am travelling for 6 days in Paris, don't want to spend too much money on food, but need several decent and affordable places to eat in Paris (evening dinner). We are staying in the Latin Quarter. Any suggestions helpful. <BR>Thanks! <BR>

I can't tell you the names of any specific restaurants, but I can tell you how we saved money on food in Paris, and still ate very well. We like good food, and partly went to Paris to eat, but we ended up going out to dinner just 3 nights (these dinners cost about $80-100 USD for 2 people, 3 courses with wine and coffee). The other nights we stopped at the various bakeries, delis, etc. and ate like Parisians. We had bread, cheese, quiche, pate, wine and pastry. The food was incredible! It was a real feast, and we spent less than $25 per night. We actually didn't do it to save money, we did it because it was so much fun. We still talk about those picnics on our balcony, and wouldn't trade them for anything.

I know it seems crass, but specifying a dollar/franc figure so we know what's "affordable" to you may help some of the Paris-savvy Fodorites. <BR>After a day or two in Paris, you may well develop your own resaurant radar. Trust your instincts. <BR>In the meantime--just to get your salivary glands going--you might want to read some of the longer threads on restaurants in Paris. Try searching for "lamb" and "Paris"--brings up a manageable number of threads even if you don't like lamb.

Leslie, here are some suggestions for the area: <BR> <BR>5th ... La Truffiere, 4 Rue de Blainville on Place de la Contrescarpe off of Rue Monge, tel 46 3329 82 (specializes in dishes with truffles, but the dishes are also good without)Menu 220FF <BR> <BR>... La Bouteille D'Or, Quai de Montebello, just down from Place Michel along the river and opposite Notre Dame (order the Carte Vert ... 3 course prix fixe meal (180FF)... request a table next to the windows and get a fabolous view of Notre Dame lit up at night) <BR> <BR>.... L'Ange Gourmand, 31, Quai de la Tournelle, tel 43 54 22 52, opposite corner of La Tour D'Argent and much cheaper. <BR> <BR>... Le Bar a Huitres, Rue Saint Jacques (inexpensive fish dishes .... try a plateau de mer ... looks like a pizza tray loaded with ice and all kinds of shell fish ... just great) <BR> <BR>7th ... A La Petite Chaise, 36 Rue de Grenelle, tel 42 22 13 35 (can't beat this place for value .... wine included; I am not doing this place justice. it really is quite nice; quiet, touch of elegance). Menu 170FF <BR> <BR>14th ... La Couploe, 102 Bd du Montparnasse, tel 43 20 14 20 (big, loud, waiters put on a show,but it is worth it ... you either love it or hate it!) <BR> <BR>... Le Dome, 108 Bd du Montparnasse, tel 43 35 25 81 ( fish reigns here ... very good, but more expensive than the Le Bar a Huitres) <BR> <BR>... Le Bar a Huitres, 112 Bd du Montparnasse, tel 43 20 71 01 (same as in the 5th) <BR> <BR>... Il Barone (italian) on Rue Robert Leopold (just off Bd du Montparnasse) (great italian food if you need a break from the french cuisine)

Re: Bar a Huitres--we did not get the plateau de mer. Think this was a BIG mistake, because what we got was not good and pretty expensive. There's probably a lesson in there about only ordering what a restaurant is famous for, if it's famous for something. <BR>Actaully, BaH is what inspired us to bag the guidebooks and rely on restaurant radar. Life, and especially vacation time, is too short to eat bad food.

I highly recommend your buying the book by Gustafson, "Cheap Eats in Paris". <BR>I have found it to be very reliable for Paris. Just read between the lines. If she voices some concerns about a place but overall says it's ok, you might want to skip that place. The book is full of <BR>places that don't require any disclaimers at all. One I will single out from that book is "Lescure" which is on the right bank, a 3 minute walk from Place de la Concorde. On the left bank I can also recommend Relais St Germain. <BR>They are open Sundays (many restaurants aren't) and for a fixed price you get a complete meal including wine, good food. <BR>

The place my mom and I loved for lunch in Paris a few years ago was a very small place called Amanguier. The food was unforgettable -- I remember some sort of ravioli dish with pesto that was so good I went back again for it again the next day. Unfortunately I have no address but you could look it up when you're there. The one we went to was on the left bank. It seems like it was about a 15 minute walk from the Eiffel Tower on a mixed commercial/residential fairly quiet street. I'm told by a friend who was there last year that they've since expanded and have at least one other location on the right bank as well, which she enjoyed very much. The 3-course prix fixe lunch with wine was about 112-120FF if I remember correctly. We were the only tourists there when I went; the rest mostly seemed like businesspeople on their lunch hour.

I stayed last year on Rue St. Germain, and found several great, inexpensive restaurants within a few blocks. If you walk to the end of Rue St. Germain, where there is a big plaza in the middle, kind of like a traffic circle, but much bigger, Montpanarsse something, at the end of the block on theleft hand corner, just as you round the corner, is a great Moroccan Restaurant, with the most fantastic cous cous dishes, and incredible desserts, and it was not expensive. On the right hand side of the end of Rue St. Germain, just around the corner are several "French" restaurants, with outdoor seating, with prix fixed menus, all were reasonable and very good. My husband and I ate around 9:00 at night, along with all the other Frenchies, and it was quite an experience. Frenchies is my affectionate name for the French. The whole area has quite a bit to offer, explore!

I hate to write this for fear of being scorned,but if you want really cheap here goes. <BR>There is a chinese cafe on the rue <BR>Buci.It is called the cafe Jade and it was the best value we found in Paris.The food is good and very cheap.for a filling bowl of soup with noodles and shrimp ravioli it was 24ff.A plate of rice,beef and greens was 34ff.A large cup of green tea was 6ff.As you might imagine it is very busy.Tourists and locals were lining up out the door.We ate there twice.There are no candles or penguin waiters though! <BR>The Rue Buci,it might be Baci,is off the <BR>Rue Seine,Which is off Blvd Ste Germaine de Pres. <BR>One day we went to a restaurant in the Marais.I can't remember the name something starting with c.We chose it particularly because it was very busy and the clientele were French.We ordered the set price menu which didn't include wine. <BR>The first course was salad.A bit of lettuce, 3 slices of tomato, dressing and chives.The next course was fish, a tiny piece in sauce,next to the fish was a baby potato cut in half,next to that was <BR>3 green beans and a carrot disc.For desert we had a sliver of chocolate tart.What we ate was delicious,but the amount is what I would have fed a 5 year old.Needless to say we emptied the bread basket.With wine and coffee it cost over 300ff.

3 inexepnsive restaurants on the Fodor's Website that I've tried: <BR>Chantairelle, 5th arr- good food and large portions <BR>Trumilou, right bank - you sit at long trestle tables, cool and funky <BR>Claude Sainlouis, 6th arr- a genuine neigborhood restaurant, the waiters knew everyone by name <BR> 17 rue Laplace