Hello,
We will need restaurant recs for our arrival day, Thursday, and on Saturday in mid-June. Our first day we will most likely walk along the Siene after we check in. Our hotel is in the National Archives area. Saturday we will most likely tour the Latin Quarter area. So any restaurant suggestions in these areas are greatly appreciated. We prefer more simple but good food over fancy gourmet cuisine. Thanks so much!
I'm not sure if these are affordable to you but they are mid-Range to me.
I enjoyed a lovely meal with folks from the forum at Robert et Louise but it's meat heavy and might be too much on your arrival day.
Friends have also eaten at Chez Hannah for Israeli food and enjoyed it a lot.
Breizh Café has several locations throughout Paris.
Our granddaughter, who was working in Paris, recently took us to her two favorite restaurants, both of them affordable and good. And both of them exactly where you're going to be.
The first is Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond, a total delight. "Traditional French cuisine served in an old-world dining room with flowery walls & etched mirrors." It's a 10 minute walk from the National Archives, so it should be in the vicinity of your hotel. We waited on line for a very short time before being seated and I'd wait even longer if I had to.
The second, Le Jardin des Pâtes, is just across the street from Jardin des Plantes in the Latin Quarter. It's a lovely little place for pasta made on the premises with organic barley, wheat, rye, or chestnut flour.
What is affordable? For some folks that might be 10 euros per person. For others it’s 50 per person. If you provide guidance, we can better assist.
I agree with the Robert et Louise recommendation both as a nice place to eat and convenience to where the OP is staying. Been there multiple times and always had a good experience.
@Born a Travelin' Man: that's a great point, affordability is relative. One of the restaurants most recently recommended would be my definition of affordable. Appetizers 2-7 Euros, a glass of wine for 5-6, desserts 1.50-5.50. That's my kind of affordable! :-)
DoxieFriend,
Last June we enjoyed the Cafe Mucha on Blvd St. Germain, not far from the Musee d'Orsay. We had a lovely lunch (four of us, each ordering something different). The price was very reasonable, the service was very good, and we enjoyed watching the scene on the Blvd. as we ate. I echo ther rec. for Breizh Cafe. We ate at the one in the St. Germain area and felt we had a really tasty meal for a good price. We walked there from the Cluny Museum. It took about 10-15 minutes. There seemed to be lots of locals there on their lunch breaks, judging by my (slight) eavesdropping on the conversations around me. (Tsk, tsk!) I think that speaks well of an establishment, n'est-ce pas?
I can second the recommendation for Bouillon Pharamond. The staff were very friendly, service was timely, the setting was charming, and the food was good. My meal was pretty heavy/rich, which hit the spot in January when I visited, but it might feel like too much in June. I am unsure if there were lighter options--maybe fish?
I paid 18 euros (rounding up to 20 euros, which the waiter seemed to appreciate) for a main course and a glass of wine. I went early in the evening (6 PM, my usual dinner time), and there was no wait for a table. As I left the restaurant, I saw a line forming around the corner. I would eat there again.
Thank you all for your kind responses! Yes, the meaning of affordability can vary greatly, so please forgive the word choice. Thank you all again!
No harm in saying “affordable.” I only brought it up because Paris is a big city with a lot of offerings and I wanted to help you get useful recommendations for you and your group. Paris is great and I want you to enjoy it as much as I have.
Another few thoughts…likely the worst croissant you get in Paris will be on par or better than the best croissant you get at home. And I haven’t had a bad baguette in Paris. These can be part of a meal on the go or a picnic near a landmark or in a park like Luxembourg Gardens.
No harm in saying "affordable," but like many things in life, it's helpful to provide context. An "affordable" house in the DC area where I live would be considered astronomical back in my hometown in KY. Similarly, if you're used to paying $10 for lunch where you live and it's more like $20 in Paris, that isn't really "affordable." It might be FOR PARIS, but not FOR YOU. Thanks for the helpful suggestions, we are definitely going to visit Bouillon Pharamond. There's also a nice little Japanese restaurant near where we're staying, and their prices are definitely up our alley. (entrées for 2-5 Euros, ramen dishes for 9.5-12, yaki soba for 13.50, desserts all under 5, wines, cocktails and sake for 3.50-5).
We walked through the Latin Quarter a few times yesterday and found it overflowing with temping food options. We opted for a late lunch at the tiny little Chez Gigi on Rue Xavier. They have a three course special for 16,90 so we started with an onion soup, frogs legs and calamari, a local wine and a Coke. We then shared ratatouille, beef bourguignon, and a lasagna. And tasted a red we didn't like, so ordered another Cote Rhone. When I saw the deserts, a lemon pie, chocolate mousse, and crème brulée, I added an espresso.
Everything was well made, well presented and very tasty. The barker out front prompting patrons to enter was lively local flavor and our bill was only 60,50. As I questioned this, our proprietor explained how it was correct, no charge for the taste or the espresso, those were his gifts, and the gratuity had been worked in.
We had dinner at Breizh Cafe on Rue de l'Oleon. Two crepes, a chorizo galette, a wine and a spritzer were all 60,00 after tip. We'll go again tomorrow after the rest of our group arrives!
