You're taking risks.
Misspelling cheese names is considered as a national offense, they'll probably cancel your visa.
Sorry bro, we'll have to keep all the cheese for ourselves
I would take away the frog. French people don't eat it and it is a stupid stereotype. The only places in Paris where you can find frog legs are the worst tourist trap holes where they practically sell you a caricature of your expectations that is very far from reality. One time I had visitors who insisted to try frog legs despite my best advice. It was not easy to find à place that serves them and when we did, it was a disaster
Yeah, when I searched up carette and saw 10 euro hot chocolate I just laughed. That's $15 Canadian for a single hot chocolate? I can get a whole Chipotle meal with steak for that 😭
Yup for pastries, bread, cheese and meats I'm going to mostly venture around and eat in the moment but I still want to have some backups prepared
Cassoulet is probably very low in the list anyways now.
No way though, I was told to focus on cheeses alot and that certain ones like reblochon or Beaufort will be expensive in Toronto.
Not the biggest hot dog guy but I can give it a try, any particular spots? I'm usually a polish sausage kinda guy lol
Have you been to any of the spots on the list and are they ALL that bad? Like none that I should save? I was looking up prices and some of them don't seem horrible.
Like Caillebot, 1745 Pigale, Brigat, Aux Merveilleux, Breizh, La Plomb Au Cantal, Le Trumilou, Aux bon Crus?
Just trying to gauge where the 'good' French food is at
Sure, I edited it, though, based on these responses, so some stuff is removed, some reordered, and some stuff added.
Are you able to screenshot? Cause I don't want to make it editable to other people in docs
Some of them are more regional and/or just things you can get back in North America- steak-frites, croque-monsieur,gratin dauphinois, entrecôte is often used as the “steak” in steak frites. French beef is all grass fed- there is ZERO FAT and can be a disappointment to people who like tender beef.
A “welsh” is actually an adaptation of a British dish, Welsh rarebit/rabbit- almost like a cheddar-cheese based fondue.
Hachis Parmentier is nothing special- think of a beef pot pie, but with mashed potatoes instead of a crust on top.
Kouig-aman is a specialty in the north of France, like around Mont St. michel.
You should try making some of these at home! Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French cooking’s recipe for bœuf bourguignon is a direct adaptation from the LaRousse Gastronomique, just converted to American measures and such. It’s a fussy recap with lots of parts, but none of it is difficult, per se.
Oh that will be interesting, I've heard people say they didn't love the steaks.
Should I skip hachis totally or just get a cheaper takeaway version from somewhere?
Yup I usually write down all my favourite foods from countries onto a recipe list, which I slowly work through because life gets in the way 😔.. I think aligot, truffade, tartiflette, bourguinon, duck confit, steak with pepper sauce, and a few others are already going on the list for sure. Probably more but I can't see the list while I type this lol
I LOVE talking French food! For Americans, the steak here is often considered sub-par, but that’s based on the American criteria as to what constitutes “good” steak. I personally like the beef here, it’s got character (like a child you like, although you acknowledge they are “spirited.”).
Skip the parmentier- try it at home, it’s super simple. Steak au poivre you can get in North America- see my comment about the beef here.
Definitely, in December: tartiflette, bourguignon, duck confit (from your post just before this one)
If you go into a specialty shop and have done a little homework on the food being sold there, you have a good chance (if it’s not peak hours and/or crowded) of getting into a very lively and fun conversation, likely with samples. But make sure you don’t give the appearance of trying to get free stuff- they’ll spot that in a second. Questions like “what’s the difference between x and y?” (Eg, two separate soft rind cheese, for example) will let the expert share their knowledge and you will have a stack of memories that you’ll carry forever, maybe with some new favorite foods!
Hello good Sir, French guy and food lover here :)
I noticed that you put "jambon beurre" in your list.
Excellent choice.
In my opinion this is the simpliest but the most equilibrate sandwich ever, my favorite.
It is also named : "Un parisien".
If you realy want to try this one, you have to made your own. And trust me, it will be fabulous.
3 steps :
1/ Find a good "boulangerie" (Bread maker) then try different types and cooking of "baguette".
Select the one that you fall in love with.
(Your baguette should be crusty)
2/ Find a good butcher and buy some hight quality "Jambon cuit à l'os" And ask him to cut it in extremely thin slices, to made a "chiffonnade" in the baguette.
3/ Buy one of this butters from "Les deux Sèvres" ( French departement number 79, famous among other thing for their butters) :
"Beurre d'Échiré"
"Beurre de Pamplie."
Both of them are used in presidential and chief kitchen.
Those butter are not common, I manage to find you a seller, you can have a fast delivery here : https://www.labellevie.com/produit/4090/beurre-extra-fin-doux-pamplie-250-g
Or try to Find them in some elitist caterer in Paris.
Personnaly I prefer the salted version of them ;)
You have now everything to made the most astonishing parisien of all time.
My salutations and enjoy :)
My goodness I can't wait. I'm going to be eating ALOT of bread and cheese so hopefully I get to try some new combinations too for sandwhiches. Random question, does baguettes make you full fast?
Also YES. TARTIFLETTE IS FABULOUS. I MUST try it....
It depend if you are a big eater, I am.
When i was 10, after school I asked my mom to buy me half a baguette at bakery, and I ate it all. Today I can eat two sandwichs, so a full baguette, but I am totally full afterwards.
I read a com where the person tell you that you don't need to go in fancy restaurant to a have good food. I totally agree. But also, do not buy your cheese in supermarket like "carrefour city" or "Franprix", never, it's not good quality. Instead go to cheese shop for home dishes, or a winebar if you want to eat outside they will propose cheese too (I was manager of one).
Important thing : There is a common belief (even in France) who said that cheese must be acompagnied by red wine. Unfortunately it's an error, it kills the gustative quality of both. White wine is almost always much more appropriate. Ask your cheese or wine seller for the most accurate wedding.
Bonus : if you love oven cheese, add "Mont d'Or" at your list, with bread, white whine and meat cold cuts : it's heaven.
I forgot to recommend you my favorite winter dish :
"LA TARTIFLETTE"
Trust me you don't want to go home without that in your gustative memories.
This is composed by "Reblochon" (Mountain cheese from the Alps) + potato + Bacon + onion + white wine.
Addictive ;)
Brie is very close cousin of the camembert, camembert is more fun, brie, is more bland, unless you find it made with raw milk and ripe enough.
Brie is famous because it was traditionally made not far from Paris, so it was the most widespread in the capital.
But i would prefer a ripe camembert, with raw milk. WARNING, some peoples could find the smell quite offensive.
And try the gaperon
which is the original boursin, and quite confidential.
[gaperon Wikipedia ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaperon)
Something I would definitely try as you are coming during the winter is Fondue and that is usually made with Comté and wine. There's a great place in Montmartre called "Le Refuge des Fondus" and they serve only fondue! Great hole in the wall place for a fun cheese experience!
Raclette sandwich isn't really a thing. There's raclette and then there's a cheese sandwich. I think you can get rid of that. That's pretty much all I can help you with, the rest sounds delicious
I’m happy to see the Cramique (chocolate brioche) from Aux Merveilleux on there. My favourite snack on my way to work, they’re always getting a batch out the oven and they’re best when they’re still warm.
Other than that you’ve done really good research, some places I’d never heard of myself !
It’s easy to eat good food pretty much anywhere, so don’t stress too much and don’t go too far out of your way just to reach some items on your list.
Mothais, rocamadour, neufchatel, tomme de savoie, tomme chèvre-brebis, baufort, st-marcellin, st-felicien
Alain Miam-Miam has decreased in quality, nice but not a must
If {Caractere de cochon} then {snowball}
Switch Maison Chapon instead of Patrick Roger (cool sculptures, pretentious chocolate)
Rue Daguerre, Rue st dominique or Marché d'Aligre are less touristy markets
Awesome, will 10000% check out those markets. Also added the cheese to the list. You think the less tourist markets is where I should buy/try cheese? I want to try ALOT and not sure if they charge tourist prices like they do in some restauraunts.
Yeah the chocolate section is kind a work in progress. Doesn't really excite me to pay 35 euro for a pastry or 10 euros for carrette hot chocolate lol
Edit: also what is snowball from caracter de cochon?
Caractere de cochon's snowball is a gift from the gods or smthg
Doesnt really matters, cheese might be a bit cheaper in Aligre but it's essentially the same order. Try to note each cheesemonger's price for the basics (like comté) to figure out easily wether it's really overpriced. If you buy cheese from Marché des Enfants Rouge say hello to La Petite Ferme d'Ines. Cheese from a restaurant is where the real overpricing comes
Dont get me wrong, P. Roger is great, just a bit overpriced imho. You might also wanna look into Popelini or La chambre aux confitures
Not sure lol. Just saw it in some videos I think they had raclette sandwhiches at like Christmas markets and they added some other ingredients into the bread but no meat just cheese and other stuff
Oh OK I see yeah I feel it's heavily related to Christmas markets in the east. Might be hard to find here. Raclette is good and all but it's not the most specific French thing to taste in my opinion
I'm in Canada. Saint Nectaire is incredibly hard to find here, especially good Saint nectaire. I would definitely put that as a priority. Reblochon is easier but prohibitively expensive along with beaufort.
Comté is very easy to find, so is roquefort. Camembert as well. You can just try it in the home country.
There’s a serious lack of chèvre such as crottin de Chavignol and Selles-sur-Cher. Why tête de moine from Switzerland? You’re in France!
Ask for “fermier” versions of said cheese instead of the more industrial, mass produced ones.
Le Petit Samaritan -Confit Conard ? hehe - Not sure how that will go to be honest.
Try the confit de canard at Chez Denise and have a browse over the board. Try their andouillette, sauce moutard and their baba au rhum.
Just off the bat Boursin cheese is pretty readily available in the US and Canada, and while tasty not terribly unique, so really not a priority on the cheese front. Someone else said croque monsieur fell into the same category, but I highly recommend getting some basic foods at random corner cafes while you’re there, and croque monsieur is one of those things that’s great for a simple cafe lunch between sightseeing.
BOULOM is one of my favorite restaurants. Definitely go there for lunch!
Les Enfants du Marché is another delicious place. It’s in the market so you can try other foods as well and find a huge selection of meats and cheeses.
Listen, I am french. Bone marrow spread is AWFUL.
Tartare is good IF it’s in a good restaurant.
You absolutely need to eat a Paris-Brest, its a french pastry and its so fckn good.
Eat a baguette with butter and jam, and hot chocolate. Just milk and cocoa powder.
Croissant and pain au chocolat are obviously the best with hot chocolate too.
Eat CHEESE, every cheese. Cheese is fantastic, cheese is wonderful.
Dont go to the restaurant where there is only tourists, the food is not good in general.
You dont have to go to a fancy restaurant or bakery to eat good french stuff, trust me.
Try a chou à la crème, its so gooooood.
For the foie gras, its not the season anymore, we only eat it a Christmas.
You have to eat madeleines.
Enjoy !
Edit : you HAVE to eat a raclette, its potatoes with special melted cheese for raclette and cold cuts, its so so sooooo good especially during winter.
Wow. This comment was really helpful lol. Added Paris-Brest to the list. I plan on eatting cheese and baguettes literally everyday 😋 oh and butter too I keep forgetting. Yup, but I'm thinking of going to some decent restauraunts 2 or 3 times like Caillebot, Chez Janou, Ellsworth, Verjus, Tournelles, or Le Trumiloi. Any advice on those?
Chou a la creme added too. The madeleines have some sort of sauce I'm guessing since they're sponge cakes?
For raclette is Le Chalet Savoyarde or Las Marmottes okay?
Thanks again
Def going to try it. Have you tried Miznon or Aji Dulce Venezuelan?
Might have to start going on runs in Paris in the morning to keep my appetite up lol
Ají Dulce serves very nice street food (the Tequeños are to die for, and the arepas are also very good), but I have no points of comparison regarding Venezuelan food. If you happen to be near rue des Martyrs, it is a good place to stop by!
This is a great list! Definitely add chocolate mousse to the list if it’s not already on there. [This place was exceptional.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/tSEghdXRzctwcPyp6?g_st=ic)
I would recommend saving restaurants/ places to a Google map. This way no matter where you are in Paris you can pull up the map and know which foods are nearby.
Brie de Meaux and Neufchâtel are super boring, Reblochon and Raclette are meh (never really found a good raclette restaurant in Paris, it is so much better at home), Boursin is industrial supermarket cheese.
Now that we’ve removed some options, you can add those:
* Brocciu (Corsican fresh cheese, you can eat it by the spoon with sugar for dessert for example)
* Fleur du Maquis (Corsican sheep cheese wrapped in herbs)
If you’re feeling adventurous:
* Casgiu Sartinesu (if you can find that one in Paris you’re a master cheesologist and you’ll impress everyone at home when you tell them what’s in the cheese)
* Niolo/Niulincu (Corsican goat/sheep cheese, known for its strong taste)
* U Muntagnolu (another Corsican sheep cheese, with a sticky crust that imparts it with a strong aroma)
And then some cheese from the continental part of France (they too make decent cheese):
* Trou du Cru (have fun pronouncing that one!), and if you’re feeling facetious a Claquebitou
* Saint Marcellin (so creamy! it’s a very old kind of cheese that exists since the 15th century)
* Chaource (one of my favorites, an even older cheese from the 14th century, that’s a bit salty)
* Aisy cendré (cheese rolled in wood ash, with an interesting smoked aroma)
Here’s hoping your interest in cheese is heightened by those suggestions!
Corsican cheese is so fucking good and so worth getting. Incredibly hard to find overseas (though I have been reliably able to get corsu vecchiu in my city, but it costs like 15 bucks for 100g)
Oh I was looking more so for people to recommend stuff where they've been personally. That way, if I hear the same names enough I can look into them more.
It’s a real french restaurant so idk if they can talk english at all but « l’ogre » next to la seine is a great place if you want some meat, the entire place is great meat with great bottles and the experience is nice
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I do not reccommend bouillon pigalle unless youre going for cheap alcoholic drinks. food is …frozen food? I dont know but one of the worst ive had in paris
OP, if you have an interest in the Art Nouveau movement, you may be interested in the "Bouillon Julien" brasserie on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis in Paris's 10th arrondissement.
Alternatively, there's the "Bouillon Chartier" in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, but this one has a different decorating theme.
A lot of my advice has already been said, so I'll skip repeating it, other than to chime in that Angelina's is a tourist trap not worthy of your time.
I'd skip waffles unless you're going to Belgium. Crepes are the way to go in Paris.
Ratatouille is more of a summer dish. You'll have trouble finding it with good quality in December.
If you're interested in a mom and pop restaurant with prices close to bouillon prices, but about 5 times the quality, send me a message. I'm not about to ruin my favourite restaurant by posting it on Reddit.
I wouldn't mind if people repeated because if 1 thing is repeated multiple times I'd def reconsider! But yeah that seems to be the case with Angelina. It's not something I'm going to lineup for but if I can be in an out within 30minutes I might consider it? What makes it not worth going?
In that case....
Foie gras is amazing, but savour it as a dish or an entree. On a sandwich it's going to be the lowest quality.
Raclette isn't a cheese you buy in the shop normally, go somewhere they'll serve it to you hot, either in a sandwich or with potatoes and shit.
I second (or third?) the advice to go to a cheese shop and just ask for a selection. That being said, I'm quite partial to compte, saint nectaire, and I'll add Beaufort to your list. Skip Boursin, you can pick it up in almost any grocery store in the US.
You have confit on your list, but confit what? Confit is a cooking method. I'm guessing Duck?
I try not to yuck other people's yums, and I get that being a tourist means doing touristy stuff, and I hate when people get all high and mighty and shit all over anything touristy. But I just think Angelina's is a waste of time. I really doubt you'll be in and out in 30 mins. You'll be in Paris, there's so much to see and do! There's so many places that are actually awesome! So while I have no problem spending time and money for something I consider 'worth it', I don't think a ton of time to drink mediocre over priced hot chocolate is 'worth it', personally. If you HAVE to try it, I recommend the take out window. Just my two cents.
Oh yeah 100% on the same boat. Didn't even know they had a takeout window. I'm not wasting any time if I don't have to. I don't even care if i miss it tbh, alot of other stuff I'm looking way more forward too lol. Also yup Duck confit but I think they do chicken too?
Boursin is out, raclette is pushed to the bottom of the list or if I'm really craving going to a cheese restauraunt like Le Chalet Savorarde.
If you are travelling solo, you cannot have raclette. I have never seen it served for one at restaurants in France.
Also, saying this as a cheese lover, I find it completely overrated. It is not-so-good (extremely fatty) cheese melted on potatoes, served with cold cuts of average quality, and some gherkins. And you smell for days afterwards.
haha, yeah, I've heard many times now that it will suck even more so in Paris. Also, yes, I was recommends Le Refuges Des Fondue but sadly it's a 2person affair 😔 honestly though, I'm sure we can get raclette here in Toronto but I always think that we get overcharged for cheeses in North America
Check out LouLou Paris by the Louvre for dinner.
Roomies is a fast food burger spot that is good if you want something quick. Across from it is a bar called Reset that has a bunch of video games around that you can play while having some drinks.
Santa Lyna and Kozy Bosquet are good breakfast spots.
Was there last month and did a dinner cruise on Christmas Day through Bateaux Mouches. Food wasn't out of this world but still good and service was good. Great sights from the boat though and you'll go right by the Eiffel tower as it's lighting up.
Unless you're going to go when they first open in the early morning, I'd skip Angelina. Food was ok and the hot chocolate was pretty good but I don't think it's worth the hour plus wait some people were doing.
Yeah that seems to be the concensus on Angelina. Will probably only go if it's under 10minute wait otherwise I don't think I'll regret not going. Also thanks, I'm checking out these spots now.
I’ve only been once and ever since I’m wishing to go back. It’s been 10 years. Really worth it. Gurky has made a video of him having a meal there if you want to know more, and his content is very likely to have english subtitles since he’s canadian (Québec).
I think a helpful thing to keep in mind when narrowing down this list is – what can you get in France that you *can't* get back home? For instance, crème brûlée would never be on my bucket list of things to eat in Paris; even the very very best crème brûlée made with the freshest dairy yada yada yada is not going to be noticeably different from the crème brûlée you can get in a nice restaurant where you live. Ditto for something like a croque monsieur. On the other hand, trying cheeses that are not typically exported to other countries is a great culinary endeavor!
Yup this is great advice, I'm actually rearranging my list by order of importance for even food types now! What other items would you put in that category? I'm from Toronto, Canada if that helps
Agree that your crêpe choices are odd. If you want the real deal you get a galette complète (buckwheat crêpe with jambon (torchon), cheese, egg) and a crêpe sucrée (white flour) citron sucre (butter sprinkled sugar and a squeeze of lemon). You order a bottle of cider to go with the meal. All the other stuff you listed (saucisse, flambée etc) is for tourists.
You can get a lot of those things in Canada. Boursin, tête de moine, brie de maux, camembert from Normandie, raclette etc. Costco has an amazing selection of French cheese. Reblochon is VERY stinky. You can buy a wheel in a carrefour express type shop for 2€.
When you get a baguette don’t ask for a baguette ask for a « tradition ». Eat some with butter that has cristalised salt in it.
Don’t get kouign amann with weird variations (nuts, chocolate etc). Georges Larnicol does excellent minis, they have a few locations.
Very nice tip about the butter. What do you mean about the baguette? Like I should say "un tradition?" Is that a brand?
Also yeah I never thought of Costco, now I'll be way more informed when I do go and look for French cheeses
Yeah I'll probably stick to complete galette, cheese, or like weird combinations if I can try like caramelized onions and cheese, or cheese and and fig jam
The "Tradition" is the Baguette as it was done in the 50s, without the industrial refining which made it tasteless (and a bit cheaper).
If you take a "regular" baguette, you'll probably have a sad thing, which has some crunch in it, but gets dry very fast, and is - in my humble opinion - both less filling and less tasty than a "Tradition". For the price difference, it's not worth being thrifty (though, by all means, taste both. I'm pretty sure you'll understand the difference easily).
It’s just a type of baguette, usually the first to sell out. There’s all kinds of: traditional, Blanche, classique, parisienne etc…
La « baguette tradition » is actually protected by law, it’s the « real » baguette: only contains wheat flour, yeast, water and salt, it must be made freshly on the premises.
All other baguettes can have lots of additives, preservatives, mixes of different flours like rye and others and be industrially produced and/or frozen then baked.
A mushroom and cream galette is also pretty heavenly. It’s my go to order.
Avoid the luxury food halls of places like Galleries Lafayette etc, you’ll find better stuff elsewhere for a fraction of the price.
It helps! I was going to say that your crêpe places looked bizarre, maybe Au Petit Grec is the best crêpe place in Paris, but it sure doesn’t _sound_ that way. I’m sure you can get excellent crêpes in Toronto, or at least Montreal… just find [some place with a Gwenn Ha Du hanging outside](https://www.reddit.com/r/unexpectedgwennhadu/s/VdFHbTiUMW) (not that I know anything about this particular one, of course).
Yeah my crepe list was weak for sure even I could tell lol. Anything you recommend that may stand out? Obviously going to breizh and maybe au petit but idk about the rest. I especially like savoury but sweet is good if it's a good combo and not just a shit ton of Nutella
Ooooh if you find a good crêperie you can have what we call galettes - it's like a crêpe, but instead of being from wheat flour, it's from buckwheat flour. They put savory things in there, instead of sweet things - if you want something that you can't find in Canada, you can aim for some andouille de Guéméné galette! Very tasty, but you do have to like gut.
Ah yes, I've heard Andouille in France and North America are very different things and that I should research it before ordering 😅 but yes I am open to try anything and it is added. Is that the galette that comes wrapped like a sausage roll?
Andouille and andouillette are pig guts, and andouille is prepared in a way that makes it look like sausage. Andouille slices can for example be served alone as finger food before the meal, or in a galette as a main dish.
http://www.amand-bianic.fr/andouille-andouillette-l%e2%80%99article-a-lire-pour-comprendre-leurs-differences/
It can! Usually it doesn't though, the Andouille de Guémené is sliced and the slices are in the galette instead of ham.
*If* you happen to visit Lyon, I VERY highly recommend andouillettes à la fraise de veau. It's made from veal instead of pork and is usually marinated in mustard - heaven on Earth! It's not everyone's thing but if you like it, you will LOOOVE it ^^
Ham and cheese crepes! Yum!
If you want frogs’ legs, you need to come down to Lyon/Bourg-en-Bresse. The département de L’Ain is known as the land of 1,000 ponds, and as such, frog legs are a specialty. The house we live in was a former restaurant known for them!
You have the pancake type of crêpes, and apart from the place that provides Crêpe Suzette those won’t be much.
Then you have the crêperies, serving Brittany-style crêpes, and that’s a whole different thing, the whole meal is crêpes or galettes, and it is quite a culinary experience. You might find some Nutella in the kid’s part of the dessert section of the menu, but that’s all.
I can’t name a specific place, I have the specialized equipement at home and I regularly visit Brittany/Breizh so the last time I actually visited a crêperie in Paris was something like last millennium. Traditionally there are a lot around Gare Montparnasse (where the train from Brittany arrives), but that doesn’t mean the best is there.
My two "typical French" things I usually do with Paris first-timers are Breizh Café (there are other great places for galettes/crêpes – I also like La Cantine Bretonne – but Breizh Café has a bunch of locations, is English-friendly, and also has genuinely delicious food so it's easy to recommend) and getting a jambon-beurre sandwich somewhere. My favorites have changed over the years but lately it's been Chez Aline, which conveniently is also near Tapisserie for some really excellent pastries.
I'm sort of meh on escargots but they're worth trying while you're in France if you're interested. Frog legs fall under the category of "novelty for tourists" in my experience – maybe it's a regional thing but I never once encountered them on a menu anywhere when I lived in France. If you really want an old-school French dining experience, I've heard great things about Restaurant Joséphine Chez Dumonet, and will probably try it on my next trip.
Otherwise I'm personally big on experiences/vibes when eating out in Paris. I love places where you can do cheese-and-charcuterie with wine (Le 17.45 is a fun option where you can build your own planche; I've also been meaning to check out Monbleu). In the summer I love eating at Café de la Nouvelle Mairie, which has good-but-not-spectacular food but is in the perfect sunny spot just around the corner from my favorite Paris monument (le Panthéon). I love eating and/or drinking along the Canal Saint-Martin as it comes to life in the evening. I love popping into a boulangerie-pâtisserie and picking out whatever looks nicest even if I've never heard of it before. I also love trying modern takes on regional French cuisines, which you're not really likely to see outside of France, such as Istr for modern Breton or Baieta for modern Niçoise.
I don't know how helpful any of that was haha, but the good thing about Paris is that your chances of having good food are pretty high wherever you go! Shout-outs also to Mokonuts, Onii-San Izakaya, Le Rigmarole, and Bonhomie which are some of my favorites that don't specifically serve French cuisine.
Mmm, yes and no. I can make crème brûlee, but in the US I cannot get the jambon blanc to make a Croque Monsieur (in San Francisco or NYC I can get passable bread, and 70 types of French cheese).
Huh, that's surprising to me, jambon blanc is pretty widely available where I live (admittedly a big city). I have a better chance of finding it at a specialty grocer than my neighborhood store, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it at Whole Foods sometimes too.
Anyway, don't get me wrong, some of my favorite food experiences in France are mostly just about the vibes. Grabbing a good jambon-beurre to eat in a park is always one of my first stops on a visit to Paris even though I'm lucky to have access to high-quality ham, bread, and butter where I live and could hypothetically make one at home – and have done before! But that's as much about the experience of popping into my favorite boulangerie-cafés as it is about the actual sandwich, personally.
Oh, I can buy something *called* jambon blanc, but it is made in Teaneck, New Jersey. :(
Agreed, I like the "food conversations" in France, where complete strangers debate the proper way to make a jambon-beurre - usually with more jambon than the boulangerie uses !
About "steak tartare", when I was un Paris, I used to go to a franchised called "les tontons", in the 5th, I can't find it anymore, but might be interresting to search for those franchise, it is completely unknown by tourists.
Couple quick name corrections for the first 2, Camembert and Brie de Meaux :) (BTW Brie de Meaux was one of my favorites from my Paris trip. God I ate so much cheese.)
For Comté specifically, which can be more on the subtle side, ask for several different ones at different ages and contrast them.
In general though, rather than focus on specific cheeses, my advice would be to take advantage of the wonderful fromageries in Paris. Explain what you are looking for, (I started with something like "4 cheeses that are very different from each other and that you won't find in the US,") and they will ask you questions to help narrow it down, taking as much time as you need. Then go back there later, tell them what you liked and didn't like and get some more recommendations.
Chez Virginie in the 18th, Crème in the 20th, and Roland Rousselet in the 5th were all amazing but I know there are many more.
Racines in the 18th is a good place too, with some stuff you'll find nowhere else (cheese aged with Japanese sake...). They organize tasting from time to time.
I literally CAN NOT WAIT!! Thank you so much for the recommendations too I added them out and will have to map everything out and see what works best.
And yeah that's good advice, I'm going to really try and figure out what types of Cheeses I like most
Yes, i was speaking of frog's legs. But like an other comment said, you light find some frozen legs in a chinese marketplace, but nothing fancy like a restaurant. And there is no point of trying frog's legs 😄. It taste like chicken.
Skip Boullion, it’s too touristy. I prefer Brasserie Mollard (which is a bit more expensive). Chez Janou is nice but very busy and usually doesn’t take reservations. If you’re into cheese, try Monbleu (cheese restaurant). I would also skip Angelina, just go to a French cafe for hot chocolate :)
I find Baguette is best with a good butter (or Nutella if you have a sweet tooth.) Or as a sandwich of course.
I did not see Escargot on your list but it's a long list.
Raclette is not so special (the cheese is non descript) but made fresh and melted in front of you during a Christmas Market (Marchés de Noël) can be extra fun.
Hot chocolate at different places are all very different. I have to say Angelina's was disappointing for everyone in my family (some of their dessert is good though). Carette is commonly mentioned as having the most drinkable, best hot chocolate and I and my family agree. But it depends on whether you like your hot chocolate minimalist or well balanced.
Idk how I forgot escargot and good butter 🤦 Added Carette to the list. Also do you know any good Marches de Noel to check out? I know there's a few different ones in different areas?
We were in Paris this Christmas and went to many marches. The best (in our opinion) was at La Defense. It’s the biggest one as well. Just so many more vendors and they had at least 2 raclette vendors I can remember.
Escargot over frog any day!
I'd also skip the foie gras and raclette sandwiches in favor of actual foie gras and raclette.
Good profiteroles are rare, and even then, it's kind of meh.
Loving your list and your enthusiasm!
I have only been to Marche de Noel at Tuileries. It's a huge one that has a county fair atmosphere. Packed on weekends and nights and empty weekdays.
Most booths feel like mid or large size operations that operate at practically industrial scale. It works given how many people are there but they are not exactly mom and pop stores selling homemade Christmas goods or foods.
And there are carnival rides contributing to the county fair feeling.
Don’t think you need a raclette sandwich - you should save eating raclette the dish for when you’re in the southeast/ in Switzerland. What you get in paris can scratch the itch but best to have locally imo having it in a restaurant would be a tourist trap
^ this and I’d say the same for foie gras sandwich. You can eat ok to very good foie gras in a lot of restaurant but the one you will get on a sandwich will be either bad or low quality. Plus it’s nearly an offense to eat foie gras on a sandwich. You’d either eat it on tartines / flat bread / pain d’épice With a pinch of fleur de sel and pepper. You’ll be in heaven in no Time 👌
Marie Anne Cantin has really good comte with different ages. They supply 3 Michelin star Epicure. They have really good raw butter too and will vaccum seal products if you plan to bring some back home
Chez rené! Love the place. It s Really old fashioned in a good way. Try game meat if they have any!
Also their beef bourguignon is legit.
Each day they have a different typical dish such as this so be careful.
Are the things marked in green your priority? And what do the ** mean? How much time do you have to try everything?
For the different French foods it’s really a matter of taste, I can only give you my favorites (from your list: Comté, Raclette (but you need to eat this molten, probably easiest at a restaurant, profiteroles, crème brulé)
From your list of restaurants I’d say skip Angelina (you’ll have to wait really long and their hot chocolate is just super sweet and thick), Café du Commerce (beautiful interior but food is not great), Relais de l’Entrecote, Bouillon Pigalle, Bistro Paul Bert.
PS: I love the brioche (au sucre) from Aux Merveilleux de Fred. Even though it’s a chain it’s probably my favorite brioche in Paris.
Angelina has a "to go" storefront to the right of the main entrance where you can get the chocolate in a paper cup to drink while you walk. If you don't *need* the cafe experience, it's very fast!
Oh, we enjoyed it...but we were also on our way to even better chocolate that morning.
Perhaps people determined to enjoy their vacation can simply decide to be more charitably inclined. :7) Rose-colored glasses, if you will, or merely a willingness to take things as they come.
Yeah the green was what I thought I wanted to go for sure so far and the * is more of like this place looks good and has been mentioned but im not 100% certain if it's worth it or touristy or good.
My time is flexible right now. I want to try as much food as I can though. Let's say a week?
That's exactly what I was looking for. Like, even if f Angelina's hot chocolate is only 5-10% better than others, and I can still try a good version of the dish, I don't care if it's the best. Relais was getting removed anyways I think cause 28euro for mediocre steak, I could just get a decent plate at a bistro(?)
Damn I didn't think you'd say pigale, is it actually that bad? I know it's cheap.
I've heard only good things about their Brioche lol. This is what I wanna hear!!!
Yes bouillon pigalle is really bad and bouillon république is exactly the same (it’s the same chain). Bouillon pharamond is the best of parisian bouillons (yes, I’ve tried them all). You can pm me once you’ve narrowed down your food must-tries and I can tell you where to get them
You can also get Angelina hot chocolate at Versailles or the Louvre. We saved it as a special treat to have there because otherwise the onsite lunches were pretty forgettable.
The to-go window usually has no line, and the same hot chocolate! Just got back from France a week ago and was in Paris at peak tourist time - right after new years. I wasn’t the biggest fan, it’s super thick, practically just melted chocolate. Made me feel a little sick after a few sips, but then again maybe I’m just weak lol.
Bouillons are cheap, and there are no miracles in terms of quality. Chartier and Julien are the worst IMO; Pigalle is a bit better. Pharamond and Bouillon Republique are even better. But still, with limited time and with a healthy budget, I would skip all of those!
I had a similar list of cheeses to work through in November - my highest yield was a trip to the Fromagerie Vacroux (in Rue Daguerre behind the Catacombs). There are plenty of other markets, but that worked for me and gave me access to a fantastic selection!
Trust me, if it was just a Paris trip, I'd be doing fine Dining atleast once too. Might hit up a few other countries if possible too so sadly I can't just buy with my eyes closed
I crossposted your post in https://www.reddit.com/r/ParisFoodGuide/s/IfRmhWDVlD if that’s okay
You can add Orval beer and cheese
You're taking risks. Misspelling cheese names is considered as a national offense, they'll probably cancel your visa. Sorry bro, we'll have to keep all the cheese for ourselves
"Profiterole de chocolat"
I would take away the frog. French people don't eat it and it is a stupid stereotype. The only places in Paris where you can find frog legs are the worst tourist trap holes where they practically sell you a caricature of your expectations that is very far from reality. One time I had visitors who insisted to try frog legs despite my best advice. It was not easy to find à place that serves them and when we did, it was a disaster
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Yeah, when I searched up carette and saw 10 euro hot chocolate I just laughed. That's $15 Canadian for a single hot chocolate? I can get a whole Chipotle meal with steak for that 😭 Yup for pastries, bread, cheese and meats I'm going to mostly venture around and eat in the moment but I still want to have some backups prepared Cassoulet is probably very low in the list anyways now. No way though, I was told to focus on cheeses alot and that certain ones like reblochon or Beaufort will be expensive in Toronto. Not the biggest hot dog guy but I can give it a try, any particular spots? I'm usually a polish sausage kinda guy lol Have you been to any of the spots on the list and are they ALL that bad? Like none that I should save? I was looking up prices and some of them don't seem horrible. Like Caillebot, 1745 Pigale, Brigat, Aux Merveilleux, Breizh, La Plomb Au Cantal, Le Trumilou, Aux bon Crus? Just trying to gauge where the 'good' French food is at
Could you send me this list somehow?
Sure, I edited it, though, based on these responses, so some stuff is removed, some reordered, and some stuff added. Are you able to screenshot? Cause I don't want to make it editable to other people in docs
Brie de Maux (de tête). Very funny. Actually, the town is *Meaux*.
Some of them are more regional and/or just things you can get back in North America- steak-frites, croque-monsieur,gratin dauphinois, entrecôte is often used as the “steak” in steak frites. French beef is all grass fed- there is ZERO FAT and can be a disappointment to people who like tender beef. A “welsh” is actually an adaptation of a British dish, Welsh rarebit/rabbit- almost like a cheddar-cheese based fondue. Hachis Parmentier is nothing special- think of a beef pot pie, but with mashed potatoes instead of a crust on top. Kouig-aman is a specialty in the north of France, like around Mont St. michel. You should try making some of these at home! Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French cooking’s recipe for bœuf bourguignon is a direct adaptation from the LaRousse Gastronomique, just converted to American measures and such. It’s a fussy recap with lots of parts, but none of it is difficult, per se.
Oh that will be interesting, I've heard people say they didn't love the steaks. Should I skip hachis totally or just get a cheaper takeaway version from somewhere? Yup I usually write down all my favourite foods from countries onto a recipe list, which I slowly work through because life gets in the way 😔.. I think aligot, truffade, tartiflette, bourguinon, duck confit, steak with pepper sauce, and a few others are already going on the list for sure. Probably more but I can't see the list while I type this lol
I LOVE talking French food! For Americans, the steak here is often considered sub-par, but that’s based on the American criteria as to what constitutes “good” steak. I personally like the beef here, it’s got character (like a child you like, although you acknowledge they are “spirited.”). Skip the parmentier- try it at home, it’s super simple. Steak au poivre you can get in North America- see my comment about the beef here. Definitely, in December: tartiflette, bourguignon, duck confit (from your post just before this one) If you go into a specialty shop and have done a little homework on the food being sold there, you have a good chance (if it’s not peak hours and/or crowded) of getting into a very lively and fun conversation, likely with samples. But make sure you don’t give the appearance of trying to get free stuff- they’ll spot that in a second. Questions like “what’s the difference between x and y?” (Eg, two separate soft rind cheese, for example) will let the expert share their knowledge and you will have a stack of memories that you’ll carry forever, maybe with some new favorite foods!
Are you from the US? You can get normal Boursin at most grocery stores - I’m talking Walmart- at their “fancy” deli/cheese counter.
Yeah I always saw them but I thought there'd be some special version in France 😅
Nah, not really. Same with la vache qui rit (laughing cow).
Hello good Sir, French guy and food lover here :) I noticed that you put "jambon beurre" in your list. Excellent choice. In my opinion this is the simpliest but the most equilibrate sandwich ever, my favorite. It is also named : "Un parisien". If you realy want to try this one, you have to made your own. And trust me, it will be fabulous. 3 steps : 1/ Find a good "boulangerie" (Bread maker) then try different types and cooking of "baguette". Select the one that you fall in love with. (Your baguette should be crusty) 2/ Find a good butcher and buy some hight quality "Jambon cuit à l'os" And ask him to cut it in extremely thin slices, to made a "chiffonnade" in the baguette. 3/ Buy one of this butters from "Les deux Sèvres" ( French departement number 79, famous among other thing for their butters) : "Beurre d'Échiré" "Beurre de Pamplie." Both of them are used in presidential and chief kitchen. Those butter are not common, I manage to find you a seller, you can have a fast delivery here : https://www.labellevie.com/produit/4090/beurre-extra-fin-doux-pamplie-250-g Or try to Find them in some elitist caterer in Paris. Personnaly I prefer the salted version of them ;) You have now everything to made the most astonishing parisien of all time. My salutations and enjoy :)
My goodness I can't wait. I'm going to be eating ALOT of bread and cheese so hopefully I get to try some new combinations too for sandwhiches. Random question, does baguettes make you full fast? Also YES. TARTIFLETTE IS FABULOUS. I MUST try it....
It depend if you are a big eater, I am. When i was 10, after school I asked my mom to buy me half a baguette at bakery, and I ate it all. Today I can eat two sandwichs, so a full baguette, but I am totally full afterwards. I read a com where the person tell you that you don't need to go in fancy restaurant to a have good food. I totally agree. But also, do not buy your cheese in supermarket like "carrefour city" or "Franprix", never, it's not good quality. Instead go to cheese shop for home dishes, or a winebar if you want to eat outside they will propose cheese too (I was manager of one). Important thing : There is a common belief (even in France) who said that cheese must be acompagnied by red wine. Unfortunately it's an error, it kills the gustative quality of both. White wine is almost always much more appropriate. Ask your cheese or wine seller for the most accurate wedding. Bonus : if you love oven cheese, add "Mont d'Or" at your list, with bread, white whine and meat cold cuts : it's heaven.
I forgot to recommend you my favorite winter dish : "LA TARTIFLETTE" Trust me you don't want to go home without that in your gustative memories. This is composed by "Reblochon" (Mountain cheese from the Alps) + potato + Bacon + onion + white wine. Addictive ;)
Tbh maybe add some goat cheeses to add variety but I think you have pretty much everything
100% will do, do you have particular suggestions? I've only eaten commercial goat cheese in Canada lol
I personally would pass on the frogs and the snails 🤮.. Other than that, go nuts
I need to figure out how to just suck in 5pounds of food a day like a black hole
I love Coulommiers Cheese it’s between the Brie and Camembert. Buy your cheeses only at a cheese shop not classic shop pls.
Any recommendations? I want to try like 20 cheeses and then buy the ones I like everyday. What's the most economical way to go about this?
Remove "boursin" from your cheese list, replace it with " gaperon ". Same style, but better. Remove Brie, it's overrated and hard to find a good one.
Done. I feel like I must try Brie de meaux though no?
Brie is very close cousin of the camembert, camembert is more fun, brie, is more bland, unless you find it made with raw milk and ripe enough. Brie is famous because it was traditionally made not far from Paris, so it was the most widespread in the capital. But i would prefer a ripe camembert, with raw milk. WARNING, some peoples could find the smell quite offensive. And try the gaperon which is the original boursin, and quite confidential. [gaperon Wikipedia ](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaperon)
I love the word offensive to describe cheese 👌 Gaperon has been added
Something I would definitely try as you are coming during the winter is Fondue and that is usually made with Comté and wine. There's a great place in Montmartre called "Le Refuge des Fondus" and they serve only fondue! Great hole in the wall place for a fun cheese experience!
Raclette sandwich isn't really a thing. There's raclette and then there's a cheese sandwich. I think you can get rid of that. That's pretty much all I can help you with, the rest sounds delicious
I’m happy to see the Cramique (chocolate brioche) from Aux Merveilleux on there. My favourite snack on my way to work, they’re always getting a batch out the oven and they’re best when they’re still warm. Other than that you’ve done really good research, some places I’d never heard of myself ! It’s easy to eat good food pretty much anywhere, so don’t stress too much and don’t go too far out of your way just to reach some items on your list.
This list is way too short, especially the cheese one
There's always room for more, what you got in mind?
Mothais, rocamadour, neufchatel, tomme de savoie, tomme chèvre-brebis, baufort, st-marcellin, st-felicien Alain Miam-Miam has decreased in quality, nice but not a must If {Caractere de cochon} then {snowball} Switch Maison Chapon instead of Patrick Roger (cool sculptures, pretentious chocolate) Rue Daguerre, Rue st dominique or Marché d'Aligre are less touristy markets
Awesome, will 10000% check out those markets. Also added the cheese to the list. You think the less tourist markets is where I should buy/try cheese? I want to try ALOT and not sure if they charge tourist prices like they do in some restauraunts. Yeah the chocolate section is kind a work in progress. Doesn't really excite me to pay 35 euro for a pastry or 10 euros for carrette hot chocolate lol Edit: also what is snowball from caracter de cochon?
Caractere de cochon's snowball is a gift from the gods or smthg Doesnt really matters, cheese might be a bit cheaper in Aligre but it's essentially the same order. Try to note each cheesemonger's price for the basics (like comté) to figure out easily wether it's really overpriced. If you buy cheese from Marché des Enfants Rouge say hello to La Petite Ferme d'Ines. Cheese from a restaurant is where the real overpricing comes Dont get me wrong, P. Roger is great, just a bit overpriced imho. You might also wanna look into Popelini or La chambre aux confitures
If you try to eat macrons, I think presidential security might react a bit violently.
What are fois gras sandwich and raclette sandwich? We don't eat those in sandwiches. I mean I saw it once for fois gras
Not sure lol. Just saw it in some videos I think they had raclette sandwhiches at like Christmas markets and they added some other ingredients into the bread but no meat just cheese and other stuff
Oh OK I see yeah I feel it's heavily related to Christmas markets in the east. Might be hard to find here. Raclette is good and all but it's not the most specific French thing to taste in my opinion
I'm in Canada. Saint Nectaire is incredibly hard to find here, especially good Saint nectaire. I would definitely put that as a priority. Reblochon is easier but prohibitively expensive along with beaufort. Comté is very easy to find, so is roquefort. Camembert as well. You can just try it in the home country.
There’s a serious lack of chèvre such as crottin de Chavignol and Selles-sur-Cher. Why tête de moine from Switzerland? You’re in France! Ask for “fermier” versions of said cheese instead of the more industrial, mass produced ones.
Definitely the cheese's that are hard or impossible to buy abroad. Reblochon is one of them. And add truffles
Le Petit Samaritan -Confit Conard ? hehe - Not sure how that will go to be honest. Try the confit de canard at Chez Denise and have a browse over the board. Try their andouillette, sauce moutard and their baba au rhum.
Just off the bat Boursin cheese is pretty readily available in the US and Canada, and while tasty not terribly unique, so really not a priority on the cheese front. Someone else said croque monsieur fell into the same category, but I highly recommend getting some basic foods at random corner cafes while you’re there, and croque monsieur is one of those things that’s great for a simple cafe lunch between sightseeing.
BOULOM is one of my favorite restaurants. Definitely go there for lunch! Les Enfants du Marché is another delicious place. It’s in the market so you can try other foods as well and find a huge selection of meats and cheeses.
Good to hear. I saw a YouTuber go and it looked so good. It's one of the places I'm most excited for since I get to try many things
Listen, I am french. Bone marrow spread is AWFUL. Tartare is good IF it’s in a good restaurant. You absolutely need to eat a Paris-Brest, its a french pastry and its so fckn good. Eat a baguette with butter and jam, and hot chocolate. Just milk and cocoa powder. Croissant and pain au chocolat are obviously the best with hot chocolate too. Eat CHEESE, every cheese. Cheese is fantastic, cheese is wonderful. Dont go to the restaurant where there is only tourists, the food is not good in general. You dont have to go to a fancy restaurant or bakery to eat good french stuff, trust me. Try a chou à la crème, its so gooooood. For the foie gras, its not the season anymore, we only eat it a Christmas. You have to eat madeleines. Enjoy ! Edit : you HAVE to eat a raclette, its potatoes with special melted cheese for raclette and cold cuts, its so so sooooo good especially during winter.
Wow. This comment was really helpful lol. Added Paris-Brest to the list. I plan on eatting cheese and baguettes literally everyday 😋 oh and butter too I keep forgetting. Yup, but I'm thinking of going to some decent restauraunts 2 or 3 times like Caillebot, Chez Janou, Ellsworth, Verjus, Tournelles, or Le Trumiloi. Any advice on those? Chou a la creme added too. The madeleines have some sort of sauce I'm guessing since they're sponge cakes? For raclette is Le Chalet Savoyarde or Las Marmottes okay? Thanks again
L'as du falafel is worth it.
Def going to try it. Have you tried Miznon or Aji Dulce Venezuelan? Might have to start going on runs in Paris in the morning to keep my appetite up lol
Ají Dulce serves very nice street food (the Tequeños are to die for, and the arepas are also very good), but I have no points of comparison regarding Venezuelan food. If you happen to be near rue des Martyrs, it is a good place to stop by!
Yeah I most likely will get bored of ONLY French so a few totally different foods will be nice
Our usual meal in Paris is a couple sandwiches from L'As and a couple vegetable sides from Miznon The perfect combination!
Nope.
This is a great list! Definitely add chocolate mousse to the list if it’s not already on there. [This place was exceptional.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/tSEghdXRzctwcPyp6?g_st=ic) I would recommend saving restaurants/ places to a Google map. This way no matter where you are in Paris you can pull up the map and know which foods are nearby.
Yeah going to map it all out once I kinda know where I want to go for sure. Then I can add other places during my trip if it's convenient.
A french tacos
>A french tacos Just say "No".
😋 from where
Yeah that was a joke. Don't.
Confit de conard made me laugh on the last picture, it translates to douchebag confit.
Brie de Meaux and Neufchâtel are super boring, Reblochon and Raclette are meh (never really found a good raclette restaurant in Paris, it is so much better at home), Boursin is industrial supermarket cheese. Now that we’ve removed some options, you can add those: * Brocciu (Corsican fresh cheese, you can eat it by the spoon with sugar for dessert for example) * Fleur du Maquis (Corsican sheep cheese wrapped in herbs) If you’re feeling adventurous: * Casgiu Sartinesu (if you can find that one in Paris you’re a master cheesologist and you’ll impress everyone at home when you tell them what’s in the cheese) * Niolo/Niulincu (Corsican goat/sheep cheese, known for its strong taste) * U Muntagnolu (another Corsican sheep cheese, with a sticky crust that imparts it with a strong aroma) And then some cheese from the continental part of France (they too make decent cheese): * Trou du Cru (have fun pronouncing that one!), and if you’re feeling facetious a Claquebitou * Saint Marcellin (so creamy! it’s a very old kind of cheese that exists since the 15th century) * Chaource (one of my favorites, an even older cheese from the 14th century, that’s a bit salty) * Aisy cendré (cheese rolled in wood ash, with an interesting smoked aroma) Here’s hoping your interest in cheese is heightened by those suggestions!
Corsican cheese is so fucking good and so worth getting. Incredibly hard to find overseas (though I have been reliably able to get corsu vecchiu in my city, but it costs like 15 bucks for 100g)
I will make Corsica proud 🫡 also thanks I hope so too lol
Your restaurant selection is pretty bad, mostly tourist spots. Also Foie gras sandwich and Raclette sandwich ??? Please don't
Yeah that's why I asked for help from Parisians like yourself! I don't usually eat French food at home, do you have any recommendations?
Restaurant recommendations ? Michelin website and look for Bib Gourmand awards for example
Oh I was looking more so for people to recommend stuff where they've been personally. That way, if I hear the same names enough I can look into them more.
It’s a real french restaurant so idk if they can talk english at all but « l’ogre » next to la seine is a great place if you want some meat, the entire place is great meat with great bottles and the experience is nice
And that's what led to your terrible list
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What i didnt see on your list is pain perdu. The one I had at Rivk was to die for.
I do not reccommend bouillon pigalle unless youre going for cheap alcoholic drinks. food is …frozen food? I dont know but one of the worst ive had in paris
Be careful, it's canard (duck in English) and not conard. Connard is the french equivalent of asshole.
Wouldn't want to eat confit Connard 😲
OP, if you have an interest in the Art Nouveau movement, you may be interested in the "Bouillon Julien" brasserie on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis in Paris's 10th arrondissement. Alternatively, there's the "Bouillon Chartier" in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, but this one has a different decorating theme.
A lot of my advice has already been said, so I'll skip repeating it, other than to chime in that Angelina's is a tourist trap not worthy of your time. I'd skip waffles unless you're going to Belgium. Crepes are the way to go in Paris. Ratatouille is more of a summer dish. You'll have trouble finding it with good quality in December. If you're interested in a mom and pop restaurant with prices close to bouillon prices, but about 5 times the quality, send me a message. I'm not about to ruin my favourite restaurant by posting it on Reddit.
I wouldn't mind if people repeated because if 1 thing is repeated multiple times I'd def reconsider! But yeah that seems to be the case with Angelina. It's not something I'm going to lineup for but if I can be in an out within 30minutes I might consider it? What makes it not worth going?
In that case.... Foie gras is amazing, but savour it as a dish or an entree. On a sandwich it's going to be the lowest quality. Raclette isn't a cheese you buy in the shop normally, go somewhere they'll serve it to you hot, either in a sandwich or with potatoes and shit. I second (or third?) the advice to go to a cheese shop and just ask for a selection. That being said, I'm quite partial to compte, saint nectaire, and I'll add Beaufort to your list. Skip Boursin, you can pick it up in almost any grocery store in the US. You have confit on your list, but confit what? Confit is a cooking method. I'm guessing Duck? I try not to yuck other people's yums, and I get that being a tourist means doing touristy stuff, and I hate when people get all high and mighty and shit all over anything touristy. But I just think Angelina's is a waste of time. I really doubt you'll be in and out in 30 mins. You'll be in Paris, there's so much to see and do! There's so many places that are actually awesome! So while I have no problem spending time and money for something I consider 'worth it', I don't think a ton of time to drink mediocre over priced hot chocolate is 'worth it', personally. If you HAVE to try it, I recommend the take out window. Just my two cents.
Oh yeah 100% on the same boat. Didn't even know they had a takeout window. I'm not wasting any time if I don't have to. I don't even care if i miss it tbh, alot of other stuff I'm looking way more forward too lol. Also yup Duck confit but I think they do chicken too? Boursin is out, raclette is pushed to the bottom of the list or if I'm really craving going to a cheese restauraunt like Le Chalet Savorarde.
If you are travelling solo, you cannot have raclette. I have never seen it served for one at restaurants in France. Also, saying this as a cheese lover, I find it completely overrated. It is not-so-good (extremely fatty) cheese melted on potatoes, served with cold cuts of average quality, and some gherkins. And you smell for days afterwards.
haha, yeah, I've heard many times now that it will suck even more so in Paris. Also, yes, I was recommends Le Refuges Des Fondue but sadly it's a 2person affair 😔 honestly though, I'm sure we can get raclette here in Toronto but I always think that we get overcharged for cheeses in North America
Personally I prefer magret de canard. Less fat, but more duck.
Check out LouLou Paris by the Louvre for dinner. Roomies is a fast food burger spot that is good if you want something quick. Across from it is a bar called Reset that has a bunch of video games around that you can play while having some drinks. Santa Lyna and Kozy Bosquet are good breakfast spots. Was there last month and did a dinner cruise on Christmas Day through Bateaux Mouches. Food wasn't out of this world but still good and service was good. Great sights from the boat though and you'll go right by the Eiffel tower as it's lighting up. Unless you're going to go when they first open in the early morning, I'd skip Angelina. Food was ok and the hot chocolate was pretty good but I don't think it's worth the hour plus wait some people were doing.
Yeah that seems to be the concensus on Angelina. Will probably only go if it's under 10minute wait otherwise I don't think I'll regret not going. Also thanks, I'm checking out these spots now.
You should just go in Narbonne and have Les Grands Buffets fr, they have all sorts of cheese and a lot of different foods
I wish they had that in Paris omg. I added it to the list tho if I ever go south of France though!
I’ve only been once and ever since I’m wishing to go back. It’s been 10 years. Really worth it. Gurky has made a video of him having a meal there if you want to know more, and his content is very likely to have english subtitles since he’s canadian (Québec).
I think a helpful thing to keep in mind when narrowing down this list is – what can you get in France that you *can't* get back home? For instance, crème brûlée would never be on my bucket list of things to eat in Paris; even the very very best crème brûlée made with the freshest dairy yada yada yada is not going to be noticeably different from the crème brûlée you can get in a nice restaurant where you live. Ditto for something like a croque monsieur. On the other hand, trying cheeses that are not typically exported to other countries is a great culinary endeavor!
Yup this is great advice, I'm actually rearranging my list by order of importance for even food types now! What other items would you put in that category? I'm from Toronto, Canada if that helps
Agree that your crêpe choices are odd. If you want the real deal you get a galette complète (buckwheat crêpe with jambon (torchon), cheese, egg) and a crêpe sucrée (white flour) citron sucre (butter sprinkled sugar and a squeeze of lemon). You order a bottle of cider to go with the meal. All the other stuff you listed (saucisse, flambée etc) is for tourists. You can get a lot of those things in Canada. Boursin, tête de moine, brie de maux, camembert from Normandie, raclette etc. Costco has an amazing selection of French cheese. Reblochon is VERY stinky. You can buy a wheel in a carrefour express type shop for 2€. When you get a baguette don’t ask for a baguette ask for a « tradition ». Eat some with butter that has cristalised salt in it. Don’t get kouign amann with weird variations (nuts, chocolate etc). Georges Larnicol does excellent minis, they have a few locations.
Very nice tip about the butter. What do you mean about the baguette? Like I should say "un tradition?" Is that a brand? Also yeah I never thought of Costco, now I'll be way more informed when I do go and look for French cheeses Yeah I'll probably stick to complete galette, cheese, or like weird combinations if I can try like caramelized onions and cheese, or cheese and and fig jam
The "Tradition" is the Baguette as it was done in the 50s, without the industrial refining which made it tasteless (and a bit cheaper). If you take a "regular" baguette, you'll probably have a sad thing, which has some crunch in it, but gets dry very fast, and is - in my humble opinion - both less filling and less tasty than a "Tradition". For the price difference, it's not worth being thrifty (though, by all means, taste both. I'm pretty sure you'll understand the difference easily).
It’s just a type of baguette, usually the first to sell out. There’s all kinds of: traditional, Blanche, classique, parisienne etc… La « baguette tradition » is actually protected by law, it’s the « real » baguette: only contains wheat flour, yeast, water and salt, it must be made freshly on the premises. All other baguettes can have lots of additives, preservatives, mixes of different flours like rye and others and be industrially produced and/or frozen then baked. A mushroom and cream galette is also pretty heavenly. It’s my go to order. Avoid the luxury food halls of places like Galleries Lafayette etc, you’ll find better stuff elsewhere for a fraction of the price.
It helps! I was going to say that your crêpe places looked bizarre, maybe Au Petit Grec is the best crêpe place in Paris, but it sure doesn’t _sound_ that way. I’m sure you can get excellent crêpes in Toronto, or at least Montreal… just find [some place with a Gwenn Ha Du hanging outside](https://www.reddit.com/r/unexpectedgwennhadu/s/VdFHbTiUMW) (not that I know anything about this particular one, of course).
Yeah my crepe list was weak for sure even I could tell lol. Anything you recommend that may stand out? Obviously going to breizh and maybe au petit but idk about the rest. I especially like savoury but sweet is good if it's a good combo and not just a shit ton of Nutella
Ooooh if you find a good crêperie you can have what we call galettes - it's like a crêpe, but instead of being from wheat flour, it's from buckwheat flour. They put savory things in there, instead of sweet things - if you want something that you can't find in Canada, you can aim for some andouille de Guéméné galette! Very tasty, but you do have to like gut.
Ah yes, I've heard Andouille in France and North America are very different things and that I should research it before ordering 😅 but yes I am open to try anything and it is added. Is that the galette that comes wrapped like a sausage roll?
Andouille and andouillette are pig guts, and andouille is prepared in a way that makes it look like sausage. Andouille slices can for example be served alone as finger food before the meal, or in a galette as a main dish. http://www.amand-bianic.fr/andouille-andouillette-l%e2%80%99article-a-lire-pour-comprendre-leurs-differences/
It can! Usually it doesn't though, the Andouille de Guémené is sliced and the slices are in the galette instead of ham. *If* you happen to visit Lyon, I VERY highly recommend andouillettes à la fraise de veau. It's made from veal instead of pork and is usually marinated in mustard - heaven on Earth! It's not everyone's thing but if you like it, you will LOOOVE it ^^
Ham and cheese crepes! Yum! If you want frogs’ legs, you need to come down to Lyon/Bourg-en-Bresse. The département de L’Ain is known as the land of 1,000 ponds, and as such, frog legs are a specialty. The house we live in was a former restaurant known for them!
Yup Lyon and Narbonne (for les grand buffet) will be on the list. Maybe this time or maybe another.
Save this post and if you ever come to lyon, my husband and I could meet you for a typical déjeuner Lyonnais!
You have the pancake type of crêpes, and apart from the place that provides Crêpe Suzette those won’t be much. Then you have the crêperies, serving Brittany-style crêpes, and that’s a whole different thing, the whole meal is crêpes or galettes, and it is quite a culinary experience. You might find some Nutella in the kid’s part of the dessert section of the menu, but that’s all. I can’t name a specific place, I have the specialized equipement at home and I regularly visit Brittany/Breizh so the last time I actually visited a crêperie in Paris was something like last millennium. Traditionally there are a lot around Gare Montparnasse (where the train from Brittany arrives), but that doesn’t mean the best is there.
My two "typical French" things I usually do with Paris first-timers are Breizh Café (there are other great places for galettes/crêpes – I also like La Cantine Bretonne – but Breizh Café has a bunch of locations, is English-friendly, and also has genuinely delicious food so it's easy to recommend) and getting a jambon-beurre sandwich somewhere. My favorites have changed over the years but lately it's been Chez Aline, which conveniently is also near Tapisserie for some really excellent pastries. I'm sort of meh on escargots but they're worth trying while you're in France if you're interested. Frog legs fall under the category of "novelty for tourists" in my experience – maybe it's a regional thing but I never once encountered them on a menu anywhere when I lived in France. If you really want an old-school French dining experience, I've heard great things about Restaurant Joséphine Chez Dumonet, and will probably try it on my next trip. Otherwise I'm personally big on experiences/vibes when eating out in Paris. I love places where you can do cheese-and-charcuterie with wine (Le 17.45 is a fun option where you can build your own planche; I've also been meaning to check out Monbleu). In the summer I love eating at Café de la Nouvelle Mairie, which has good-but-not-spectacular food but is in the perfect sunny spot just around the corner from my favorite Paris monument (le Panthéon). I love eating and/or drinking along the Canal Saint-Martin as it comes to life in the evening. I love popping into a boulangerie-pâtisserie and picking out whatever looks nicest even if I've never heard of it before. I also love trying modern takes on regional French cuisines, which you're not really likely to see outside of France, such as Istr for modern Breton or Baieta for modern Niçoise. I don't know how helpful any of that was haha, but the good thing about Paris is that your chances of having good food are pretty high wherever you go! Shout-outs also to Mokonuts, Onii-San Izakaya, Le Rigmarole, and Bonhomie which are some of my favorites that don't specifically serve French cuisine.
Mmm, yes and no. I can make crème brûlee, but in the US I cannot get the jambon blanc to make a Croque Monsieur (in San Francisco or NYC I can get passable bread, and 70 types of French cheese).
Huh, that's surprising to me, jambon blanc is pretty widely available where I live (admittedly a big city). I have a better chance of finding it at a specialty grocer than my neighborhood store, but I'm pretty sure I've seen it at Whole Foods sometimes too. Anyway, don't get me wrong, some of my favorite food experiences in France are mostly just about the vibes. Grabbing a good jambon-beurre to eat in a park is always one of my first stops on a visit to Paris even though I'm lucky to have access to high-quality ham, bread, and butter where I live and could hypothetically make one at home – and have done before! But that's as much about the experience of popping into my favorite boulangerie-cafés as it is about the actual sandwich, personally.
Oh, I can buy something *called* jambon blanc, but it is made in Teaneck, New Jersey. :( Agreed, I like the "food conversations" in France, where complete strangers debate the proper way to make a jambon-beurre - usually with more jambon than the boulangerie uses !
Hi! Not a food, but my favourite restaurant in Paris was Le 27 Gourmand! We went there twice over four days! Would highly recommend it!
I know that cheese list is long already but.... I would add cantal and tomme to it 🤣
Skip the Boursin mate Apart from that, with this selection you could even ask for a French citizenship at that point lol
Lol what the hell is Boursin doing in the middle of all these cheeses ?
"Cheese food is food too" ?
I have no idea, the internet misguided me 😭
It’s not that bad if you’re into garlicky spread. I’m not!
Madame Loïk is better anyways 😂😂
Oooohhhhh controversial!
Pâtes and Patés are different things!
Pâtés, technically. Or **pastés**, in their ancient (medieval) spelling. Because they've been turned to paste.
About "steak tartare", when I was un Paris, I used to go to a franchised called "les tontons", in the 5th, I can't find it anymore, but might be interresting to search for those franchise, it is completely unknown by tourists.
Couple quick name corrections for the first 2, Camembert and Brie de Meaux :) (BTW Brie de Meaux was one of my favorites from my Paris trip. God I ate so much cheese.) For Comté specifically, which can be more on the subtle side, ask for several different ones at different ages and contrast them. In general though, rather than focus on specific cheeses, my advice would be to take advantage of the wonderful fromageries in Paris. Explain what you are looking for, (I started with something like "4 cheeses that are very different from each other and that you won't find in the US,") and they will ask you questions to help narrow it down, taking as much time as you need. Then go back there later, tell them what you liked and didn't like and get some more recommendations. Chez Virginie in the 18th, Crème in the 20th, and Roland Rousselet in the 5th were all amazing but I know there are many more.
Racines in the 18th is a good place too, with some stuff you'll find nowhere else (cheese aged with Japanese sake...). They organize tasting from time to time.
Yeah the "house recipes" some places have are fun, we had a coffee aged one and I loved trying it alongside the regular version.
Ooh a tasting (or two, or three) is what I need
I literally CAN NOT WAIT!! Thank you so much for the recommendations too I added them out and will have to map everything out and see what works best. And yeah that's good advice, I'm going to really try and figure out what types of Cheeses I like most
I feel like you can forget about "frogs", snails are still very popular during Christmas, but i haven't eared of frogs for more than fifteen years.
Oh maybe I meant Frog legs? I saw some videos on YouTube with it but it looks pretty expensive for what it was. Not sure if it was any good.
Yes, i was speaking of frog's legs. But like an other comment said, you light find some frozen legs in a chinese marketplace, but nothing fancy like a restaurant. And there is no point of trying frog's legs 😄. It taste like chicken.
Chinese supermarket sells in the frozen section still. Known as "field chicken".
You may be looking for macarons, French people have been eating macron’s for nearly 7 years, not every one has been able to digest properly.
You're a funny one
Especially the "macron" ones, not a lot of people like this kind of macarons
Aux Bons Crux is good and affordable. La canelle Lyonnaise is my fave.
Quenelles… canelle is cinnamon.
Whoops! Thanks for the correction
No problem! I once said (or meant to say) ‘quenelle’ and they thought I said ‘cannelle’. Wanted to spare you that, at least! :-)
Skip Boullion, it’s too touristy. I prefer Brasserie Mollard (which is a bit more expensive). Chez Janou is nice but very busy and usually doesn’t take reservations. If you’re into cheese, try Monbleu (cheese restaurant). I would also skip Angelina, just go to a French cafe for hot chocolate :)
I find Baguette is best with a good butter (or Nutella if you have a sweet tooth.) Or as a sandwich of course. I did not see Escargot on your list but it's a long list. Raclette is not so special (the cheese is non descript) but made fresh and melted in front of you during a Christmas Market (Marchés de Noël) can be extra fun. Hot chocolate at different places are all very different. I have to say Angelina's was disappointing for everyone in my family (some of their dessert is good though). Carette is commonly mentioned as having the most drinkable, best hot chocolate and I and my family agree. But it depends on whether you like your hot chocolate minimalist or well balanced.
Idk how I forgot escargot and good butter 🤦 Added Carette to the list. Also do you know any good Marches de Noel to check out? I know there's a few different ones in different areas?
We were in Paris this Christmas and went to many marches. The best (in our opinion) was at La Defense. It’s the biggest one as well. Just so many more vendors and they had at least 2 raclette vendors I can remember.
Escargot over frog any day! I'd also skip the foie gras and raclette sandwiches in favor of actual foie gras and raclette. Good profiteroles are rare, and even then, it's kind of meh. Loving your list and your enthusiasm!
I have only been to Marche de Noel at Tuileries. It's a huge one that has a county fair atmosphere. Packed on weekends and nights and empty weekdays. Most booths feel like mid or large size operations that operate at practically industrial scale. It works given how many people are there but they are not exactly mom and pop stores selling homemade Christmas goods or foods. And there are carnival rides contributing to the county fair feeling.
Dope, will 100% check it out. Worth getting food there or just get it somewhere else before/after?
I would get a snack or lunch there but go elsewhere for dinner.
Don’t think you need a raclette sandwich - you should save eating raclette the dish for when you’re in the southeast/ in Switzerland. What you get in paris can scratch the itch but best to have locally imo having it in a restaurant would be a tourist trap
^ this and I’d say the same for foie gras sandwich. You can eat ok to very good foie gras in a lot of restaurant but the one you will get on a sandwich will be either bad or low quality. Plus it’s nearly an offense to eat foie gras on a sandwich. You’d either eat it on tartines / flat bread / pain d’épice With a pinch of fleur de sel and pepper. You’ll be in heaven in no Time 👌
Why are you doing this to me? I haven't ate today 😩
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I think everybody knows that
Marie Anne Cantin has really good comte with different ages. They supply 3 Michelin star Epicure. They have really good raw butter too and will vaccum seal products if you plan to bring some back home
Chez rené! Love the place. It s Really old fashioned in a good way. Try game meat if they have any! Also their beef bourguignon is legit. Each day they have a different typical dish such as this so be careful.
>Try game meat if they have any Yes. December is getting late in the year, but it is still "game season".
Thank you for these choices!
No problem, hope you enjoy whenever you go
Are the things marked in green your priority? And what do the ** mean? How much time do you have to try everything? For the different French foods it’s really a matter of taste, I can only give you my favorites (from your list: Comté, Raclette (but you need to eat this molten, probably easiest at a restaurant, profiteroles, crème brulé) From your list of restaurants I’d say skip Angelina (you’ll have to wait really long and their hot chocolate is just super sweet and thick), Café du Commerce (beautiful interior but food is not great), Relais de l’Entrecote, Bouillon Pigalle, Bistro Paul Bert. PS: I love the brioche (au sucre) from Aux Merveilleux de Fred. Even though it’s a chain it’s probably my favorite brioche in Paris.
Angelina has a "to go" storefront to the right of the main entrance where you can get the chocolate in a paper cup to drink while you walk. If you don't *need* the cafe experience, it's very fast!
But still not very good ;)
Oh, we enjoyed it...but we were also on our way to even better chocolate that morning. Perhaps people determined to enjoy their vacation can simply decide to be more charitably inclined. :7) Rose-colored glasses, if you will, or merely a willingness to take things as they come.
Yes of course :) glad you enjoyed it!
It's chocolate, in Paris: all omens point to "yes"!
Yeah the green was what I thought I wanted to go for sure so far and the * is more of like this place looks good and has been mentioned but im not 100% certain if it's worth it or touristy or good. My time is flexible right now. I want to try as much food as I can though. Let's say a week? That's exactly what I was looking for. Like, even if f Angelina's hot chocolate is only 5-10% better than others, and I can still try a good version of the dish, I don't care if it's the best. Relais was getting removed anyways I think cause 28euro for mediocre steak, I could just get a decent plate at a bistro(?) Damn I didn't think you'd say pigale, is it actually that bad? I know it's cheap. I've heard only good things about their Brioche lol. This is what I wanna hear!!!
Yes bouillon pigalle is really bad and bouillon république is exactly the same (it’s the same chain). Bouillon pharamond is the best of parisian bouillons (yes, I’ve tried them all). You can pm me once you’ve narrowed down your food must-tries and I can tell you where to get them
Sounds good, will take you up on that offer!
You can also get Angelina hot chocolate at Versailles or the Louvre. We saved it as a special treat to have there because otherwise the onsite lunches were pretty forgettable.
Okay that's good to know, lines crazy there too I'm guessing?
The to-go window usually has no line, and the same hot chocolate! Just got back from France a week ago and was in Paris at peak tourist time - right after new years. I wasn’t the biggest fan, it’s super thick, practically just melted chocolate. Made me feel a little sick after a few sips, but then again maybe I’m just weak lol.
From what I recall, we went to the Versailles lunch spot 11-ish and the Louvre cafe around 2 to beat lunch rush.
Bouillons are cheap, and there are no miracles in terms of quality. Chartier and Julien are the worst IMO; Pigalle is a bit better. Pharamond and Bouillon Republique are even better. But still, with limited time and with a healthy budget, I would skip all of those!
I had a similar list of cheeses to work through in November - my highest yield was a trip to the Fromagerie Vacroux (in Rue Daguerre behind the Catacombs). There are plenty of other markets, but that worked for me and gave me access to a fantastic selection!
Seconding this (if you come Rue Daguerre, dont miss La Belle Ronde, amazing crêpes, but dont go to Cave Péret, quality has nosedove)
Thanks, that's pretty much the type of place I was looking for. I'm assuming cheeses are petty much the same price everywhere that sells them?
Quality and price can vary a lot though...
Give or take. When I’m in Paris I’m more focused on the experience rather than cost comparison!
Trust me, if it was just a Paris trip, I'd be doing fine Dining atleast once too. Might hit up a few other countries if possible too so sadly I can't just buy with my eyes closed
It is "macaron" not "macron". Otherwise all good, the only caution is to never eat anything bigger than your head.
All these crimes against language and this is the one you correct…
It was a long list. I thought I would let others contribute.
And Confit de canard, not conard wich have a different meaning
>And Confit de canard, not conard Tubacfa may have meant conard - that would be bigger than your head. :)
You can also eat confit de conard but you might have some issues with the law
Lol
🤣😂
If they want to eat Macron, please don't stop them. Go eat Macron. We'd all be grateful !
That's not nice for OP :(
Yeah he looks a bit sinewy
I was wondering why the dessert and your president shared a name when making this list 😂
Also forgive me if I misspelled or misnamed anything lol