Cheap places to eat in Paris for a student?
Jan 6th, 2007, 07:00 AM
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Cheap places to eat in Paris for a student?
My niece will be studying at the Sorbonne for the spring semester and on her own (living in an apartment). You can definitely eat well in Paris with a lot of money to spend, but any recommendations for a student with limited funds?
Jan 6th, 2007, 07:41 AM
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Hi NS...I agree with ira. The left bank is full of inexpensive restaurants...some good...some not so good. I'm sure your niece will get some pointers from her fellow students who have first hand experience.
Jan 6th, 2007, 07:48 AM
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Hi N,
>..she'll also be there a month before classes start...<
Have her sign onto the Thorntree Forum at www.lonelyplanet.com
That's were the younger, lower budget folks hang.
>..she'll also be there a month before classes start...<
Have her sign onto the Thorntree Forum at www.lonelyplanet.com
That's were the younger, lower budget folks hang.
Jan 6th, 2007, 09:09 AM
#6
Many bakeries have sandwiches ready to go, which are hearty and not expensive (stuffed baguette & whole wheat bread with chicken salad are 2 memorable ones!).
Crepe stands for sweet or savory crepes.
I had the best "hot dog" of my life in Paris. A sausages, on baguette, with incredible cheese melted over it.
Find the nearest Monoprix. There's plenty of food at the grocery store that doesn't necessarily need a kitchen to prepare it.
Various ethnic cuisines/restaurants can be a good value.
Crepe stands for sweet or savory crepes.
I had the best "hot dog" of my life in Paris. A sausages, on baguette, with incredible cheese melted over it.
Find the nearest Monoprix. There's plenty of food at the grocery store that doesn't necessarily need a kitchen to prepare it.
Various ethnic cuisines/restaurants can be a good value.
Jan 6th, 2007, 10:03 AM
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When I lived in Paris I was pretty skint most of the time, so hopefully I can give some first hand advice... 
One of my favourite cheap eats was the enormous falafel stuffed pitta breads from l'As du Falafel on rue des Rosiers in the Marais - which you can eat inside the restaurant or take away.
Chains like Bistro Romain, Pizza Marzano (formerly Pizza Milano, aka Pizza Express in the UK) or Léon de Bruxelles are also a good bet for cheap(ish) meals. Otherwise, the ubiquitous neighbourhood bistrots usually offer very good value set price lunch menus (formules), salads, omelettes etc.
The Greek restaurants around rue Mouffetard and near St Michel are very cheap indeed but they are not known for their hygiene and food safety standards, and a good few of my Parisian friends have had food poisoning from those places. I'd steer clear!
For groceries, Monoprix is relatively expensive (I always saw it as a "posh" place to shop!!!). Franprix is quite a bit cheaper (but with a less extensive selection and, obviously, fewer luxury/foreign goods). The cheapest supermarket chain of all is probably Ed, branches of which are mostly found in the outlying arrondissements. Particularly useful for staples and dry or canned goods.
The fruit/veg market at Place d'Aligre in the 12th was definitely the cheapest street market I came across anywhere in the city. Other markets, particularly Bastille, Raspail, etc. are packed with stalls but not always particularly good value.
One of my favourite cheap eats was the enormous falafel stuffed pitta breads from l'As du Falafel on rue des Rosiers in the Marais - which you can eat inside the restaurant or take away.
Chains like Bistro Romain, Pizza Marzano (formerly Pizza Milano, aka Pizza Express in the UK) or Léon de Bruxelles are also a good bet for cheap(ish) meals. Otherwise, the ubiquitous neighbourhood bistrots usually offer very good value set price lunch menus (formules), salads, omelettes etc.
The Greek restaurants around rue Mouffetard and near St Michel are very cheap indeed but they are not known for their hygiene and food safety standards, and a good few of my Parisian friends have had food poisoning from those places. I'd steer clear!
For groceries, Monoprix is relatively expensive (I always saw it as a "posh" place to shop!!!). Franprix is quite a bit cheaper (but with a less extensive selection and, obviously, fewer luxury/foreign goods). The cheapest supermarket chain of all is probably Ed, branches of which are mostly found in the outlying arrondissements. Particularly useful for staples and dry or canned goods.
The fruit/veg market at Place d'Aligre in the 12th was definitely the cheapest street market I came across anywhere in the city. Other markets, particularly Bastille, Raspail, etc. are packed with stalls but not always particularly good value.
Jan 6th, 2007, 11:27 AM
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My neice spent last year in Copenhagen and food is VERY expensive there. She had access to a kitchen and I'm assuming, hopefully correctly, that your neice will have a kitchen of some sort. It didn't take my neice long to get the "lay of the land" and quickly found out the best places to shop for food. I don't know how well your neice cooks but she should be able to save a lot of money if she can and will cook. Others have given a lot of good suggestions here and the best thing for your neice to do is to get out and explore the area, check out the stores, delis, and markets. Trust me, she'll figure it out pretty quickly.
Jan 6th, 2007, 11:31 AM
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As a student your niece should have access to the restaurant universitaire system, some 16 restaurants and 20 cafeterias in Paris, mostly on the left bank and around Montmartre. For a mere 2.75 euros she can have a very nice and filling lunch (or dinner in some restaurants). It's not gourmet but if the pictures on the website below are any indication, it has improved a lot since I frequented these establishments in the 70's.
http://www.crous-paris.fr/article.asp?idcat=AAA
http://www.crous-paris.fr/article.asp?idcat=AAA
Jan 6th, 2007, 12:39 PM
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Sorry NS...I must have been typing my reply as you were sending yours in saying that she will be there a month before classes start.
Some other websites she may find good info on budget travel are:
http://www.eurotrip.com/index.html
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/pub...idelines.shtml
Some other websites she may find good info on budget travel are:
http://www.eurotrip.com/index.html
http://www.transitionsabroad.com/pub...idelines.shtml
Jan 6th, 2007, 06:45 PM
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..and Flunch, a cafeteria-style restaurant with salad bar, hot grill, fountain drinks, etc. Take your tray to the cashier to pay. I know of one at les Halles, and there are one or two more somewhere in Paris.
.. and the frozen foods place - is it Prisunic? Tasty prepared then frozen dished - good for apartment living.
.. and the frozen foods place - is it Prisunic? Tasty prepared then frozen dished - good for apartment living.
Jan 7th, 2007, 03:41 AM
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JoeTro's post reminded me of my other favourite cheap eatery, the Creperie de Josselin on rue du Montparnasse. It's my favourite Breton creperie in the city, and is good for hungry students as it serves "double" buckwheat galettes crammed with filling, for a few euros. There's usually a queue but it's worth waiting as turnover is quick.
I think the frozen food place Travelnut is referring to is Picard, which sells really good quality produce.
However, most student apartments in Paris don't have freezers, only an ice compartment at the top of the fridge, which unfortunately doesn't get cold enough to store frozen food for any length of time.
I think the frozen food place Travelnut is referring to is Picard, which sells really good quality produce.
However, most student apartments in Paris don't have freezers, only an ice compartment at the top of the fridge, which unfortunately doesn't get cold enough to store frozen food for any length of time.
Jan 7th, 2007, 04:57 AM
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Between Place St. Michel and St. Severin is an area of several streets that are nothing but restaurants. We rent an apartment in that area and have attempted to count them -- always get lost when we reach 300 or so. Most are DIRT cheap. There are gyros shops, Greek rotisserie places, fondue, pizza, Chinese, and anything else you can think of. The area is FILLED with students. You can find places where a three course meal (choose from maybe 5 or 6 choices in each category) will be as low as 8 euro. Is it the finest food in Paris? No. Are most of them decent, clean, and OK. Definitely. And some can be surprisingly wonderful (for the price).
Stopping at a MacDonald's for a quarter pounder, fries, and drink will likely set her back more than the cost of a decent three course French meal in most of these places.
Stopping at a MacDonald's for a quarter pounder, fries, and drink will likely set her back more than the cost of a decent three course French meal in most of these places.
