Lucy

I've read in Paris guidebooks of restaurants/bistros offering fixed price menus (sometimes including wine) for unbelievable prices of around 80FF each ...or even less! Has anyone had any such bargains? Any recommendations? I'm not after anything flash obviously - just a good value filling French meal (preferably in the 6eme). <BR>Thanks in advance!

Donna

I have them all, and one of the finest resources for bargain, but quality budget, dining in Paris is the Leeds guide. Well worth the price of the download. Excellent for honest, detailed, reviews with comments from others who've been there. And, the advantage of a downloaded file is you can cut and paste those you find most appealing into a smaller file and print it to bring along. In my opinion, though, 80FF with wine will not likely get you a fine meal. You'll fill up cheaply, but not probably with delicious food. Usually, though not always, the quality of the food is proportional to the price. Even so, there are tons of 3-course menus in the 150FF, give or take, where you can dine magnificently and enjoy a "light bite" for the other main meal of the day. If all you have in mind is "filling up", you can do this quite nicely, and quite cheaply, at streetide stands, creperies, and the multitude of take-away shops and markets (where you can collect a fabulous "picnic" for enjoying on a bench someplace or in your room). So, do try and 80FF place including wine and see what you think!

Lucy

Thanks for your response Donna! I'm saving the fine dining experience for a few days I'm spending in Paris with friends however I will be on my own the majority of my trip when I will be content with something more basic for dinner. I'm definitely looking forward to trying the crepes but other nights I want to try basic 'homestyle' cooking in a budget bistro frequented by locals - I'm not at all fussy but don't want to resort to McDonalds either (an utter travesty in Paris!! ;-)). I've done a search on the Leed's guide & will check it out - thanks for the tip!

Christina

I think you can eat fairly well in Paris for a reasonable cost (I agree starting around 150F is a good range for a decent budget meal), especially if you get out of the expensive areas like St-Germain, but I have never seen a good meal for 80F total for many years. You could probably find something for around that price in one of the cheaper restaurants that cater to tourists on the side streets of St-Germain (guys on the sidewalk with menus trying to get you to come in are a tip off) or especially on rue de la Huchette in the 5th arr., but the food is not good at that price, of course. I would especially be wary of ordering anything that cheap with meat in it or you may be sorry. I ate once or twice in that area (r d la Huchette) as I was around there and hungry, and the food was almost inedible and I thought kind of questionable health-wise (worse than McDonalds, I would feel safer eating in McDonalds than some of those places), the meat was mostly fat and gristle; the restaurants don't have a very pleasant ambience, either, IMO, and can smell of grease. Locals would not be eating in these places, that's for sure. You would be able to get more for your money in other parts of Paris than St-Germain, that's for sure, there are some places with prix fixe meals maybe 100-150F without wine; Timeout Guide has a list of good budget restaurants in that range you could try (www.timeout.com), but I don't think any are in St-Germain.

Lucy

Thanks so much Christina for your honest reply! I guess 80FF was a bit too good to be true for a hearty meal - its even a bargain when I convert it into Australian dollars which has been very sick lately!!

Diane

Lucy, <BR> <BR>We had a quick lunch one day right across the Seine from Notre Dame/St. Chapel, a little restaurant on the corner. We had the French "hot dog" really very good and certainly filling. Totally held us over until dinner and VERY inexpensive. Try one!

Alice

Anybody heard of "Flunch" ? It is like a cafeteria (sort of) at les Halles. A very reasonable way to tank up and not empty the wallet. Has a salad/fruit bar, hot bar w/ 5-7 entrees, vegetables, and small bottles of wine in the cooler! You circle around and fill up your plates, get bread, get drinks, pay at the cashier. Not gourmet but not McDonald's either.

Betsy

You can get good price fixe meals at many cafes though usually it will be more like 100f. I like the cafes around Place Contrascarpe at the end of Rue Moufftard and there are many restuarants leading up to it as well. Another area is the Latin Quarter. Mos any stree in Paris though will have cafes that offer a Plat du Jour just browse and read the boards.

mimi

If you want cheap food in Paris, you can eat in any one of the dozen Greek restaurants not far from Notre Dame. There are also a lot of Brittany crepe restaurants, off of Blvd. Montparnasse, which offer a taste of a different french cooking.

Annie

Hi Lucy: <BR>I am terrible at remebering the names of places I've eaten in in Paris but I can try to give you directions. <BR>If you stand in front of Notre Dame and look to the left of the cathedral there are wonderful brassierres on that street. There was one with cloth lighting fixtures(like a victorian parlor) with the best onion soup I had ever tasted. The ham and cheese sandwich was huge and very tasty. The most expensive thing consumed was a small bottle of Coke for 35f. They also made the best crepes with a rolling grill outside. Nutella! <BR>Have a great trip. <BR>

Capo

Hi Lucy, a restaurant I always visit in the 6th is the Restaurant des Beaux-Arts, across from the Ecole-des-Beaux-Arts, at 11, rue Bonaparte. Lots of character, and very reasonable prices. I believe it has a couple fixed-priced menus, although I'm not sure any are as inexpensive as 80FF. <BR> <BR>Bon Appetit!

Ursula

Lucy: I suggest the following: have a nice sandwich and a goodie from a bakery/patisserie for lunch and allow yourself a decent dinner for around FF 150.-. This is better than two so-and-so meals a day. <BR>Stay away from cheapish places in the Quartier Latin area. You will be disappointed. <BR>Two places for cheaper food: "Le Petit Saint-Benoit", 4, Rue St.-Benoit, 6th, and the most famous "Chartier". A large bistrot known all over Paris and among locals. It has been an institution since ever located at 7, Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 9th. <BR>Look generally for places in small streets. They do not need to look fancy, important is the food you get inside. <BR>Have a nice trip!

elvira

The only meals for 80ff (I've even seen 69ff) are lunch "plats du jour" - usually steak and frites, 1/2 roasted chicken and frites, croque monsieur and frites (there's a theme here). If you are really watching your budget, eat your main meal at lunch, as these plats du jour are usually quite good - in many cases, your beverage is in addition, so order tap water if you're really cost-conscious. <BR> <BR>Restaurants/bistros/brasseries in the tourist areas have few bargains; eateries in non-touristy neighborhoods have better prices. "Le Menu" has value if you want all the courses and like the selections; order a la carte if you don't want all the courses or the selections don't appeal. Italian, Middle Eastern, North African and Asian restaurants are good value; many boulangeries now offer ready-made sandwiches for a couple of dollars; some boucheries roast chickens, then sell them in whole or halves as take-out; the department stores have good restaurants and/or cafeterias with rooftop views of Paris. <BR> <BR>Christina's advice about the 'ethnic' restaurants around rue de la Huchette should be heeded; the food is mediocre and the prices too high for the quality. Those same 'ethnic' restaurants, in other neighborhoods, serve far better food and at better prices. Ohmigod one of the best sandwiches I ever had was a chipped steak/fried onions/lettuce with frites for about $3.00 from a gyro shop near my apartment. <BR> <BR>A question for Paris dwellers: does the phrase 'church supper' appear in Paris? Kiwanis breakfasts? In other words, do non-profit organizations raise money by selling food? Seriously, if a European visitor asked me where to get the 'feel' for New England and get some 'authentic' food, I'd direct 'em to the first church supper in town.

Lucy

Thank-you everyone for your wonderful restaurant suggestions!! Having my main meal at lunch rather than dinner is a great idea to save some money while still having a nice meal as is getting getting supplies from a deli for a picnic in my room at night! <BR>Elvira, your question regarding non-profit organisations reminded me of a place I read about months ago (but unfortunately can't for the life of me remember where ) that was run by nuns who which offered very good value fixed-price menus. I think it was somewhere very central possibly near Notre Dame. Does anyone know where I'm thinking of? <BR>Thanks again everyone - your help is very appreciated!

Sue

Lucy, this URL has an interesting list of inexpensive restaurants. I second Chartiers. And Le Trumilou used to have a 65FF menu (always entree+poulais basquaise+dessert); I'm sure it's gone up some by now. Was popular with locals--lots of businessmen at lunch; we just go early to dinner. We didn't like Procope at night, and I don't think it is inexpensive. We did have a good late lunch there years ago. <BR> <BR>http://www.paris-anglo.com/guide/ent...sto_value.html

clairobscur

<BR> Elvira, <BR> <BR> <BR> I never heard about something like the "church suppers" you describe. So, I suppose it's non-existent here. <BR> <BR> Concerning the restaurants, the cheaper you can find for a complete meal is around 50 FF (like in the "tourist" restaurants of the latin quarter, also in some cafes). Of course it won't be great. But usually not inedible, either. Could you ask more for this price? Finding a menu for 80 FF in a cafe or a little restaurant (away from the main avenues, business centers and touristic areas) is quite easy. Once again, it usually won't be great. But it will be a meal. And it can be good. <BR> <BR>On the overall, I agree with the price range given by Donna. For 150 FF, you can find a good restaurant (but also a poor one...).

Lucy

Topping for Sharon...

BTilke

Lucy, <BR>My favorite place for an inexpensive meal is Les Fous de l'Ile on the rue des Deux Ponts on the Ile St. Louis (across the street from the Post Office). They have a limited menu that changes from day to day based on what's fresh and the chef's preferences. The three-course lunch (entree, plat, dessert) is 78ff. I add in a glass or two of the house wine, a free carafe of water and a coffe, and I've still spend less than 100ff. Dinner is a little more expensive, but not much. <BR>The food is delicious, home-made, and it's a small, interesting place that has a good mix of locals and tourists. It's often busy, but not hectic. <BR>BTilke

Ursula

Topping for Sharon

StCirq

Lucy: <BR> <BR>Le Croque au Sel, at 131 rue St-Dominique in the 7th arrondissement, has a prix fixe meal for 59 francs if you order before 8 pm (only on weekdays, I think) that is very decent, though certainly not haute cuisine. It's right next door to the more upscale Fontaine de Mars. I discovered it a few years ago when it got rave reviews in the Figaroscope, a section of the newspaper Le Figaro devoted to events in Paris and restaurant reviews. We've been a few times now and were never disappointed. The staff are exceedingly friendly as well.