Inexpensive Restaurants Dinner St. Germain, Paris

10 euro a person is cutting it rather close! You might try Le Comptoir

http://www.lecomptoirparis.com/

For dinner this may be tough.

I've had lunches of a sandwich, soft drink and sweet that hits the 10 euro mark, even a breakfast of OJ, croissant and cafe creme has come near to that.

http://www.parislogue.com/travel-tips/eating-on-the-cheap-in-paris.html

Good try avalon but even lunch is slightly higher than 10 euros.

Here's the link to the restaurant and follow it to actual menus with prices.

http://www.lecomptoirparis.com/

Hippo is a cheap chain (disclaimer I've not tried the food) but it's still more than 10 euros.

For dinner at that price in a sit down restaurant it might have to be Mc Donalds or a shared pizza in an inexpensive pizzeria.
Pizza Positano might fit the bill... if you share a pizza!

St. Germain is one of the most expensive areas in Paris.

Fast food or something from a crepe stand is about all you can get for that amount. Maybe Paul on the rue Buci sells a sandwich or salad for 10 euro or less, but definitely not dinner.

Le Pescatore 28 Rue des Ecoles in Latin Quarter - their homemade, dinner plate sized personal pizza is about 8 euros and fantastic. I recommend the Napolitano with anchovies and capers. Great, now I want one.

P.S. I know it is not the 6th but it is just a short stroll down the street and up a couple of blocks from Rue. St. Germain.

Sassy I know I posted the same link. St Germain is not a place to get a 10 euro meal. Even a baguette in a cafe/bistrot with a drink will be over 10 euro

OOps! Sorry I missed your link avalon!

Great! We are staying in a hotel in that area but are willing to travel reasonable distances.

As noted in some other threads, I have a list called "A Selection of 80 Inexpensive and Good Parisian Restaurants (French Cuisine Only)" published by Paris Eiffel Tower News around 2006 (so may not be completely up to date). We have liked the handful on the list we have tried so far. I don't see it anymore on their Web site, so if you want the pdf file (22 pages, by arrondissement) email me at mmocella@gmail.com

NO restaurant in St Germain could pay the rent if they charged those kind of fees for dinner. That's some of the most expensive real estate in Paris. An ice cream cone costs around 3-4 euro there for just a small one.

There are a couple of books out there, for example "Leeds Good Value Guide to Paris Restaurants"

That lunch I mentioned above...was ata Patissrie Paul (in the Marais) "since 1889".

www.insiderparisguides.com Adrian Leeds, the Parisian realtor, has written a guide on inexpensive, good, local places to eat. I haven't read that particular guide, but have had one of the insider guides since the 90s or early 2000s. The one I have is really good.

The guides are accessed by computer and can also be computer updated very easily by the writers. In the one that I have, the writer updated info on a popular club to let the readers know when it was going to be closed for renovation and when it would reopen. The information was highlighted in bold print.

After buying the insider guides on line, then one selects a username and I.D. and can access the guide at anytime and anywhere. Plus, pages can be printed from it so there's no need to lug around heavy travel books. Happy Travels!

As for inexpensive restaurants in the 6th, which is my regular neighborhood, I eat lunch regularly at Guenmai Restaurant which is vegetarian/vegan/macro and get the plat du jour for 12.50 Euros. It's a very decent and delicious plate of food and the place is always crowded. I've eaten there regularly since Sophie opened back in the 80s. She and her family live above the restaurant, so they're always there overseeing things.

It's one street up from the rue de Buci and can be accessed from the side street to rue de Buci that's between Blvd. St.Germain and rue de Seine. It's a big green and white building. And, no, I have no connections with the restaurant. I've had this nickname for decades, as I was macro in the 80s. Happy Travels!

oh no! We're planning to stay in St Germain knowing there are a lot of cafes and bistros there (more choices, more competitive, hence a lot of cheaper but good quality options) I did not realize the area is expensive when it comes to food. Should I reconsider our choice of area to stay?

Our food budget is 60-75 Euro per person per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

jean claire, are you renting an apartment? If so you won't have any trouble making that budget. Even so, it's okay if you just get a takeaway croissant/sandwich for either breakfast and/or lunch. Or if your hotel includes breakfast.

Food is my occasional splurge area, though, so perhaps I'm the wrong person to comment.

Leely2, yes renting an apartment. Plan to probably buy food to prepare for other meals on days we want to splurge on lunch or dinner. But main working budget is 60-75 for 3 meals in one day. Maybe per person:

-Breakfast at 5-7euro
-Lunch at 15-18euro
-Dinner at 40-50euro

If we can make it less, the better. But not sacrficing good quality authentic french food.

Doable?

I think that's doable. Some days spend more, some days spend less. Buy some fruits, nuts, coffee and a loaf of bread for the apartment. If you are big breakfast people or if you have days you think you'll be on the run from morn til eve, perhaps get some eggs and cook those in the a.m.

The last time I was in Paris (granted, this was solo so unless I had something booked I was more inclined to skip, especially lunch), I was surprised at how little I spent. I made dinner reservations at good restaurants ahead of time, for every other day+. Otherwise I played it by ear.

Of course watch which wine you're ordering.

But don't scrimp and skimp so much that you don't enjoy your vacation. Unless you need big, fancy meals in 2-3x a day, your budget is fine. If you're just walking by a place and want to stop to eat, the menu with prices will be posted in the window/at the door.

Have a great trip. Paris is such a pleasure.

jean_claire - where are you staying exactly? I can't remember if you said so on your other thread.

No, the 6th in general is known for being the most expensive part of Paris, and you certainly won't find a lot of "cheaper" options there. Otoh, on my last visit I found myself going to dinner in the 6th a lot, so I'm staying there on my next trip. If you want cheaper options, the 5th caters to more students so there are some cheaper places there.

I think I could eat easily for 60 euro per day, that's totally doable. But 10euros is pushing it for dinner anywhere, esp. if you want a glass of wine. Certainly you can get a coffee and a croissant for bfast, or a crepe made on the street for lunch, but a sit down dinner is probably going to be at least 15-20eu even at a cafe.

Oops, I got interrupted and didn't see your post about staying in an apt.

jean_claire - Your budget is more than doable imho. 40-50 euro is a "splurge" dinner for me, though, by quite a bit, and I plan to stay well under that most nights by going for the plat du jour or the set menu. It's the wine that gets you though.

Thank you Leely2 and cheryllj! Good to know our daily budget is more than enough. Might grab and go some days to afford fancy dinners on some nights.

Do set menus normally include a glass or bottle of wine? Or do drinks always come separately? Is it a normal practice to bring your own bottle at restaurants, or is this a no no in Paris?

I'm probably not the best person to answer that question about wine, because I frequent the cheaper casual places rather than fine dining Michelin places that cost a small fortune.

But in my experience, the menu doesn't usually include wine. Sometimes it will say you can have an entree + plat, OR a plat + dessert, for one price, but a glass of wine is extra (although often cheap enough if you stick to one glass of the house wine). And I have no idea if they allow you to bring your own bottle, I've never tried that, nor would I.

The easiest way to keep it cheap is to eat like the French and have your main meal at lunchtime rather than dinner. Set lunches are available everywhere for a set price - and certainly I have had three courses (without wine) in Paris for 10 Euros in the past year. If you are anywhere near Pantheon/Jardins de Luxembourg (5eme) try the streets around Rue Mouffetard, where there are lots of good, cheap places used to catering for the students of the Sorbonne.

While there are restaurants in France that will allow regular patrons to leave their own bottle on the premises and drink from it daily, I have never heard of a restaurant that would allow one to bring one's own bottle. The "private" bottle would be purchased from the restaurant.

Oh, and I forgot to add, I have never heard of anyone taking their own wine to a restaurant here. The French do not put a huge mark-up on wine in restaurants anyway, unlike say the UK, and the house wine is usually bearable (after the first glass at least!) and very cheap.

For jean_claire,

La Boussole, 12 rue Guisarde, has very good food, 3-course, set price under 30 euros. Get there before 8:00 pm as it gets very crowded. www.la-boussole.com

For lauren620, as others have said, your budget is very low. Try over in the 5th around the Sorbonne or rue Montorgueil near the Pompidou Centre. L'Epicerie at 30, rue M. is another good value but probably nearer 15-18 euros for a 2 or 3 course meal at lunch.

Rue de Seine, rue st. andre des arts, that general area, have many reasonable, casual places if you can find a way to up your budget to 18-20 euros pp.

Sometimes a small glass of wine or coffee is included in the menu (the set price two to three course meal of the day).

lauren,
You might want to check out the rue Saint Benoit for two inexpensive restaurants -- Le Petit Saint Benoit and Au Pied de Fouet. There are three locations of Au Pied de Fouet, the original on the rue Babylone.

www.petit-st-benoit.com

www.aupieddefouet.com/

Sandy

Sandy,

Those look great,

The only places I can think of nearby which will probably come in at that price are the North African sandwich counters in the lanes off to the right at the bottom of Boulevard St Michel, as you head towards the river - stuff like tuna salad rolls with hot sauce. Or, as others have noted, McDonalds.

There are some restaurants that include wine with the prix fixe, but many do not. One of my favorite ones does (Bistro Champetre in the 15th). I think most do not, if I had to guess the norm.

I have stayed in a less touristy area of Paris a couple times that I like (in-between metros Blanche and Trinite) and you can take your own wine there to at least one restaurant I go to but that is solely because they don't have a license to sell it. But you can bring your own and drink it, no problem. That's an Indian restaurant. You certainly would never do that in any restaurant in other circumstances that I've ever heard of. If you want to bring your own stuff, you might want to eat on a park bench or something like that rather than going into a restaurant. I think it may be illegal to drink in a park, though, not sure (I think it depends on the park).

I went to the website of one of the restaurants suggested by Sandypaws3. I'm feeling like an idiot but I can't find their address on this site anywhere!

www.petit-st-benoit.com/

what am I missing?
thanks, Pat.

You're right, as far as I can tell, no address.

It's 4, rue St Benoit in the 6th.

Nice looking website, lacking in info.

Another vote for Le Petit Benoit and also la Cafe de la Tourelle, tiny restaurant on tiny street, at 5, rue Hautefeuille, 2 min. from Place St-Michel. I don't think la Tourelle has a site, but there are some reviews on TA, etc.

Whoops; gender error: LE Cafe, etc.

Cafe de la Tourelle, on rue Hautefeuille, should not be confused with La Tourelle in the First arr. TA does not make a distinction.

thank you, Cathinjoetown, for posting the address to Petit St Benoit. I've added it to my list !

Your budget is PLENTY. Why are you looking for 10E for dinner. 10 for breakfast, 10-20 for lunch and a lovely prix fixe somewhere for dinner.

lauren,

we were in Paris about 2 weeks ago, so i can profer these money saving tips:

for breakfast, go out to the bakery and buy your croissants to eat in with you home brewed coffee and juice bought from the supermarket.

for drinks during the day, take bottled water or whatever with you - you can buy big bottles at the supermarket, and decant it into smaller ones to carry with you. if you sit down in a cafe, it'll be €5 each, almost whatever you drink.

for lunch, either buy a baguette or crepe to eat on the hoof or look for ethnic restaurants, and drink tap water. [l'eau de robinet or un carafe d'eau]. buy fruit from a market to keep you going. if you want something more substantial, I had a huge house salad in a brasserie on Boulevard st. germain for €8, with meat and eggs as well as the usual lettuce, toms, etc. etc.

for dinner, look for somewhere offering drinks as part of a prix fixe menu. you may find a cheap menu, but then find that the drinks double the price!

buy a carnet of tickets for the bus/metro - by far the cheapest way to get around.

Gretchen, the person posting the food budget was not the original poster. It is the OP who wanted the ten euro dinner suggestions.

whoever mentioned Le Comptoir..great food there but not for 10 Euros a person...you can get a great crepe for 4 euros next door at L'Avant Comptoir and it is huge!

You can get two pain au chocolate at Gerard Mulot for 3 euro.

I think there are two different comptoirs, Comptoir du Relais St Germain is pricey. Poster suggested Le Comptoir Paris which I don't know but looks good.

OH, thanks for the clarification. Sorry 'bout that!!

I am referring to Le Comptoir du Relais St Germain...you are correct there are more than one Le Comptoir...sorry!

Bookmarking for March trip. Staying in this area so will be good to know some reasonably priced places. Breakfast is included in our hotel, and we prefer a late lunch and very light dinner, so I think that should help.
But that brings up another question: if we wanted to eat lunch around 2 or 3, will that be a problem in restaurants? Do they close in the middle of the day? I don't recall that from our earlier trips, 2006 and 2008, but would be good to know. Thanks.

Challiman,

the french are creatures of habit and so lunch is normally eaten between 12 and 2 and in small places if you're not sat down by 1pm, you may not get anything to eat at all!

however, in Paris there are lots of brasseries and cafes, tea-shops, pattisseries, creperies, etc. etc. where you will be able to get something after 2pm. you should be fine.

Challiman-
Make a reservation is you want to eat at 2pm or later...Le Souffle will take a reservation at 2:15