Eating in Paris

How to Enjoy and Afford Legendary Paris Cusine

For many people, eating in Paris means enjoying the delectable food and the elegance of presentation and service in restaurants. It is one of the joys of visiting Paris.

Shown on the right is Les Deux Magots, a Left Bank cafe that is famous not especially for its food, although it is good, but as a meeting point since the beginning of the 20th century for famous artists and writers such as Sartre, Rimbaud, Picasso, de Beauvoir and Hemingway.

There are so many books and Internet guides to eating in Paris that it can be intimidating and time-consuming to make a decision of where to eat. And then, getting there can be time-consuming also.

I would like to simplify your process of deciding where to eat.

Recommended Resource

First, I strongly recommend that you buy the book, Zagat Survey 2006/07 Paris Restaurants, to do research described below under Researching Restaurants. You may click on the above link and buy it from amazon.com for $10.74 plus shipping or purchase it at local bookstores in the USA for $13.95 or in the UK for 8.99 pounds. Henceforth, I will refer to it by the term Zagat book.

The Zagat book is based on consumer surveys of nearly 1,000 Paris restaurants by 4,891 restaurant-goers. The founders and owners of Zagat Surveys, Nina and Tim Zagat, state in the Zagat book “By regularly surveying large numbers of avid customers, we hope to have achieved a uniquely current and reliable series of guides. More than a quarter-century of experience has verified this.” Zagat Surveys started with New York City restaurants in 1979 and now covers restaurants in 71 cities, a majority of which are in the USA.

If you want to do restaurant research before leaving for Paris or if you will have Internet access while in Paris, I recommend that you also subscribe to the online ZagatSurvey at Zagat Survey Online which includes interactive maps that are extremely useful. The online ZagatSurvey subscriptions for Paris restaurants are only $3.95 for 30 days. Other Paris restaurant guides are discussed below under Other Resources for Paris Restaurants.

Memorable, Pleasure and Convenience Meals

You may want to have one or more superb meals in Paris that are expensive, something to write home about and remarkable experiences that become a warm glow of happy memories after you return home. I will call these your memorable meals.

You may want to have a number of meals that are more moderate in cost but are of superior quality, highly enjoyable and leave you with a very satisfied feeling. I will call these your pleasure meals.

You may want to have a number of meals that are very good but quite reasonable in price and that do not require a lot of research or travel. These may be meals that you want to have near your hotel, or other accommodation, or near wherever you are when you become hungry during or at the end of a sightseeing or shopping day. If your objective for some meals is to save money but have good food, you may be willing to travel some to get to the restaurant. I will call these your convenience meals.

These three names for meals are arbitrary and represent emphasis rather than a precise label. For example, your convenience meals should be pleasurable, but convenience is the emphasis.

For memorable meals, I recommend that you do the research described below under Researching Restaurants and make reservations by phone or email as early as possible and before you leave for Paris. Some of the best restaurants in Paris are booked weeks or even months in advance.

For pleasure meals, if you wish you can wait until you are in Paris to do the recommended research described below under Researching Restaurants, but reservations should be made by telephone before going to a restaurant, preferable a day or more in advance. You may want to ask the concierge in your hotel to make reservations for you.

Convenience meals are for when you want to save time in identifying and traveling to restaurants and/or you want to save money. There are at least three situations where you may want convenience meals: (1) near your hotel, (2) near where you are when you get hungry and (3) when you want to save money.

Researching Restaurants

The restaurants in the Zagat book are listed alphabetically by name with address, phone number, fax number and, in many cases, a website address. Each restaurant is given numerical ratings for food, décor and service and typical cost is given in euros. The numerical ratings are defined as follows:

0-9 poor to fair
10-15 fair to good
16-19 good to very good
20-25 very good to excellent
26-30 extraordinary to perfection

To find restaurants for memorable meals, I suggest that you check the following lists in the Zagat book:

Most Popular (page 9) Each surveyor was asked to name his or her five favorite Paris restaurants. A total of 52 restaurants are listed reflecting their choices. Many are very expensive.

Top Ratings (pages 10 – 15) The many top restaurants listed on these six pages are in various categories including top food, type of cuisine, special features, arrondissement, décor, outdoors, romance, rooms, views and service.

It would be next to impossible to look up and evaluate all candidates for memorable meals on the seven pages just described. If you absolutely want haute cuisine with top prices, focus on the 50 restaurants under Top Food on page 10. If you want to stay below the most expensive restaurants in Paris, but still want a memorable meal, I suggest that you focus on the list of 52 most popular restaurants on page 9 and any of the categories in which you have a special interest. Then, look up a reasonable number of restaurants, perhaps chosen at random. This could be 10 to 30 or more depending on your inclinations. Stop when you are satisfied with the number and appeal of the choices you make.

To find restaurants for pleasure meals, I suggest that you check the following lists on page 16 in the Zagat book:

Best Buys (40 restaurants)
Other Good Values (40 restaurants)

If you want to avoid excessive research for convenience meals, you may make on-the-spot decisions using either or both of the following approaches:

Carry your ZagatSurvey 2006/07 Paris Restaurant book with you so that when you need to check out a restaurant you have found when you decide you want to eat, look it up, if it is listed, and check out the Zagat ratings and prices.
My wife and I have rather successfully used what I call a “menu and window test”. This is really only a natural thing to do, and it may be “old hat” to you. If not, read on. When you walk up to a restaurant, first find the menu posted near the entrance. Search the menu to find items that appeal to you and check the prices. If the restaurant survives your menu test, then, if the restaurant has windows allowing a view of its interior, discretely observe the general décor, the tables (table cloth, silverware, napkins, candle), the waiters and customers (their dress and mannerisms) and the food appearance and presentation where possible. These observations provide a subjective guide to a restaurant that is not infallible, but we have found that it works most of the time.

Of course, if you wish, you can again spend time doing research described above under Researching Restaurants to find restaurants for convenience meals in a particular area and within a selected price range.

Other Resources for Paris Restaurants

The Michelin Red Guide 2006 Paris: Hotels & Restaurants is often referred to as the definitive guide for Paris restaurants. There are two reasons why I recommend the Zagat book instead of the Michelin Red Guide:

The Michelin Red Guide is written by hired writers, so the ratings of restaurants are more subject to personal opinions of a limited number of evaluators, whereas the Zagat book ratings are based on opinions of a large number of volunteer restaurant-goers.
The Michelin Red Guide is written in French, so for those who do not read French, it has limited value. The star ratings for restaurants and their addresses and phone numbers are still helpful to anyone.

I checked for books on “Eating in Paris” at amazon.com, Borders and Barnes and Noble and found that almost all, other that the Zagat book and the Michelin Red Guide 2006 Paris: Hotels & Restaurants were published prior to 2006. Because of changes in chefs and cooks that may take place at any restaurant, I recommend that you use a current reference for restaurant recommendations, preferably the Zagat book.

Other Comments

It is often reported that lunches typically cost about 15% less than dinners. If you want to investigate this potential for saving, I suggest you call any restaurant you are interested in and inquire or ask your hotel concierge to check any particular restaurant for you.

To save money and to have fun, you can assemble a picnic lunch and enjoy it in a park, along the Seine or any place of your choosing. You can get the ingredients from a supermarket, deli or a street produce market such as the magnificent “festival of food” on rue Cler. You can get the location of supermarkets and delis near your hotel from the concierge.

Another way of saving on meals some days is to have breakfast in your room. Again shop in a supermarket or deli. Also, cafes often offer budget-friendly meals.

By saving on meals through picnics, breakfast in your room and eating in cafes, it may be possible to save enough to enjoy a memorable meal in Paris. Make an estimate of how much you can save in this way and compare the savings with the cost of a memorable meal. You may be surprised that you can have a memorable meal this way without wrecking your budget for the Paris trip.

If you would like to enjoy a memorable meal at perhaps the best restaurant in Paris, I suggest you click on The Best Restaurant in Paris and read the article.

I hope you thoroughly enjoy the renowned Paris cuisine. Bon appetite!

Photo

The above photo of Les Deux Magots Restaurant was taken by me on our 2006 vacation.

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