Monthly Feature: Dining in Paris (without breaking the bank!)

Whether you prefer high-class, traditional French dining or are on a budget, Paris has something to offer for everyone. Contrary to popular belief, not all French food is high priced, and good quality, traditional French faire isn’t only offered in restaurants that have received the prestigious 4-Star Michelin rating.

Here are a few things to keep in mind about eating in France

• The Parisians never eat while walking or in the metro. They find a park to sit down or other public place. Only children are allowed to eat while walking (although ice cream in the summer is an exception to this rule!)
• Most restaurants offer food a la carte or on a “menu.” With street restaurants, the menu usually includes a main course and a drink. At a sit down restaurant, the menu may include dessert (see more below). Ordering the menu is a better deal than ordering a la carte.
• All street vendors and street stands are licensed by the government and have been inspected for cleanliness.
• When asking for water in a restaurant, ask for “eau natural (say it: OH-nat-you-ral) (tap water). It is free. If you ask for “eau” the waiter will bring you a bottle of spring water that you will have to pay for. This is the most common complaint that I hear from people returning from France, that they had to ‘pay for water.’
• A little French lesson: “La Carte” is the “book menu.” “Le Menu” is the set menu. If you want to see more items, ask for la carte.
  
  
  Eating on a Budget

One of the places I encountered on my very first trip to Paris 20 years ago remains one of my favorite places to eat, whether or not I am on a budget. My family and I dubbed the area “food alley” based on the abundance of restaurants in a 4 block radius.

Food alley is located between the Rue de la Harpe and the Rue de la Huchette in the 5th arrondissement. The area has several entrances, but the easiest one to find is off the Boulevard Saint Michel, just outside the entrance to the Cluny-La Sorbonne metro station (lines 10 and 4; RER B (the blue line): Saint Michel-Notre Dame station). Don’t be deceived by the presence of a McDonalds and an Internet cafe right at the entrance—you will need to venture deeper into the area before you find the restaurants.

Inside food alley is an assortment of almost every ethnic restaurant you could imagine, all offering a lot of food for a decent price. The most abundant cuisine is Greek (at least 7 or more Greek restaurants; my favorite is “Santorini”), but there is at least one Ethiopian restaurant, several traditional French restaurants (including a fondue/Savoyard restaurant) , several Vietnamese, several Italian and at least one grill restaurant. To find out more, you just have to explore the place! In front of every restaurant will be a “barker” telling you in your language to “step right up and eat right here where the food is delicious” (or some variant of that). Don’t let the barkers trick you into ordering from the “book menu.” To get the best deal for your money, order the “menu à ___euros” (the set menu) rather than ordering a la carte. Depending on the restaurant, you may need to ask for the menu à ____euros, as sometimes the waiters/barkers will not offer it to you. Most restaurants, though, will have the set menus posted outside. The pricier set menus will let you pick an appetizer (entrée) a main course and a dessert and will offer you a wider choice; the lower priced menus will offer either an appetizer and a main course or a main course and dessert. If you are on a serious budget, then stop by one of the many Gyro stands. For about 7 euros, you get a huge gyro (complete with French fries) and a drink.


Sometimes, you might see a crêpe vendor with his stall set up just adjacent to McDonalds. Do not fear the street vendors—they are all licensed with the health department. His food is excellent, reasonably priced and represents traditional French street-food. The crêpes come in sweet (“sucrée) and salty (salée) varieties, with sucrée crêpes representing desert fare and salée crêpes representing more lunch/dinner fare. On the salée menu, you will find things such as Jambon, fromage (=ham and cheese); jambon, fromage, champignon (=ham, cheese and mushroom) and even œuf, jambon, fromage, champignon (=ham, egg, cheese and mushroom). I like the jambon, fromage or if I am really hungry, the jambon, fromage champignon. There are also other “less French” offerings, such as hotdogs (a skinny sausage stuffed into a baguette, something I DO NOT recommend) or a pizza (skip it—I will talk about the best pizza later). For about 5-8 euros, (depending on the exchange rate) you can get a crêpe and a soda. The salée crêpes are very filling. At lunch time, there is always a line, peopled by British tourists and Parisian students from the neighboring Sorbonne. It is worth the wait.

If food alley is a little overwhelming for you, or you are nowhere near the 5th arrondissement, you might try La Brioche Dorée. There are several of these stores located all over Paris, and not only do they serve wonderful pastries, they serve sandwiches as well. For about3 -5 euros you can get a sandwich on a baguette, the price varies according to what type of sandwich you choose. My personal favorite is the “thon” (=tuna fish). If you are in the mood for a hot sandwich, this place also serves Paninis. For breakfast, grab a few “pain au chocolat” (Say it: Pan-oh-show-co-lot”(=chocolate croissants). They are excellent with a glass of orange juice. This is a traditional French breakfast.

For Moderate Budgets:
(for seafood lovers only)Leon de Bruxelles (http://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/) specializes in mussels. For about 10-12 euros, you can get a pot full of Belgian style mussels (cooked in beer and wine) and all the fries you can eat. I can never finish the pot, (and I LOVE mussels)but I never leave the restaurant hungry. There are multiple locations around Paris, and if you have walked through the metro, you have probably see the advertisement adorning the walls of the stations.

Bistro Romain (http://www.bistroromain.fr/) (Italian food):Want authentic Italian fare without having to cross the Alps? This is your place. There are several of these restaurants around Paris and their food is inexpensive to moderately priced. The atmosphere is elegant, so it is a nice place to take your date if you want elegance at a low price.

Specific Restaurants
For these restaurants, go with the set menu (le menu à __euros) instead of ordering a la carte.
Chez Clement (http://www.chezclement.com/)
This is a very elegant restaurant with a moderate price tag. Again, if you order the “menu” then you will have a significantly lower bill. The menu is known as "Idee Clement" The set menus start at 15 euros and go all the way to about 45 euros.

Le Grand Cafe (http://www.legrandcafe.com/)
Again, go with the set menu rather than the a la carte. This cafe looks like it stepped right out of turn of the century Paris with elegant stained glass lamps and wood paneling. The restaurant is extremely elegant and is a nice place to go after seeing a ballet at the Opera house or if you just want a nice dinner with your date. I ate there on Christmas Eve and had the 20 euro menu : I had onion soup, a salad, a main course of salmon and a dessert. Of course, the wine is extra! And yes, that's your's truly enjoying a set menu at Le Grand Cafe.

Le Cafe du Commerce (http://www.lecafeducommerce.com/)

51 Rue du Commerce, 15th arrondissement (metro:Commerce, line 8)

This restaurant is a little off the beaten path and is located in a residential neighborhood, but remains one of my favorites. when I lived in Paris, I lived just down the street from this restaurant and ate there whenever I wanted a "formal" dinner for a moderate price. During my intership, I took some of my American friends to this restaurant for the "authentic French experience." The wait staff does speak English, and the menu is available in English. If you are looking for an authentic Parisian restaurant, then this is your place. Here is a link to their page of photos. http://www.lecafeducommerce.com/?page=photos

If you have any other suggestions you would like to make, or if you have tried these recommendations and would like to share your comments, please feel free to leave a comment.

Paris at Your Desk

I like to think of Paris as my second home; indeed, I probably know Paris better than I know San Francisco, where I have lived all my life. I lived in Paris as a study-abroad student during the 1995-1996 school year, during which time I studied at the Sorbonne. Two years later, before going to graduate school, I interned as a interpreter over the summer at Disneyland Paris. Since then, I have been back to Paris numerous times, most recently in the summer of 2007. My love for France, Paris and Frenchculture has led me to pursue a Ph.D. in French literature.

After years of having people ask me for recommendations about where to eat in Paris, or what unusual sites can be found in Paris, I have decided to go blogging with my experiences. These recommendations are my personal favorites and are based on my own experiences in Paris.

Each month, I will feature some of my favorite things to do or places to go in Paris. In addition to the "must-dos" (such as seeing the Eiffel Tower and visiting the Louvre), I like to expose people to the lesser known side of Paris that is not covered by the guidebooks. This is the Paris of the Parisians (or, in my case, the ex-pats who divide their time between their home country and Paris.) My entries are based on my own experiences as a visitor and with travelling to Paris with friends. I welcome our comments on my suggestions. Please feel free to add comments in the comments section, or if you have any places or experiences you would like to add, you may do so in the comments section.
Merci, and, if you are going to Paris any time soon, Bon Voyage!