Paris is often touted as the epicentre of fine cuisine but as any tourist will attest, it is sometimes very difficult to find good food on a tight budget in a place that you aren't familiar with!
Although I don't really consider myself a foodie I have come to realise that growing up in Vancouver has set my expectations of quality and variety somewhat high. Add that to the fact that I am also a very cheap person and HATE to pay good money for bad food and sometimes the pickings can seem pretty slim even in a place like Paris!
So, in the spirit of contributing to the wonderful world wide web of random info that can be found through google I present my personal list of restaurant recommendations and tips for eating in Paris.
Bakeries:
- There are a ton of bakeries in Paris and Parisians take their bread very seriously. My kind of people. Most bakeries in our area (the 15th) are open until at least 7pm which is perfect for picking up a fresh baguette on the way home for dinner.
- Not all bakeries are created equal so try a bunch of different ones and take note of which ones are busy. The lady whose apartment we are staying in was kind enough to take us on a quick tour of our neighbourhood when we arrived and she pointed out the best bakeries and the ones to avoid. She was right!
- The baguette is king of french breads but we have also enjoyed the very trendy "Tradition", the famed Poilâne loaf (flown all over the world to satisfy the whims of rich, crazy people) and the dark "pain complet" (SO good).
Cheese:
-Eat as much as you can afford to. That is my tip. Also, there are lots of other delicious things in the fromageries such as little pots of fancy yoghurt, chocolat moose and eggs. Heaven!
Grocery shopping:
-The discount stores that I have seen in France are "Ed", "Dias" these are equivalent to Lidl as far as I can tell, they have a lot of own brand stuff and the stores are pretty chaotic. Cheaper than the other stores but not crazy cheaper so there aren't worth it in my opinion.
-We have ended up shopping lots at "Fran Prix" and "Monoprix". Fran Prix seems to be relatively simple but has some good prices and most of the basics. A good option. Our favourite by far has been Monoprix. It is similar to Waitrose (in the UK) in feel and quality and has a much wider selection then Fran Prix. Nice big deli counters and cheese selections too. I really love it! A friend has recommended "Carre Four" which is a very big grocery store chain but there isn't one in our area so I haven't tried it. Apparently it is cheaper than Monoprix so possibly a good option for larger shops.
Restaurants:
When eating out I look for a reasonable price with fresh, high quality ingredients and a good atmosphere. The following list all fit that bill.
Le Zoo
12 Rue Am Roussin (metro: Cambronne)
Le Quinze
15 rue Roger (metro: Denfort-Rochereau, 14th)
Small but interesting and fresh menu. About €14 for a main ("plat"). Great atmosphere with trendy clientele but not enough to make us non-trendy types feel weird :)
Salon de thé Heurtier
2 rue de la Verrerie (metro: Hotel de ville, 4th)
Great little gem of a cafe amongst lots of crappy tourist places. Funky pink decor upstairs, delicious menu with quite big portions.
Chez Pierrot
9 rue Amélie (metro: La Tour-Maubourg, 7th)
This one is a real surprise, it is minutes from the Eiffel tour, looks like a total tourist trap (red and white plastic table clothes, the works) but actually serves very delicious and good quality french food! It is filled with french people after 8pm and the couple who run it are very nice.
Koyuki
20 rue Gramme (metro: Commerce, 15th)
Absolutely delicious sushi. Best I've had outside Vancouver. The owners' French is a bit limited but as long as we didn't try to make any alterations to the menu everything was fine! Really great, loved it.
Chez Lili
1 Quai Austerlitz (metro: Quai de la Gare, 13th)
Traditional French brasserie, packed with people, fast service and cheap prices. We enjoyed our meals. Huge portions!
Le Deli-cieux
64 Blvd Haussmann (metro: Havre-Caumartin, 9th)
A friend of a friend took us here on our first day in Paris. Printemps is one of the wonderful and massive department stores in Paris. A visit here will update you on all things Paris fashion, food and home decorating. Once you've finished with that take the escalators to the very top of the building (9th floor) to enjoy a coffee or lunch at the rooftop cafe. There is indoor and outdoor seating and one of the best free 360º views of Paris. I haven't tried the food and the coffees are average but it's really all about the view and resting ones tired feet after having walked the previous 8 floors!
Here's a taste of the view I'm talking about:
Although I don't really consider myself a foodie I have come to realise that growing up in Vancouver has set my expectations of quality and variety somewhat high. Add that to the fact that I am also a very cheap person and HATE to pay good money for bad food and sometimes the pickings can seem pretty slim even in a place like Paris!
So, in the spirit of contributing to the wonderful world wide web of random info that can be found through google I present my personal list of restaurant recommendations and tips for eating in Paris.
Bakeries:
- There are a ton of bakeries in Paris and Parisians take their bread very seriously. My kind of people. Most bakeries in our area (the 15th) are open until at least 7pm which is perfect for picking up a fresh baguette on the way home for dinner.
- Not all bakeries are created equal so try a bunch of different ones and take note of which ones are busy. The lady whose apartment we are staying in was kind enough to take us on a quick tour of our neighbourhood when we arrived and she pointed out the best bakeries and the ones to avoid. She was right!
- The baguette is king of french breads but we have also enjoyed the very trendy "Tradition", the famed Poilâne loaf (flown all over the world to satisfy the whims of rich, crazy people) and the dark "pain complet" (SO good).
Cheese:
-Eat as much as you can afford to. That is my tip. Also, there are lots of other delicious things in the fromageries such as little pots of fancy yoghurt, chocolat moose and eggs. Heaven!
Grocery shopping:
-The discount stores that I have seen in France are "Ed", "Dias" these are equivalent to Lidl as far as I can tell, they have a lot of own brand stuff and the stores are pretty chaotic. Cheaper than the other stores but not crazy cheaper so there aren't worth it in my opinion.
-We have ended up shopping lots at "Fran Prix" and "Monoprix". Fran Prix seems to be relatively simple but has some good prices and most of the basics. A good option. Our favourite by far has been Monoprix. It is similar to Waitrose (in the UK) in feel and quality and has a much wider selection then Fran Prix. Nice big deli counters and cheese selections too. I really love it! A friend has recommended "Carre Four" which is a very big grocery store chain but there isn't one in our area so I haven't tried it. Apparently it is cheaper than Monoprix so possibly a good option for larger shops.
Restaurants:
When eating out I look for a reasonable price with fresh, high quality ingredients and a good atmosphere. The following list all fit that bill.
Le Zoo
12 Rue Am Roussin (metro: Cambronne)
Without a doubt this was our favourite restaurant in Paris. Small, a very limited menu, completely French clientele. The food was so delicious. We went twice we loved it that much. You must go!!
L'as du Fallafel
34 Rue des Rosiers (metro: St Paul, 4th)
We happened on this place while searching for another restaurant. The massive queue convinced us it was a good idea. €5 for a delicious and huge falafel. Yum!! We later found out that it's actually world famous (the NY Times even featured it!)
Le Quinze
15 rue Roger (metro: Denfort-Rochereau, 14th)
Small but interesting and fresh menu. About €14 for a main ("plat"). Great atmosphere with trendy clientele but not enough to make us non-trendy types feel weird :)
Salon de thé Heurtier
2 rue de la Verrerie (metro: Hotel de ville, 4th)
Great little gem of a cafe amongst lots of crappy tourist places. Funky pink decor upstairs, delicious menu with quite big portions.
Chez Pierrot
9 rue Amélie (metro: La Tour-Maubourg, 7th)
This one is a real surprise, it is minutes from the Eiffel tour, looks like a total tourist trap (red and white plastic table clothes, the works) but actually serves very delicious and good quality french food! It is filled with french people after 8pm and the couple who run it are very nice.
Koyuki
20 rue Gramme (metro: Commerce, 15th)
Absolutely delicious sushi. Best I've had outside Vancouver. The owners' French is a bit limited but as long as we didn't try to make any alterations to the menu everything was fine! Really great, loved it.
Chez Lili
1 Quai Austerlitz (metro: Quai de la Gare, 13th)
Traditional French brasserie, packed with people, fast service and cheap prices. We enjoyed our meals. Huge portions!
Le Deli-cieux
64 Blvd Haussmann (metro: Havre-Caumartin, 9th)
A friend of a friend took us here on our first day in Paris. Printemps is one of the wonderful and massive department stores in Paris. A visit here will update you on all things Paris fashion, food and home decorating. Once you've finished with that take the escalators to the very top of the building (9th floor) to enjoy a coffee or lunch at the rooftop cafe. There is indoor and outdoor seating and one of the best free 360º views of Paris. I haven't tried the food and the coffees are average but it's really all about the view and resting ones tired feet after having walked the previous 8 floors!
Here's a taste of the view I'm talking about:
You should include that brasserie near the Bibliothèque Nationale. My food was good and the portions were huge! It's called Chez Lili et Marcel, 1 Quai Austerlitz, 75013. Right near Quai de la Gare station on ligne 6.
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