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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. |
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For a light snack, early breakfast or even
brunch you could try out the ‘Paul’
group of bakers/patisseries which boasts over 300 boulangeries/patisseries
throughout France. Most are simply shops but there are a growing number
where it is possible to eat a light meal. Of the 34 shops in Paris
twelve are sit down eateries. Everything is made on the premises and can
be bought in the Paul shops. Breakfasts need no introduction – they are
typical French fare of crusty bread, freshly squeezed orange juice,
croissants (or a choice of patisserie/viennoiserie) and coffee/hot
chocolate and we can vouch for their excellence. The light lunches
include quiches, tartlets, omelettes, salads and sandwiches. The quality
is first class. In addition there
are 20 ‘Pauls’ in London, so if you live in the south east you could
have a pre-sample before heading off to France. Having visited some of
the London ones it is a bit like stepping inside a corner of France –
great when you are feeling a bit nostalgic for l’hexagon. |
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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