We are traveling to Paris next week with our teenage daughters (13/16). We want them to experience the amazing culture and food of Paris but know that they will also want some non French food as well. :) Can anyone recommend a few good restaurants??
Thank you so much! :)
Sandra
We ate at L'Alsacien with our kids - super nice folks and they have flammekuche - like pizza, sort of, from the Alsace region. Still French, not something I have eaten in the US (even in SF!) - but not typical French if you get tired of that. We also had some salad and a meat tray I think, desserts were good too. I loved it so much I am going back next month when I go with a friend!
http://www.lalsacien.com/
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d7063365-Reviews-L_Alsacien-Paris_Ile_de_France.html
We also ate at Le Petit Cler, it was great also, typical French.
Kim
Flunch is a cafeteria that can be a pleasant refuge for families. There is one near the Pompidou, it's quick and cheap.
When my kids were teens, they always liked Polidor on rue Monsieur le Prince. Warning: it may still have one of the few remaining stoop toilets out back, a true cultural experience.
there are plenty of pizza places in Paris. There are both McDonalds and the French version 'Quick' everywhere. And you can get Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai food easily particularly in Chinatown near Place d'Italie. And crepe restaurants are great for dinner and crepe stands here and there make a nice snack.
The menu is always posted outside so you can look and decide if you want to eat there. You can get neighborhood recommendations at your hotel. There is a good variety of food. We enjoyed our Asian meals on France, had delicious pizza, plus different types of French food. Yum!
Hippopotamus is a large chain restaurant which is sort of like TGIF Fridays - many locations in most neighborhoods.
Lots of young people like to go there.
Sorry but I have to disagree with one poster who said FLUNCH......YUK
We ate at one cause we were in the Loire in the off season and much was closed. Flunch has no become a punch line to us as "It can't be worse than Flunch"
Worst food ever. I have had hospital food that was better.
Any Crepe stand or baguette sandwich will be better.
Many Parisian cafes have hamburgers on the menu. I also saw fish and chips quite a lot.
And near our rented apartment there was a very good Thai place and we were the only Americans in it.
I think your girls will find plenty to eat in places that you adults will enjoy as well.
Yes, you can go to a burger place or an American-style chain restaurant (such as Hippopotamus). But would you really want to do that?
In Paris, an easy place for Americans to have familiar food with a touch of Frenchiness is le P'tit Troquet in the 7th arrondisement. They usually have some nice, and unchallenging for the timid, chicken dishes on the menu. Comfort food. It can be quite pleasant and unstressful for tourists.
I am sorry that Sam had a bad meal at Flunch in the Loire.
However, I stand by what I said about the one in Paris.
My daughter is a picky eater and was able to tank up there, plus we all enjoyed it.
Just to be clear -- I wasn't recommending a fast food burger stand. I was only commenting that, in Paris, a lot of traditional French cafes will have hamburgers on the menu.
One example -- Cafe Vivienne near the Palais Royale. This is a quality local establishment with an extensive menu of traditional French cuisine.
I so appreciate all of these suggestions.:) we can't wait to get there and try them all! The girls will be happy to know they can fine their comfort food if need be! :)
"Breakfast in America" has two locations in Paris. American-style breakfast is served all day. Hamburgers and other hamburger joint items like French fries and milkshakes are served after 4 pm. One restaurant is in the Marais and the other is in the Latin Quarter. These places are very popular and created (of course) by an American who wanted a little "home away from home."
My personal dining experience in Paris is at a Chinese deli. They are found in the tourist areas of Paris, and elsewhere I suppose. Parisians buy take-out at these places, but you can buy food that is heated and served on-site.
Some bakeries sell individual-size quiches. I often have one for lunch, followed by a dessert or ice cream.
Typical cafe food in France includes items that are not at all foreign to American teens e.g. Steak frittes, or duck confit that sounds exotic but eats like a roast chicken quarter. The trick is to begin to cultivate a taste for the little treats like pates and terrines, cheeses etc and soon they will be searching for great French places to eat.
