Paris?

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  • CuriousGeorge

    Heading to Paris next month and looking for food suggestions. Breakfast, lunch or dinner. Doesn't have to be fancy, could be a Michelin spot or a dive, ultimately looking for quality eats.

    Also anything not food related you think is worth checking out.

    Thanks!

  • spl33nidoru1

    I could recommend many but this is one of the most reliable sites on the matter, pretty much a local institution :

    https://lefooding.com/en

    • fyi, if you search the site for "paris" it will list arrondissements / zip codes. 75001 is the 1st arrondissement, 75002 the 2nd and so on, 75020 being the lastspl33nidoru
    • Amazing. Thanks!!CuriousGeorge
  • shapesalad0

  • robotron3k-1

    My friend just got back from there, he was walking home, he was wearing some nice glasses, some black guys came up to him, got close and took his glasses from his face. My friend got mad, started yelling at the guy to give them back, the guy says, "You know about black people right?" My friend says, "what does that mean?" He says, "Welcome to Paris!" The guy ended up giving them back but by that time they were broken. I guess Paris has changed since i was there years ago... be careful out there.

    • it's always been like that. like any big city. some parts are sketchy, especially at night.dyspl
    • I was in Paris with a girl from France. She got 2 flat tires. Three black immigrants helped her change her tires. Be careful out there...thugs everywhere!!!utopian
    • never had a prob in Paris either, i scored some nice weed in the park across from the Pomp from some African brothers. You have to be charming.robotron3k
    • They were like, "Is dis all u want??.. weed.. Really..?" they roll their eyes, "okay".robotron3k
    • Off there tomorrow. Been many times over the years and never had any trouble. its a beautiful city.JerseyRaindog
  • Chimp0

    Just nope.

  • fate0

    There's amazing food everywhere, it's hard to go wrong. Just pick any random place that looks nice and you'll do good.

    • yep, real high standard of restaurant... can't remember ever being disappointed with a meal there.kingsteven
    • worst advice ever...
      most restaurants are crap.
      When I say most, it means 90% +
      gonzalle
    • gonzalle is right, born and bred in Paris, a resident on and off, no shortage of tourists = no shortage of bad food. Dont just walk into a place that looks nicespl33nidoru
    • Bullshit. Even Anthony Bourdain would agree. There are amazing restaurants everywhere. You take it for granted.fate
    • fate, you might have been lucky in your picks too, or simply have a good radar when it comes to the places to avoidspl33nidoru
  • Fax_Benson0

    There used to be lots of good places on Rue de Charonne (just east of Bastille). Really small places (no reservations) run by upcoming chefs.

    Septime (French), a really good seafood tapas place called Clamato and a steak place I can't remember the name of..

  • gonzalle2

    I eat two or three times a month in Paris, with clients or friends.
    I usually don't book a table, and pick up randomly a restaurant.
    I can only recommend to Never NEVER pick-up a restaurant with :
    - red and white checkered tablecloth. (this is the Gold Rule !) paper or fabric.
    - more than 50% tourists in it.
    - waiters have a beret, calot or any kind of hat.
    - waiters are running everywhere in a hurry.
    - a menu translated in an other language than english.
    - an employee that invite you to come in from outside the restaurant.
    - an almost empty place.
    - with a menu that is more than 20 lines (unless it's a big Brasserie)
    - with a wine menu that is less than 20 lines.

    If ever the restaurant offers some 'tripes' or 'ris de veau' it's a good place.

    • this is the case anywhere tbh. always the bar (aperitif/ digestif as well as wine list)/ small menu/ how little the waiting staff want your custom.kingsteven
  • fate0

    So wait gonzalle, you just said that my advice to "pick any random place that looks nice and you'll do good." is really the worst advice ever...

    And then you say you pick up randomly a restaurant...

    You're joking?

  • spl33nidoru0

    ^ touché!

    Joke aside, fate you might be right on the fact that we take it for granted, but access to good food makes the bad one more obvious, and they're often the same price.

    By bad we mostly mean food the restaurant bought in containers, plastic bags or frozen, and advertises as cooked in their kitchen, for ridiculous prices.
    Or nasty tartines/croque monsieur and greasy fries, chinese-owned japanese restaurants, institutions you wonder how they're still in business and so on. Truth is tourists are easily pleased and fooled here.

    This does represent the vast majority of restaurants in Paris, including trendy ones (Costes). When I lived in NYC I was shocked at how much good food there was.

    This being said, once you can spot those places (gonzalle offered some good hints), you're left with plenty of good places.

    So far, Le Fooding website I posted above has managed to remain the best index for those good places.
    I have eaten at places they recommend that I found were nothing special or not to my taste, some have become less good over time (cook replaced etc), but none so far was to be put in the bad restaurant category.

    • ps i say tourists but plenty of locals also eat at places I would never set foot inspl33nidoru