PalenQ

https://translate.google.com/transla...r/&prev=search

FLUNCH cafeterias serve down-home French food - very few tourists and mainly locals here and meals for around 10 euros - IME unlimited veggies and salad and a meat plate and drink (wine or pop, etc) or so - well under 15 euros for decent well-prepared food. Three places in central Paris and all over France.

Unlike some much more expensive restaurants serving paltry servings of gourmet food you will not leave hungry!

f1racegirl

I've had a couple of good and reasonably-priced lunches at the cafeteria at the BHV.

StCirq

For France, have her check out La Fourchette (The Fork) for discounts on meals. It may be in other countries, too.

CGS

Thanks everyone for all the good suggestions! I've filled DD in a bit (and when she has a spare moment after final exams she will come and read all herself!). She would also appreciate any suggestions for slightly higher-priced meals (maybe 30 euros?), especially in those cities where it seems to be hardest to eat on their budget. They may try to save money one day, then eat a bit better the next. She says they may also split up for meals at times - those most concerned with cost can go one way, those who want to eat a bit better for a few extra euros can go another.

rialtogrl

-She would also appreciate any suggestions for slightly higher-priced meals (maybe 30 euros?-

If she sticks to a shared antipasti and one other dish (primo or secondo) and not too much wine, here are some recs for Venice. All meet her general criteria except I can assure you there will be some tourists around.

Estro http://www.estrovenezia.com/chi/

Ai Promessi Sposi on Calle dell'Oca in Cannaregio

Taverna San Trovaso http://www.tavernasantrovaso.it/
(this place can tip the scales RE: tourists but the food is good, portions are large and prices are right. House wine is a very good value.)

If they can stick to antipasto and pasta -
Muro http://www.murovenezia.com/

There are lots of places in Venice to eat pizza on her lower budget. Let me know if you want those recs.

CGS

"If they can stick to antipasto and pasta - "

She would probably say she could eat pasta 5 nights a week so that should be no problem! Yes, please send the pizza recommendations too. Thank you!

As for tourists, she is not trying to avoid the tourists themselves, just the places that are designed for them where the food is often not good.

On Prague, unclegus she doesn't know yet where they will be staying. But any suggestions of restaurants are welcome!

unclegus

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/members...clegus/g274707
this is a list of my contribution about Prague from Trio advisor.
When I am in the city I stay in the Dejvice(Prague 6) area and there are lots of good cheap places to eat and I have reviewed quite a few.
Also how big is the group as my suggestion for that would be different depending on how many there are .
Place like U medvidku, U Vejvodu,Pivovar Narodni,Vytopna and Novometsky Pivovar are easily able to cope with larger groups and are all reasonably central.
Getting on a tram a few stops from the center takes you to many places that can offer food and drink and prices a great deal cheaper than the main tourist areas and in my opinion far better quality.

CGS

Thanks unclegus. Just 2 in Prague.
In Italy they have a large group of 5-6 (depending on city). After that they are down to 2 or 3 for all other cities. Italy will be the biggest challenge I think - lots of preferences and budgets to accommodate.

IMDonehere

We carry a backpack and as we find cheese, meat, chocolate bread, wine, etc, we carry it and bring back to the room. It is a wonderful assortment and not expensive.

I caught a lot of flack but cheap food in The Netherlands is plain awful. Shop and eat wisely.

rialtogrl

Pizza in Venice -

My favorite is Casa Mia (calle dell'Oche in Cannaregio) but they are a family run business so not sure they will be open at holiday time. They have a pizza with radicchio di Treviso and salame that is only available during radicchio season, which is now. I dream about that pizza but I am never there in the right month for it anymore. Casa Mia is inexpensive and a favorite with local families.

Ae Oche - three locations in Venice, good for a group of students. Good for groups in general. They also have nice salads. http://www.pizzeriaaeoche.com/

Antica Birreria la Corte - another standby in Campo San Polo. http://birrarialacorte.it/

All' Anfora - may be kind of far from where they are staying, but the pizzas are HUGE (as in, two people could split one) and very good. http://www.pizzeriaallanfora.com/

Hope it helps

Peter_S_Aus

Ae Oche pizza places. Pizzas are OK, but I had the worst lasagna of my life in the Ae Oche on the Zattere. Stick to the pizza.

I think Ae Oche adds 10% for service, and a cover charge as well, but I am not sure.

Certainly a fun place to eat for a group of young people, and if the weather is good, a table outside gives a lovely view of the water traffic on the Giudecca canal.

rialtogrl

It looks like some of the Ae Oche locations have split off.
The link above is for the location close to the train station.
Here's the link for the other two.
http://www.okevenezia.com/en/

sandralist

The travelers are not going to eat well at any price in Italy if they don't invest some time in understanding that food in Italy is regional. They will eat in tourist traps if they look for pizza and lasagna and salad all over Italy. It isn't made well all over Italy (and Italians don't eat salad). It is as if someone were touring the US and looked for bagels or barbecue in Maine, and lobster in Arizona.

If they don't want to eat tourist fare, they need to eat like Italians and possess at least some of the knowledge that Italians have about what to eat where.

sandralist

(By saying what to eat where, I don't mean which restaurants to visit. I mean that dishes with tomato sauce, cheese and meat are not going to be done well in seaside Venice, which has no history of cooking them. Pizza and lasagna in Venice are tourist foods, not indigenous to the local cooking tradition. You might as well be eating a hot dog (or a salad). Pizza in Rome is excellent and local, and not touristy at all.

PalenQ

No decent pizza or lasagna in Venice? Umh - have to be pretty fussy to say that - I've had both and was satisfied but am not s food gormet or food snob - OP is asking about eating cheaply not necessarily gourmet food.

CGS

Thanks rialtogrl! IMDonehere, we do that too when traveling! And I am always glad to have those snacks, particularly between mealtimes!

sandralist, what would you suggest in Venice? Also, in your earlier post you mentioned "they should head across the river in Florence to eat, and likewise in Rome, head out to Trastevere or even better Testaccio." Are there any particular places you would recommend?

Peter_S_Aus

In Venice, the students seem to hang out in Campo Margerita, drinking spritzes, eating slices of pizza, firing up smokes.

Doubtless the pizza slices are not as good or authentic as one can buy in Naples, but on a student budget, these beggars are not choosy.

The line from the best pizza place in Campo M stretches half way across the campo at 10:30 pm.

sandralist

Look, folks, the OP started this thread asking for places that were not for tourists but fit a student budget. To come back and say: "Beggars are not choosy" or deride the request as "food snobs" is not very helpful to the person making the request. Yes, there is plenty of tourist food in Rome, Florence and Venice at cheap prices because there is a HUGE market for it. This thead is about something else.

For CGS


http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...s-cicheti-wine

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/20...s-venice-italy

http://girlinflorence.com/2013/03/28...r-in-florence/

http://www.buzzinrome.com/2011/01/07...staurant-tips/

http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/...taccio-eating/

But as I said before, the budget is low for Italy and if they don't do some basic research about regional cooking and the differences between each city, they will end up eating tourist food.

CGS

Thank you again everyone! DD has just arrived in Rome so the adventure begins! I'm realizing there are no suggestions above for Florence, where she will be December 23-27. Difficult nights for eating on a budget, or eating out anywhere! They may cook dinner in their apartment Christmas night, but still need to contend with Christmas Eve and December 26. Any suggestions?

sandralist

I already posted these suggestions for Florence, but will post them again:


http://girlinflorence.com/2013/03/28...r-in-florence/

The markets will be in full swing straight through Christmas Eve, and they might even be open Christmas morning, so they should make a point of going to the markets and stocking up on food. I was in Florence last year Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and enough restaurants were open. Since they are arriving on Dec 23, if they like their first meals in Florence, they should ask the restaurant if it will be open subsequent and make a reservation. If not, ask the owner if he/she can recommend someplace that will be open that is budget friendly. Or if they spot places whose menus look promising while they are out sightseeing, they should stick their head and ask the same question, and make a reservation if they get a positive answer.