We are going to Paris at the beginning of April and will be staying on Île Saint-Louis in an apartment. I prefer to do big lunches when out during the day and then smaller dinners - sometimes at home - in the evenings when people are tired. We will be in different neighborhoods each day and I have an 11 and 14 year old - they are not picky eaters but they are also not huge eaters and so I am not sure what value we'd get from the pre-set multi--course lunches... a long winded wind up to asking if there are any great, not outrageously priced but interesting places we should have on our radar for lunches... and any spots that are more low key for dinner.
Posted by
Calgary
2043 posts
The first three were suggested by a friend who lives in Paris.
Boullion Republic https://bouillonlesite.com/en/bouillon-republique-2 We met my friend for dinner here. It was good and not crazy slow, because there's usually a line up. (Reservations not permitted.)
KafKaf https://thehungryfamily.com/kafkaf/ We tried this brunch place. OMG. Over the top amazing! Again, no reservations.
Oda (Georgian Restaurant): https://oda-restaurant.fr We didn't have time to try this one, but the food looks amazing on the website, and my friend is a bit of a foodie without a huge budget, so....
https://www.land-and-monkeys.com/nos-produits/ We had lunch here, sitting at a table outdoors. It's a vegetarian bakery/cafe. It's counter service, so you just go in, order, and get your food; so it's fast. But it's nice to sit at a little table outside and watch the world go by. (Of course there are many, many places like this in Paris.) This is convenient if you are visiting the Père Lachaise cemetery. (Which I also highly recommend. My daughter wasn't really interested and went along only to humour me, but once she was there and saw how interesting it was, she was glad she went.)
On Île St. Louis, we had lunch at the St. Regis. https://www.lesaintregis-paris.com Again, it wasn't slow. It's not super cheap but not outrageous, either, and the atmosphere is lovely.
Right across the street from Île St Louis, I suggest having a beverage at Shakespeare and Co. Yes, it's overly touristed, because it's become popular on Instagram. However, I think your kids might like it for that reason, and the bookstore is interesting to see, also. When my daughter and I stopped there last fall, we sat outside, overlooking Notre Dame, with a busker playing a little accordion (so cliché) nearby. I had the Purple Latte, which I think your kids might enjoy (not coffee). https://www.shakespeareandcompany.com/cafe
Enjoy. I think Île St Louis is a spectacular location to stay in Paris.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
16874 posts
Almost any cafe/brasserie will have the option to order off the "carte" (the physical thing we call a menu, lol) so no one needs to order a multi-course lunch. If you go to a higher end place, then maybe but they are easily avoided. Most cafes and brasseries will have Croque Monsieur (kind of a grilled ham and cheese) or big salads.
I suggest some of the falafel spots if they are not picky eaters. I particularly like MAOZ which is on Rue Saint-Andre-des-Arts just off Place Saint-Michel which is in the 6th (but just barely). MAOZ is more a takeaway spot (a few stools to sit on) not really a "dining in" spot but your kids may enjoy the vibe. LOTS of university students are in and out. L'As du Fallafel in the Marais on Rue des Rosiers is one of the very popular spots. You can eat in here. Trust me on this that this food is big enough to maybe carry thru dinner with maybe just gelato for supper, lol.
The only thing I will say about Shakespeare and Co is that sometimes there are the Roma clipboard "girls" out front trying to scam/pick pocket by shoving a clipboard with a fake "petition" into your mid-section. Make sure the kids are pickpocket proof and cue them to not make eye contact and to keep walking.
Posted by
Duluth, MN🌲
11531 posts
Hi Elizabeth. I was in your situation last year when I took my teen and tween grandkids to Paris and London. My granddaughter had just turned 12, and my grandson was 14 at the time. I'm adding a link below to my trip report so that you can look through it, as it includes the names of several restaurants that we went to. We were only there for 3 nights, but we managed to get around quite a bit.
They're both like your teen and tween in that they're not picky eaters, but they're also not heavy eaters, and so I didn't get too exotic or far-fetched with any of our meals. Usually they chose things on the menu that they were familiar with, like chicken and so on. We managed to find a decent amount of restaurants that they enjoyed just in the neighborhood we were staying.
That said, one of the things they absolutely loved to do was visit the patisseries and boulangeries and choose food to eat while we were out walking or for a snack to take back to the hotel, or even to have a little picnic. They really enjoyed places like that. They went out on their own a couple of times to head to some spots as well that they wanted to try and enjoyed that experience as well. They didn't go far and stayed in the neighborhood (we were in St. Germain), but I think it was just a treat for them to be on their own a little bit.
Anyway, here is the link. Keep in mind that we were in London first for ten nights and then went to Paris, so you may want to just scroll down past the first 75% of it to get to the Paris section: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/london-and-paris-and-grandkids-oh-my-march-and-april-2025-trip-report