PARIS FOOD

About a 10-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower is the great little neighborhood of Rue Cler. It's got several good markets and inexpensive cafes. You can easily put together a pretty good picnic lunch and enjoy it at the park near the Tower. Pick up one of Rick's guidebooks for more details, or you can find some good information about Rue Cler here:

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/france/france_menu.htm

(Scroll down to the Rue Cler articles in the Paris section).

Pick up a copy of Sandra Gustafson's "Great Eats Paris" (11th ed.). She gives good descriptions of the eateries she reviews, including favorite or house-specialty dishes, and details the potential costs. She also gives a good overview of the differences between cafes, brasseries, bistrots and restaurants. Make sure you get the 11th edition (published in 2007, I think), as the previous edition was published too many years ago to be very helpful (prices are still listed in francs).

Restaurants/cafes post their menus outside their building. While walking around, stop to check prices/menus at whatever places look good to you. I've been to Paris many times & haven't had too many bad meals. To me, food is a big part of paris but it doesn't mean you have to spend a lot.

No specific restaurants, but in general, off the beaten path will be cheaper, and there are other alternatives to restaurants. Street food, which in Paris would be crepes, sandwiches, maybe even some ethnic foods would be a good break. There are a number of shops to get ready made, hot food, to go, that are popular.

That's like asking for cheap eats in Chicago--there are just way too many to list without more specifics(and what is "cheap" to you?). Rick has many suggestions for Rue Cler, near the Eiffel Tower; he also lists my favorite 6E meal in Paris, L'as du falafel. Markets are great because they have prepared foods such as rotisserie chickens and paella. Boulongeries will have good quiche and sandwiches and desserts (try to avoid getting these from touristy snack stands though--they are never good). There are decent Asian take out places everywhere (Rick has at least one listed near Rue Cler). Grocery stores aren't the highest quality place to buy food but they will have staples.

My favorite great VALUE place near the Eiffel Tower is Cafe Constant. It's a Michelin starred chef's version of a casual cafe. Main courses are 18E which you many not consider cheap, and everything is fantastic.

Let me add to the great suggestions made above. In the neighborhood immediately south of the Notre Dame Cathedral, you will find a large number of Moroccan restaurants...I survived quite nicely back in my salad days, eating several times a week in this neighborhood. On our last visit, I noticed that the prices had gone up considerably, but the Tajines represented a very substantial meal for around 8 - 10 Euros.

I second:

L'As du Fallafel
34 Rue des Rosiers
Marais

SO good, so cheap!

Susan... One of the true delights of Paris are the morning out door markets. My husband and I are photographers and we not only photograph them, we get our lunch there. We take my backpack and get olives, a bagette, fruit, cheese , a drink, and a dessert. After we finish, we find a bench or a park and have a wonderful lunch.We always stay close to where you will be and here are some markets that are neat.-Saxe Breteuil is in the 7th on Avenue Saxe from Place de Breteuil to Avenue de Segur. It is on Thursday morning and Saturday morning. Anothur of our favorites is the Presidant Wilson market-on Saturday and Wednesday-Metro Iena, market is on President Wilson Avenue behind the Trecadero. The metro for Saxe Breteuil market is Segur.Don't for get Rue Cler. It is a wonderful market street and on Sunday morning they have wonderful treats set out almost like a buffet for you to take home for Sunday lunch.

http://troi.cc.rochester.edu/~tdip/tomsguidetoparis.htm

hi susan,
.... the above link is Tom's Guide to Paris (Tom lives there). The guide's home page has an icon called EATING. If you click on that, look for the place that Tom says is his 'favorite restaurant in all the world', called aux Artistes. Be sure to note the other places listed. You're sure to find one that pleases the tummy and the pocket. Bon Appétit!...P

Also take Rick's advice and look for the cafes and neighborhood restaurants off the main drags. Lunchtime is also a good time to eat a solid meal. There are often fixed price menus for workers at lunch time that are very reasonable.

Awesome street market right on Rue Cler as well as great cheese shop, deli, pastry shop, bakery, butcher.... all on Rue Cler. Yum, makes me hungry thinking about it. Try a brochette (sandwich with grilled meat) from the lady that set up at the front door of the butcher for lunch. The sandwiches were great and she was so kind to us our very first moments in Europe. We were so tired and hungry! Also, for really cheap eats, we like the Leader Price - great wine for only a few Euros! Our favorite cheap restaurants/best values are the Cosi Cafe (lunch or dinner) and Lemoni Cafe (lunch only) but neither are in the 7th. Have fun!!!

We traveled to Paris in May and had a blast. Make sure you follow Rick's books and advice. We felt so much at home when we saw most of the American Tourists with Rick Steve's books. Being vegetarian it was little difficult to find vegetarian food. Most of the time we made our own sandwiches with the cheeses and other condiments brought from the local store. It was fun as well as time saving. Dinners we used to eat out. On our last day we found this little gem tucked in by the Alleys near the Notredame Cathedral. The Ravioli and Creme Brulee was out of this world! Nice wine selection and price was under 12 Euros for a 3 course meal. Its a very small place with excellent service! Must eat there!
The Chef's name is Dany.

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75005 Paris.

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