Food In Paris????

December 9, 2009 5:12 AM

Can anyone recommend yummy yet affordable restaurants in Paris for non-French speakers?
posted by haikuku to Food & Drink (24 answers total)

Do you have a specific cuisine (or arrondisement) in mind?

Every time I've been to Paris, I've had waiters who speak English (despite my attempts to speak poorly in French). A simple "Bonjour/bon soir, parlez-vous anglais?" should be sufficient. And luckily, you can't really go wrong with Parisian restaurants-- everything's pretty tasty. Even the street food (long paninis, crepes) is really good, and (if I remember correctly) the street vendors tend to have their menu boards printed in French and English.

You might want to carry around a pocket dictionary for food name translations, but otherwise, I say be adventurous!
posted by oinopaponton at 5:19 AM on December 9, 2009

I think there are probably thousands... could you please constrain the question more? What part of Paris? What does affordable mean?
posted by amtho at 5:20 AM on December 9, 2009

Bofinger is a grand brasserie well worth a visit. Go for fruits de mer, choucroute, the beautiful deco interiors and the balletic waiters.
posted by col at 5:46 AM on December 9, 2009

walk up to any place with a line of grubby men at a window, walking away with baguettes. ask for deux avec saucisse un sans fromage. should be about 7 euro....

you'll receive 2 beautiful buttered baguettes with cold sausages on them, one without cheese....

please to enjoy.

-c
posted by chasles at 6:07 AM on December 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

Tour Food is your standard pan-Arab / Mediterranean fare, but is VERY reasonable and totally incredibly delicious. Everything there was comfortably within my tight budget and the portions were huge.

Just make an effort with the French, alright? Imagine you're in the United States and you don't speak English. Give it a shot and don't make assumptions about people's linguistic abilities and preferences.
posted by Muffpub at 6:08 AM on December 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

As Oinopaponton said, you can usually get by with no French as far as restaurants go. You may not have the most 'warm' relationship with your server, but a general familiarity with French culture and dining conventions will do just fine. I have no idea what you are looking for specifically, but during my month in Paris, myself and fellow American students spent a lot of time eating and mostly drinking at the
Académie de la bière. Amazing beer selection and very tasty treats, for reasonable prices. Not terribly cheap, but cheap enough by Paris/euro standards. The waiters there are all very friendly and there are always a few around who speak English.
posted by supernaturelle at 6:16 AM on December 9, 2009

I have not been to Paris in a number of years, but have given recommendations to some friends. I used this book quite a bit with fantastic results.

Patricia Wells Eating in Paris

The odd thing is that it is out of print, but many if not all the restaurants are of the old school, small, reliable nature and I imagine little has changed for most of them.

Her website might also be of help.
posted by silsurf at 6:23 AM on December 9, 2009

Best answer: Brasserie Wepler on the Place de Clichy is a classic, century-old French brasserie. It's especially, but not only, good on seafood. They're open long hours--from late morning until well past midnight, like 2am--and because it's so big you'll almost always be able to find a place, even when they're busy. Prices start from around €22 for a limited 3-course menu (very good value) and head up from there.

Un zèbre à Montmartre is a completely different proposition: small, cool, crowded. Delicious food, though. Google these and you should find websites, addresses, opening hours straight away.

One good way to get excellent food, cheap: lunch. Go to a good brasserie at lunchtime and there'll often be a 'formule', a limited menu, where you might be able to choose two courses and 250ml of wine for under €15, a bit more if you add starter/dessert. Enjoy a big lunch, walk it off gently in the afternoon, and have sandwiches for dinner--and save €20 on the cost of doing it the other way round (sandwiches for lunch, restaurant dinner).

Also, if you're in a tourist hot-spot make sure you're armed with recommendations. I'm not saying this out of anti-tourist snobbery: the two restaurants mentioned above are both popular with tourists as well as locals. But in some areas (the rue du Pot de Fer in the 5th, for example) there are a lot of mediocre restaurants that survive because they make a living off unsuspecting tourists. If you're _away_ from the tourist hot-spots, a brasserie needs to meet the exacting standards of local 'return trade' to thrive--so if you find one that's busy, you can be fairly sure it's good. For example, the Jaurès, just near métro Jean Jaurès (on line 2 and others--also good for visiting the canal).

One last thing, that might not make me popular with Parisian waiters. Remember, you don't have to factor in a tip of c.15% as you do when looking at a menu in the US (assuming that's where you are). Service will often be included in the bill; even in a proper restaurant, adding a couple of euros per head is plenty. Other posters might have views on this.

Enjoy!
posted by lapsangsouchong at 6:41 AM on December 9, 2009

jumping in to advise you to learn about how french people go into resturants. assuming that they handle customers the same way american resturants do will mean some uncomfortable moments and bad service.

also, politely asking the waiter if they speak english is okay; often the waiter's command of english won't be that good, and they'll be embarassed.
posted by lester's sock puppet at 6:55 AM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Chez Papa -- great food from them French Southwest (which is the best IMO), informal and lively. There are a bunch of them, but I only know the one in the 14th arrondissement. Make a reservation or go late -- I've been turned away as late as 11PM, and on another occasion waited at the bar for close to an hour and got a table only after 12.
French dining is not an efficient process like it is in the US. Take your time to enjoy the food.
No french = no problem, waiters are friendly, and the crowd is too.
posted by gijsvs at 7:05 AM on December 9, 2009

Locals took me to Le Grand Cafe 4 blvd des Capucines, near the opera and open late if I recall correctly.

After a day at the Louvre get the hot chocolate at Chez Angelina : 226 Rue de Rivoli, it was good enough for Proust and its good enough for you. It is also a block or two down the street from an English language bookstore.
posted by shothotbot at 7:05 AM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

Yes, define "affordable". I recommend Clos de Gourmets as a not-crazy expensive place for a proper restaurant experience. There are no stools for handbags there, and little ceremony. They'll cope with English speakers fine, and appreciate any effort you make towards French. Leave the coins, don't tip: it's insulting.

If that's too expensive, a composed salad at any brasserie will be pretty good.
posted by hawthorne at 7:13 AM on December 9, 2009

Chartier. It's magnificent, and it's cheap. Food is basic but it's an experience.
posted by fire&wings at 8:15 AM on December 9, 2009 [2 favorites]

Literally every food fora out there will have copious threads on dining in paris. Right now the big trend is the bistronomiques - which serve very high quality food at reasonable prices. Parisians are used to non-French speakers to a certain degree. Don't be afraid.

Also a few of these places named here are coasting on reputation.
posted by JPD at 8:36 AM on December 9, 2009

oh also check out Francois Simon's blog - he has a section in English
posted by JPD at 8:41 AM on December 9, 2009

If you are American, everything in Paris is yummy- even McDonald's.
posted by Zambrano at 9:29 AM on December 9, 2009

I've been to a few countries other than my native America on a few occasions and I must say that I've never been treated as poorly as in France and Paris specifically, especially when dining. I consider myself a respectful traveler. When I go some place new it is my intent to experience the local culture and it seemed like in France the harder I tried the more I was disrespected.

I can't give you any restaurant suggestions, but I do have a tip. You say you don't speak French, but if you speak a language other than English I suggest ordering using it. After the first couple times I was treated ill I switched to Spanish and was better received. The romance languages being what they are it was not super hard to establish basic communication and they seemed satisfied that I was making an effort without butchering their language. Just a suggestion should a similar fate befall you.
posted by Gainesvillain at 10:09 AM on December 9, 2009

I was recently in Paris and ate at several English-friendly restaurants - all excellent:

Le Loir Dans la Theiere at 3, Rue des Rosiers: a popular brunch spot and the street also has some excellent Jewish pastry shops
404 at 69, Rue des Gravilliers: Moroccan food and really cute
Fish La Boissonnerie at 69, Rue de Seine: a bit more expensive, I think, but seemed like there were a fair number of expats eating there.

My favorite restaurant is Bistro Paul Bert: the food was amazing but it was a bit more expensive, if I recall.
posted by anonymous78 at 10:14 AM on December 9, 2009

I wouldn't worry about the language and agree that you should simply be polite, say "Bonjour" when you arrive if it's a place where they seat you, and then ask if they speak English. Or if it's a cafe where you just sit down: "Monsieur, s'il vous plait.." [to politely get the waiter's attention] and ask "Parlez-vous anglais?" Or, "Désolé, on ne parle pas français, parlez-vous anglais?" [I'm sorry, we don't speak French, do you speak English?]

At the magazine kiosks all over the city, you can buy copies of Time Out, Paris, it's a weekly that has English language pages in the back, with listings of events and things to do for the week, and restaurants, bars, clubs that are worth a visit. The website's not bad either. Probably you can find a good recommendation there..
posted by citron at 10:33 AM on December 9, 2009

I'm sorry Gainesvillian had bad experiences in Paris, but during the several times I've been, I've found Parisians no ruder than New Yorkers (and often much more friendly). They do find it annoying when you march into their cafés and start yelling in English, just as Americans would find it annoying if people tried to order food in French at an American restaurant. A lot of countries are really into Americanization, and often value American culture over their own. France is patently not one of these countries: they're as proud of their heritage as we are of ours.

That said, I often found that all I had to do was speak in poorly-accented French, and the Parisians who spoke English instantly recognized me as an American and switched their speech over to English without a second thought. It's all how you approach it.

The only time I've ever seen a French food service person get overtly frustrated with Americans was when a group of braying tourists sat down and started eating at a patisserie after purchasing food and drinks at the counter (the same Parisian had been very friendly to my sister and I when we asked her where to sit). This is just a dining etiquette thing: if you want to eat at a bakery or anywhere else where you have the option of eating there or taking food to go, sit down at a table and a waiter will come help you.
posted by oinopaponton at 10:39 AM on December 9, 2009 [1 favorite]

I want to chime in and say that I know about an even dozen words of French and have never had a problem with smiling, apologizing for not speaking their language and pointing to something in the menu.

(oh, and the only bad meal I have had in Paris was on the bateaux-mouche - the boats which ply the seine at night. Avoid.)
posted by shothotbot at 1:07 PM on December 9, 2009

Ooh. Kebab. Sorry, not to derail, but I'm headed to Paris in 2 weeks after a few years spent mainly in sub-saharan Africa. I haven't had a good kebab since Greece in 2006. Where do I find the best Kebabs in Paris?
posted by allkindsoftime at 12:56 AM on December 10, 2009

Kebabs - around Rue de la Huchette.
posted by fire&wings at 3:59 PM on December 10, 2009

My French is virtually non-existent, but I'm able to figure my way around a menu. Nthing Bonjour/soir when you walk in and je voudrais (I would like) "x" sil vous plait when you are giving your order. Also, there's a big difference between aloof and snotty.
posted by brujita at 11:18 PM on December 10, 2009