Kids & French Restaurants

Our nine year old son has done fine in French restaurants for years. They often have steak or steak hache (basically hamburgers) and roast chicken preparations. We also sometimes take him to McDonalds or a pizzeria. One of the main things that I have learned is that in the evenings, we have to eat early before the dinner rush. Here is a link with some child friendly places in Paris: http://france.mumabroad.com/paris/Child_Friendly_Cafes_Restaurants_in_Paris-12581 You can try the Hippopatamus restaurant chain or Buffalo Grill. We have taken our son over the years to Joe Allen, Breakfast in America, Le Train Bleu, A la Biche Aux Bois, Indiana Cafe, Brasserie Flo, Le Relais de l'Entrecote, Le Petit Bofinger and L'Avant Comptoir with great results. L'Avant Comptoir may seem like an odd choice for children given that it is a wine bar but they make a small plate of fried chicken atop fries that my son loves. My husband and I are not fans of Hippotamus, Buffalo Grill and Indiana Cafe but our children love them so we go every so often.

Simple tastes can be met with wholesome foods like.. roast or grilled chicken, fish, or beef. Most places will leave off sauces for children.. and some more family orientated places will have childrens menus.. ( few will feature exactly those foods you list,, ie a hamburger may in fact be just a hamburger patty served as a meat , but there is often a pasta offering ( again,, not Kraft dinner.) . more like noodles in red or white sauces)

There are always pizza places.. and Italian places with pasta dishes.

There are McDonalds( and don't do what I did,, finally agreed to take my 11 yr old out for a burger meal, but decided to try the "Quick Burger " chain,, thinking at least its a more local type choice. Gross.. meat was weird.. neither of us could finish them.. McDonalds is a better choice if you are going to cave in to junk food) lol

A good family chain restaurant is Hippotomous.. they have normal food for adults too( although not haute cuisine of course.. but google it.. the menu is not terrible for a family meal out)

There is also the chain Chez Clements and Leon Bruxelles.. ( a mussel place but they have kids food too ) I like the mussels there myself. Its actually a Belguim chain.

I was lucky,, my kids were not fed things like pizza, or chicken chunks much.. we call that birthday party food.. so they really had little problems with just ordering a meat dish without sauces etc..
Beef is different in France.. not as mushy.. a little chewier.. so good bets are always chicken and pork dishes.

French fries are served with many things as a side ( although not at really fancy places)

Keep in mind French restaurants do not open for dinner till 7 or 730 and dinners can take a few hours.. hard on most kids. Brasseries serve food all day and may be a better choice for family dining ( and food at them can be very good, so you are not compromising in having some authentic regional specialities )

PS second recommendation for Breakfast in America.. we went there often for breakfast because my hubby likes a big breakfast ( most hotels over charge you for a coffee and bun basically ) .. they also serve refillable coffee.. something you will not find in Paris normally. They do lunch and dinner but we only went for breakfasts. Its not fancy .. but an omelette and coffee for less then 10 euros.. or some pancakes, eggs, waffles.. all under 10 euros.
Busy and popular with locals too , you will see.. small place ( the one in Latin Quarter was anyways) kitchy décor.. but perhaps a fun change.

We took our 9 year old granddaughter to Paris for 8 days in October. No problem with the food. Steak, fries, pizza, chicken etc. Many times we ordered 2 meals and both shared with her. We sometimes ate our main meals at noon. We were in an apartment so that made it easier for breakfast. Fruit, bread will fill him up too. Maybe buy food at a market for a picnic. We went out to a couple nice places about 6:00 before the formal opening. Don't forget lots of crepes, macaroons, and ice cream every day too!! Have fun..

Hamburgers are everywhere, and so are 'french fries' as is baked chicken, and there are many pizzerias in France. I took my Very Picky Eater Granddaughter to Paris when she was 10, and told her "we're in FRANCE, Luckeee You and you must eat like a little FRENCH kid while we're here!" She ate a baguette or croissant every morning, along with cheese or butter and Hot Chocolate, enjoyed onion soup (broth and crouton), we did eat some pizzas, however. I refuse to spend the money to give a kid the experience of a European Vacation and have them dictate Chicken McNuggets to me. If they're hungry, they'll eat. There are millions of French kids who eat. Well. Better than Americain kids.

Insofar as preparing her for the trip, buy a jar of Nutella and start putting it on his toast. It's a favorite of French kids, a combo of haelnut and chocolate. The French version of peanut butter. Explain to him that there are going to be NO McNuggets, etc. and that this will be a wonderful adventure and he'll get on board.

Breakfast won't be an issue. A pain au chocolat or croissant with a hot chocolate, juice or milk will tide him over. Does he eat things like scrambled egg, ham or cheese? You can stop by a crepe cart and get him a savory crepe filled with that. There are also plenty of creperie restaurants where they can make him something pretty basic - and if he won't eat a savory crepe, I'm sure he'll woof down the sweet crepes - like Nutella with banana, or berries with fresh whipped cream or sugar. If you stick to family type restaurants, you should be able to find an option for him on their menu - it's not going to be mac & cheese - but spaghetti with butter or a plain tomato sauce will show up often. But I would not knock myself out seeking out places that will cater to his preferences. Stop off and get him some fast food or go to one of the grocery stores (like Monoprix) and see if you can find some snack foods to give to him, but then go someplace that you like. If he has to sit there and watch you order a meal and eat dinner in front of him while he eats a dinner roll, oh well… when he gets hungry enough, he'll try something - and he might discover he likes it. I was around your son's age when I learned that I actually liked grilled octopus and roasted rabbit in Italy, and I even tried blood sausage in Ireland (but maintained that I did not like that after taking a few bites).

For both children and people we can suggest Flunch, http://www.flunch.fr/

We go there all the time. Kids love it; the food is real, if reheated on the veg table, and the prices are super.

In Paris I have used the downstairs one near the Pompidou Centre and the upstairs one near Place de Clichy (we like the location there quite a lot, and it is super convenient).

Flunch are all over France, often in an Auchun or Carrefour mega centre, including the areas you will be in.

BTW - different people have different tastes. We prefer Quick to McD's, especially in Luxembourg and Belgium. In Bruges there's even a Quick overlooking the main square.

Thanks to everybody for the great suggestions and web links! It definitely looks like we have lots of options. Our goal is to expand his horizons when it comes to food. Foie gras may not be on his plate the first day, but just possibly the last.

I am with Nigel and quite like Quick, especially that one in Bruges. And am a fan of Buffalo Grill, partly it is the novelty. I joke that if we went to North America we would visit Wendy's for the same reason. I would avoid Courtepaille based on personal experience, but of course every body has different experiences of these things.

Restaumarche, part of the Intermarche supermarket chain, used to be good, but they have largely disappeared rebranded as Poivre Rouge which I have yet to try, and the two experiences of Flunch I have had have both been good. And of course in all these things, something great at 10€ might be rubbish if priced 15€. For kids, the chain restaurants are of course aimed at families so where probably will be something for your son at least to have a go at. Though the menu at Buffalo Grill does point out the minimum cooking for items on its children's menu is (French) medium.

Interesting.. the two posters who like Quick are both from Europe( well if we count UK as Europe , as compared to rest of us North Americans).. what I am wondering.. are there burgers actually 100% beef or is it a pork beef blend.. because they were definitely different to what we prefer or are used to..

Well the menu for Quick http://www.quick.fr/la-carte-des-gouts/ talks over and over about the 100% pur Boeuf and the French take their meat, indeed all food, pretty seriously, so my guess is that it is all beef (except the chicken products, of course).

The Group webpage does acknowledge the idea came to the Belgian founder on a trip across the USA but that after they started they realised that Belgian, and later French, audiences prefered their food a little differently.

Quick is number 2 to McDonalds in French fast food, but number one in Belgium.

I think it is more to do with different cooking methods, oils etc, different sauces that make the burger and the fripperies like the buns and fries that make the difference.

One other wee thing about the Quick philosophy that is heart healthy and good for adults and kids alike - they don't put any salt on the fries and provide little red sachets of salt which can be used or not as you wish....

You'll find many American chains in Paris and through out France. Along with Micky D's, Pizza Hut
And Kentucky Fried Chicken. Crepes might be a good first introduction. The reason most North Americns
don't care for Burgers @ Quicks, is because it's a very lean beef coarsly ground.

Good points Nigel.. I do agree the Europeons pay better attention to nutrition and food quality.