A good moderate priced restaurant in Paris

I assume that you already have a copy of Rick Steves' Paris guide book that lists lots of places to eat. If you do not have his book be sure to get one before you leave if you have time.

Thanks for the tip about the Vagenende restaurant Susan, I have a special love for the Devil Wears Prada, (mainly because I was Anne Hathaways character (minus the cool free clothes) during my first job.)and in Sept I will be staying in the St. Germain area, and I've been looking for a place to eat our first night. This looks like it will fit the bill perfectly

We grabbed a quick casual dinner last night and the bill was $41. No wine or anything. That was a "cheap dinner" (but above fast food, obviously)

Definitely define moderate. To me moderate is $100-150.

You could also do a birthday lunch. Lunch is usually less expensive and similar food.

There was an article several months ago in the travel section of the NY Times that reviewed a few of the better "prix fixe" restaurants in Paris. I had bookmarked it to save mor my next trip. It might be worth checking out.

http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/04/18/travel/18prixfixe.html?pagewanted=all

Good luck!

We'll be able to give some more answers if you give us a range for what your definition of "moderate" is. That can vary wildly from one person to another.

We were in Paris recently and it was a challenge to find restaurants that were less than 90 euros for two for dinner. We especially noticed that the lesser expensive wines did not appear on menus--lots of 25-30 euros per bottle. A restaurant that we really enjoyed was l'Orangerie on rue St Louis l'Ile. The food was excellent, nice table linens, and flowers on tables. Cafe Constant seems to be highly rated but they do not take reservations and the wait was lengthy--not sure it was worth it and again, "moderate" priced meal was nearly 100 euros. Our favorite lunches were at Taverna Henri IV and Las du Falafel (cheap, good, fun atmosphere). THIV is located on Pont Neuf and the food was outstanding and the small place was full of locals.

Thank you for your replies. I understand moderate is a relative term. We'll just have to explore and see the options. Thanks for many of the ideas.

I agree. I found the same thing when I was in Paris last December. A nice dinner at a "moderately priced" restaurant, with a couple of glasses of wine and desert, runs about 40 to 50 Euros each. But, heck, you can pay just about the same here in San Francisco -- it's difficult to not spend $50 or $60 for a good meal.

Paul--I thought of another possibility for you and your family. We went early (6:30 or so) to the well known Vagenende on St Germaine Blvd and were promptly seated. We ordered a set price chicken dish with a side of veggies and a glass of wine and I think the cost was 50-60 euros for two of us. The restaurant is gorgeous--a scene from Devil Wears Prada was filmed there. Your daughters would love it. Have a great trip!

We were in Paris June 30--July 3. Each night we ate dinner at a sidewalk cafe. We ordered from Le Menu. DH usually had starter + main, I had main + dessert. We also had a modest bottle of wine, costing about 20 euro. Each night the total bill, including the wine, was 70-80 dollars. (Not euros, we already got the credit card bill) The restaurants were Cafe Central (OK but tables way too close together), Le Bosquet, and Le Montebello twice. I thought these prices were more reasonable than we would pay at home.