Ahh Paris! It's not for everyone. I never really enjoyed it until I was almost 30. It's kind of dirty, and the French are kind of spikey. I always felt that there was something special about it that I wasn't seeing, but I couldn't figure out why. Maybe I just wasn't the right age, but I think one of the tricks to enjoying Paris is to find a part of the city you enjoy staying. I've been to Paris 6 or 7 times and stayed in many different areas. It wasn't until 8 years ago that I realized Saint-Germain-des-Pres was my happy place. Located on the left bank of the Seine it has lots of fashion boutiques, art galleries, and interior design shops. It is within walking distance of the Musee D'Orsay, the Louvre, and the Latin Quarter. This trip was my third time staying there and it only cemented my love of the area. If you haven't found an area you like, keep trying. In my experience, once you do your visits to Paris will become more enjoyable. Eating in Paris, however, can be a tricky thing no matter where you stay. Many restaurants cater to tourists and the food is pricey and not very good. Weeding out the good, the ok, and the bad takes time and research. It's not a precise art, one person's five-star rating is another's one-star rating, but it is possible to eat well in Paris without completely breaking the bank, or your stomach with insanely rich food. Here are the places I chose for my sister and I as we ate our way through Paris.
Le Pre aux Clerc – 30 Rue Bonaparte - http://www.restaurant-preauxclercs.com/
There are many restaurants serving traditional French food in the Saint-Germain-des-Pres area. Many of them are on the expensive side and not that great. However, there is something to be said for a place you can get Onion Soup, Steak with Frites, or other classic dishes. Having tried several, this is the one that my sister and I like the best. The food is reasonable and the prices are not astronomical, although our meals here were the most expensive ones that we had. The outside has a row of café tables and chairs under an awning where people sit at all hours of the day enjoying a glass of wine and a small bite. The inside has dark paneled wood and a full menu for lunch or dinner. Service can be a bit slow for American tastes so be prepared to sit and linger over your food or wine.
Juice Lab – 11 Rue Jacob - http://www.juicelab.com/
Juice Lab is a small chain of shops that sell cold pressed juices. They also sell fresh made smoothies, acai bowls, and avocado toast. Coming from California I was intrigued to find their newest outlet on Rue Jacob. When you’ve eaten all the pastries and bread you can, it is the perfect place to grab something healthy as a pick me up. I grabbed an acai bowl mid-morning one day, and an avocado toast on another afternoon. I could never bring myself to put chili flakes on my avocado toast, but this place made me a convert.
Paul – 77 rue de Seine - http://www.paul.fr/fr/
A boulanger and salon de thé, Paul is a chain with locations all over the world. Our favorite branch is on the corner of rue de Seine and rue de Buci. You can get bread, sandwiches, pastries, and a coffee to go at the front (or enjoy it standing up at one of the bar height tables) or sit down for a more relaxed experience in the back. Nothing here will knock your socks off, but it is reliably good and a good place to try traditional French pastries. They have a decadent Hot Chocolate which really hits the spot when it is cold.
La Maison du Chou – 7 rue de Furstenberg
Tucked away in a little courtyard in Saint-Germain is this tiny patisserie. They only sell choux buns with a choice of three or four fillings and coffee/tea. My sister and I found it by chance as we walked to another restaurant for lunch and I insisted we go back. Choux buns are basically cream puffs. These are the best ones I’ve ever had. Sublime is not too strong a word. The Classique are filled with cream that is flavored with cream fraiche. The bun itself is sweet but the cream is not and the contract is surprisingly delicious. Praline and Caramel tied for our favorite flavors with Chocolat a not too distant third after the Classique. They were so good we went back a second time!
Guenmai – 6 rue Cardinale
A small health food shop with a lunch room on the side, I found this in a guidebook. The menu is small, offering plates of macrobiotic vegetarian dishes (small portions of four or five different things – salads, cooked vegetables, grains, beans or lentils, etc.) with either fish or a brochette of tempe. They also have a daily soup and a couple of other a la carte options. It is difficult to describe. I’ve been a couple of times and the food has varied. It is not super tasty, although there is usually at least one delicious item on the plate, but I always feel amazing after I eat there. I’m not sure why. The people watching is excellent. If you are craving healthy food, or want a unique Parisian dining experience this is certainly the place to go.
Cosi – 54 rue de Seine - https://www.facebook.com/Cosi-126474794072452/
Cosi is a sandwich shop on the edge of Saint-Germain-des-Pres and the Latin Quarter that is immensely popular. If you go at regular meal times there is almost always a line. The thing that is unique about their sandwiches is the bread that they use - Focaccia which is baked in house. We went twice this trip, which has become our normal pattern. It makes a great, light, and fairly inexpensive meal. We’ve often eaten there after a large, rich lunch or when we are just not in the mood for anything other than a sandwich. They also have salads, a soup, and dessert. My favorite sandwiches are the Ines, made with spec (ham), ricotta, nuts, lemon, and olive oil, and the Saumon, which is the same but with cooked salmon instead of the spec. There is seating on the second floor (the staircase is steep but navigable) or you can get food to go.
Veggie – 38 rue de Verneuil
Aptly named, this is a vegetarian restaurant not far from the Musee D’Orsay open for lunch Monday through Friday. They have a counter at the front where you can get food to go, and tables towards the back where they offer table service. The interior is simple but cheerful, with white walls and no nonsense wood tables and chairs. It was filled with locals, chatting and lingering over their meals. The menu, like at many French restaurants, changes daily. My sister and I chose the Veggie Curry served over brown rice on our visit. It was warming but comparatively tasteless compared to what we expect of such a dish. Looking around at what everyone else was ordering I think we probably should have ordered the Tarte Legume, which was disappearing rapidly. However, despite the curry that wasn’t really a curry, I would not hesitate to give this place another try. And next time I would also order dessert.
Note – they do not accept foreign credit cards so make sure you bring cash if you are traveling from outside of Europe.
La Fresque – 100 rue Rambuteau - https://www.facebook.com/La-Fresque-160546320640888/
This is perhaps by favorite restaurant in all of Paris. I found it in a guide book a few years ago when I was looking for somewhere to eat near the George Pompidou Centre. Located across from the Forum les Halles on rue Rambuteau, it is a small restaurant, full of locals (always a good sign), with tables crammed in. Their pre-fixe lunch menu is incredibly reasonably priced and absolutely delicious! They offer multiple choices for starters, mains, and dessert. You can get either two or three courses. This visit we had onion soup to start. For the main course I had rack of lamb with roasted potatoes (I am still dreaming about it) and my sister had a Torte Legumes (vegetable tart). It was hands down the best meal of our trip. It pairs perfectly with a morning visit to the Pompidou.
Coming next week - Eating my way through London.