Where to Eat in Paris

As I mentioned last week, I am going to do a Paris series leading up to the Paris Olympics. What better way to start a series on Paris than to talk about food! Everyone knows France has some of the best food worldwide, I mean, the Michelin Guide started in France after all.

In this guide I'll share my favorite lunch and dinner spots, where I went for pastries and bread and everything in between.

First, I'll start with breakfast, because as we all know the best days start with good food :) 

When I'm travelling I am not the type to have leisurely sit down breakfasts. I have landmarks to visit and shops to see! While in Paris I found a cute coffee shop right by my hotel, funnily enough called, The Coffee. It's actually a Japanese chain that has locations in Mexico, Portugal, Spain, France, Dubai and Thailand. It was a very modern shop, a stark contrast to everything around it. All the ordering was done via an app, which for a non-French speaker was helpful. The coffee was fresh, flavorful and this place was more of a grab and go type spot so there wasn't judgement for getting my café au lait to go.

You may be saying "what's coffee without a pastry?" and you'd be right! While The Coffee did offer pastries for sale, I felt it would be sac religious to not go to the boulangerie literally across the street. So every morning I would grab my coffee and cross the street for a delicious, freshly baked pastry. Depending on my mood I would go with either the croissant au chocolate, or a plain croissant.

Since this is not a full itinerary, I'm not going to walk you through each day of my time spent in Paris, but just know they were jam packed. And don't worry, I'll share all my tourist spots, and must-see visits in a separate post. For now, just know I worked up a healthy appetite walking.

During my stay in Paris, I tried out a few lunch spots. The first day I got in I landed about mid-morning then went to my hotel to drop my bags and change. I was quite hungry, so I headed towards Carette, which was nearby my hotel. Carette is a hybrid patisserie and proper sit-down restaurant, however, you could only sit outside if you were eating lunch. I really only wanted a pastry and a coffee but also really wanted to sit outside. In my delirium I ended up ordering a crazy dish, that nonetheless was quite tasty. I got a croissant. Coffee. And smoked salmon. Again, in my limited sleep mind I thought I could create a bagel and lox variant with a croissant. It didn't really work that way, but it also kind of did. Either way it was delicious. The lox was paired with fresh lemon and tiny slices of toast, so it ended up being a light mid-day snack to tide me over until my hotel room was ready.

The second day I was there I ended up a L'envue, a quintessential French bistro. I literally stumbled upon this one. I was looking for Laulhere to check out some berets… what's a stop to Paris without a beret?! But I literally could not find it. I was walking up and down the street it was meant to be on, walking in back alleys to see if it was hidden there, nothing. Clearly it was not meant for me. Alas. On the flip side I did find this delicious gem of a spot. I had done a bit of snacking earlier so wasn't super starved, but definitely needed some sustenance. I got the French onion soup and dear lord I could not have been happier. The cheese was perfectly crisped, the bread inside, the right amount of toast. It was exactly what I needed.

Café Charlot was another unexpected delight. I did have this location saved, however, my morning originally had me not bopping around Paris, so I didn't think I'd get to it for lunch. I had planned to spend the whole day at Versailles, but the weather had other plans. It rained the entire day. I'll talk a bit about this in a later post, but part of Versailles charm is the gardens, since it was raining I wasn't able to properly enjoy the grounds. So after a quick tour of the palace I boarded a train back to Paris. When I got back I realized I was hungry with a capital H. It was still raining and I was cold and hungry and disappointed in Versailles and that is exactly when I stumbled upon Café Charlot. I got the croquet monsieur, fries and a coke zero. No offense to the food, because my gosh it was delicious, but the coke zero really stole the show for me. I don't think I had ever had it before, and I was obsessed. Actually, obsessed because when I got home, I stocked up my fridge with the soda, and I don't drink soda.

Enough about the Coke Zero… the meal was exactly what I needed for the rainy weather. I sat at a little café table just as you walked in. They had a bar, a few tables outside and a section that was partially in and partially out. It seemed to be a hybrid of tourists and locals, really just a perfect place to sit and wait out the weather.

Now on to dinner…

Honestly, I never had a bad meal. I can tell you however, that the meal I had at Le Café des Musees was the best, period. In fact, there was a group of culinary students at a table sitting next to me that I was chatting with for a bit. I asked where I should go and eat and they told me Café des Musees was the one they typically recommend. Now they did end up recommending the escargot which I do regret not getting, but unfortunately, I was already on to my main course when we started talking.

I did the three-course meal. My starter was a fresh spring salad with fennel and roasted peanuts, main was filet de beuf and dessert was chocolate cake. 10/10. So good, no notes. Really my only regret was not being able to go back again and order the escargot and beef bourguignon.

My first night there I went to Poulette and had the beef bourguignon, hence why I did not want to have it again. A regret only in that it was all so good. As I mentioned earlier, my first day was a bit of a blur. After getting a quick lunch and then a kind of long nap I took off to amble around the city. After about an hour of walking I realized I was getting hungry and also kind of tired from the jet lag. Au Petit Fer a Cheval was on my list of restaurants to try, plus it was nearby my hotel, win win.

Au Petit Fer a Cheval to me is what one thinks of when they think of a neighborhood bistro. Small in size, massive in taste. Outside seating, a little bar and a few in door tables. As I mentioned earlier, I did the beef bourguignon and wow amaze! So tender, so flavorful, really hit the spot. I just did the main course because I was full from earlier in the day but I'm sure there remaining dishes are just as good.

Another spot I went for dinner was Breizh Café Marais. This was a crepe spot that came up in all my research on places to go in Paris. And while I would say the crepe, I got was amazing, I wouldn't recommend it for anyone going to Paris for the first time. There are so many other amazing restaurants that I wish I would have tried and could have easily swapped this one out for another spot. My opinion may have been tainted because it was raining when I stopped by, but I think I still would have preferred another restaurant over crepes. My fault for buying in to the hype!

What is Paris without Snacks, Coffee, Wine, and Patisseries? Honestly some of my better meals came from these categories.

I went to The Coffee every morning for my coffee spot because it was close to my hotel. If I were closer to Matamata, I probably would have gone there every morning instead. I stopped here for a mid-day pick me up and the coffee was fragrant and strong, and the atmosphere was very local.

If you are looking for a grab and go walking sandwich, check out Maison Landemaine Beaumarchais. One night I decided to pass dinner. I had been out all day and didn't really feel like having a huge meal. I stopped by here and got a ham and cheese baguette sandwich. Such fresh bread - really hit the spot.

Another great hidden, yet potentially very touristy spot… the Printemps rooftop terrace. It's at the top of the Printemps department store with views of Paris and partially of the Eifel tower. They sell little snacks and sandwiches and wine and beer. I had a glass of wine while taking a break from walking. Quite enjoyable. It was particularly enjoyable because it was quiet. I was above all the action from the street and only one other group were up on the terrace with me.

Speaking of wine, one of my favorite stops was O Chateau. It reminded me of City Winery, if you're familiar, but more upscale. They have wine tastings available so it's perfect if you want to try some wines but aren't able to get out to the actual vineyards. They also have a decent food menu. I ended up doing an early dinner/ snack here one evening and got an arugula salad with burrata and balsamic glaze. Paired with fresh bread and rose - is there anything better?

Finally, can you really go to Paris and not have macaroons. I had a few throughout my stay… but my one regret is not being able to eat more! You know that mid-day snack I took before the French onion soup? Oh yea, it was coffee and macaroons. LOL very nutritious. But when in Rome… or Paris! I had macaroons at the Galerie Lafayette Le Gourmet. Literally a foodie heaven. There are 2 floors of food stalls. They have everything from spices, to cheese, to breads, to patisseries you name it, it's there. It was such a joy sipping on my coffee, eating my macaroons and just people watching. Could have stayed for hours!

OK -phew… that's a lot of restaurants! I really hope you check some of them out. I know I will be when I go back! Truly writing this up is making me want to book a trip asap. Drop a comment below and let me know if you went to any of these or are planning on checking them out.

As always, enjoy!