Estimated reading time: 17 minutes
Attention foodies: Don’t miss out on these 16 restaurants, bakeries, and patisseries while in the City of Light!
I stayed in Paris, France for a month and these are my much-requested post on food recommendations in the French capital. From iconic classic eateries to delectable pastries and macarons, you will have a good time. I scoured the internet for the best places to try, and try them (multiple times sometimes 🙈) I did. Here are my top 16 favorite restaurants!
Table of contents
- Attention foodies: Don’t miss out on these 16 restaurants, bakeries, and patisseries while in the City of Light!
- 1. Bouillon chartier
- 2. Le relais de l’entrecôte
- 3. La maison d’Isabelle
- 4. L’As du fallafel
- 5. Pain pain
- 6. L’Osteria Dell’Anima
- 7. Ober mamma / pink mamma
- 8. La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac
- 9. Tapisserie – Charonne
- 10. Kodawari Ramen (Yokocho)
- 11. Le Grand Épicerie Paris
- 12. Carré Pain de Mie
- 13. Pierre Hermé
- 14. Tuk Tuk Thai
- 15. Omusubi Gonbei
- 16. Carette
- Conclusion
Disclaimer: Everything, of course, is according to my taste. I love strong flavors and good contrast of textures. I mostly tried to stick with French, or at least European food that I would not be able to find in my home country. Please take my recommendations with a grain of salt! I hope you will like them as much as I do, but either way I hope you’ll have an enjoyable experience 🙂
1. Bouillon chartier
This is for those who are seeking traditional dishes at reasonable prices and good quality. There are a few branches of this restaurant in town, but Bouillon Chartier in the 9th arrondissement is the original location. The dining room is decorated in the style of classic French bistros, and it is a great option for groups.
Travel tips: it’s a short walk from the Grands Boulevards train station! I went there for lunch with a group of friends, and even though the queue was long, it moved quickly!
Their service was fast and our server, Antoine, was super friendly. He even took a selfie with us haha. Their signature dishes are terrine, shrimp with mayo, escargot, the steak, and salad. I think the escargot and the steak are the standout ones.
I previously tried French escargot at a touristy café at the Île de la cité that shall be unnamed, and had a bad experience- it tasted like dirt and the server was rude. At Bouillon, it was great! It was served with herb-y butter. The steak was nothing to write home about, but the prices were reasonable all around!
2. Le relais de l’entrecôte
This steak restaurant has been all over social media lately, and for good reason! It is a classic steak-and-frites restaurant in Paris with 3 branches; they only have 1 menu item for your main course, and one menu item only: sirloin steak with fries (27.50 EUR) or better known as steak frites. Unfortunately, these creators created a misconception that it’s a refillable steak restaurant 🙈. It’s not, you only get one portion!
When you come in, you will be asked about your preferred doneness (medium rare for me). First, you will be served a salad with mustard-based vinaigrette. Then, they will serve the first half of your steak (entrecôte) with its iconic green-ish Relais sauce and crispy, thin french fries. The other half of your steak is warmed on a plate on the side! Once you are finished with the first half, they will serve it to you with a ton more french fries 🍟. You can order dessert afterwards, but I was stuffed!
They have multiple locations in Paris, but the lines are always long at this iconic eatery. Shockingly, I was able to wait for only 15-20 minutes! I came late for their lunch service, at around 3 pm. It’s about the number of people in your party, really, since I saw bigger parties that came after me getting seated in advance
The dinner service would be more crowded with people lining up before the restaurant opens. If you are trying to avoid the crowd, weekday lunch service would be your best bet!
3. La maison d’Isabelle
The winner of my croissant competition is located in the heart of the Latin Quarter! Come early, as croissant is a morning pastry in France. The first time I swung by this bakery, I came at 3 pm and the croissants were all sold out. I tried again and came at 10 am to join their long, but thankfully fast-moving, line!
Right after I finished my croissant, I re-joined the queue to get their kouign amann. One word: ✨HEAVENLY✨. If you get any one thing, please let it be their kouign amann. The thick roll of crisp pâte feuilletée was covered with sumptuous caramel on the bottom; the texture and taste were just so delectable and has haunted my gluttonous dreams ever since.
I also tried their salmon quiche and St. Honoré, and while they’re good, their pastries are just the best.
4. L’As du fallafel
The line is long, let me start with that. I went in the middle of the day and did not expect to line up for an hour. The lines were divided into 2: one for take-away and one for dine in. The dine in area is tiny and a little claustrophobic with the amount of crowd they have, so I opted for take-away. Someone will take your order when you are queuing up and will give you a paper voucher once you are done ordering and paying.
Is it worth it? In my personal opinion, no food is worth waiting an hour for. But it was a damn good falafel sandwich, let me tell you. The creamy sauce and soft, pillowy pita perfectly compliments the crispy falafel and grilled eggplants. If you come earlier in the day, or if you see a shorter line- please get one!
You can eat your take-away in a small park nearby 😊. Exiting L’as du fallafel, go to the right and find a small park with benches in front of Chez Marianne. You can look up “Parvis des 260-Enfants” on Google Maps. You can also walk to the Jardin des Rosiers Joseph Migneret to enjoy your lunch. It’s a charming garden with quite a few benches nearby.
Travel tips: Order the Fallafel Special (9 EUR) with extra grilled aubergines 🍆, they were so so good and you will not regret it!
5. Pain pain
This bakery is located in Montmartre, a short 8 minute walk from the Sacré Coeur Basilica so you can pay them a visit after crossing Sacré Coeur off your list! They have excellent croissants 🥐 and baguettes 🥖, and once you know a boulangerie or pâtisserie has an excellent base, you know the rest of their baked goods will be absolutely delectable.
If you don’t have the time to come early & queue up at La maison d’Isabelle, Pain pain is also excellent. The texture, flavor, and crunch were amazing.
6. L’Osteria Dell’Anima
The best cacio e pepe pasta I have tried in Paris! This tiny restaurant is located in the 11th arrondissement. Keep a watch out for the beautiful, painted entrance; it’s so tiny you might miss it! 👀
They make their pasta in-house, and you will be greeting by a pasta making table when you walk in. I came with my friends and they ordered the Maltagliati (pasta with parmesan cream, spinach, and Bresaola ham) and the plât du jour (vegetarian pasta with zucchini), while I ordered the Sciatelli al Cacio e Pepe.
They were all flavorful and the texture of the pasta was perfectly al dente, with just the right thickness- but my favorite was still the Sciatelli al Cacio e Pepe. Get it while you’re in the 11th arrondissement, I highly recommend it!
7. Ober mamma / pink mamma
I liked the Big Mamma group’s food! At least, the ones I have tried served good food. Pink Mamma is their Instagram-famous restaurant in the Pigalle area. A quiet space, it is not! It has long wait and it would be better for you to reserve in advance.
It is a good idea to go to the Ober Mamma or East Mamma instead, and get their most famous food: Truffle Pasta (La fameuse pâte à la truffe, 19.5 EUR at Ober Mamma and 21 EUR at Pink Mamma – oh the price you pay for instagrammable places..). It is vegetarian and has a whole lot of shaved truffles! I personally loved it 🙂
Their pizza is really good as well, I tried the Make It Hot pizza and I like the umami-ness of the anchovies mixed with stracciatella cheese and savory ‘nduja!
8. La Pâtisserie Cyril Lignac
I swung by one of the famed TV chef’s pâtisserie outlet to try their viennoiseries and other pastries. To be completely honest, I did not like their croissant because it was more bready than flaky. Their entremets, though, is another story!
Entremets are those fancy schmancy little cakes filled with different layers of mousse, cake, ganache, and other components. They look so pretty, and please try the Equinoxe (7 EUR), it was so creamy and deliciously melt-in-your-mouth. It is filled with vanilla cream, caramel, and crispy Speculoos praline. YUM!
9. Tapisserie – Charonne
Amazing choux à la crème (2.20 EUR)!! They have a filled choux with craquelin on top (crispy, cookie-like topping) and flouve odorante cream filling.It is sweet vernal grass, and I cannot quite describe it except as a uniquely scented wild herb. They torch it before infusing it to their creamy, custardy filling (see how they make it HERE).
10. Kodawari Ramen (Yokocho)
A popular place for fabulous ramen with long long lines! This ramen restaurant transported the Japanese Tsukiji market right into Paris. I came 15 minutes right after opening time, and their line was already an hour long. Luckily I came alone, so I was able to get a seat right away! However, when I came out an hour later, the line became 2 hours long! Their queueing system uses a QR code form and text messages, so make sure you have cell service.
They are famous for their Kurogoma Ramen (14.50 EUR), which uses savory black sesame to make their thicc broth. Truthfully, I am not a ramen person, but it was good and intense. What stood out for me, though, is their Pata Negra chashu! It was gamey and has so much depth of flavor, I think it is worth trying for that unique taste alone.
Travel tips: Talk to the server at the door if you come alone, they might be able to squeeze you in real quick~!
11. Le Grand Épicerie Paris
This is how heaven would look like for foodies! I spent so many hours here to find the specialty grocery items I wanted. It is not for affordable prices, but they have every type of food you ever wanted.
Beurre Bordier with seaweed or onion from Roscoff, anyone? They have a similar organizational style to Eataly, with different counters dedicated to different food categories. Sections for sandwiches, pastries, meat, seafood, cheese, truffle, fresh vegetables were well curated; some even had their respective dine-in mini restaurants! Fellow fans of grocery stores, get souvenirs for your foodie friends here.
Don’t forget to visit Le Bon Marché Home on the upper floors and across the street for more shopping! Both buildings are connected by a bridge, so you can start in either building, go up a few floors, and cross over to check out the more goodies. Thank me later 😉
12. Carré Pain de Mie
It’s never a bad time for some good Shokupan!! My favorite bread in Paris is sold in Le Marais neighborhood. Sorry, baguettes, Japanese shokupans just suit my taste so well! Still love you though!
It is so so moist, and I have never had anything like it before. SO bouncy as well! The better way to eat it is with Beurre Bordier Oignon de Roscoff butter, and *chef’s kiss* what a perfect combination. See the GIF below, they even bounce back when you squish them!
Pro tip: Freeze (don’t refrigerate) any leftover bread and toast to reheat!
13. Pierre Hermé
Simply the best destination to get macarons. These itty bitty almond meal delights are just better at Pierre Hermé! It has so many outlets in the heart of Paris, and you can see it at every corner of the Gallerie Lafayette department store.
It is also available at Terminal 1 Charles de Gaulle airport, in case you want to have a fancy snack during your flight home! I recommend the Ispahan (rose and raspberry macaron) and pistachio flavor (you can really taste the pistachio butter, delish!). A pack of 4 is 14.50 EUR.
14. Tuk Tuk Thai
If you are missing that bright, punchy Thai flavor during your visit, Tuk Tuk Thai is the best! I came here with my Thai friend who hails from Bangkok, and the Pad Thai is divine. The balance of flavors are simply perfection, and I think this is something everyone would love! Another one everyone would be pleased with is the green curry; it was so so delicate, and the chicken was cooked perfectly with plenty of fragrant coconut milk.
If you are more adventurous and can handle strong and spicy flavors, the authentic papaya salad (secret menu!) is just amazing with a side of sticky rice. I can’t believe I got to eat papaya salad of this quality outside of Thailand! It was strong, pungent, spicy, savory, everything I wanted. Emphasis on the strong, it’s not for the faint of heart 🙂
15. Omusubi Gonbei
Another solid choice for those missing Asian flavors, with reasonable prices (around 2.50 EUR per onigiri, and it is hefty!). This take-away restaurant get busy during peak lunchtime hours, but there is not much of a line if you go during odd hours! I only tried the tuna mayo and spicy chicken because they had run out of the other flavors, but it is good quality and very near the Jardin du Palais Royal; take it away and eat while chilling at this garden 💕
16. Carette
Ah, the classic hot chocolate experience in Paris. This place was highly recommended by a friend, so I swung by the Place des Vosges location and ordered their L’heure du thé package (15.50 EUR for hot chocolate and a pastry of your choice). I am not much of a chocolate lover, so I did not quite like the thicc-ness (and price) of this (10 EUR) hot chocolate & their pastries. They are not joking around, this is so so thick! I can see how chocolate lovers would go crazy over this, though.
I do not recommend their Mont Blanc, though, it was not to my tastes at all. Very dense texturally and was not an enjoyable experience. The beautiful pile of whipped cream you see in everyone’s instagram post costs 3 EUR extra, I would just like to let you know. They are REALLY busy almost all the time, but if you would like to kick back, drink some intense hot chocolate, and people watch by the Place de Vosges, this is the place to go.
17. Extra: Breizh Cafe
For the French classic crepes, come to the neighborhood of Le Marais. Breizh Cafe is a veritable force in the crepe scene, and they sell buckwheat galettes as well.
The classic is the Complet style with ham, cheese, and egg yolk. The sweet crepe with apple compote is also a favorite! They also use high quality butter, Le Beurre Bordier. It is great food at a reasonable price.
Conclusion
To sum up, Paris is full of amazing classic to contemporary restaurants. The quality of their produce is also undeniably superior. So many specialty products, protected by the appellation d’origine contrôlée (AOC), are also widely available. Talk about foodie heaven?!
Don’t miss out on these eateries, and I hope you enjoy this post. Let me know if you tried any of these restaurants. Eat well and enjoy your stay!
P.S. = For foodies only: read my review on Parisian croissants to see what to get and what not to get! And don’t forget to download these free apps before your dreamy Parisian trip!
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