eliza61

Hello All,
My family and I (9 people in all!!Yikes) are arriving in Paris May 23rd for a 7 night family vacation. Our flight arrives at 7 am after a overnight flight from JFK. The problem is I know we will not be able to check into our hotel until later that afternoon.
I thought the first stop could be some where to have breakfast since I don't have a lot of faith in airline food and I'm sure we'll all be tired and hungry.

Can anyone recommend a restaurant that serves breakfast, a bit more than pasteries and coffee.?

Also any suggestions on how to burn a few hours before check in? Once again I'm thinking we maybe a bit on the tired side so I didn't want to jump right into a museum.

nwtraveler

Hello

Where are you staying? And have you asked your hotel about early check in?

MmePerdu

You might like to make the first stop your hotel to leave your bags. And you never know, once you get there one or more of your rooms may be ready which would give you a place to gather yourselves before setting out again.

Ackislander

You are right that the airline breakfast will be awful. If you get in at 7, it will be close to 8 before you go through immigration and get your bags, just in time to get stuck in rush hour traffic or crowds on the RER.

So eat at the airport, then go into the city sometime between 9 and 11. You will certainly be able to leave your bags at the hotel, even if they can't accomodate an early check in, and then you can wander around and have a light lunch toward 1.

But where do you eat at the airport?

There is a Brasserie Flo in Terminal 2F that serves breakfast from 7:30 to 10:30, and there is a Sheraton which will presumably also have breakfast available. I have eaten lunch at the Flo, and it was fine.

The snack bar places are generally pretty awful.

Gretchen

Go to your hotel as mentioned and then ask for a cafe in the neighborhood for breakfast. Many serve an American breakfast. We were 8 people when we took our kids and spouses and ate at a little cafe nearby sometimes. The other really really Parisian possibility is to find a creperie!! Have at it.
I suppose eating at the airport would work also--still
carpe crepes!!

justineparis

Well depending on where you are staying you could go to Breakfast in America, oh I know what some of you are thinking, I too used to "hrump" about going to such a place while in PARIS, ( and I am not even American) but , this past trip we went there three times as my mate needs a full eggy breakfast and several cups of coffee to get going.. ( and coffee there while not that great is refillable and you will not find that anywhere else in Paris!)
The omlettes were good, the hash browns/mushrooms delish, great pancakes too.. so you can literally have a huge breakie. There are only two locations and we were close to one , but if your hotel isn't then yes, I wouldn't say go out of your way to find it, just find a cafe near hotel
Definately dump bags at hotel first.

downtownbrown

I've been to Breakfast in America twice. Both times I was the only American in the place.

pizzocchieri

One of my favorite breakfasts/brunches in Paris is big enough for 2 people to share. It is an omelette at Le Flore en Ile, on the Ile St Louis. You can have an omelette with mushrooms, or ham, or herbs or cheese. Whatever you like. The omelette comes with a bread basket filled with warm croissants, brioche, pain du chocolat and toast plus jam, and a small salad and potatoes as I recall. For your group of 7, if you order 4 omelette and share them, plus hot chocolate and coffee and maybe an extra order or two of toast and jam or croissants -- whatever you fancy.

http://www.lefloreenlile.com/info.php

What is memorable is that the cafe sits with a dead-on view of the buttresses of Notre-Dame. For me, it is one of the most lovely corner-cafe-views in all of Paris. Later in the day, the place gets crowded, but before noon, it is just another cafe in Paris.

You will pay tourist prices, so it is a few euro more than you will pay without the view, but the island in the Seine is particularly un-abrasive place to be if your nerve-endings are bruised by jet lag. There is very little car traffic there.

MmePerdu

Le Flor en l'Ile is a great spot. I ate there first in 1985 on a trip back to Paris after a long absence, accompanied by a new lover. For my 40th birthday. I know, just what you all wanted to hear. Maybe it was the same management, maybe not, but I remember it well and have been back since. It's the location that's especially great, as mentioned, but it was memorable too for it's own sake. Or maybe it was the company.

Gretchen

If you are going to eat on the Ile St. LOuis, please make it at the Brasserie that is just across the bridge on the left. GREAT food. Maybe not breakfast. Just wonderful--and a great view of the canal and Notre Dame. And the neatest waiters--typical French servers in some ways, but very nice to naive folk--explaining they will only charge for the wine you drink.
Eat on the terrasse, for sure, but a cool inside also.

kerouac

You will see that most cafés in Paris put out a restaurant slate for breakfast, proposing both a continental breakfast and an "English" breakfast at extremely variable prices.

Frankly, some of the best breakfast deals that I have seen are the places across from Gare du Nord, which is where most English tourists arrive. However, I presume that your group is going closer to the center, so just look at the cafés -- it is not really a problem!

kerouac

I do feel a need to address the question of going to "Breakfast in America" however. If you are coming to France and feel the need to eat a 100% American style meal the moment you arrive, I think you are in big, big trouble. It is important to adapt to local food when you travel -- otherwise, why bother?

pizzocchieri

I'm glad you clarified, kerouac, because I thought your previous post was really misleading -- and your second post is just insulting!

Deliberate?

This group of people are coming off a plane, jet-lagged. They will have been offered inedible food on the airplane -- which I hope they will skip.

They will not be able to get into their hotel. The poster has made a very wise calculation that -- instead of sightseeing -- maybe knowing someplace to take the group for a leisurely meal, get some protein, might be great -- maybe especially if it is raining, yes???? Huh? Like, doh?

And what meal would that be at 10am in the morning? Ummmm, breakfast maybe?

A lot of people have stepped forward to offer some pretty good suggestions.

Only you want to paint them out to to be looking for something other than what they are looking for.

What is your problem?

Seriously.

pizzocchieri

Never mind. Skip that question.

I really don't want to know what goes on in the minds of the travel police on Fodor's.

Frankly, I doubt they can give a rational account of why they hang around the internet looking for even the most flimsy reasons to insult people planning a trip to Europe.

Wow, you really look sophisticated. Is that what you want to hear?

mamcalice

Our favorite place for breakfast is Cafe Bonaparte on the Rue Bonaparte across from the St. Germaine des Pres in the 6th. They serve an "English" breakfast which includes eggs, ham, etc. And if you don't want that, they also serve a continental breakfast. We always go upon arrival in Paris while we wait for our room to be available. However, since we don't know where you are staying, a recommendation is difficult.

immimi

Wow! Little over-reaction maybe?

cynthia_booker

MmePerdu, I loved your post. Made me smile. Been there, done that.

eliza61

Thanks all, We are staying in the 8th arrondisment (sorry if I spelled it wrong) at the Mercure Opera garnier. My family is very flexible with food and we don't have any issues with trying local cuisine.
The youngest traveler is 13 and not a picky eater so we are looking forward to trying out the local spots.
The tip on the traffic and such is great. I'm a NY'er so I should have remembered rush hour.
thanks all

downtownbrown

" If you are coming to France and feel the need to eat a 100% American style meal the moment you arrive, I think you are in big, big trouble."

Somehow, that's not how I define "big, big trouble."

justineparis

No what I sometimes think kerouac means is you are a tourist, a mere peasant in the sophisticated world of "travellers", a sheep, merely following the herd, possibily you are even a xenophobe..

Who cares what people eat,, geesh a coffee and egg isn't going to ruin your cultural experience lets get real.