Favorite meal in Paris?

French food or any type of cuisine? Any location preferences? If you are looking for French food try A la Biche Au Bois: http://parisbymouth.com/our-guide-to-paris-a-la-biche-au-bois/ For Italian look at Al Caratello in Montmartre: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d788378-Reviews-Ristorante_Al_Caratello-Paris_Ile_de_France.html Leaning toward vegetables and Israeli style food, then look at Miznon in Le Marais: http://parisbymouth.com/miznon/ Chez Gladines (several locations) -- I like the one in the 13th (no reservations and no credit cards). I could go on but will stop now.

My favorites were the creperies around rue de Montparnasse. They're mentioned in the RS guide. Casual and inexpensive.

If you are looking to eat well on a budget get Rick's book and carry the Paris food section with you. Don't be lazy like I was on my first trip, making hasty decisions based on hunger and being tired led to some bad meals. Rick's recommendations are a good safe bet and having the book lets you find something on the fly.
My wife's favorite was Cafe Constant in the 7th.

This suggestion may be too casual, lol, but I love L' As du Fallafel in the Marais. It's a lunch place, about 8E for a huge sandwich so maybe 11 or 12E by the time you get a drink along with it. It's closed on Saturdays, open Sundays. There is almost always a line but in August when I was there it was not as busy as the times I have been in September. The portions are huge and I often will not be hungry for dinner if I have this for lunch...maybe just gelato, lol. You can eat there or get it carry out. It's worth to take a few minutes watching the guys at the carry out window build these things.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27As_du_Fallafel

We have stayed near the Sorbonne and Pantheon two or three times. While I can't remember the name of the restaurant, it is on the Rue Mouffetard near Rue Monge. The restaurant It is fairly close to the Pantheon. it is also quite small with only 10 or 15 tables on two levels. We have enjoyed both the fondue and the raclette. I realize this information probably isn't too helpful since I don't know the actual name but we have gone there three times.

OK, I kept looking on Google, etc. I believe the restaurant is La Grange at 72 Rue Mouffetard. Seeing the pictures that people have posted via Trip Adviser, it does looklike the interior of the restaurant. If not, there are several other Swiss/French restaurants in that area.

I have also enjoyed Moroccan food in Paris. I always have tangine and couscous. We have also liked the pizzas at various places. I love the salads with the wonderful vinagrette dressings and desserts.

We don't usually look for "name" restaurants. We just go to places near our hotels during the evening. I can't say that we have been unhappy with an meal with the exception of a very thick "bifteck" that my husband ordered. The steak was so thick that it was more a roast and it was impossible to get it as cooked as he wanted.

Hey, we are in Paris! Could we have a bad meal? Not in my opinion! :) Just walk around and look at the menus in the windows.

You can find a meal for under 30 EU just about anywhere in Paris, if you look for the "formule" or "menu" - especially at lunchtime.

Lots of cafes and restaurants stock up on the specials at the industrial food warehouse "Metro" - it's frozen food, but really pretty good - and it's cheap. Most working French people head to places like this because they are cheap and close to where they work.

Christian Constant is a chain that offers a different traditional meal each day of the week, for under 25 EU with wine. Other dishes available, too.

Le Petit Bofinger near Bastille offers a "formule" for around 16 EU at lunch, coffee included.

If you're anywhere near the Eiffel Tower, Cafe Constant or Les Cocottes both serve excellent traditional meals. Lunch is around 28 EU, more if you have wine.

I don't consider a felafel a real dining experience, even if you can find a place to sit down while eating it.

We stayed the Latin Quarter and very much enjoyed La Contrescarpe (classy but casual, also good for late night) located in Place Contrescarpe, and Le Volcan (regular sit-down restaurant for a full meal) located at the southern end of Rue Descartes, at the intersection with Rue Thouin.

That entire neighborhood is full of small casual restaurants, though I can't speak for the quality of those I didn't mention above.

Wine, cheese, bread, fruit, salad...purchased from a market. Eaten on the quay of the Seine on Isle St. Louis directly behind Notre Dame at sunset. Best restaurant in Paris!

La Cave Gourmande in Montmarte for fabulous boeuf bourguignon, Cafe Relais Bousquet in St. Germain for upscale food without upscale prices, and Cafe Constant in the 7th where the 30-somethings outnumbered us 4-to-1 and we all ate well for less.

Order wine by the carafe and tap water is acceptable anywhere in France. BTW we often split portions. Last trip to La Cave Gourmand, four of us ate for Euro 115 and there was a LOT of wine as well as dessert consumed.

I got sick the last time I ate at l'As du Falafel and would not recommend it. Miznon, right around the corner is a much, much better choice. Great food, but a bit of a noisy and chaotic environment. Make sure to try the whole roasted cauliflower.

One of my best experiences was at the famous LA ROTONDE. The meal was absolutely top notch and the service was great and in such a historic spot. Can't wait to go back this holiday season.

30 euros will buy a three-course meal in many places as a fixed menu. What drives the price up is adding wine, coffee, the cheese plate after dessert, and so on. But at least you know the price you see on the menu posted by the door is what you can pay since it includes service and taxes.

I suggest Cafe Constant, near the Eiffel Tower. Not fancy and can get crowded. Good service, always good food. I have been several times on different trips and will be there soon. Then take a stroll to the Eiffel Tower, in my opinion best seen from far, either from the Ecole Militaire end of the Camps du Mars park or from the Trocadero on the opposite side of the river, the latter is my fave.

Enjoy Paris.

We loved L'As du Fallafel.

And I second Anita who recommended going to a market. One night for dinner I went to a little grocery store down the street from my hotel and bought a baguette for 99 eurocents and two different cheeses and it was an amazing meal. Everything is good in Paris. We bought pain au chocolate from Monoprix, a chain grocery store also near our hotel, and that was delicious.

Le Bistro du Perigord fits the bill. Even better, but a bit over 30 euros, was Le Christine - modern take on French classics. Mmmm!!!

Woinparis...interesting comments about the falafel reviews based on language. I live in a falafel wasteland so I love to eat it on vacation. I also like the Maoz chain because I like to pick the salad to go on it but their stands just have the small counter seating area whereas in L'As du Fellafel you can go in to the restaurant side. I probably have very low expectations but should also push myself to eat at some of the other falafel stands in the Marais next time I am in Paris.

Another thumbs up for Anita's response. We had great meals in Paris, to be sure, but none is so memorable as the chicken, cheese, bread, strawberries and wine that we had on a bench near the Eiffel Tower. Walk down Rue Cler and pick up all the deliciousness you have a desire for and wander over to the Tower or some other breathtaking spot and make your picnic. Pack some paper towels and wet wipes in your day bag to "wash up" when you're done.

Here's a general dining tip specifically for Paris travelers--
there are cafes and bistros surrounding just about all of the Metro stations you are likely to be
exiting from on your way to interesting sightseeing spots,
but if you try walking a block in the opposite direction from the spot you are going to,
you will find tables with a tenth the number of tourists sitting beside you.
I like to settle in with the professional office workers who are on lunch breaks and have
the formule that looks tastiest.
Examples would be the Cafe Kleber near Trocadero metro with a 31E three-course menu that includes house wine,
and/or Le Kleber near Boissiere metro with similar or slightly lower pricing.
I'd pick a place that gets 4s from local reviewers in French over one that gets 5s from English-speaking one-time vacationers.

Creperies will be much less than 30 euros per person, some creperies charge more and are more like restaurants. Others charge less but are more like a McDonald's. I didn't have any crepes while I was in France but I had lots of galettes. The difference is crepes are like a sweet treat and galettes are food. The best (to go) galette I had was only 3,50 in the 6th; most were around 6 euro. Places that looked like restaurants usually charged somewhere between 10 and 14.

For a meal, that's still not too expensive, I'd suggest wandering through areas that seem to have lots of food places and checking to see what they offer as a fixed price menu. Generally, most places I saw had fixed priced lunches for around half your budget or a little less and fixed price dinners started around 25 euro and worked up from there.

Add something for wine. If wine is expensive, like in American restaurants, you're in a tourist place and you shouldn't eat there. You can get a nice bottle of wine in a decent restaurant for 15-20 euro. In touristy restaurants they'll charge much more for bad wine.

Also, almost every restaurant has karafes of refrigerated tap water for customers. I think it's a sign a place treats tourists badly when you ask for a karafe d'eau and they bring you a large bottle of mineral water. If they do, and that's not what you want, immediately tell them and they'll bring you what they should have brought in the first place.

Ok, we stumbled on a restaurant that's on no one's radar, but it is really delicious, calm, space between tables: Le Lisbonne, a Portugese restaurant that also has some French food, but it's ovelooked because it is squeezed between La Rotonde and L'Entrecote in Montparnasse. Very good fish, lots of fresh vegies, people at the next table raved about their seafood soup thingie. Drank a bottle of Portugese wine, which is becoming one of my favorites for daily pour, ( thanks to Costco).

As for La Rotonde, we were taken to lunch this week: food correctly done but nothing to rave about, and served ok, but a rude maitre'd. We're majority native Paris speakers so it wasn't an anti-tourist thing, but just a jerk working there. Waiter did his job compentently.

No one favorite restaurant, but did want to tip people off about Le Lisbonne.

We ate at Restaurant Polidor, near Saint-Michel/Odeon metro. Woody Allen featured it in the movie Midnight in Paris. I had boeuf bourguignon and my husband had sausages with lentils. We also had wine and a dessert. I don't remember the prices but it was very memorable. Hope you enjoyed your trip and all the wonderful food.

All of these are either in the 9th or 18th:

Caillebotte (bistro)

Le Mandigotte (bistro)

Le Dan Bau (sit-down Vietnamese)

Paradis des Pates (Vietnamese/Korean takeout)

woinparis, it's carafe in English as well... 😊

We had quick and delicious lunches at Maoz on two different trips - had read it was better than L'as du Falafel, so just went to Maoz! It's a very small place with counter seating, but the food was fresh and delicious.

We had a two course dinner at La Cuisine de Phillippe in the 6th, near Luxembourg Gardens. The entrees were good, but the dessert soufflés were truly memorable. They have formulas for three course dinners, too, with savory soufflés, but that seemed like too much food for us. My pistachio soufflé with chocolate bits was one of the best things I ate on that stay in Paris. It is a small place, and you should make reservations - but we were able to do so just a day in advance in the summer, and it was a great experience at a reasonable price. The chef came out to talk with the guests after dessert was served.

Le Comptoir du Pantheon was a good place for lunch for us - generous salads with chicken on top were great in the hot weather, but there were lots of good sounding things on the menu. It is in sight of the Pantheon.

Well, I've just written this and now seen that you've already had your trip! What did you find that you'd recommend?

Laurie

Loved Le Campenella and Trattoria Dell Angelo both in the 7th. Both were excellent. Loved that we could walk there from our apartment. Not expensive but great food.

We LOVED les Deux Magots but maybe it was more the FEELING than the food but our food was also delicious.

We especially liked Poulette and Miznon, both in the Marais.

Try Kitchen Gallerie Bis or La Petit Pontoise. Excellent food.

Falafal (sp?) just isn't on my wish list. I mean, seriously, I'm coming all the way to France from the States for a brief period of time. I want to eat French food, not necessarily high or low brow, not necessarily white table cloth & crystal.

There was a PBS TV show some time back called ""I'll have what Phil's having" (or something like that) ... he did a fun search for the best roast chicken (I want to go there) and also a great place for Steak Frites (I want to go there).

Falafal I can get as street food at home!

Andy, I get what you're saying, but have to say that I've eaten a lot of fallafel and what I had at L'As du Fallafel was very good-be sure to add grilled eggplant and hot sauce. As I thought about this I remembered that Phil thought so too. Maybe not a favorite meal, but still memorable. And yes, that chicken, in goose and duck fat (!!) looked just incredible-that was at Chez L' Ami Louis, and it's on our list.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/what-phils-having/paris/