What to Eat in Paris: Local Dishes, Where Locals Eat & the Best Food Tours

The short version: in Paris, start every day at a good boulangerie with a croissant and a baguette, eat lunch at a bistro (steak frites, onion soup, a cheese course) and end the night in a wine bar. For bread and pastries, go to Du Pain et des Idées or Mamiche; for steak au poivre, Bistrot Paul Bert or Bistrot des Tournelles; for crêpes, Breizh Café. Drink natural wine by the glass at a cave à manger such as Septime La Cave or Le Barav. And if you only have a day or two, a guided food tour gets you to the right shops in three hours. Below: what to eat, exactly where to eat it, what to drink, and the food experiences worth booking.

What to eat in Paris, and where to eat it

Where to eat in Paris

Paris eats well at every price, as long as you avoid the tourist cafés on the big squares. The rhythm is simple: bakery in the morning, a set lunch (the formule or prix fixe, often the best-value meal of the day) at a bistro, a glass of wine at 18:00 and dinner from 19:30 or 20:00. The good bistros are small and book up, so reserve a few days ahead. These are the neighbourhoods to eat in.

Le Marais

The old aristocratic quarter is the most varied place to eat in central Paris. In the old Jewish quarter, L’As du Fallafel on Rue des Rosiers has a queue most days: order the falafel pita with cabbage, cucumber and fried aubergine, and pay before you eat.

For a French meal, Robert et Louise on Rue Vieille-du-Temple serves grilled entrecôte with shallow-fried potatoes in a lively, crowded room, and Bistrot des Tournelles serves steak au poivre, daube and cordon bleu; reservations open a month ahead and the bar is for walk-ins. Breizh Café is the place for Breton galettes (try ham and comté) and sweet crêpes, inexpensive but small, so book. For something sweet, Bontemps on Rue de Bretagne is known for its shortbread-based tarts and filled sablés.

Saint-Germain and the Latin Quarter

The Left Bank has the famous literary cafés and some of the city’s best bread. Poilâne on Rue du Cherche-Midi is the address for big sourdough miches and an apple chausson. Brasserie Lipp on Boulevard Saint-Germain is worth one visit for the room and the service: order the choucroute, pot-au-feu or sole meunière, and note that wine is served à la ficelle, so you pay only for what you drink. Le Procope, Paris’s historic café on Rue de l’Ancienne Comédie, has loyal regulars and solid classics such as onion soup, sole meunière and steak au poivre. For a stand-up glass and small plates, L’Avant Comptoir du Marché on Rue Lobineau pours wine with whipped tarama and seeded bread.

In the Latin Quarter, La Maison d’Isabelle on Boulevard Saint-Germain makes one of the richest croissants in the city, with warm batches all morning. Au Moulin à Vent on Rue des Fossés Saint-Bernard is an old-school bistro for smoked sausage with lentils and a bottle of Beaujolais, with a three-course lunch at around 27 euros.

Montmartre and Pigalle

Skip the Place du Tertre menus and eat below the hill. Bouillon Pigalle revives the old workers’ canteen: egg mayo for 2.50 euros, beef bourguignon, cottage pie and wine by the litre, open from noon to midnight; queues are long, so go between 14:30 and 18:00. Le Pantruche, south of Pigalle, is a neighbourhood bistro for beef shoulder in red wine and a two-course weekday lunch at about 23 euros. In Pigalle, Le Mansart is a bargain for lunch: about 12 euros for two courses, or 18 euros for three with a drink. If you want the view, Chez Eugène overlooks the Place du Tertre with onion soup, egg mayo and steak frites. Before the climb, buy a croissant at Au Levain d’Antan on Rue des Abbesses.

Canal Saint-Martin and the 11th

The streets east of République are where Parisians eat and drink now. Two of the city’s best bakeries are in the 10th: Du Pain et des Idées on Rue Yves Toudic, for escargot pastries, the pain des amis country loaf and a dense, not-greasy croissant (closed at weekends), and Mamiche on Rue du Château d’Eau, for the butteriest croissant in Paris, babka and sandwiches; expect lines.

In the 11th, Bistrot Paul Bert is the classic Paris bistro: steak au poivre with frites and gougères, very hard to book, and reservations are by phone. Astier on Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud is a warm, fairly priced neighbourhood bistro for baked scallops, rabbit in mustard and baba au rhum. Café du Coin does a three-course lunch for around 20 euros. For a drink, Septime La Cave on Rue Basfroi is a tiny, usually standing-room bar for natural wine with olives and comté.

Rue Montorgueil and Les Halles

The pedestrian market street of Rue Montorgueil, north of the old Les Halles, is lined with food shops. Stohrer invented the rum baba and still makes it, along with flan and éclairs. Nearby, Boulangerie-Pâtisserie Terroirs d’Avenir on Rue du Nil bakes the Pain du Nil sourdough and a kouign amann.

Near Saint-Eustache, Au Pied de Cochon is the old market brasserie, open nearly round the clock, for onion soup, seafood platters and crispy pig’s trotter. Chez Denise on Rue des Prouvaires serves huge portions of veal blanquette, tripe and coq au vin at shared tables. For wine, Le Garde-Robe on Rue de l’Arbre Sec is a wine bar for Mont d’Or and croques.

Belleville

The hilly, multicultural north-east is cheaper and less visited. Le Baratin on Rue Jouye-Rouve is a celebrated offal bistro, with pig’s snout terrine, crispy pig’s ears and calf’s brain, and a famously gruff welcome; go with a group and share. Le Cadoret near the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont is a bistro with a very reasonable set lunch, gougères and potatoes dauphine.

Quick picks

• Classic bistro dinner: Bistrot Paul Bert or Astier in the 11th.
• Cheap and fast: falafel at L’As du Fallafel; a set lunch at Le Mansart or Bouillon Pigalle.
• Best croissant: Mamiche, Du Pain et des Idées or La Maison d’Isabelle.
• Best steak frites: Bistrot des Tournelles or Robert et Louise.
• Grand old room: Brasserie Lipp or Au Pied de Cochon.

Names link to Google Maps for directions. We checked these places in October 2026. Opening days change, especially in August, when many Paris restaurants close, so check before you go.

The markets

In the centre, Rue Montorgueil is a market street rather than a market: bakeries, pâtisseries, cheese and wine shops, best in the morning. For cheese to take home, Olga Vins et Fromage near the Gare de Lyon is a cheese shop with natural wine and a few sandwiches. For a full guide to the street markets, see our Paris food markets guide.

What to drink in Paris

Paris makes almost no wine of its own, but it is the best city in the world to drink French wine. The new wave is natural wine, served at a cave à manger, a bottle shop where you can sit and eat. Order a glass of Loire Chenin Blanc or Gamay, a Beaujolais cru, Champagne or a Jura white. The best places to start: Septime La Cave in the 11th, tiny and standing-room; Le Barav in the northern Marais, where you choose a bottle from the shelves and drink it on a big terrace with cheese and charcuterie; and Au Tour du Vin in the 9th, for French wines by the glass with a comté plate. For coffee, stand at the zinc and order un café, an espresso; the grand cafés of Saint-Germain, such as Les Deux Magots, are for the experience more than the coffee.

Food experiences to book in Paris

Paris rewards people who know where to go: the best bakery, cheese shop or chocolatier is often on a side street you would walk past. A food tour takes you straight to them, with tastings of bread, pastries, cheese, charcuterie and wine in three hours, and a guide who explains what you are eating. A cooking or pastry class is the way to learn croissants or macarons, and a cheese and wine tasting is the shortcut to understanding French wine. These are the best-rated options on GetYourGuide.

Our pick: the Local Food Tour in Le Marais, rated 4.9 (801) on GetYourGuide.

Ratings as shown on GetYourGuide in October 2026. Check the listing for live prices and availability.

Food day trips from Paris

Champagne is the classic food and wine day out: Reims and Épernay are an easy train ride from Paris, with cellar tours and tastings at the great houses and small growers. See our Champagne day trip from Paris guide.

Frequently asked questions

What is the one thing to eat in Paris?

A croissant from a serious boulangerie, eaten in the morning. Mamiche, Du Pain et des Idées and La Maison d’Isabelle are among the best. For a meal, steak au poivre with frites at a classic bistro such as Bistrot Paul Bert.

Where do locals eat in Paris?

In neighbourhood bistros and wine bars away from the monuments: the 11th (Astier, Bistrot Paul Bert, Café du Coin), Canal Saint-Martin, Belleville (Le Baratin) and the streets below Montmartre (Le Pantruche).

Where can I eat cheaply in Paris?

The set lunch is the best deal in Paris: about 12 euros for two courses at Le Mansart, around 20 euros for three at Café du Coin, 27 euros at Au Moulin à Vent. Bouillon Pigalle serves bistro classics at canteen prices, and a falafel at L’As du Fallafel or a bakery sandwich makes a cheap lunch.

Do I need to book restaurants in Paris?

Yes, for bistros and dinner, often several days ahead: Bistrot des Tournelles opens bookings a month out and Bistrot Paul Bert takes them by phone. Wine bars such as Septime La Cave and street food such as L’As du Fallafel are walk-in.

What time do Parisians eat?

Lunch from 12:00 to 14:00, dinner from 19:30 or 20:00. Many restaurants close between services and on Sunday or Monday, and some close for most of August.

Is a Paris food tour worth it?

Yes, especially on a first visit: in one walk you taste bread, pastries, cheese and wine from the right shops and learn how to order. Compare them above or on our Paris food tours page.

Plan your Paris food trip

Paris food tours · Paris cooking classes · Paris pastry classes · Paris cheese and wine tastings · Paris wine tastings · Food experiences in Paris · Which Paris neighbourhood for a food tour · Paris food markets · Paris pâtisserie guide · Who makes Paris’s best croissant · 3-day Paris food and wine itinerary · Champagne day trip from Paris