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Best Restaurants in
Paris...
Eating
out is a part of the French way of life. Don’t have a holiday in
France without having a meal in a French restaurant. Although there are
many unusual French foods (frogs legs, snails, tête de veau etc.) you
will find many foods that are a true delight! And Paris boasts some
of the best restaurants to choose from (as well as some awful ones aimed
squarely at tourists which are worth avoiding!).
Which restaurant? Try to find a restaurant that is targeted
at French diners (French menus are a good clue!). Don’t expect to
find a fantastic restaurant adjacent to
the major tourist attractions - here we would recommend something safe
and straightforward such as pizza, crêpes etc..
Which time? It’s often cheaper to eat at lunchtime and
during the week. Sunday lunch is always busy and it pays to book
ahead. In the evenings, don’t arrive too early - 7.30PM is often the
earliest you can get served.
Which menu? Don’t go for à la carte options. Usually they
have the same options as the menu prix fixe and they cost a lot more!
Avoid Menu Touristique like the plague!
Which wine?
Wine can
be quite expensive if you go for named bottles. But
carafes of house white or red wine have usually been exquisitely
selected by
the restauranteur and are excellent value. Refer to our
wine section
for more advice on wines in France. |
Favourite Parisian restaurants:
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Bistro Romain
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Chez Clement
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Cocottes Constant
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Hippopotamus
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Ilot Vache
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Le Procope
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Reine Blanche
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Relais Entrecôte
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Restaurant Paul
See the details below. |
Les Cocottes
de Constant
135 rue Saint Dominique 75007 Paris
Website. |
The not so frequented 7th arrondissement
(Eiffel Tower aside) is home to this fairly recently opened restaurant
in quite literally a string of restaurants. Christian Constant owns four
in a row along the rue Saint Dominique of which Les Cocottes is possibly
the most informal. Reservations are not taken so, depending on your
timing, be prepared to wait for a table/counter space. However the wait
is worth it for first class food at (for Paris) affordable prices.
Starters and mains are served in cast iron ‘Staub’ cocottes (from which
the restaurant derives its name). Prices average €6 for soups, €10 for a caesar salad starter and €15 for mains. All food is of the highest
quality – well worth a visit. |
Café Scene
The café scene is very much a part of
Paris and can be enjoyed year round, even sipping coffee outside in
winter, thanks to the sophisticated heating systems in many of the
awnings outside the cafés. The waiters who race back and forth,
balancing trays while keeping tabs on everyone are great fun to watch.
But it is observing Parisian life that is the best sport of all. Once, a
very elderly, very chic, very Parisian lady (dripping with jewellery)
along with her white lap dog sat next to us at Les Deux Magots (that
famous literary haunt on the Boulevard St Germain) and sipped coffee
while reading the stocks and shares page of her newspaper. Who was
she……..we will never know, but it was fun imagining! Do take time out to
……..just sit. And if you want to find the best cafés that Paris has to
offer get your hands on a little book called ‘Café Life Paris’ by
Christine and Dennis Graf.
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