When I looked back at all my photos from our trip to Paris, about half of them contained food or were taken in a restaurant. We really did pig out a lot in Paris. But French food is so delicious that you can't really not when you visit the city! I'm sharing my favourite places we ate and drank during the three days that we were there and have given everywhere a rating out of 10.
Lunch spots
Le B'art - 8/10
On our first day in Paris, we wandered around Montmartre. Famished from our early start on the Eurostar, we went in search of a cute lunch spot – and where we ended up ticked all of the boxes. It was a little bistrot just at the foot of the hill leading up to the Basilique du Sacré-Coeur. It didn’t look much from the outside, but it was clearly quite popular with the locals. The waiter who served us was super friendly and had lots of recommendations about the menu and the area.
Jake and I shared a carafe of red wine and had French onion soup to start. I then had seabream, and Jake had steak frites. The soup was one of the yummiest dishes I’ve ever eaten – it had such a depth in flavour and was topped with a melty Gruyère cheese crouton. Our meal came to about €35 euros in total for the two of us – a bargain. As we were leaving, the waiter whispered in Jake’s ear, suggesting he take me to the Wall of Love just around the corner. It was the perfect first lunch in Paris.
Le Grille - 7.5/10
This restaurant is a bit more central in terms of location. It came up on Google when we searched for the best frog legs in Paris. The interior of this place felt very traditionally French – with rustic wooden floorboards and posters on the walls. We both had frog legs to start, followed by steak frites and chocolate mousse for dessert. Every course was delicious, but the frogs’ legs were especially yummy. They were grilled, not fried, which meant you could taste the flavours a bit better. This restaurant was very traditionally French – it meant we could tick off a few foods on our list of things to try. It was good value for money and a great location and atmosphere. I’d definitely recommend a visit here.
Bakeries and light lunches
If you’re looking for lunch or breakfast on the go, which we did a couple of times during our stay, searching for a bakery and grabbing a baguette or pastry is a great option. You’ll find bakeries dotted on pretty much every street in Paris.
We got lunch from Boulangerie Pâtisserie Coudrier Geffroy, which is near the Eiffel Tower and the perfect spot for a cheap lunch on the go. We also went to Boulangerie Le Grand Opéra on our last day, near the big shopping centres. Both were really reasonable and in Paris, you can't really go wrong with a baguette for lunch.
Stohrer - 8/10
Stoher the oldest patisserie in Paris. On our third morning in the city, we headed there and picked up some croissants and pain au raisins, took them to a park and had a little breakfast picnic in the early morning sun. The pastries were delicious and so reasonable. If the weather is nice when you’re visiting, I’d definitely recommend picking up your breakfast from here and eating alfresco. It this place had a few eat-in tables, I'd give it a 10/10.
Evening meals
La Comete - 7/10
On our first night in Paris, we made our way to Bouillon Paris, which is a really popular French restaurant a friend had recommended to me. Unfortunately, the queue was crazy long so we decided to go for a similar-looking place just up the street: La Comete. It was bustling and full of locals catching up over traditional French dishes.
We were squeezed into a cosy table in the corner. We shared a dozen snails to start, smothered in garlic butter. Then I had a chicken dish with criss-cross fries and Jake had duck. We then shared the creme brulee for dessert. The snails and mains were great and hit the spot but we've definitely had better creme brulee elsewhere. Overall, the price was again quite reasonable and in my book, this place scores points for the atmosphere alone.
Petit Fleur - 6.5/10
This place came up on Google when we searched for the best frogs' legs in Paris – but as we learned when we got there, their menu changes a lot and that dish sadly wasn't available. If you want to make sure you try traditional French cuisine, then this restaurant won't give you that. But it will give you very tasty small plates served in a tapas-style way. We had scallops, butter chicken with potato tots and a delicious plate of grilled leeks. Everything was cooked fresh to order, and you can see the chefs working away in the small kitchen in the corner. The exposed brick walls and small layout make for a cosy evening, and the service is excellent.
Location-wise, this restaurant is in the 18th arrondissement and is probably a little out of the way if you're staying in the centre near all of the main attractions. If you have a spare night in Paris and you've had your fill of snails, frogs' legs and steak, I'd definitely suggest making the trek up here to try the restaurant's interesting and creative food. But if you're only in Paris for a few days, I'd personally prioritise heading to bistros serving specifically French cuisine. That's just because it's so good.
Monblue - 9/10
This is without a doubt my favourite restaurant we went to in Paris. It's a cheese and wine shop by day and eatery by night. Upon entering, you're hit with cosy vibes and a strong smell of delicious cheese. It's not for everyone, but we instantly knew we'd made a great choice.
Having booked this restaurant in advance, we were able to order the raclette. The waiters bring over your raclette machine with a selection of different slices of raclette cheese – smokey, truffle, etc. We also had a bowl of boiled potatoes and a plate of charcuterie meats. The idea is you layer the charcuterie on top of the potatoes and then top with the melted cheese. It was absolute heaven – and really fun to do as well. We washed our meal down with a delicious red wine.
Being a bit more central, and obviously a popular spot among locals, this restaurant had a warm and friendly atmosphere. I'm so glad we went here, and raclette was the perfect meal to prime us for heading out into the freezing February night.
Hot Chocolates
You may wonder why I’m dedicating a whole section of my blog to hot chocolates, but if you tried the ones we had, you’d understand. Having a hot chocolate in Paris is a whole thing. In the cafes we went to, you get basically melted chocolate in a metal pot and a cup of whipped cream on the side to dollop on — the perfect treat, especially when there’s still a chill in the air.
Mademoiselle Angelina - 8/10
Angelina is one of the cafes that is famous for its hot chocolates, and they also do yummy patisseries and macarons. This hot chocolate here was delicious – thick and decadent. And you got a generous side of freshly whipped cream on the side. My only complaint is that it could have been a bit hotter as I finished mine off pretty quickly.
You’ll find a few Angeline cafes dotted around the city – one being in the Louvre. It’s worth noting that this one is more expensive, however – probably because of its location. The one we went to was near the Jardín du Luxembourg. This one is bright and airy, and we didn’t have to queue to get a table as I’m aware you usually have to do. It’s the perfect place to start your stroll around the gardens.
Carette - 8/10
Carette is another brand of cafe in Paris that has seemingly been made famous by TikTok and Instagram. We went to get lunch here early on in our trip but decided to head elsewhere when we saw that the salads and sandwiches were around €25! They did look great but not worth the price, in my opinion. We went back for hot drinks late at night when going to see the Eiffel Tower all lit up and sparkly. And what did we get? A hot chocolate, of course. This one was also served in a metal pot, and they gave a very generous helping of whipped cream on the side. The hot chocolate was slightly better than the one from Angelina as it was on the warmer side and perhaps a little less milky, which I’m a fan of! It was around €10 if I remember correctly, but I’d say it was worth it. The service was especially great in the one we went to.
Café de Flore - 6/10
If you’ve been searching for places to eat in Paris, I have no doubt you’ll have come across this cafe. Once again, it’s very popular on social media – and not just because it's pretty. It's another hub in Paris where artists and literary people used to hang out all the time back in the day.
We went for breakfast and had pastries and hot chocolate. It was nice but definitely overpriced – especially when there are wonderful French bakeries serving mouthwatering croissants and pain au chocolate at a fraction of the price on pretty much every corner of the city. Be prepared to queue for at least 15 minutes for a table as well.
So there you have it: everywhere we ate in Paris! If I had to choose one restaurant to go back to, it would definitely be Le B'art – the food and service made it especially memorable!
Thanks for reading! xo
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