aliced

Aha, so it seems Les Papilles is no longer the bargain it once was..... are they still serving the dinners in the copper cookware I hope? If wandering over to the 9th to get to the place mentioned above on Rue de Martyrs, be sure and pick up first for an easy read "The Best Street in Paris," a memoir about the author's time in Paris on Rue de Martyrs and their association with all its local shopkeepers. Wish I'd read it before our last trip, but it is a great piece to get you a la mode (like you need that if going to Paris -- LOL).

Traviata

alice, if you mean "The Only Street in Paris" by Elaine Sciolino, I have just finished reading it and LOVED it. I agree, very recommended.......

AJPeabody

Possibly a very useful source for you:

http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/

Talbott blogs Paris restaurants with pictures, commentary, and costs.

Jim_Tardio

Thanks, AJ...really great source.

macdogmom

John Tallbot is a great resource and also gives out good information at Chowhound.com on the France and Paris boards. Parisbymouth.com is also full of good info and has a great list of restaurants by arrondisment. I'd stay away from trip advisor for food. Maybe good for lodgings, but food rec's are sub par.

Sue4

Bookmarking. I'll also be in Paris in Oct., staying in St.Germain, so these suggestions are great.

Leely2

You know, right near touristy Latin Quarter is this gruff little fun-loving place, good for wine, passable or better for food. I've not been in two years, but I hope it hasn't changed terribly much. Studenty and fine, music some nights. I went early one evening by myself and it was great!

Les Pipos
2, rue de l'Ecole Polytechnique

They apparently don't have a website, but this is a fairly accurate summation, heavy on the wine notes:
http://notdrinkingpoison.blogspot.co...les-pipos.html

Same trip I had a really sweet, friendly dinner at Au Bon Coin, mentioned by AGM Cape Cod above.

Whathello

Just to confirm : for frenchspeaking a bistro or bistrot is first and foremost a cafe.
Now some use it in their name and some U.S. may decide it means restaurant as an entree is in U.S. a main plate.
In French :
Bistro : small cafe. Usually on a corner. (Le bistro du coin).
Cafe : a little bit upscale and you may have some snacks
Brasserie : restaurant with basic food and long opening hours - usually rushed
Restaurant : a place where some decoration must take place where you are welcomed seated and tended to. And you get more elaborate food.

KCicconetti1128

Another vote for L'Estrapade in the 5th, excellent, and Le Hide in the 17th. Our first visit to both Sept 2015 and will definitely go back on our next trip.

Sarastro

<i> I've not been in two years, but I hope it hasn't changed terribly much.</i>

I am afraid it has. I heard that les Pipos changed owners less than a year ago and the last time I was there, a few months ago, will indeed be the last.

It should be OK for a drink but I would not eat there again.

Of the restaurants (bistros) previously mentioned, I would highlight les Papilles and add Joséphine Chez Dumonet. 30€ to 40€ is what one pays for dinner now in Paris, not including wine. It's possible to find microwaved food at the 20€ to 25€ level but that's for nothing other than what you can do yourself at home.

I might suggest these blogs:

http://www.davidlebovitz.com/
http://francoissimon.typepad.fr/english/paris/
http://parisbymouth.com/

Harcon

Another vote for L'Estrapade probably our most enjoyable meal in Paris.
In Montparnasse also enjoyed Kigawa very much.

kerouac

Wow, Sarastro, you are eating in the wrong part of town if you have to pay 40€ for a decent meal. Of course, everybody knows that expats have more refined taste buds. ;-)

Whathello

I will add that we have never microwaved one single meal at home.
Not once.
However I am often paying 50 euros a meal in the single digit arrd esp when we are several since the wine consumption usually rises up to at least one third of the cost.

Sarastro

I think that Bistro Paul Bert is now 43€. So no kerouac, 20€ does not go very far when looking for a good restaurant in Paris. L'Estrapade, mentioned many times above, is 36€.

That´s just the price. Crêperies are considerably less but a restaurant with a capable chef is going to cost 30€ to 40€, maybe a bit more.

Jim_Tardio

Appreciate all the replies, folks...lots to choose from here. About the discussion on price...while 30-40 euros may be insufficient for some folks to get a decent meal, it's approaching what I consider to be the high end for me. And I know from my own experience of living in Los Angeles that great meals can be had for considerably less.

We all have local hangs that we dine at that serve good food for a good price. Sure, I can go out and spend several hundred dollars on a meal here in LA...and I've done it more than I'd like to admit. But I'm trying to find those places that the locals in the neighborhood dine at on a regular basis. That can mean a bar, a cafe, a bistro or a full blown restaurant. What I'm trying to avoid are places that serve you a dollop of food in the center of a big, square plate with some sauce drizzled over it.

Again, thanks for all the suggestions. I'm sure there are many jewels in the above listed recommendations.

annhig

Jim, in case no-one else has said this, bargains are often to be had at lunch-time by taking the "menu a €". Reasonably priced places can become cheap and expensive places reasonable.

Evening menus are often more expensive but still generally offer better value than a la carte dining and you would be hard pressed to be hungry after the average 3 courses; if you are you can always take the cheese course as well.

Jim_Tardio

Thanks, Ann. Lunch is indeed a better value. The problem is that we're usually still full from the breakfast buffet at the hotel

I guess that's a good problem to have.

Sarastro

<i>while 30-40 euros may be insufficient for some folks to get a decent meal, </i>

I don´t think anyone said 30€ to 40€ was <i>insufficient</i>. It has been explained that this is the price point at which you can generally assume your dinner was not reheated inside of a microwave oven.

Additionally, while these prices are in euros, not US dollars, they are inclusive of any service charge or tip as well as sales taxes. In any major US city, add in sales tax (up to 8.5%) and a 20% gratuity and even with a 1.1% exchange rate bump to the dollar, 30€ to 40€ per person is very comparable.

Leely2

Sarastro, that's too bad about Les Pipos. Thanks for the update.

Belinda

Jim, I know you're looking for personal recommendations, but I'd suggest you may want to look at thefork.com It lists hundreds of restaurants by arrondisment or by type of food and you can usually take a look at sample menus. Also, you can make reservations on the site, frequently getting (up to 40%) discounts.

An example of a place I got a 40% off deal was Truffes Foiles. It's a tiny place in the 7th with the most heavenly truffles and excellent food. The 40% will put you well below your price point.