Food place recommendations in Paris?
Me and my girlfriend will be in Paris for 2 nights soon. Since this is such a short trip, we'll mostly be visiting the most popular "essential" tourist attractions - so we will generally be around the center of the city. However, most advice I found online seems to agree that you probably shouldn't just enter a random restaurant in the center of Paris, because it is very likely to be a tourist trap with very high prices and relatively low quality.
So, if any of you have suggestions on good places to eat for a reasonable price, I would really appreciate that!
Also, the end of our trip happens to fall on valentine's day, and we were thinking about having a nice early dinner (late lunch? around 15:00) before we leave, preferably in a pretty place. I'm fine with spending a bit more (~50€ per person) on that one. So if you know any places that fit, please suggest those as well.
Thanks!
There are so many options in Paris it would help to narrow things down a bit. A few questions:
You're really spoiled for choice in Paris, even in some of the most touristy areas.
We will be staying in the 7e, somewhat near to the Eiffel tower. We plan to see the Eiffel tower (without entering it), Notre-Dame, Sainte-Chapelle and maybe walk to the Arc de Triomphe. We'll also be visiting Louvre, Musee Orangerie and maybe also La Galerie Dior.
We'll also just walk around a bunch so if a restaurant is not super close to where we'll be it's still fine, as long as it's within walking distance
Doesn't really matter that much, although we'd like to try at least some French cuisine, but if you know great places with a different cuisine it would be appreciated as well.
She is a pretty picky eater and probably won't eat anything too exotic though.
I'd say food matters the most, as long as the place is cozy. Although for our final meal, as I mentioned, it would be better to have something with more ambiance.
Of course, but that makes it even harder to separate the good places from the bad ones
Sorry for the delayed reply, it’s been a crazy bananas week at work.
You already have a bunch of great suggestions below. ~€50 per person if you’re getting starter, mains, dessert and drinks is going to limit your options, especially on Valentine’s day. Some places will have a special Valentine’s day menu, but I find prices of those are often overinflated.
I absolutely second Le Louis, as @phoenixrises said. If you like bento, there’s Cococo on the same street is a cozy little spot for lunch, not too expensive and the food is fresh and tasty. This is next to the Halles area which has some interesting history as what Emile Zola called the “Belly of Paris”. There is a wealth of restaurants and cafés there, here are a few the might be worth checking out:
L’Apibo
Aux Crus de Bourgogne
Chez Denise
Kodawari suggested by @PetitPrince suggested is a hell of an experience, especially the one on rue de Richelieu which is decorated like a Japanese fishmarket - just be ready for hella long queues. The menu is restricted mostly to fish based ramen and dishes, so if you’re not a fan of fish the other location would be better (though queues will still be an issue). If you like Japanese and Korean food, the Rue Sainte Anne area near Opéra has a lot of options.
Closer to the Tulleries/Louvre/Palais Royal areas you have:
La Cordonnerie
We Cantine (best Pho and Bo Bun in the neighbourhood)
La Crème du Palais Royal
ROOF – more for smaller plates and cocktails, a bit expensive but the view is great (might be a bit cold that time of the year though)
Close to the Eiffel tower you have the Comptoir de Traboule which has nice food and the prices are surprisingly decent for the quality and location. I’m less familiar with this area but some other options I know in the area are:
Au pied de Fouét
De la tour
In casa
On Île de la Cité where the Sainte Chapelle is, there’s Les Deux Colombes, which is a cozy spot in an otherwise very touristy area. You'll want to book ahead of time though, it gets busy. If you’re a fan of ice cream, on the island next to that (Île de Saint Louis) there is supposedly Paris’ best ice cream shop Berthillon BUT!! If you just want the ice cream don’t queue to go to the shop specifically. Practically all the cafés in the area serve ice cream from Berthillon so it’s not worth queueing for unless you reaaally want to check out the ice cream shop.
For vegan food, you won’t go wrong with Maslow but you won’t be able to reserve so either get there early or be ready to queue.
It's worth checking the Fork website if these restaurants are listed on there as you can get discounts for specific menus if you book on the website.
If you’re into good coffee, pastry, brunch, etc places I can also give you a list of spots worth going to.
God there are so many places that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If you’re thinking of something very specific let me know. I hope this helps though!
Thank you so much for all the recommendations!
It's probably more like just starter+main or starter+dessert, so I think 50€ is a fine price range for that.
We'll have breakfast at our hotel, but if you know any good places to walk into and grab coffee/pastry while walking around the city that would also be great!
If you want an experience and are prepared to spend, check out Dans de la Noir. It’s a restaurant that gives you the experience of dining completely blind. You lock away all phones, watches, etc, anything that could produce light. You dine in total darkness without knowing the menu. That was my last meal in France, and it was a fantastic experience.
If you don’t want to spend that much, check out the Michelin guide. Restaurants that are on the guide but don’t have any stars seemed to me to be a fantastic balance of quality, affordability, and availability. I dined at a lot of guide restaurants throughout France, and was never once disappointed.
Gault & Millau can also be trusted; they're a direct competitor to Michelin.
Wild & the Moon (multiple locations) is one of my favorite spots for a quick but tasty bite before continuing on a tourist rampage. It’s all vegan. The baked goods are nice and not too sweet.
I’ve also enjoyed eating at Culottée Opéra (inside Passage Choiseul). You can sit “outside” no matter the weather, there’s no smoking, and lots of neat shops to check out nearby in the passage. A reservation is a good idea here but not required.
If you like potatoes and cheese and see aligot on the menu, I’d recommend trying it! It’s a really heavy dish though so usually best to split one portion.
Le Louis singlehandedly changed the way I thought about Paris as a whole, I always assumed everyone was super mean and unfriendly, but I had a lovely conversation with the hostess who is auper kind! Then a couple of months later she recognized me when I brought my friend on a separate trip. Would recommend as it's within walking distance of the Louvre too!
The food is also excellent, very south of France style of food and very hearty!!
Le Relais de l'Entrecôte for the best steak frites. No menu, one price. Probably around €30,-. No reservations either, just wait in line and be early.
Kodawari Ramen have some mighty good ramen. They have a love, care and respect of the product that's as good as any high-end restaurant. It's also very popular (and not that expensive; it's ramen after all), so much so that they've set up theme park style virtual waiting line.
Moon Croissant
88 Bd Beaumarchais, 75011 Paris
Possibly the best croissants I’ve had in my life.
Colvert
30 Rue des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris
You will need a reservation or incredibly good luck to get a table. Wonderfully attentive service and simply amazing food.
Wilde's Lounge at L'Hotel
13 Rue des Beaux Arts, 75006 Paris
Gorgeous place to lounge and enjoy a glass of wine or a cocktail after 5pm.
Le Café Pierre Hermé
53 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris
Swanky place to be seen but kind to tourists, the coffee and macarons will knock your socks off.
Bon voyages, sounds like you’re on the right track already.
Atelier Maître Albert, very good food with an incredible cozy atmosphere with a fireplace.
Torré coffee, incredible croissants. I don't know the patisserie that provides them because I don't think they do in house, but they have great pastries and really good relaxing atmosphere
I know you were asking for food, but let me butt in with two bar recommendations, if you want to get some nice drinks!
I also had the best gratinated onion soup of my life at Bouillon Pigalle.