out the door every time someone stopped on the sidewalk to read the menu board.

Mom was also fascinated by the group seated behind me, with what we assumed was the owner, holding court with a revolving door of regulars who stopped in for a bite or a glass of wine.

After lunch, we walked the remaining four blocks up the hill to get mom a decaf coffee in a sidewalk cafe and order our Uber back to the apartment. And by the time we reached the square at the top of Rue Mouffetard, the sun was shining. An excellent end to an excellent outing.

If you are ever in Paris and want to get away from the slew of tourists and see some of the authentic, historic Paris, I recommend you check out Rue Mouffetard in the 5th.