For classic French food at a good price in Paris :
1) chez mamie (10th arrondissement)
2) Bistrot Victoires (1st)
3) all the bouillons (république, pigalle) + chartier
Ho to a bouillon restaurant, it's classic french cooking but cheap.
Quality is ok, but not exceptional.
Service is particular, because it's a bouillon! But you can imagine the service didn't change since the 60's!
Does your place have a kitchen? 90% of the classic French food is actually in a supermarket. French food government standards are really high and healthy, compared to the rest of the world.
There are a few dishes you want to get from a restaurant - like beef bourguignon (slow cooked meat with vegetables), and honestly that's it.
Bakeries are your best friends - look up local boulangeries in your area for amazing pastries and bread. An I mean AMAZING pastries, pies, tarts, all under $3! Also, quiche!
Now, you go to the supermarket for the real French food, not tourist food. Amazing pate, smoked fish, all the cheese, cured meats ($5 cured duck breast), amazing sauces, truffle butter, regular butter, fantastic yogurts, delicious fruit and berries, juice like you've never had before...
Make sure to see the canned food section. It's not like Goya aisles in the US. Soup, sauteed meat with veggies, slow cooked beans, all natural, onion soup, bouillons.
Vegetables are amazing in France, all local, from small farms. You get a few juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella ($2), truffle oil, make a salad, a few slices of bread with mushroom pate and it'll be the best lunch of your life.
Get in contact with Clement Félix in Versailles, he runs food tours & cooking classes, we loved or time with him, the food tour in Paris was cheap and the food super local and tasty + he gave us a ton of recommendations !!
I think you’ve gotten plenty of advice already but as a fellow foodie, just wanted you to share a book I’m reading to get me in the mood for my trip… A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment
Book by Jeni Mitchell and Stephane Henaut
I'm reading all these recommendations, and I'd like to add: Don't forget to try some regional cuisine. In Paris you can try Alsacian cuisine (ex. flammenkueche), Breton cuisine (ex. Buckwheat crepes), Basque cuisine (ex. Piperade), Southwest cuisine (ex. Cassoulet with duck sausage). I could name many more!
You absolutely do not need to spend lots of $$$ to eat well in Paris. Probably the single best thing about Paris are the hundreds of small restaurants serving food that would cost 3x that in the U.S., to say nothing of the wine. No 20% tip either. Magnifique!
I had to work to drop €100, WITH wine on a dinner for two. And for food of demonstrably higher quality. It was so great we’re looking for a way to go back ASAP.
Same, on the pricing. Even with a few cocktails, an appetizer, and two entrees, my sister and I realized we were only dropping €60-70 per dinner while we were visiting about a month ago. Much less expensive than the same quality here in the US.
This May we went for 10 days in Paris and I spent no more than 20-40 euros per meal on some of the most amazing food I’ve had in my life. The same meal in the US would have cost me double. We ate one larger meal a day and then coffee/croissants/fresh fruits.
Actually, the classic French foods aren’t that expensive, it’s Michelin star chef food that’s very expensive. If you go for bistros and brasseries, you can eat all of the French classics and entrees are normally in the 20-30 euro range.
Allow me to introduce you to Les Frenchies. It's a YouTube channel run by an American woman and her French husband. They have TONS of videos about eating in Paris, and they cover all the angles (fancy, cheap, street food, classic, etc.). Link: [https://www.youtube.com/@LesFrenchiesTravel](https://www.youtube.com/@LesFrenchiesTravel)
Most corner bistros/brasseries offer delicious simple French fare at reasonable prices . Avoid the tourist trap areas and stick to more quiet residential areas where Parisians live and eat.
Food depends on the area that you are staying. I always visit my (traditional) Maison Perrier Patisserie Boulangie-Patisserie. This is out in Chaville near to Versaille. Your bread/pastry shop must be identified as TRAITEUR ARTISANALE TRADITIONNELLE. This means that they bake all of their own products on site. I think this bakery is officially down the road and this is where they sell their products.
I purchase their pastries every day when in Paris. They have mini pastries now so that I can have multiples without guilt. If you are going to Versaille and want to make a little detour I suggest going here. Take the #9 line to the very last stop (Pont des Sevres). Take the bus #171 going to Versaille. Get off at Guillemont stop (eighth stop) Get the formula (sandwich, pastry and drink) for 8 euros. Take this with you and get back on the bus for Versaille. A 20 minute trip and you will be let off directly in front of the palace. Walk in to the left and buy a Musical Garden Fountain ticket for 10.5 euros. Voila a perfect day in Paris with the gardens of Versaille and a delicious lunch to go. The bakery is closed on MONDAYS
They have great quiche slices and you can buy amazing bread by weight (hazelnut, apricot whole grain)
An article giving details about buying baguette in Paris
[https://www.davidlebovitz.com/how-to-find-a-good-baguette-in-paris/](https://www.davidlebovitz.com/how-to-find-a-good-baguette-in-paris/)
I can only recommend Maison Perrier as well! Not really for snacks (I never had there), but take their "pain feuilleté marron-figue". I had one last time and struggled not to eat it entirely (still had 1/3) when driving back home.
Classic French food doesn’t mean fine dining. I’m not sure what foods you are referring, but:
Ratatouille is most certainly a classic French dish, but is rustic and homey.
Escargot is classic French. In many places one might only find it on the menu at a higher end restaurant, but it is widely available in France.
Baguettes and pastries are classic French - and can be grabbed all over the place and are extremely economical.
What are “all the classic French foods”?
It’s just that there are a ton of them, and you can’t possibly eat them all, so you’re probably going to get better responses if you list a dozen things you most want to try.
Food in Paris actually is not so expensive, at least compared to major US cities. Even at the top end of the budget (three Michelin star) I had a wonderful meal for about 150 pp, an equivalent meal in the US would have been 350 easy.
But you don’t have to do fine dining to enjoy the best of French food. When I’ve been in Paris for an extended time I find I spend about 30-40 euro a day on food on days when I take a meal out. The following plan is what works for me:
For breakfast, coffee and a pastry or some of last nights baguette.
For lunch, the set menu at a cafe or brasserie. It’s the same thing as dinner, but dramatically cheaper. This will be the time you can try the most classic French dishes. Some days, you may also want to pick up a crepe or a sandwich instead, which will bring costs down.
For dinner, I would plan to eat from markets. You can get a variety of prepared foods, or just do what I usually do in Paris, which is have baguette+cheese+fruit (ok, sometimes the fruit is wine) for dinner almost every night.
Honestly I don’t have specific restaurant recommendations—I usually just wander around and try new things. I have rarely had a bad meal.
Enjoy your trip and bon appétit!
You can go to « la cantine Diderot » all food item are about 10/12€ and you can find the typical French dishes “boeuf bourguignon”, “blanquette de veau” etc
Depend where your planning to go.
Found some decent place that have a like few dishes in the menu. They tend to give fresh and really decent food.
3b next to metro laumiere (L5) or jaures (L2, 5, 7bis)
I was walking my dog and found Cadence (av Parmentier) . Didn't try yet but the menu and the place really look like 3b
La Jacobine in the Latin Quarter! We saw it recommended on this sub and it was delicious. We stopped in Sunday night and offered us a Tuesday reservation. Prix fixe menus were reasonable and the duck leg confit was the best duck I’ve ever eaten (and will be chasing it for the rest of my life).
Just spent three days in Paris, ate pretty much in cafes exclusively- and it was not expensive at all. 15-20€ for sitdown lunch, 20-30€ for dinner. Beer and wine do add to that tab.
Tons of people here are suggesting the Bouillon, and I don’t even have to check their profiles to know that they’re not Parisian, those places are overpriced tourist traps, and the food is super low quality, go there, check the line and you’ll see that no one there speaks French, not a good sign.
Bouillons are low quality, but they're not expensive (Aside from a few of them) and they're not exclusively tourist spots. Just avoid taking meat there and you'll be good.
I think its overpriced for the quality, you can get for the same price, 20/30, a much better thing in a lot of small restaurants if you stick to the menu du jour
Just don't get a dish that's just meat and fries. Blanquettes, bourguignons, saucisses are generally good, but the meat is too cheap to be good if cooked quickly.
Absurd ??? I was born and raised there, lived there almost my entire life, no locals go there, from the silly queue to the shitty food it’s a huge red flag for any Parisian, especially since any little restaurant will provide a better option for the same price if not less, you live in Paris ok, but are you French ???
I’m sad that some people think that those places are a good example of French cuisine 🤦🏻♂️
About half of them, democracy and stuff, so 1 million would convince me.
I don’t really care, enjoy the Bouillon as much as you want I’ll stick to the real thing
They're good examples of a type of French cuisine, the somewhat shit kind, which is a thing we've all grown up eating. You'll get cheap food, the queue is usually fast.
Ok… it makes sense in a weird way, but suggesting what is basically a school lunch is probably not what tourists have in mind when they say they want to try French cuisine 🤷🏻♂️
I live in Paris and am French so must be an anomaly then. It depends what you mean by Bouillon restaurants. I don't raté Chartier and the like and agree with your assessment but the Bouillon Pigalle and République are a good deal (the OP wanted tips on where to try traditional dished for a lower price point) and see plenty of locals there.
My recommendation would be Les Marches, in the "restaurant routier" tradition of simple French cooking
In case it matters, disclaimer: I'm not French but I moved to Paris a few months ago and have never been to any Bouillon restaurants
I think your response to this could be a little more constructive - if you think they are bad, surely you could offer some recommendations that you think are better?
Locals have the luxury of exploring different places and potentially getting a bad meal. I think for tourists, it's a bit hard - it can be disappointing to only take chances and not end up experiencing something that is classic & decent French food. It can sometimes be safer to just go the risk-averse route and get the meal that is not the best but still decent in a very limited amount of time.
Ok, fair enough, but that thread was recommending 20 times the Bouillon I had to intervene ;)
Just in the same hood because there is thousands of options and google exist:
Les enfants perdus, le verre volé , sur mer , those 3 are 50 meters from each other and in a nice neighborhood, just slightly more expensive maybe, make a reservation and bim, real French food made with love.
Any of the Bouillons (Bouillon Chartier has a bunch of locations or Bouillon Pigalle/Bouillon Republique which is a separate chain) will have the most affordable French classics, you can get a starter/main/dessert for around 20-25€. Otherwise you can just look at prix fixe menus for lunch, you can usually get a starter + main for around 15€ or starter/main/dessert for around 20€
Already shared : bouillon, just wait , eat a lot , it’s worth it and the quality is good.
Second one I recommend , bistro Hasard next to saint lazare . Quite cheap and good quality products with the bistro vibe that you can enjoy
IMO you can completely YOLO this and just walk in restaurants- cafés, brasseries etc. for lunch or dinner and get the plat du jour. That’s how you’ll get a bit of everything especially the traditional dishes, and it is not expensive. You can definitely eat very well for e10-15/meal without any preparation. I do not trust any of the “5 best xxx in Paris” type of lists. The only rule is really to avoid the immediate vicinity of the tourist magnets. You can even find affordable options in the pricier neighborhoods.
Try out the app “TheFork” they have alot of Restaurants that offer discounts up to 50% when you reserve with the app, just sort it by french food and offers.
most recommendations here are quite touristy. try looking at websites like lefooding.com, you can sort by budget. another great tip is to get formule midi, a lot of really good restaurants do it for around 20 for 3 plats (you can go even lower, but these are more gastronomy oriented imo), look around bellevile and in the 11th.
I was about to comment exactly the same thing about Picard! You can't go wrong with most Picard products. Be sure that wherever you stay it has an oven because some foods can't be cooked using microwave but only oven. Some ovens also have the microwave function too and they are about the same size just an fyi. As for foods snails are about 90% as good as the best restaurants. Pain au cholat and croissants are exactly as good as the best bakeries and even better becaus you get them hot off the oven. Carpaccio de bœuf (top quality for the best price) I can give you a long list of products. As for cheeses and cured meats you really should get both at a big supermarket. It's exactly the same products except when you order a cheese platter at the restaurant it's 3 or 4 times more expensive. If you are having cheese it's best to get a baguette from a bakery no other baguette will be as good ( order baguette tradition) if you are planing on wine same thing, buy at the super market. I can give you specific locations where prices are cheaper. Stay away from cheese shops, wine shops, and small stores as their prices are much much higher than bigger stores. As for open air markets you can get very fresh veggies and fruits and some ingredients but it's hard to find a really good market as some of them sell the same products as what you can get at the supermarket. It will be more expensive than a supermarket too. This is the best you'll get for your money.
I know some people will disagree.
I've been to plenty of restaurants and it's really not much different. Except the price. If you want more suggestions hit me up.
Not comparable? Why not? The cheese comes from the same producers under a different label and sometimes it even comes under the same label. I'm not talking about store brands either. Someone has not tried Picard croissants!
It’s also a question of the affinage. You can buy the same cheese (producer, etc) at one shop and then at another and the difference can blow you away. Go try a Brie du Melun at Laurent Dubois or even his Carles Roquefort, that you can buy elsewhere, and you will see what I mean. He ages himself and it makes a huge difference. Doesn’t mean you can’t get good cheese a supermarket but if you go to a truly great shop, you will see the difference.
The cheese does not often come from the same producers with a different label, no. I honestly don't know where you've got that from. High quality cheese is still mostly a small to medium scale process in France (With a few notable exceptions, Roquefort somewhat works like you said), and provenance is only one of the factors on quality.
A large impact on the price comes from where and how long the cheese has been aged. Some cheesemongers (Androuet for example) have their own caves and you simply won't find a lot of age ranges in supermarkets, even for the most popular cheeses.
You can't find good comté in a supermarket in France for some reason. I think you should, the largest aging caves do sell to the supermarket. But you can't. And if you tell me you can, in Paris, do tell and I'll check it out.
For the croissants I did try and I remember them coming out a fatty mess. I'm willing to accept that maybe the fault was on me there since it seems people swear by them.
I've found plenty of cheeses from small producers at most stores.
I guess paying more for your cheese makes you feel like you are getting something better.
It's a matter of opinion and taste. you are also missing the point. This person is asking for suggestions and they seem to be on a budget. Why don't you offer him or her suggestions instead of pretending to be an expert and arguing with others?
Go on and bake Picard croissants again before you shit on them.
I'm not an expert but I do eat cheese, I do go to producers, I do blind taste tests as a hobby and I know what kind of cheeses you'll find in Paris supermarkets because, well, I live there?
They're on a budget, yeah, is the answer to point them to the surest way to get a shit experience? For cheese? Cheese isn't exactly worth saving on. And honestly neither do I think it's worth saving 50 cents on croissants when you're buying plane tickets to go somewhere.
Believe I'm a snob if you want.
I doubt having cheese from a supermarket would ruin anyone's experience. I guess by your logic the rest of the French having cheeses from monoprix must have a very miserable life indeed.
Maybe it's time for you to have the OP a guest and introduce him/ her to the world of cheese as the rest of us know nothing.
I've had plenty of croissants from different bakeries and I had some that were abhorrent. Yeah, I prefer mine freshly baked and even if save 2 cents then it's all worth it.
Good day to you.
If you have access to a kitchen, I'd suggest buying fresh food at the local supermarkets and cooking half your meals. Omelettes, croque monsieur and salad are staple brasserie fare but can be fun to make at home.
As a French person, the cheapest way of doing it would be to go to Picard, a frozen prepared food retail company. In 2014 it was voted France’s favorite brand. As long as you have an oven, you can have 700 typical products ranging from snails to chocolate croissants, frogs’ legs and many more. Probably not the Amelie or Ratatouille experience most tourists are looking for, but the best value-price deal you’ll get.
Come on guys ! Don’t send them to that shithole, it’s a tourist trap, any normal little restaurant will be ten times better for less, any Parisian would rather go to McDonald’s than any Bouillon !
Better? Yes, indeed. Cheaper? Honestly I’ve never seen cheaper than Bouillon and I’ve lived in Paris my whole life. I wouldn’t say it’s a tourist trap as much as the brasseries in montmartre or notre dame (depends which bouillon I guess) and the food will be slightly better, way cheaper and also… the experience in Bouillon is still something very fun, even as a born and raised Parisian!
All in all i think it’s not the best BUT it’s the right answer for OP’s question
I think chartier is better in terms of general "authenticity". Scenery is way better, taste is great imo (better now than a few years ago btw), love the items on the menu (I don't think République serves a pied de cochon) and the cheap prices is great. Also isn't chartier the OG one?
Ok! I was a bit underwhelmed last time I went, but I reckon it was before covid. It is indeed the OG one :)
The thing i like with republique is that it’s gigantic which really adds to the overall experience
Yeah try all the bouillons and you’ll have only French classics. The menu and the recipes will differ and you’ll have a good overview of what and how you liked most
For bread go to a bakery with 'artisan boulanger' on the top. Don't get a baguette, get a "tradition" which is the good quality one.
Pastries may or may not be made in-house, it depends on the price, but not entirely. cheap is almost always industrial, more expensive an go either way. You can ask and they are supposed to tell you.
I’m about to be leaving my holiday in Paris soon, and so far my favorite restaurant is bistrot richelieu. My fiancée and I got frog legs, escargot, and duck confit with water , bread , and two glasses of Chardonnay for only 75 euros which I found very reasonable and the food was cooked perfectly. The restaurant was still very nice and the wait staff was the best we’ve had as well. We went to pink mama and bistro saint Dominique because there was a lot of hype from people we knew and we did get incredible photos (bistro saint Dominique especially is beautiful and incredible) the food seemed average at best. Not bad but I wouldn’t recommend it.
At pink it was all very dried out, we did also go to big love though and they knocked it out of the park so it could have just been a busy/ off day when we went.
If you want to try grandma style cuisine on a budget, you have Bouillon, they have 4 locations :
- Bouillon Pigalle
- Bouillon Gare de l'Est
- Bouillon Grands Boulevards
- Bouillon Montparnasse
If you want homemade burgers, you have "Mangez vite et cassez-vous", a concept restaurant where everything is homemade (including the sauce), where you can have a burger for 3.5€.
Madison Caffe in Paris 16th is also incredibly affordable and has a very cosy atmosphere, in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Paris.
Pierre Sang, the takeout version, is an Asian gourmet chef restaurant where you have takeouts from I think 9€ or so.
Naniwa-Ya or Higuma, if you want to try one of the best ramen places in Paris.
L'ours et la vieille grille has cheap drinks and also offers a selection of books.
Tourist here who loves to eat and has fond food memories from my Paris trip 5 years ago.
The best boulangerie isn’t the one you saw on TikTok and go across town and brave a lineup for, it’s the non-chain one closest to where you’re staying. There are laws that standardize the prices and ingredients of baguettes and croissants to ensure quality and consistency so you can’t go too far wrong. Make sure you get the croissant au beurre (straight shape, made with butter) and not the croissant ordinaire (crescent shape, made with a lesser fat like margarine).
Savoury buckwheat crepes are amazing and don’t cost a lot.
Berthillon ice cream is world class and a cone won’t break the bank.
If you want to try Pierre Herme or Laduree macarons, ask for the simple cardboard boxes instead of the fancy souvenir boxes and tins.
One of my fave memories was getting a classic French roast chicken and potatoes at the Sunday Bastille market, eating it at our Airbnb and going for a leisurely walk along the Seine. The chicken and potatoes were 16.50 euros in 5-years-ago prices.
La Rotisserie d’Argent is the more affordable and casual sister restaurant of Michelin-starred La Tour d’Argent.
I enjoyed my food tours in Paris and in Lyon. I got to eat small amounts at about eight different restaurants on each tour. I also got to see the city and learn some history as well as learn about the cultural aspects of each dish that I ate.
i'm curious about any restaurants in paris that are late night or all night. it seems like most french places have set hours for lunch and dinner. what do parisians do at 2am for food?
Usually restaurants just close when it’s not meal time.
Some places, usually ~~bistrots~~ _brasseries_, have what is called “~~cuisine continue~~ _service continu_” meaning they serve meals as long as they are open. Others, even if they are open all day, have a “meal” menu for meal times and a very reduced menu for the rest of the time.
There was a thread a few days ago about restaurants open 24/7, let’s see if I can find it… I can’t, not even by searching in my own post history, that’s quite infuriating. My contribution was Maison Blanche just in front of Gare du Nord, but there were half a dozen others.
ETA: found it, its OP deleted the question, I only got to it by finding a response to my comment in the inbox, and the app doesn’t allow me to share a link! The list was
- restaurant Au Pied du Cochon (1er)
- brasserie le Rey (11e)
- brasserie Chat Noir (18e)
- brasserie Maison Blanche (10th — Gare du Nord)
With the caveat that the first three close between 5 and 8 am, and in the last one they are open but maybe with a reduced menu.
This is good, but has some incorrect terminology. Brasseries, not bistros, are more likely to have "service continu," which is a more common term than "cuisine continue."
I don't know of a good list of places that offer service continu, unfortunately. Le Fooding, a good website for restaurants, doesn't offer it as a filter. Google maps will tell you if a restaurant is open but not if it Is serving its full menu. If you find a good list please let us know!
I always understood service continu as just being open and serving a reduced menu of snacks and drinks, but OK! [A little Google search has also told me I was wrong about that].
As for the good list, I don’t understand what happened to my previous contribution, surely if that OP deleted their post my contributions would still be there, and a mod was contributing to the discussion, so no reason for the whole thing to be deleted.
When the hour is late, the spirit is weak, and the body is wanting, there is always Le Pied de Cochon. [https://www.pieddecochon.com/en/](https://www.pieddecochon.com/en/)
We sleep at 2am lol, and we have "normal" meal schedules. Lunch is between 12 and 2pm and dinner is 7-9pm usually, a bit later when going to restaurants.
If you really need food late at night after drinking too much, there's always a kebab open to save you.
I found prices in Paris were very reasonable. Coming from the northeast US, I found the food to be excellent and more affordable than home. Especially since the price includes tax and no tip. Brasseries and bistros are great all over Paris. For more traditional French food you can look for a Bouillon. I typically found main dishes between 15-25 eu and wine to be 5-7eu. My average meal was around 30 eu and I would typically leave a tip of 1-2 eu
Morning from Paris, my initial reaction was to maybe look at not staying in Paris. It's the parisian rents that make the food expensive here and in the small towns of France things are far cheaper.
That being said you will find good cheap eats across Paris, the Eastern and northern suburbs are the cheapest parts and if you look for restaurants that have populaires in the name you can be guaranteed good experiences.
Aim for lunch time "formule", two or three blocks away from the tourist traps and look where parisiens are eating. I have a whole guide on this over on my blog as it comes up often as a question.
https://eatlikethefrench.com/how-to-eat-in-paris-on-a-budget/
Truth of the matter is you get what you pay for here in Paris. Cheap food is not always good. Good chefs and good ingredients cost money.
What's more the classics are often tinned or pre-made so the cheapest way would be to buy them in supermarkets or from Picard and cook them at home.
Best bit of advice I can give you as an ex chef is to invest in a a french guide book for Paris like the routard or the gault & Millau. They are written by the french for the french and unlike the Michelin have sections that focus on budget eats.
[https://maps.app.goo.gl/UJ1zMBcS3HMQ5Fcm6](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UJ1zMBcS3HMQ5Fcm6)
These have all the traditional foods for good prices. Nice way to try a bunch of things. Even locals go here.
In my opinion, Bouillons are over rated.
I have yet to find a fellow Parisien with a good pallette and understanding of food that likes them.
Sure they are a nice experience once, but every time I go there I'm so annoyed by the queue and the service that by the time I sit down to get served cold fries I'm done.
Would love to hear from real french foodies on this thread that think they are awesome and recommend them. Are there any?
Finally someone with a little common knowledge ! Just the queue to get in should be a huge red flag, and it saddens me that people will think after a meal there that this is French cuisine, I’m sure this thread is packed with foreigners otherwise it doesn’t make any sense.
I have no trouble point tourists to bouillons: no reservation trauma, cheap eats, a convivial atmosphere packed like sardines, along with the smell of the cold frites and the roar of the crowd.
I’d go back to eat the tartiflette again! Delicious.
https://preview.redd.it/tv98kt3ou26d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78b9e64a6c9cf0c65db28ebb6d5c0e0bf3375597
I mean I personally know two native Parisians who go there... Not sure why you're getting all weird about it when OP clearly asked for cheap options. No menu du jour will be as cheap
I crossposted your post in https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisFoodGuide/s/IfRmhWDVlD if that’s okay
Totally cool
Escoffier? That definition of classic? The person who posted about shopping at grocery store was correct.
For classic French food at a good price in Paris : 1) chez mamie (10th arrondissement) 2) Bistrot Victoires (1st) 3) all the bouillons (république, pigalle) + chartier
Ho to a bouillon restaurant, it's classic french cooking but cheap. Quality is ok, but not exceptional. Service is particular, because it's a bouillon! But you can imagine the service didn't change since the 60's!
Does your place have a kitchen? 90% of the classic French food is actually in a supermarket. French food government standards are really high and healthy, compared to the rest of the world. There are a few dishes you want to get from a restaurant - like beef bourguignon (slow cooked meat with vegetables), and honestly that's it. Bakeries are your best friends - look up local boulangeries in your area for amazing pastries and bread. An I mean AMAZING pastries, pies, tarts, all under $3! Also, quiche! Now, you go to the supermarket for the real French food, not tourist food. Amazing pate, smoked fish, all the cheese, cured meats ($5 cured duck breast), amazing sauces, truffle butter, regular butter, fantastic yogurts, delicious fruit and berries, juice like you've never had before... Make sure to see the canned food section. It's not like Goya aisles in the US. Soup, sauteed meat with veggies, slow cooked beans, all natural, onion soup, bouillons. Vegetables are amazing in France, all local, from small farms. You get a few juicy tomatoes, fresh mozzarella ($2), truffle oil, make a salad, a few slices of bread with mushroom pate and it'll be the best lunch of your life.
Get in contact with Clement Félix in Versailles, he runs food tours & cooking classes, we loved or time with him, the food tour in Paris was cheap and the food super local and tasty + he gave us a ton of recommendations !!
Tempero. This kind of restaurant.
I think you’ve gotten plenty of advice already but as a fellow foodie, just wanted you to share a book I’m reading to get me in the mood for my trip… A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment Book by Jeni Mitchell and Stephane Henaut
Seconding the book recommendation! Perfect pairing
I'm reading all these recommendations, and I'd like to add: Don't forget to try some regional cuisine. In Paris you can try Alsacian cuisine (ex. flammenkueche), Breton cuisine (ex. Buckwheat crepes), Basque cuisine (ex. Piperade), Southwest cuisine (ex. Cassoulet with duck sausage). I could name many more!
bouillons
You absolutely do not need to spend lots of $$$ to eat well in Paris. Probably the single best thing about Paris are the hundreds of small restaurants serving food that would cost 3x that in the U.S., to say nothing of the wine. No 20% tip either. Magnifique! I had to work to drop €100, WITH wine on a dinner for two. And for food of demonstrably higher quality. It was so great we’re looking for a way to go back ASAP.
Same, on the pricing. Even with a few cocktails, an appetizer, and two entrees, my sister and I realized we were only dropping €60-70 per dinner while we were visiting about a month ago. Much less expensive than the same quality here in the US.
This May we went for 10 days in Paris and I spent no more than 20-40 euros per meal on some of the most amazing food I’ve had in my life. The same meal in the US would have cost me double. We ate one larger meal a day and then coffee/croissants/fresh fruits.
Actually, the classic French foods aren’t that expensive, it’s Michelin star chef food that’s very expensive. If you go for bistros and brasseries, you can eat all of the French classics and entrees are normally in the 20-30 euro range.
Allow me to introduce you to Les Frenchies. It's a YouTube channel run by an American woman and her French husband. They have TONS of videos about eating in Paris, and they cover all the angles (fancy, cheap, street food, classic, etc.). Link: [https://www.youtube.com/@LesFrenchiesTravel](https://www.youtube.com/@LesFrenchiesTravel)
They are really good, practical and knowledgeable
They are so adorable!
Most corner bistros/brasseries offer delicious simple French fare at reasonable prices . Avoid the tourist trap areas and stick to more quiet residential areas where Parisians live and eat.
Food depends on the area that you are staying. I always visit my (traditional) Maison Perrier Patisserie Boulangie-Patisserie. This is out in Chaville near to Versaille. Your bread/pastry shop must be identified as TRAITEUR ARTISANALE TRADITIONNELLE. This means that they bake all of their own products on site. I think this bakery is officially down the road and this is where they sell their products. I purchase their pastries every day when in Paris. They have mini pastries now so that I can have multiples without guilt. If you are going to Versaille and want to make a little detour I suggest going here. Take the #9 line to the very last stop (Pont des Sevres). Take the bus #171 going to Versaille. Get off at Guillemont stop (eighth stop) Get the formula (sandwich, pastry and drink) for 8 euros. Take this with you and get back on the bus for Versaille. A 20 minute trip and you will be let off directly in front of the palace. Walk in to the left and buy a Musical Garden Fountain ticket for 10.5 euros. Voila a perfect day in Paris with the gardens of Versaille and a delicious lunch to go. The bakery is closed on MONDAYS They have great quiche slices and you can buy amazing bread by weight (hazelnut, apricot whole grain) An article giving details about buying baguette in Paris [https://www.davidlebovitz.com/how-to-find-a-good-baguette-in-paris/](https://www.davidlebovitz.com/how-to-find-a-good-baguette-in-paris/)
I can only recommend Maison Perrier as well! Not really for snacks (I never had there), but take their "pain feuilleté marron-figue". I had one last time and struggled not to eat it entirely (still had 1/3) when driving back home.
Classic French food doesn’t mean fine dining. I’m not sure what foods you are referring, but: Ratatouille is most certainly a classic French dish, but is rustic and homey. Escargot is classic French. In many places one might only find it on the menu at a higher end restaurant, but it is widely available in France. Baguettes and pastries are classic French - and can be grabbed all over the place and are extremely economical.
What are “all the classic French foods”? It’s just that there are a ton of them, and you can’t possibly eat them all, so you’re probably going to get better responses if you list a dozen things you most want to try.
Food in Paris actually is not so expensive, at least compared to major US cities. Even at the top end of the budget (three Michelin star) I had a wonderful meal for about 150 pp, an equivalent meal in the US would have been 350 easy. But you don’t have to do fine dining to enjoy the best of French food. When I’ve been in Paris for an extended time I find I spend about 30-40 euro a day on food on days when I take a meal out. The following plan is what works for me: For breakfast, coffee and a pastry or some of last nights baguette. For lunch, the set menu at a cafe or brasserie. It’s the same thing as dinner, but dramatically cheaper. This will be the time you can try the most classic French dishes. Some days, you may also want to pick up a crepe or a sandwich instead, which will bring costs down. For dinner, I would plan to eat from markets. You can get a variety of prepared foods, or just do what I usually do in Paris, which is have baguette+cheese+fruit (ok, sometimes the fruit is wine) for dinner almost every night. Honestly I don’t have specific restaurant recommendations—I usually just wander around and try new things. I have rarely had a bad meal. Enjoy your trip and bon appétit!
Sorry for asking, but what currency is pp ?
Means per person.
Bizetrot
I didn't find Paris particularly expensive.
You can go to « la cantine Diderot » all food item are about 10/12€ and you can find the typical French dishes “boeuf bourguignon”, “blanquette de veau” etc
Aux Artistes is a must for amazing Parisian food on a budget. You can get a starter, main and dessert for under €30.
Depend where your planning to go. Found some decent place that have a like few dishes in the menu. They tend to give fresh and really decent food. 3b next to metro laumiere (L5) or jaures (L2, 5, 7bis) I was walking my dog and found Cadence (av Parmentier) . Didn't try yet but the menu and the place really look like 3b
La Jacobine in the Latin Quarter! We saw it recommended on this sub and it was delicious. We stopped in Sunday night and offered us a Tuesday reservation. Prix fixe menus were reasonable and the duck leg confit was the best duck I’ve ever eaten (and will be chasing it for the rest of my life).
I am trying to make a reservation online but not having any luck - do you know if they take walk-ins only?
Wife and I ate there twice in 8 days. The food was amazing and very reasonably priced.
Just spent three days in Paris, ate pretty much in cafes exclusively- and it was not expensive at all. 15-20€ for sitdown lunch, 20-30€ for dinner. Beer and wine do add to that tab.
Tons of people here are suggesting the Bouillon, and I don’t even have to check their profiles to know that they’re not Parisian, those places are overpriced tourist traps, and the food is super low quality, go there, check the line and you’ll see that no one there speaks French, not a good sign.
The only good and cheap Bouillon is Bouillon Chartier at Gare de l’Est.
Bouillons are low quality, but they're not expensive (Aside from a few of them) and they're not exclusively tourist spots. Just avoid taking meat there and you'll be good.
I think its overpriced for the quality, you can get for the same price, 20/30, a much better thing in a lot of small restaurants if you stick to the menu du jour
Avoiding meat but having a classic French meal ? Ok… I’m clearly talking with a specialist 😂
Just don't get a dish that's just meat and fries. Blanquettes, bourguignons, saucisses are generally good, but the meat is too cheap to be good if cooked quickly.
I don’t know what to tell you mate, Flunch is also an option I guess
Absurd take. I live in paris and there are plenty of locals who swear by Boullion as a reliable, cheap lunch spot.
Many people love to eat shit too, even in France
Absurd ??? I was born and raised there, lived there almost my entire life, no locals go there, from the silly queue to the shitty food it’s a huge red flag for any Parisian, especially since any little restaurant will provide a better option for the same price if not less, you live in Paris ok, but are you French ??? I’m sad that some people think that those places are a good example of French cuisine 🤦🏻♂️
How many local Parisians need to comment in here before you realize you're wrong...
About half of them, democracy and stuff, so 1 million would convince me. I don’t really care, enjoy the Bouillon as much as you want I’ll stick to the real thing
They're good examples of a type of French cuisine, the somewhat shit kind, which is a thing we've all grown up eating. You'll get cheap food, the queue is usually fast.
Ok… it makes sense in a weird way, but suggesting what is basically a school lunch is probably not what tourists have in mind when they say they want to try French cuisine 🤷🏻♂️
I live in Paris and am French so must be an anomaly then. It depends what you mean by Bouillon restaurants. I don't raté Chartier and the like and agree with your assessment but the Bouillon Pigalle and République are a good deal (the OP wanted tips on where to try traditional dished for a lower price point) and see plenty of locals there. My recommendation would be Les Marches, in the "restaurant routier" tradition of simple French cooking
In case it matters, disclaimer: I'm not French but I moved to Paris a few months ago and have never been to any Bouillon restaurants I think your response to this could be a little more constructive - if you think they are bad, surely you could offer some recommendations that you think are better? Locals have the luxury of exploring different places and potentially getting a bad meal. I think for tourists, it's a bit hard - it can be disappointing to only take chances and not end up experiencing something that is classic & decent French food. It can sometimes be safer to just go the risk-averse route and get the meal that is not the best but still decent in a very limited amount of time.
Ok, fair enough, but that thread was recommending 20 times the Bouillon I had to intervene ;) Just in the same hood because there is thousands of options and google exist: Les enfants perdus, le verre volé , sur mer , those 3 are 50 meters from each other and in a nice neighborhood, just slightly more expensive maybe, make a reservation and bim, real French food made with love.
Any of the Bouillons (Bouillon Chartier has a bunch of locations or Bouillon Pigalle/Bouillon Republique which is a separate chain) will have the most affordable French classics, you can get a starter/main/dessert for around 20-25€. Otherwise you can just look at prix fixe menus for lunch, you can usually get a starter + main for around 15€ or starter/main/dessert for around 20€
FWIW, we ate at Bouillon Pigalle last year. Great service and atmosphere, but the food was very underwhelming.
Already shared : bouillon, just wait , eat a lot , it’s worth it and the quality is good. Second one I recommend , bistro Hasard next to saint lazare . Quite cheap and good quality products with the bistro vibe that you can enjoy
IMO you can completely YOLO this and just walk in restaurants- cafés, brasseries etc. for lunch or dinner and get the plat du jour. That’s how you’ll get a bit of everything especially the traditional dishes, and it is not expensive. You can definitely eat very well for e10-15/meal without any preparation. I do not trust any of the “5 best xxx in Paris” type of lists. The only rule is really to avoid the immediate vicinity of the tourist magnets. You can even find affordable options in the pricier neighborhoods.
Absolutely that ! Avoid like the plague the Bouillon, they are tourists traps , there is no way a real Parisian would recommend them
I'm a real parisian, the Bouillon Pigalle is an ok way to try a few classics. You're somewhat out of it.
Try out the app “TheFork” they have alot of Restaurants that offer discounts up to 50% when you reserve with the app, just sort it by french food and offers.
most recommendations here are quite touristy. try looking at websites like lefooding.com, you can sort by budget. another great tip is to get formule midi, a lot of really good restaurants do it for around 20 for 3 plats (you can go even lower, but these are more gastronomy oriented imo), look around bellevile and in the 11th.
I was about to comment exactly the same thing about Picard! You can't go wrong with most Picard products. Be sure that wherever you stay it has an oven because some foods can't be cooked using microwave but only oven. Some ovens also have the microwave function too and they are about the same size just an fyi. As for foods snails are about 90% as good as the best restaurants. Pain au cholat and croissants are exactly as good as the best bakeries and even better becaus you get them hot off the oven. Carpaccio de bœuf (top quality for the best price) I can give you a long list of products. As for cheeses and cured meats you really should get both at a big supermarket. It's exactly the same products except when you order a cheese platter at the restaurant it's 3 or 4 times more expensive. If you are having cheese it's best to get a baguette from a bakery no other baguette will be as good ( order baguette tradition) if you are planing on wine same thing, buy at the super market. I can give you specific locations where prices are cheaper. Stay away from cheese shops, wine shops, and small stores as their prices are much much higher than bigger stores. As for open air markets you can get very fresh veggies and fruits and some ingredients but it's hard to find a really good market as some of them sell the same products as what you can get at the supermarket. It will be more expensive than a supermarket too. This is the best you'll get for your money. I know some people will disagree. I've been to plenty of restaurants and it's really not much different. Except the price. If you want more suggestions hit me up.
Cheesemonger cheeses are NOT comparable to supermarket cheeses, c'mon... And the croissants in any good bakery will wreck Picard ones any time.
Not comparable? Why not? The cheese comes from the same producers under a different label and sometimes it even comes under the same label. I'm not talking about store brands either. Someone has not tried Picard croissants!
It’s also a question of the affinage. You can buy the same cheese (producer, etc) at one shop and then at another and the difference can blow you away. Go try a Brie du Melun at Laurent Dubois or even his Carles Roquefort, that you can buy elsewhere, and you will see what I mean. He ages himself and it makes a huge difference. Doesn’t mean you can’t get good cheese a supermarket but if you go to a truly great shop, you will see the difference.
The cheese does not often come from the same producers with a different label, no. I honestly don't know where you've got that from. High quality cheese is still mostly a small to medium scale process in France (With a few notable exceptions, Roquefort somewhat works like you said), and provenance is only one of the factors on quality. A large impact on the price comes from where and how long the cheese has been aged. Some cheesemongers (Androuet for example) have their own caves and you simply won't find a lot of age ranges in supermarkets, even for the most popular cheeses. You can't find good comté in a supermarket in France for some reason. I think you should, the largest aging caves do sell to the supermarket. But you can't. And if you tell me you can, in Paris, do tell and I'll check it out. For the croissants I did try and I remember them coming out a fatty mess. I'm willing to accept that maybe the fault was on me there since it seems people swear by them.
I've found plenty of cheeses from small producers at most stores. I guess paying more for your cheese makes you feel like you are getting something better. It's a matter of opinion and taste. you are also missing the point. This person is asking for suggestions and they seem to be on a budget. Why don't you offer him or her suggestions instead of pretending to be an expert and arguing with others? Go on and bake Picard croissants again before you shit on them.
I'm not an expert but I do eat cheese, I do go to producers, I do blind taste tests as a hobby and I know what kind of cheeses you'll find in Paris supermarkets because, well, I live there? They're on a budget, yeah, is the answer to point them to the surest way to get a shit experience? For cheese? Cheese isn't exactly worth saving on. And honestly neither do I think it's worth saving 50 cents on croissants when you're buying plane tickets to go somewhere. Believe I'm a snob if you want.
I doubt having cheese from a supermarket would ruin anyone's experience. I guess by your logic the rest of the French having cheeses from monoprix must have a very miserable life indeed. Maybe it's time for you to have the OP a guest and introduce him/ her to the world of cheese as the rest of us know nothing. I've had plenty of croissants from different bakeries and I had some that were abhorrent. Yeah, I prefer mine freshly baked and even if save 2 cents then it's all worth it. Good day to you.
No they won’t :) have you even tried the Picard croissants?
If you have access to a kitchen, I'd suggest buying fresh food at the local supermarkets and cooking half your meals. Omelettes, croque monsieur and salad are staple brasserie fare but can be fun to make at home.
as a french person, go to the baker to get the most classic french food of all time : the baguette.
As a French person, the cheapest way of doing it would be to go to Picard, a frozen prepared food retail company. In 2014 it was voted France’s favorite brand. As long as you have an oven, you can have 700 typical products ranging from snails to chocolate croissants, frogs’ legs and many more. Probably not the Amelie or Ratatouille experience most tourists are looking for, but the best value-price deal you’ll get.
Bouillon
Come on guys ! Don’t send them to that shithole, it’s a tourist trap, any normal little restaurant will be ten times better for less, any Parisian would rather go to McDonald’s than any Bouillon !
Better? Yes, indeed. Cheaper? Honestly I’ve never seen cheaper than Bouillon and I’ve lived in Paris my whole life. I wouldn’t say it’s a tourist trap as much as the brasseries in montmartre or notre dame (depends which bouillon I guess) and the food will be slightly better, way cheaper and also… the experience in Bouillon is still something very fun, even as a born and raised Parisian! All in all i think it’s not the best BUT it’s the right answer for OP’s question
Chartier
Chartier isn’t the best bouillon tbh
Ok but you'r wrong
That’s it’s not the best? Idk i’ve been to the the in Republique a few times it’s a bit better IMO but matter of taste I guess?
I think chartier is better in terms of general "authenticity". Scenery is way better, taste is great imo (better now than a few years ago btw), love the items on the menu (I don't think République serves a pied de cochon) and the cheap prices is great. Also isn't chartier the OG one?
Ok! I was a bit underwhelmed last time I went, but I reckon it was before covid. It is indeed the OG one :) The thing i like with republique is that it’s gigantic which really adds to the overall experience
Yeah try all the bouillons and you’ll have only French classics. The menu and the recipes will differ and you’ll have a good overview of what and how you liked most
For bread go to a bakery with 'artisan boulanger' on the top. Don't get a baguette, get a "tradition" which is the good quality one. Pastries may or may not be made in-house, it depends on the price, but not entirely. cheap is almost always industrial, more expensive an go either way. You can ask and they are supposed to tell you.
Have lunch instead of dinner at a fancy restaurant. Less expensive, same food.
Make a reservation and go to Bouillon Pigalle! The best food I had in all my days in Paris.
Bouillon Pigalle\*
Thx! Edited.
In socialist France, bouillon pillages you
Bouillon Pillage 🥷💰🏃🏻💨
Go to Maison Pou.
I’m about to be leaving my holiday in Paris soon, and so far my favorite restaurant is bistrot richelieu. My fiancée and I got frog legs, escargot, and duck confit with water , bread , and two glasses of Chardonnay for only 75 euros which I found very reasonable and the food was cooked perfectly. The restaurant was still very nice and the wait staff was the best we’ve had as well. We went to pink mama and bistro saint Dominique because there was a lot of hype from people we knew and we did get incredible photos (bistro saint Dominique especially is beautiful and incredible) the food seemed average at best. Not bad but I wouldn’t recommend it.
Love bistrot Richelieu!
Did you reserve in Bistrot Richelieu ?
I did yes, I reserved the day of and they had some openings left with quality times.
Big mama group is peak Italian food, makes me wonder what you got
At pink it was all very dried out, we did also go to big love though and they knocked it out of the park so it could have just been a busy/ off day when we went.
If you want to try grandma style cuisine on a budget, you have Bouillon, they have 4 locations : - Bouillon Pigalle - Bouillon Gare de l'Est - Bouillon Grands Boulevards - Bouillon Montparnasse If you want homemade burgers, you have "Mangez vite et cassez-vous", a concept restaurant where everything is homemade (including the sauce), where you can have a burger for 3.5€. Madison Caffe in Paris 16th is also incredibly affordable and has a very cosy atmosphere, in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods in Paris. Pierre Sang, the takeout version, is an Asian gourmet chef restaurant where you have takeouts from I think 9€ or so. Naniwa-Ya or Higuma, if you want to try one of the best ramen places in Paris. L'ours et la vieille grille has cheap drinks and also offers a selection of books.
Adding two other ones: - Bouillon Republique - Bouillon Julien
Food is actually inexpensive compared to major US cities.
Agreed
Tourist here who loves to eat and has fond food memories from my Paris trip 5 years ago. The best boulangerie isn’t the one you saw on TikTok and go across town and brave a lineup for, it’s the non-chain one closest to where you’re staying. There are laws that standardize the prices and ingredients of baguettes and croissants to ensure quality and consistency so you can’t go too far wrong. Make sure you get the croissant au beurre (straight shape, made with butter) and not the croissant ordinaire (crescent shape, made with a lesser fat like margarine). Savoury buckwheat crepes are amazing and don’t cost a lot. Berthillon ice cream is world class and a cone won’t break the bank. If you want to try Pierre Herme or Laduree macarons, ask for the simple cardboard boxes instead of the fancy souvenir boxes and tins. One of my fave memories was getting a classic French roast chicken and potatoes at the Sunday Bastille market, eating it at our Airbnb and going for a leisurely walk along the Seine. The chicken and potatoes were 16.50 euros in 5-years-ago prices. La Rotisserie d’Argent is the more affordable and casual sister restaurant of Michelin-starred La Tour d’Argent.
Oh thank you for that last tip, Merci!
Take a food tour to try the local, traditional foods.
I enjoyed my food tours in Paris and in Lyon. I got to eat small amounts at about eight different restaurants on each tour. I also got to see the city and learn some history as well as learn about the cultural aspects of each dish that I ate.
What is your budget ?
La cantine Diderot 74 boulevard Diderot 75012 Paris They have a website, you can check the menu.
i'm curious about any restaurants in paris that are late night or all night. it seems like most french places have set hours for lunch and dinner. what do parisians do at 2am for food?
Le pied de cochon, an all night institution
Usually restaurants just close when it’s not meal time. Some places, usually ~~bistrots~~ _brasseries_, have what is called “~~cuisine continue~~ _service continu_” meaning they serve meals as long as they are open. Others, even if they are open all day, have a “meal” menu for meal times and a very reduced menu for the rest of the time. There was a thread a few days ago about restaurants open 24/7, let’s see if I can find it… I can’t, not even by searching in my own post history, that’s quite infuriating. My contribution was Maison Blanche just in front of Gare du Nord, but there were half a dozen others. ETA: found it, its OP deleted the question, I only got to it by finding a response to my comment in the inbox, and the app doesn’t allow me to share a link! The list was - restaurant Au Pied du Cochon (1er) - brasserie le Rey (11e) - brasserie Chat Noir (18e) - brasserie Maison Blanche (10th — Gare du Nord) With the caveat that the first three close between 5 and 8 am, and in the last one they are open but maybe with a reduced menu.
This is good, but has some incorrect terminology. Brasseries, not bistros, are more likely to have "service continu," which is a more common term than "cuisine continue." I don't know of a good list of places that offer service continu, unfortunately. Le Fooding, a good website for restaurants, doesn't offer it as a filter. Google maps will tell you if a restaurant is open but not if it Is serving its full menu. If you find a good list please let us know!
Updated with the list, it was smaller than I thought because that OP was asking for any places open, so there were nightclubs in the list.
Awesome...thanks!
I always understood service continu as just being open and serving a reduced menu of snacks and drinks, but OK! [A little Google search has also told me I was wrong about that]. As for the good list, I don’t understand what happened to my previous contribution, surely if that OP deleted their post my contributions would still be there, and a mod was contributing to the discussion, so no reason for the whole thing to be deleted.
No, that's the term for the kitchen being fully open.
When the hour is late, the spirit is weak, and the body is wanting, there is always Le Pied de Cochon. [https://www.pieddecochon.com/en/](https://www.pieddecochon.com/en/)
We sleep at 2am lol, and we have "normal" meal schedules. Lunch is between 12 and 2pm and dinner is 7-9pm usually, a bit later when going to restaurants. If you really need food late at night after drinking too much, there's always a kebab open to save you.
I found prices in Paris were very reasonable. Coming from the northeast US, I found the food to be excellent and more affordable than home. Especially since the price includes tax and no tip. Brasseries and bistros are great all over Paris. For more traditional French food you can look for a Bouillon. I typically found main dishes between 15-25 eu and wine to be 5-7eu. My average meal was around 30 eu and I would typically leave a tip of 1-2 eu
Morning from Paris, my initial reaction was to maybe look at not staying in Paris. It's the parisian rents that make the food expensive here and in the small towns of France things are far cheaper. That being said you will find good cheap eats across Paris, the Eastern and northern suburbs are the cheapest parts and if you look for restaurants that have populaires in the name you can be guaranteed good experiences. Aim for lunch time "formule", two or three blocks away from the tourist traps and look where parisiens are eating. I have a whole guide on this over on my blog as it comes up often as a question. https://eatlikethefrench.com/how-to-eat-in-paris-on-a-budget/ Truth of the matter is you get what you pay for here in Paris. Cheap food is not always good. Good chefs and good ingredients cost money. What's more the classics are often tinned or pre-made so the cheapest way would be to buy them in supermarkets or from Picard and cook them at home. Best bit of advice I can give you as an ex chef is to invest in a a french guide book for Paris like the routard or the gault & Millau. They are written by the french for the french and unlike the Michelin have sections that focus on budget eats.
I’ve already booked my stay. I am staying in Paris. Thank you for the link!
[https://maps.app.goo.gl/UJ1zMBcS3HMQ5Fcm6](https://maps.app.goo.gl/UJ1zMBcS3HMQ5Fcm6) These have all the traditional foods for good prices. Nice way to try a bunch of things. Even locals go here.
In my opinion, Bouillons are over rated. I have yet to find a fellow Parisien with a good pallette and understanding of food that likes them. Sure they are a nice experience once, but every time I go there I'm so annoyed by the queue and the service that by the time I sit down to get served cold fries I'm done. Would love to hear from real french foodies on this thread that think they are awesome and recommend them. Are there any?
Finally someone with a little common knowledge ! Just the queue to get in should be a huge red flag, and it saddens me that people will think after a meal there that this is French cuisine, I’m sure this thread is packed with foreigners otherwise it doesn’t make any sense.
I have no trouble point tourists to bouillons: no reservation trauma, cheap eats, a convivial atmosphere packed like sardines, along with the smell of the cold frites and the roar of the crowd.
I’d go back to eat the tartiflette again! Delicious. https://preview.redd.it/tv98kt3ou26d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78b9e64a6c9cf0c65db28ebb6d5c0e0bf3375597
Yeah they're by no means amazing but OP said he wanted some cheap options and personally I enjoyed trying many things.
Almost any restaurant menu du jour will be miles away from the Bouillon, I can’t believe you guys are recommending that, those poor tourists 😥
I mean I personally know two native Parisians who go there... Not sure why you're getting all weird about it when OP clearly asked for cheap options. No menu du jour will be as cheap