For 64 Euro's is the food better in Paris or New York?
 

I just returned from a trip to Paris and felt that the food for the money was not very good. I felt that for 64 Euro's I could get a much better meal in New York than in Paris. I was very disappointed in the meals in Paris in the Latin Qtr.I think I can get a much better meal in New York for that price. Any thoughts?

It all depends on what and which restaurant you ate in. Some people will be perfectly happy with just a simple French traditional cooking. I've had my share of disappointing foods in Paris and NYC.

I always get the opposite feeling: that if I could find a place as good as the one in Paris, it would cost twice as much. For 64 euros for two people I get wonderful meals in Paris. For one person, well I don't think I've ever spent that much in Paris.

Well, the Latin Quarter is the epitome of tourist food and certainly not representative of the great east Paris has to offer!

Well, if you ate in the Latin Quarter you were bound to be disappointed unless you'd done some very careful homework in advance. NOT the place for good value meals in Paris, in general.

You specify €64 so you must have a particular place and meal in mind. Please tell us where you ate and what you got. Was it for 2 or 1, included wine?

silly question the way you posted it IMHO. Which restaurant? What sort of food? There are thousands of restaurants in both Paris and NYC - so how on earth can one say a €64/$86 meal is better in one city than in the other???

And if you ate in the Latin Qtr anywhere near rue de la Harpe/St Michel - that explains a LOT.

<< I was very disappointed in the meals in Paris in the Latin Qtr.I think I can get a much better meal in New York for that price. Any thoughts? >>

What restaurants are you comparing?

Woody

I think it impossible to make accurate blanket statements like that, and you certainly are not going to get good value in most of the places in that area of the city. HOWEVER, I also believe that in general, you can get just as good a meal in New York for $85/64E. as you can in Paris for that amount. I would not compare dish for dish, but on the overall quality of the ingredients and the preparation New York would place pretty well. Of course you have to then factor in the tip and tax here.. And you have to choose selectively in both cities.

I am positive I can eat better in Paris than in NYC--or even my hometown, which is no slouch--for the same money. Since the OP ate in the Latin Quarter and apparently didn't plan very well, the result may speak for itself.

I guess I could be more clear--if I am going to spend that amount of money, I am going to be sure it is a good place to do it.
And as someone pointed out, that would be about a $50+ dinner in NYC before tax and tip--not much room for an appetizer or wine.

Frankdaddy,

Have you figured out yet that

1. Absolutely NOBODY on this string has EVER made a generalized statement on this board so please watch yourself or you'll be very SMUGLY shot at dawn

2. In order to "plan well" you obviously have to ask permission from the right people as to where you are allowed to eat

3. The audacity of comparing anything in Paris to New York is without belief

4. You really need a tutorial on "tourist food"

It is such a stupid post. Of course the OP is correct if he picks the wrong reestaurants in Paris and the right restaurants in NY.
I believe that there are some excellent restaurants in the 5th and two of us could dine superbly for €64.
Since a meal IMO includes wine, compare the wines.
Still don't know why I am answering this - such a stupid post.

Gretchen, it is not $50 before tax and tip; it is closer to $85. I live in New York so I pretty well know where to get a very good meal. I am not so sure that the average tourist would have as much luck ferreting out the places with the best price/quality ratios. (When I read the US board, I get the impression that many tourists eat in the Times Square area which is far worse than eating in the Latin Quarter/5th.)

Having said that, I have also spent too much time thinking about this question and I may have to revise my initial statement. I think I would give Paris the slight edge at that price point. What contributed to my change of mind is that I just noticed the menu in front of me from a place I ate in last month in Paris: Bath's in the 17eme. The price fixed meal was 42 Euro. This is but one example but I am not sure that I could have enjoyed a $57 meal in NYC that would have reached the level of quality. Again, only one example but I do think I would revise my initial statement...

OK, so the LQ in Paris is not the best place to seek out a restaurant. Then what area is?

Hi F,

Is that for one or two, with wine, tip and tax included?

Where did you eat in Paris?

Was it the cooking or the style of food that you didn't care for?

((I))

Hi j_999_9,

You can eat well at reasonable prices in the LQ as in almost any other arrond. in Paris. You have to know where.

Have you enterd <paris restaurants> in the "search this forum" box.

((I))

As I mentioned above, Bath's in the 17th has a fantastic 42 Euro meal comprised of 4 courses not including amuses at the start. In general the LQ is not a great eating area although there are many good places even there.. I give the example of Bath's because I ate there recently and was very pleased. Within walking distance of the Etoile metro.

www.baths.fr

The choices are virtually endless. Get a copy of Time Out's Eating and Drinking in Paris guide or the Pudlo guide, or even Zagat's to start you off....try to get out of the tourist ghetto of the 4th-5th-6th and you may be pleasantly surprised at the prices.

Another place I recommend for a great price/value ratio is Les Allobroges in the 20th. But again, the choices are endless...it is important to do the research beforehand.

Dukey most perfectly expressed the feeling I got reading the responses to the OP. I have been a lurker here for year or so and almost never post but some of these answers capture the very essence of the attitudes on this board. Yes, the post was a bit vague. Should the next question not be simply..Could you be more specific? I do not se a reason for calling the post or the poster "Stupid". It is funny to me the way some people just can not hold back. Would you have the same reaction if everyone was in a room having a conversation? Perhaps to make people more accountable as I am sure that everyone on here only lets out as much as they can back up, I propose we start including our addresses and phone numbers in each post. Hmm..Not a good idea. I think that perhaps some of you should try and use judgment before telling the world just how much class you have. For the most part I enjoy this board and have come to rely on a few consistently classy and helpful posters but the rest of you (you know who you are), there is just no need.

What a great response for a simple post. It was an open question and it did not include wine or else I would have stated that. The 64 Eu.'s is for 2 people. I ate at Prix Fix, and off the menu and the meals where in the Latin Qtr., Ile de St Louis, some where off the Champs area and near the Sorbonne and above the Louvre area. I do believe if you spent 80 Eu.'s per person in Paris compared to that amount in NY you would get a better meal in Paris. If you factor 3 course meal in Paris and a 3 course meal in NY for the same cost NY would be better. I do not have to be specific for Paris because most of the better restaurants charge about the same price for a 3 course meal, I believe you can get a better meal over all, in NY. Most resaurants in Times Square are chain restaurants and you do not need to spend thet kind of money to get a bad meal so that would leave Time Square out. I also wonder how many people who have written about the general post have actually eaten regularly in New York because if you have you would most likely agree with my statement with a few exceptions. For the money I spent on food in Paris, the last 3 times I was there, I only really enjoyed to 2 meals for the money compared to what I could have eaten in NY. The people who say they can eat better in Paris or thier hometown have never eaten in New York. I would be interested to know how many people who posted actually ate in NY? I am not a "golly gee" person and I did plan a most meals. I also felt I was treated differently because I was from the U.S. as well. I will say that I do love Paris and will always go back and will not let the food keep me from loving Paris. But each time I came back people kept saying that the food must be great and I could not agree. Especially if you go with a family of 4 like I did in February. I certainly can eat much better in NY with a family of four than in Paris with a 95 Eu. budget. No question. I ate at a great restaurant around the corner from Hotel Bonaparte which they recommend it was my second time eating there. Ira probably knows the place La Champitain I think. That was one of the better meals. I do not think it is a silly post and those who think that probably never ate in NY. It's a great question and one that the people need to think about when travelling to Paris.