Eat for under €10 in Paris: Best Tofu
A taste of home
9 bd de la Villette, 75010. Closed Thursdays
The first entry in my series about delicious food in Paris for under €10 has to be Best Tofu. Since hearing about it from an Instagram street food influencer I’ve been around 5 times. The hype is REAL, you guys.
It’s located in Belleville (20th arrondissement) which I like to call New Chinatown.
Belleville is vibrant, loud, chaotic, and intense. It is nothing at all like the rest of Paris or even the quieter original Quartier Chinois in the 13th arrondissement. It’s quickly become a favourite neighbourhood of mine to visit especially when I feel far from home.
Best Tofu is not far from Belleville metro station. Upon getting up to the ground level, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to New York City or Vancouver. A 5 minute walk will bring you to the corner where Best Tofu is, right beside a bustling park where all kinds of business is conducted.
Like all of the best hidden gems, the menu at Best Tofu is small. They specialize in tofu- the silkiest, freshest tofu that has the texture of delicate pudding. You can get a bowl of tofu in 2 ways: salty or sweet, at €2.20 each. I usually go for the salty, which swims in a gentle soy based sauce, topped with dried shrimp, green onion, and seaweed. Just writing this is making me salivate. You can also get a bowl of glutinous rice with the same toppings plus fried tofu for €2.60.
Most people go for takeout, which you can get their cooked ready to eat items like the aforementioned, steamed buns, and fresh soy milk. They also sell ingredients like marinated tofu in a few sizes, and soy eggs. It’s a beloved spot that gets lines out the door some days.
To eat in, there’s no need to join the line. Just find any available spot and sit down - someone will come and take your order. They expect you to know what you want without looking at a menu, because actually there’s no menu, just an old faded zerox posted on the wall.
Come often, bring your friends, and enjoy a taste of the culture I grew up in.
