Cheap eats/inexpensive restaurants

[johnsmith45678]

Are you renting an apartment or staying in a hotel? The former generally very economical, though shorter stays not as much, and it makes eating at home in the evening very simple.

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For about how much can an apartment be rented? For what time periods?

[John Talbott]

Are you renting an apartment or staying in a hotel? The former generally very economical, though shorter stays not as much, and it makes eating at home in the evening very simple.

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For about how much can an apartment be rented? For what time periods?

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A caution; we're a food-obsessed website. But if you must know, please consult our compendium here.

[jenc]

sara, to add to John's request, take lots of food photos, s'il vous plait!!!

Edited June 13, 2006 by jenc (log)

[Sarabeth]

Food photos... absolutely!!

I am actually (humbly) proud of my photography skills. The olive picture under my name is a picture I took at the Apt market a few summers ago. Too bad we won't be able to hit that market... it is one of my favorites!

[therese]

Are you renting an apartment or staying in a hotel? The former generally very economical, though shorter stays not as much, and it makes eating at home in the evening very simple.

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For about how much can an apartment be rented? For what time periods?

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With the very clear understanding that I'm discussing this topic solely in the interest of helping others get better, more affordable food while visiting Paris, apartments in Paris are readily available (slowtrav.com's a good place to start, and it's also got good restaurant and market info) and range markedly in price depending on location, size, fittings, lack or presence of an elevator, etc. Renting from the owner (look at vrbo.com) typically less than renting from an agency. Agencies more likely to rent for periods less than one week, and an additional cleaning fee is common for shorter periods.

Kitchens are generally small, but get the job done. Breakfast and dinner at home, with the restaurant meal at midday was the approach I took on our last visit.

[naf]

As far as I remembered, Le Pré Verre has a lunch menu 12,50 €. Le Temps au temps, 11 € and 13 € lunch menu, I think the cheaper menu is like you can have a glass of wine with the main dish, the other is a two course menu, either an entry and the main dish or the main dish and the dessert. I like Le Temps au temps, the place is small and the girl serving was nice, as she has taken the trouble to translate the whole menu into English for my visiting friends. Don't forget to reserve.

Edited June 13, 2006 by naf (log)

[Busboy]

Another resource for the budget-minded is, surprisingly, the Guide Michelin online. You have to register to use it in the way I'm going to describe, but it's well worth the occasional e-mail you get.

Go to www.viamichelin.com and register. Once you're registered, get to the homepage and click (in the upper right of the screen) on "The Michelin Guides" and then on Restaurants. Type in Paris, France and then in the box next to the location box click on "Services" and then on the "Good Value Menu" box, next to the image of coins (under the "Categories" heading you can aslo search for pubs, tapas places and other inexpensive spots, as well).

The guide lists 30 places in and around the city, with lunches in the 11-16 euro range, including Brasserie Thomieux in the 7th, which looks pretty interesting and, since it has no English on its website, may be "undiscovered" by the ten cities in eight days folks. I can't vouch for any of these, but my few experiences with Michelin have been good, sometimes more than good.

Just a thought.

[picaman]

Quite a while back, a member picaman, listed the following, but I think they are way out of your 10 E limit.

I think nearly all of them would be. If it were me, I'd look at the challenge from an "total daily spend" perspective rather than a "cost per meal" perspective. Get a croissant from a bakery for breakfast, a cheap sandwich for dinner, and spend your money on lunches at better places (lunch being less expensive than dinner). I think doing that you could manage quite nicely at a lot of interesting places, including the ones on the list.

I like Sandra Gustafson's "Great Eats" books which list lots of value-oriented finds in Paris. Check it out at the bookstore.

Some day when my boss is out of the office, I need to update that list.

Jamie

Edited June 13, 2006 by picaman (log)

[Poppy Quince]

Having wandered into Brasserie Balzar recently after a movie, we noticed that they have a great deal for orders after 10 PM: a three course meal for what I recall as €19, although it may have been €1-2 either side of that. Choices included virtually everything on the carte, including items that alone cost more than the thre-course total. One dinner at l'As de Felafel, a huge salad at Nemrod near Bon Marche another evening and a late dinner at Balzar should give you 3 nights in Paris with a pretty fair sampling of good food at low cost while staying within your budget.

And although they may have raised the price within the last year, I would vote for a splurge at Les Papilles, which was under €30 and well worth giving up lunch for last time I was there.

[Sarabeth]

Thank you for the Balzar rec! That sounds like it could be a great idea.

[chefzadi]

Maurice Naughton is the man to go to for good budget eating in Paris (great recs for lots of other things to do in Paris).

Google his name and you will find him.

Of course I don't know anything about eating out in France.

Edited June 14, 2006 by chefzadi (log)

[Felice]

I'm also in favor of La Cave de L'os a Moelle, it's a great place at any price.

What about Chartier in the 9th? The prices are right and the atmosphere is pretty amazing. No, the food isn't very good, but it will allow your students to soak up a bit of history as well. I went during my first trip to Paris while I was a student and was quite enchanted.

Chartier's Menu

[dougal]

Chartier surely has to be top of the list.

You'll know you are in France.

Its *busy*. And fun.

I think markets, charcuteries, traiteurs and patisseries should provide you with splendid lunches.

You may choose to visit a Monprix or such for some (eventually disposable) picnic-ware.

Valuable money-saving tip: get yourselves cheap hiking-style insulated drinking water bottles. Compared to buying soft drinks, or even water, on the streets you are likely to achieve payback on the first day.

Enjoy the trip!

[percyn]

How about walking in the Latin district and eating from one of the stalls there? Pretty cheap and good "ethnic" food.

[ANK02]

We ate cheaply and recently at Creperie Bretonne (at davidlebovitz's recommendation) and the next night at Paris-Hanoi across the street - both under 15 per person, on Rue Charonne. Everything at the Creperie was great. At the Vietnamese place (quite busy with lines out the door) we preferred the appetizers to the main dishes we got.

[tighe]

What about the student cafeterias in different parts of the city? I can't remeber exactly what the requirements are to eat there, but they're insanely cheap.

[Sarabeth]

We are finally off tomorrow. Thanks to all who gave their advice.. it has been invaluable. We return 8 July and I'll give a full report.

I will also be sure to report back on the Festival de la Gastronomie Provencale (under it's proper heading, of course)

Have a great week!

S.

[David Lebovitz]

We ate cheaply and recently at Creperie Bretonne (at davidlebovitz's recommendation) and the next night at Paris-Hanoi across the street - both under 15 per person, on Rue Charonne.  Everything at the Creperie was great.  At the Vietnamese place (quite busy with lines out the door) we preferred the appetizers to the main dishes we got.

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Glad you liked that crêperie. It's perhaps the most authentic, and best, in Paris. The Vietnamese place, Paris-Hanoi, is okay, but not worth waiting in line for, and once you get in, it's kinda chaotic and the floor staff always seems like it's their first night waiting tables.

[Sarabeth]

We’re back! Thank you again to all of you for your suggestions. It was a wonderful trip and I think that girls really enjoyed themselves. Due to flight issues (we flew standby) we only had three dinners in Paris.

First of all, the dining highlight in Paris had to be L’As du Fallafel. It was cheap (and believe me, the girls had some serious Euro-sticker-shock since the exchange rate continues to plummet) and delicious. A completely new experience for them and they loved every bite. They also enjoyed the constant flirtation from the waiters. What could have been a quickie meal turned into hours of entertainment. Also, nobody mentioned that they serve the best lemonade I think I’ve ever had.

On our first night we ate at Le Royal Tour on the Avenue de la Bourdonnais. How did we find it? Basically, the girls decided they were hungry, didn't want to travel to any of the places on my list, walked up to the first place we saw, looked at the menu, and decided it looked good. It was a very good introduction to a “typical” brasserie experience: the busy waiters, the traditional décor, etc.The four of us ate for under 50 E and relatively well. Two of the girls ordered steak-frites (it’s in their text books, after all) and one ate a very honest and tender boeuf bourgignon. I ordered the Salade Signon… salad topped with toasted chevre with magret and dried apples. The apples made for a very interesting contrast, but I would have preferred a little more magret.

Our other dinner was at restaurant just off the rue Cler on the rue Champ du Mars. We referred to it as the “purple chair restaurant”, as the small bar area was filled with very comfortable plush purple armchairs. The outside of the restaurant is painted in a lovely chocolate color and “le chocolat” is written above the door. However, I don’t think that is the name of the place. Again, two of the girls ordered steak-frites (much better than the first place and served with a wonderful sauce au poivre), the third ordered an enormous croque-monsieur which she devoured before offering any bites. It looked very good. The entire menu here looked very interesting, and the dishes at other tables looked very appetizing and seemed to be well received. Again, we ate for under 50 E.

The girls claim that they ate their weight in crepes between stores on the rue Rivoli. For three girls who complained about how expensive Paris was, they sure did a lot of shopping. We did have an ice cream lunch one afternoon at Berthillon. Hey, we were on vacation. Who says you can’t have ice cream for lunch?!

Drinks at Les Philosophes were a big hit, as was the evening we hit both big cafés on Place Ecole Militaire. Again, the girls were as seduced by the atmosphere as by the large crowd of French men they attracted. Did I mention that these were three very lovely girls?

We managed very lovely picnics for ourselves to take on the TGV to Avignon, and I really do have to rave about the pasta salad that I bought at Oliai on rue Cler: little shell pasta tossed in a creamy pesto with grilled eggplant, zucchini and marinated mozzarella. Very simple, very fresh, and very very good.

Our meals in Provence were outstanding. There was, of course, the Festival de la Gastronomie Provencale in Chateauneuf-le-Rouge. I will write about that under its proper heading. All I will say here is that I fully intend to return to Provence the 1st Sunday in July next year, and the next, and the next…

We stayed at the Mas des Grand’Terres in Rognonas. I highly recommend it. The accommodations are lovely, and the food is divine. Lindsay and Guy Butters, the owners, are very capable cooks who use local ingredients (most from their own garden) to create memorable meals. Every night we were treated to a three course meal preceded by what they humbly called “nibbles”. To recount:

Nibbles: bowls of pistachios, fresh chevre rolled in either paprika, herbes de Provence, sesame seeds or chives, lovely local saucisson sec and tapenades, anchoides and confit de figues. Always bottles of cool rosé.

First courses: What could have been a ubiquitous salad of ham and melon was brightened by an apricot vinaigrette; artichoke fritters with a balsamic reduction; a cold cucumber, garlic and mint soup (the girls’ favorite); a cherry tomato tartlette

Main courses: a chicken breast stuffed with pain de mie, lemons and zucchinis served on a bed of new potatoes, spring onions and yellow squash; a pork cutlet with a lemon sauce on a mound of olive oil mashed potatoes; moussaka, which had a lovely hint of cinnamon, and was a great mid-stay changeup; and perhaps the best leg of duck I have ever eaten. It was crispy and tender. The cherry glaze was not too sweet and it was served with perfectly roasted vegetables from the garden.

Desserts: Not their strongest point, however, there was one standout: fresh apricot ice cream (made from the neighbor’s apricots) served with homemade lavender sables. Truly a remarkable combination and finish to the evening.

I do not think that they take reservations for just meals, but on top of the lovely company and accommodations, the food alone merits a stay.

Again, thank you all for your time and ideas. I took a lot of pictures, and will attempt to post them soon.

[Lori in PA]

Ah, thank you for the follow-up report. It sounds like all had a lovely time. I miss France...

[BigboyDan]

Great report - I'm going to France with my 20 year-old daughter over Christmas, so for me this whole thread has been fun to read.

[Sarabeth]

Here are (hopefully) some pictures from the trip...

Ah, fromage...this is how I know I am in France!

As mentioned, this was the girls' favorite place to dine.. as much for the food as for the attention. Be careful walking if you go now because the road is completely torn up.

Berthillon speaks for itself, I think.

The stuffed chicken at Mas des Grand'Terres. Sorry the quality isn't the best.

[John Talbott]

Great pictures - great account. Thanks.

Our other dinner was at restaurant just off the rue Cler on the rue Champ du Mars. We referred to it as the “purple chair restaurant”, as the small bar area was filled with very comfortable plush purple armchairs. The outside of the restaurant is painted in a lovely chocolate color and “le chocolat” is written above the door. However, I don’t think that is the name of the place.

Having cruised the street today, I believe it's called Le Sancerrois at 12 rue du Champs de Mars; does this look familiar? There are a bunch of both chairs and stools in shades of purple-pink and a "traditional" menu.

[John Talbott]

Having done Paris on a budget a couple of times, I strongly second (third?) picnicking as a budget stretcher.

Thursday, ParuVendu listed great places in which to have a picnic and listed the:

Esplanade du Champs de Mars in the 7th,

Port de l’Arsenal in the 4th,

Parc de Bercy and

Bois de Vincennes in the 12th,

Cite Universite and

Parc Monsouris in the 14th,

Iles aux Cygnes,

Parc Andre Citroen and

Parc Georges Brassens in the 15th,

Bois de Boulogne in the 16th,

Square de la Butte du Chapeau Rouge,

Parc des Buttes Chaumont and

Parc de la Villette in the 19th.

[mzimbeck]

What a great report! And I'm glad you went to L'As du Falafel - it's true that the waiters there are HOT

Thanks for this thread, which is also quite useful to us broke locals looking for a break!