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Bucket list experience:

Last updated: 26 November, 2022
Expert travel writer: Anna Brooke

Paris is one dynamic food metropolis – a culinary hub that ticks every edible box, whether you’re looking for classic steak-frites and onion soup or breakfast staples like baguette and croissants.

Old-school pleasures – chateaubriand beef and garlicky snails – abound on menus in many traditional eating houses (like bistros and brasseries), but nowadays the new generation of chefs is deconstructing traditional dishes to create their own, more elevated styles of food, often using ingredients sourced from neighbouring departements like Picardie (for potatoes and root vegetables) and Seine-et-Marne (for cheeses).

What to try

You’ll find plates from all over France, but Parisian specialities include: Paris-Brest (choux pastry with praline cream), croque-monsieur (cheese and ham toastie), steak tartare (raw beef chopped with spices and herbs), hachis parmentier (ground beef and mashed potato pie) and cheeses like Brie de Meaux and creamy Coulommiers. Also see our round-up of traditional French foods to try in France.

Wine predominates, but look out for Parisian beer (often brewed within the city limits), like Gallia, La Parisienne and La Baleine.

The dining scene

Paris and fine food have always gone hand-in-hand. But over the last twenty years, classic French cuisine has transformed into something wholly exciting and contemporary, largely in its bistros (local eating houses), thanks to a culinary movement known as bistronomie (a mix of bistro and gastronomie). In short, it involves making ‘simple’ bistro dishes with high-end gastronomic techniques, resulting in creative, elevated food, at affordable prices.

The one staple that never seems to change, however, is the Parisian café – the people-watcher’s dream with tiled floor, zinc bars, and tables sprawling onto the pavement. Cafés tend to open early for breakfast then serve food all day until late.

You’ll also find traditional menus in the city’s brasseries – grand, noisy institutions, where black-and-white suited waiters serve seafood platters, sauerkraut and steak in historical dining rooms with décor unchanged since the 19th and early 20th centuries.

The street food scene in Paris has exploded in recent years too, with everything from Afro-French soul food to Brazilian stews on offer from pop-ups and vans around the city.

Paris is also now home to more than eighty food markets, all overflowing with locally-grown produce, cured meats, pates, cheeses and of course, French wines. The quaintest is Enfants Rouge, but Marche Bastille, where colourful stalls are often interspersed with street performers, is also worth a try.

Recommended itineraries by our writers that include this experience

Price: Free
Minimum age: Any
Age suitable: 13+
When: All year around
Duration: -

Getting there & doing it

Unsurprisingly, many of the fanciest haute cuisine restaurants are near the Champs-Elysees. The new generation of neo-bistros, where many locals actually eat, are scattered all across town, although you’ll find hotspots in the 7th and 11th arrondissements.

The best bar and party destinations depend on your style: young students let loose in rue Oberkampf and the Latin Quarter, trendy creatives mill around Faubourg St-Denis, and fashionistas and jetsetters pose in St-Germain.

When to do it

Despite the explosion of street food, sit-down meals are still sacred in Paris, with three foodie moments punctuating the day: Lunch between 1 and 2:30pm, where locals lap up the menu du jour (daily specials). Then by 7pm, it’s aperitif time in a café or bar, followed by dinner in a bistro or brasserie after 8pm. Parisians typically dine late, with many places serving until 10pm – some are even open 24/7.

On weekends, the city turns into a brunch capital, when eateries all over town offer their take on the Anglosaxon meal. Don’t expect Sunday lunch as such. Though restaurants are open, there are rarely Sunday specials as people traditionally visit family and dine at home.

A classic vintage Paris candy store front À la Mère de Famille with Dark Green facade and appetizing samples in window
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A la Mere de Famille

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The open-air market in the Bastille district is one of the largest and busiest in the city selling fresh produce from France and other European countries.
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Bastille Market

Paris, Ile-de-France, France

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Famous Cafe de la Paix with people and tourists sitting outdoor in Paris
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Paris, Ile-de-France, France

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Our writer’s picks of the best places to stay near this experience, closest first

Le Bristol Paris

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A legendary Paris grande dame hotel and altar to old-school opulence, at the historical heart of the city. 

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Hotel Bachaumont

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A hip, Haussmann-style hotel is a fab base for anyone looking to mix sightseeing with shopping and nightlife. Uber-central, close to the Louvre, and with a brasserie and bars worth staying in for.

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Hotel Le Pradey

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Destination guides including or relevant to this experience

Paris

Ile-de-France, France

Crammed with iconic buildings, world-class art and a culinary scene steeped in history, Paris is one of the world’s great capitals, overflowing with style, romance, and art de vivre. 

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