How To Find The Best Authentic French Paris Restaurants
Paris has some of the best restaurants in the world. But it also has some terrible ones too. If you’re in Paris for a long weekend, you probably only have time for a few meals and you don’t have time for a bad one. And unless you’re on some kind of very restrictive chicken nugget and cola diet, avoid going to McDonald’s. It’s pretty much the same as in the UK, but more expensive and slower. For this guide, I’m focusing on French restaurants in Paris and not Chinese, Italian or other cuisines. You wouldn’t go to Italy and not have pizza so why come to Paris for a curry? (French curries are not great too)
Like when searching for a hotel, TripAdvisor is to be taken with a liberal pinch of salt. Parisians who eat regularly in a café or restaurant aren’t likely to write a review unless promoted by the owner. Also, if there are a lot of recent reviews in English, it’s probably aimed more at tourists and less at local Parisians.
Here are my 8 tips to help you find the best French restaurants in Paris
Firstly, is there a waiter or waitress standing outside touting for customers? That’s a sign of a bad restaurant in Paris. Good restaurants are busy and don’t need to drag people off the streets.
Next tip, take a glance inside and see how many people are sitting waiting for food and how many are actually eating. A busy and full restaurant is usually a good sign, but if hardly anyone is eating, they could have terrible service and only be busy because it’s new.
A tip if you’re eating at lunchtime in Paris is does the restaurant look busy with local Parisians or mainly tourists? Are the people in casual business/work attire or look like they’re just scaled the Eiffel Tower? Any area that has a large number of offices tends to have decent lunchtime cafes and restaurants. The chefs are happy to work only during the week and finish early.
It’s French law to have a menu posted outside the restaurant. Is there a menu outside in several languages? If it’s a restaurant serving mainly French food, this can be a bad sign. Parisians eat in restaurants that don’t advertise mainly to tourists. And locals won’t go there if the food is bad. One of my pet hates - photos on the menu. Avoid these restaurants like the plague. If your French isn’t up to scratch, don’t worry about trying to read the menu. The Google Translate phone has a brilliant feature that will turn your camera into a multi-linguist. Just point your phone at the menu and suddenly you’re an honorary Parisian.
Most French restaurants will have a plat du jour (meal/menu of the day). You’re looking for a small menu, usually handwritten or on a blackboard. A short menu means they are using the best ingredients that are fresh and in season. A long menu can mean they are trying to please everyone and usually fall short.
I’m not much of a fish eater myself, but if there is mainly salmon on the menu, it usually means the chef isn’t too skilled with different types of fish. Despite being miles from the sea, Paris has a great fresh fish market where local restaurants and chefs can get their hands on the catch of the day.
When entering the restaurant, use your best school French to ask for a table. You don’t really need to construct a massive sentence of course. Just say the number of people in your party and SI VOUS PLAIT at the end. It shows you’re not a typical ignorant tourist and appreciate good food and service.
And finally tip number 8, your waiter will more than likely wish you Bon Appetit when serving your food. It’s a reflex almost every French person has around food. A simple Merci Beaucoup to acknowledge this goes a long way.
Bonus tip - take a tour
A great way to sample smaller portions of French food is on one of our walking tours. Wandering through Paris with a local guide, you’ll sample 2 different pastries, the best macaron in Paris, a platter of French cheese or charcuterie, liquor and wine tasting selected by a professional sommelière. What can be more French than a little wine, cheese and a macaron. You’ll even learn how to pronounce it correctly and avoid saying the name of the President instead.
And if all of that fails and you just fancy a beer and pub grub, head to the Moose Bar in Odeon. Serving poutine, chicken wings and showing live sports, it’s a different way to enjoy Paris for those not fussed about sampling French food.
As a British travel agent based here in Paris, I can help you have the best trip to the city. From local insight and tips such as how to avoid tourist traps and scams, to picking the best hotels for your stay, it’s all included as part of the service when you book with me.
Get in touch for a quote including flights or Eurostar, hotel as well as one of our brilliant excursions - call 01452 855433 or email martin.ross@travelcounsellors.com