Great restaurant finds in Paris

We really enjoyed Cafe Med on Ile Saint Louis. Very inexpensive. A 3 course meal was about $15 last July. Great atmosphere, good service and really good food.

Matt, read the restaurant section in "Tom's Guide to Paris". Tom picks lots of offbeat and fun places, as well as many "standards" . We just loved Ave Maria. It was out-of-the way, but was cheap, small, fun, and funky, and had food that just melted in your mouth.

Our only Paris restaurant meal was at Au Bougnat, near Notre Dame, but it was well worth it. We loved our food, especially the pumpkin bacon soup at the beginning and the coconut lychee mousse at the end. The waitresses were friendly and speak English if that's a concern for you. Just be sure to duck down as you enter the dining room!

We found L'Orangerie on Ile Saint Louis to be very good. They offered a menu of three courses for about 45 euros pp. Of course wine will be extra and we have noticed many Paris restaurants offer wine at 25 euros or more lately and also the over priced bottled water. Unless the resto is really upscale we ask for a carafe of tap water. Anyway L'Orangerie is a nice little place with white table linens and fresh flowers. Another place we liked was Bastide Odeon near Luxembourg Gardens. If you want an excellent lunch with the locals try Henri IV on the Pont Neuf Bridge-very good food and so much fun to watch the locals savor their meal.

Without a doubt, Le Petite Prince de Paris. Just Google it and you won't regret it. It's located in a quaint alley in the Latin Quarter.

We found our meals at Petit Prince to be very mediocre and would not return. Some of those restaurants around the Pantheon are inexpensive but not worth it unless you are staying in that area. Lena et Mimmele may be the best of the bunch in the Latin Quarter-very popular with the locals and well behaved dogs.

Matt, I really recommend the night dinner cruise on the seine. the food was good and you can see a lot of the sights in lights as night falls. we had a window seat on the left side of the boat. I am sure I would spell the name of the cruise wrong but it is mentioned in ricks book-the initials are BM. i would guess they have their own website if you wanted to look into it. it is pricey but it was one of our most memorable vacation experiences. good luck. Greg

NYTimes, April 1, 2011 "four Paris Restaurants worth a Metro Ride." Excellent article by Mark Bittman, an excellent source. I'll try at least two when I'm there in July!!! Times travel is an excellent source of ideas.

There's a chain nice restaurant called CHEZ CELEMENT. They have food that I crave when back in the states. Their foie gras is fantastic!

Check out Clotilde Dusoulier's book on off the beaten track spots..she lives in Paris and is a cookbook author as well so a great source..we are going in June and I will take her book with me...have fun

Hi Matt,
We enjoyed Ma Borgogne in the Place des Vosges. They have tables both inside and out, the food was delicious and reasonably priced.

Matt...I'll also agree with Toms Guide...lots of cool funky places that you wont see in the usual guides..

Omnibus thanks to everyone! Our flight leaves in three hours!
Matt

Check out Au Petite Marguery in the 13th near Les Gobelins metro stop and easy to find. They have a website with menu and wine list. It's our favorite restaurant in all of Paris with a variety of dishes, all so delightful and reasonably priced. You can reserve online as well, and reservations are necessary for dinner any night of the week. We were the only tourists in there but it was filled with Parisians who were amused when we take photos of our food.

Matt: For real, detailed reviews on everthing from street food to fine dining check out the blog of David Lebovitz (an American ex-pat living in Paris- just google his name and you will find it). He has loads of great reviews with good links to websites and maps. His photography is wonderful. Have fun.