From la baguette to galettes to macarons, Paris is a heaven of food! We have created a list of the 10 best food places that you simply have to go to when you’re in the French capital
1. Breizh Café
At Breizh Café you will find the best galettes and crepes in Paris. Sure, every restaurant in Paris will claim so, but Breizh Café has won several prizes from all over the world for their spectacular food, that still comes out very affordable. Reservations can only be done for evenings and you might have to wait a bit for your table, but it’s worth it. They have several restaurants all over Paris. Opening times (Marais): 10am – 8:30pm.
2. De Clercq Les Rois de la Frite
Okay the French fries were not invented in Paris, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t find pretty good ones here. The best ones are served at De Clercq Les Rois de la Frite. They have been selling ‘cornet de frites’ since 2011 to the people of Paris and oh, how lucky the Parisians are. If not better, then they’re at least on par with the original Belgian fries. Opening times: Sun-Tue 11am – midnight, Fri/Sat: 11am – 2pm.
3. Chez Alain Miam Miam
Chez Alain Miam Miam is a popular restaurant in Marais serving sandwiches, crepes and galettes (if you’re in France, beware of the distinction between a crepe and a galette – one should never be called the other. Crepes are usually made with wheat flour and served with a sweet filling, while galettes are made with buckwheat flour). The food is incredible and affordable, but what’s even better is the owner. Walking around the tables asking customers “Miam, miam?”, he made us feel as if we were visiting an old friend in Paris rather than’ just going for lunch’. Expect to queue up! Opening times: Tue-Sun 9am – 5pm
4. Happy Caffe
Happy Caffe is yet another place where the service is spectacular! The staff takes its restaurant name quite seriously and tries to make every customer leave with a smile. And let me tell you, they truly know what they’re doing. When we visited, the owner sang a song for me in which he asked me not to leave him. If that’s not a unique restaurant experience, then I don’t know what is. The food may not be spectacular but it is definitely fresh and affordable and at the end you do come here for the happiness factor, which Happy Caffe definitely delivers on. Opening times: everyday from 8:30am – 10pm
5. Pierre Hermé Paris Bonaparte Store
If you are looking for a luxurious café to enjoy great pastries in, you should go to Pierre Hermé, whose stores are spread all across Paris. You can enjoy coffee, macarons, éclairs and other French pastries at not very affordable prices, but there is something about indulging in a little bit of a luxury experience when in Paris and a pastry store is just about what is still affordable.
6. Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses
Le Grenier à Pain Abbesses has won the prize of baking the best French baguette in the entire world. It’s so good, even the French president orders from them! We have tried it and the baguette was so crispy and fluffy, we didn’t even need butter and cheese. Okay, sure, we still got the butter and the cheese, but you know what we mean. We have also tried some of the pastries and can highly recommend the regular croissants and almond croissants! Once again, expect to queue up.
7. Angelina
if you haven’t read our post about the 17 Best Fashion Lover Spots in Paris, go check it out to learn more about Angelina. Paris may not be famous for hot chocolate but it is famous for Angelina, which sells the best hot chocolate in the world. Trust us, this is another place you cannot miss it when in Paris! We would also recommend to sit down inside, because the tea room is beyond beautiful.
8. Ladurée
Ladurée is known across the world for their lovely Macrons. Surprisingly, we preferred the éclairs and macarons from Pierre Hermé and the queue was also a lot smaller (basically non-existent), but we do understand if you would like to try Ladurée and compare it for yourself. At the end, they are also one of the things that Paris is famous for and their shop looks amazingly beautiful as well.
9. L’As du Falafel
Also located in Le Marais, L’As du Falafel sells Middle Eastern food and serves their kebabs and falafel with Israeli wine. It’s affordable, tasty and super filling. You might have not expected to eat falafel in Paris, but you will surely not regret it.
10. Café Les Deux Magots
Café Les Deux Magots is an important place when it comes to cultural history. If you want to find out more about its significance, check out 15 Amazing Literary Locations in Paris in that Every Book Lover Must Visit – guide.
If you are a fashion lover, you might want to check out our guide to 17 Best Fashion Lover Spots in Paris.