Bon Appétit!

Posted by Ashley

There are so many good restaurants in Paris. With streets upon streets of bistrots, crêperies, and cafés, it's impossible to try every single one. And if you're only in Paris for a short amount of time, you definitely don't want to waste a precious meal in a not-so-amazing restaurant. So, having just finished my trip to Paris, I thought I'd give you a few restaurant recommendations. (I tried to get some pictures, but unfortunately, as I'm still getting used to blogging, I forgot to take them most of the time so either I tried cropping a picture or I don't have one. You can still find some on the restaurant websites though and I put the links in below.)

Le Verre Luisant – 64, rue de la Verrerie, 75004 Paris
Closest metro station: Hôtel de Ville
For me, this restaurant is a must. I go here every year to get the same thing: the steak tartare "Tony Montana." The restaurant itself is not too fancy and there aren't too many tourists so it's nice if you're looking for somewhere local. The prices are also reasonable.

Au Pain Quotidien – 5 rue des Petits Champs, 75001 Paris
Closest metro station: Palais Royal/Musée du Louvre
You may have heard of this already as it's not unique to Paris and it's actually Belgian to begin with. It's a chain and the above address is just the one I went to but they have others around Paris, which you can find on their website. I sill decided to put it on this list because the food is delicious and it's all organic. They serve typical breakfast foods but I went there for lunch and had a delicious salad and a tartine. Perfect for a quick lunch or breakfast.

Le Petit Rétro – 5 rue Mesnil, 75016 Paris
Closest metro station: Victor Hugo
This is more of your traditional Parisian bistrot. With it's iron chandelier, old coffee machine, and floral wall and ceiling tiles, this bistrot creates the perfect Paris-back-in-the-day atmosphere.

Creperie Gaîté – 3 rue de la Gaîté, 74014 Paris
Closest metro station: Edgar Quinet
This was a completely unplanned dinner, when I went with my mom to see the Comédie Italienne and we needed to find somewhere close-by. De-li-cious. The galettes sarrasin were filling and very tasty and the dessert crêpes were yummy!

Galette with goat cheese, tomatoes, and ham

Les Ombres – 27 Quai Branly, 75007 Paris
Closest metro station: Alma-Marceau/Iéna (you then have to cross the Seine)
Now I'm stepping it up a bit. This restaurant is a lot fancier than the other ones and the terrace gives you an exceptional view of the Eiffel Tower. You do have to make reservations quite in advance however, so plan accordingly. You can choose to order à la carte or do as I did and order from the lunch set menu where you can choose starter and main course and dessert, or main course and starter or dessert.

Shellfish Ravioli

Chouquettes filed with praline, almond nougat, and passionfruit

Venezuelen chocolate tart

Those are the main restaurants that I went to this past week that I recommend. Now for some café/pastry shops.

Ladurée – 16/18 rue Royale, 75008 Paris
The famous house of macarons. The above address is the original one but there are others around Paris, such as on the Champs-Elysées.

Fauchon
If you're looking for nicely presented, tasty treats, go here. They have a few in Paris which you can find on their site.

Inside the shop

The lovely cakes!

Korcarz – 29 rue des Rosiers, 75004 Paris
Located in the Marais, the Jewish Quarter, this little shop sells the most delicious Middle Eastern pastries.

Montecaros, baklava, cornes de gazelle, and more!

Amorino
This little gelato shop is literally everywhere! Perfect place for Italian gelato.

In the shape of a rose

Berthillon – 31 rue Saint-Louis en L'île, 75004 Paris
Now this is THE ice cream shop. A must for a true and complete Paris experience. The address above is the main shop but you can find others around the area and some cafés serve them as well.

Quite a long line for this one (that's how good it is)

I guess if there's one last thing to share with you it's some restaurants that I personally haven't been to but have been recommended to me by others or are well known restaurants in Paris that are definitely worth checking out.

Chez Léon – 131 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75006 Paris
If you like mussels, this is your place! (other addresses online)

Les Deux Magots – 6 Place Saint-Germain des Prés, 75006 Paris
Another great one for that Parisian experience.

Lapérouse – 51 Quai des Grands Augustin, 75006 Paris
And a final touch of classic French.

Bon appétit!