Paris restaurant recommendations

This playlist might help: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuhJOez6nh5Iw_-q5osEJ0r5NwsTiUK1N&feature=shared

Atmosphere, traditional French food, and not more than 225€ per person. That narrows the choices down to a few hundred restaurants, or maybe even more.

Take a look at these suggestions of the best 38 restaurants in Paris:

https://www.eater.com/maps/best-restaurants-paris-france

Definitely passing both of these along! Thanks! Continue to welcome anyone chiming in with any specific restaurant experiences they've had in Paris that felt particularly special and quintessentially French. Doesn't have to be the most expensive or highly rated, just a place that created a special memory of the experience of being in, eating in, Paris.

Hi Hannah,
I'm forever trotting out 'Le Temps de Cerises' as a reply to this oft-asked question. Unlike most Parisian restaurants, its a co-op, run by the workers. To say that it is 'funky-boho', would be to sell it short. The walls are covered with leftist political posters, relics plus much more that creates genuine local atmosphere. Great authentic 'popote'-style (i.e. home-cooking) menu and no reservations. Location: in the heart of the 13e's 'Butte Aux Cailles' neighborhood. That area provides a two-fer, in that it is also one of the city's key street-art hubs.

This restaurant has long been our favourite in Paris.

*Beware of a similarly-named eatery up in Le Marais. How that latter establishment got away with copying the name is beyond me.
I am done. the licking of the plates

As for asking restaurant specialists, Michelin also has some suggestions in Paris. (I eliminated the 3 stars)

https://guide.michelin.com/us/en/ile-de-france/paris/restaurants/1-star-michelin/2-stars-michelin/bib-gourmand/the-plate-michelin?sort=distance

You can open the map (top right of the page)

Its direct competitor Gault et Millau which rates with chef's hats instead of stars also has its preferences, here are those of the 18th arrondissement, near Le Relais Montmartre.

So a little more reading:

https://fr.gaultmillau.com/en/search?mostRecent=&keyword=75018&lat=48.864832&lng=2.335133&location=city&city_name=Paris+1&tags%5B%5D=60e6d885198d74f71b70dc98#search

In principle all are supposed to be more like gourmet traps than tourist traps.

Hannah, Tocard’s Eater list has been compiled by a well regarded food writer who lives in Paris (originally American) and I can vouch for a few on his list. I would also suggest Georgette in the 6th (in a quieter area of the 6th) and Le Bon Georges in the 9th which is very close to my favourite food street in Paris, Rue des Martyrs.

Another vote for the list that Tocard shared.

gregglamarsh and Claire, thank you so much for these recommendations! I know she'll appreciate them. (Claire, if you have any particular favorites from the Eater list, do share if you have time!)

I fear the Michelin restaurants will be too much for them in terms of cost and/or legwork to secure reservations, but yummm.

I've no immediate plans to visit Paris myself but between gregglamarsh's enthusiastic recommendation, my own googling of Claire's recommended street, and the resounding support of the Eater list, I wish that weren't the case lol

Hannah, I can vouch for the Breizh group (I am on my way to Paris tomorrow and will eat there Thursday to help with jetlag:), Le 6 Paul Bert, L’Assiette, and Josephine Chez Dumonet. Others have spoken highly of Clamato and Septime. The 11th arrondisement and its close surroundings is well represented on this list and is considered the best area for food these days (according to lots of locals).

Just south of your hotel, near Place Saint Georges, you’ll find Les Cainalles Pigalle. For something romantic and more upscale, try Petrelle.

Hannah,
Not for romance, but the Breizh Cafe restaurants make for a nice lunch stop. Good food, good prices, savory crepes. We noticed most lunchtime diners seemed to be locals on their lunch breaks. We walked to the one in the St. Germain area after visiting the Cluny Museum.

Jim from Brooklyn, NY
My wife and I just returned from Paris and London. We followed Rick Steves suggestions. Stayed at Hotel Duquesne Eiffel, mentioned his book and got free breakfast for the both of us. We ate at three great restaurants that he suggested. 1st- Polidor near Luxembourg Gardens, 2nd- Cafe Du Marche and 3rd-Le Petit Cler both on Rue Cler. Google shows Cafe Du Marche 3.7 stars but we found it great. Staff very attentive, the portions great size and flavorful. We also enjoyed strolling around Rue Cler's shops feeling like locals. If you can only do one, then definitely Polidor.

Hi Hannah
Definitely hit up l'auberge bressane, it's located at 16 Av. de la Motte-Picquet, 75007 Paris, France, near Les Invalides. It has everything you're looking for, except the steep price. My wife and I found it because it was near our hotel and they squeezed us in on a random weeknight, because it was PACKED. But the other customers were so welcoming and friendly it didn't matter that we were basically all sitting together.
It's the classic saucy, rich French food you crave and dream about when you're planning a trip to Paris.

They don't have a cocktail menu, but do have an extensive wine list

I considered booking a reservation at a highly touted Michelin starred restaurant in Paris recently, but it required making a pretty substantial (several hundred euros) credit card payment/deposit in advance, and online reviews of this place revealed frequent screw ups of people having done exactly what was required showing up for their reservation and being told there was no record of it. Oops...

Quickly chiming in to say thank you to the recommendations as they keep rolling in! My friend's having a trip-planning day on Saturday and is already eager to dive into all these suggestions!

I’ll echo Blaamo’s rec of Auberge Bressane and will only add that it’s likely you’ll need a reservation in order to dine there, even if you pop your head in during lunch service one day.

Let me add to the praise of L’Auberge Bressane. I’ve eaten lunch there a couple of times and really enjoyed it. There is very little to me that is more traditional French food than four gras and duck and both are available and very good at Comptoir de la Gastronomie on rue Montmartre in the 1st arrondissement. Another place that I think is very traditional is Le Casse Noix on rue de la Fédération in the 15th. It’s a fixed price place with 3 courses for a set price with a changing menu. Last time I was there a person in a group seemed so confused by the concept and wanted to order only a starter and some wine and her group was eventually escorted out because she refused to agree to pay the full tab for just a starter and the staff insisted that they had no way to figure out the price for just a starter. It was pretty comical. I never heard « it is not possible » said more.

Here are two suggestions in Montmartre within walking distance of your hotel Le Poulpot which I highly recommend and le Bistrot du Maqus which I have not yet been to but which was highly recommended by a person who has never steered me wrong.