St. Germain Hotel and Restaurants
 

Hi,
I am headed to Paris in June with a friend. We are staying at The Hotel St. Germain. We got the reccomendation from a friend. Just hoping for some cafe/dinner reccomendations. We are open to any price range. We are in our early 30's so looking for something upbeat and not too formal. Also, any must sees!
Thanks for your help!

Please don't say you are open to any price range unless you are willing to spend $250 or $300 each for dinner. It would help to give a realistic budget in euros.

And do you mean must sees near your hotel? Or in all of Paris? If the latter, suggest you start with a couple of basic guide books.

Sorry to be confusing. Nothing as pricey as $300 each. Maybe a cap around 100 Euros each.

Must sees near our hotel please.

There are oooodles of cafes in that area. We didn't find any that were less than delicious. We spent a week in an apartment on the Rue de Seine, in your same area. We ate at a different outdoor cafe each and every evening. What a wonderful area of Paris! You have made a great choice IMO.

we had a wonderful dinner at Semilla which is right in the heart of St Germain. It seemed like a casual, upbeat ambiance to me, but the food was just tremendous. A little upscale, but I think still under 100E/person.

I'm not sure what you mean by "upbeat" for a restaurant. French waiters are not what I would term upbeat; they range from snooty to friendly. Most are simply serious. Perhaps you mean upbeat decor and if so please describe what this looks like.

The two restaurants with the friendliest wait staff are Marco Polo and Relais de l'Entrecote, the later serves one meal - steak with sauce and fries.

At both of these restaurants you'll pay less than E100 per person.

How close to your hotel do you want these must sees? I recommend being a bit more forthcoming with your requests as close could mean 2 to 4 blocks or 2 miles. It's also polite to give the hotel location when asking for this type of information and not make the responder look up the address.

Here's my list:

Maillol Museum
Rodin Museum
St-Sulpice church
St-Germain-des-Pres church
Orsay Museum

There are tons of other must sees but they're farther from your hotel.

If you decide to splurge- L'Atelier du Joel Robuchon is my favorite in Paris is close. It is not inexpensive but worth the splurge. Cafe Varenne is nearby and delicious. I would check the menu posted out front to see what appeals to you.

Thank you everyone for all the help. I am new to Fodors and was just looking for some ideas for when we arrive in Paris! Thank you for your reccomendations on restaurants and cafes. We will be sure to try!

Do not be put off by any supposedly "snooty" anybody in any venue when you travel. Always remember if it is a public place you are as entitled as anyone, especially that person who has been hired specifically to <B>serve</B> you.

Now, act like a jerk and all bets are off.

Great Advice Dukey1!

Adrienne gave you some sights near your hotel but I hope you will venture further afield. Paris is very easy to get around in and you mustn't miss the Louvre, Ste. Chapelle, Notre Dame a Seine river cruise, etc. There is so much to see and do. The same is true of restaurants - explore beyond your neighborhood.

One of the joys of Paris is exploring some of the interest neighborhoods by foot. We find that when we're there we cover at least 5 plus miles a day by foot (although often grab a cab back to the hotel at the end of the day).

If you don;t like walking, perhaps explore the cities buses as a means of seeing a neighborhood - but do use the Metro for longer distances.

I do enjoy walking so I am sure we will enjoy exploring by foot. thanks!

I think by upbeat they mean something other than the formal French restaurants, that seem kind of old fashioned to me now. Some casual bistro probably. I don't stay in that area, actually, but have eaten at Le Comptoir du Relais which is popular. Try lunch instead, that's when I was there, you are more likely to get in. You might like le Relais d'Entrecote, one price steak and frites at a reasonable price. It's casual but I find the food pretty good (the fries are excellent). I always eat there at least once when in town. check out the one on rue St Benoit http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/

Les Papilles comes to mind for best steal in your area; see reviews on that 'other' venue; small bistro, small menu to the extent of perhaps one dish of the day, were there 7 years ago, now oddly popular, we stayed around the corner near Luxembourg Gardens. From the Seine, this street and place is to left of the Gardens. We were recommended by our hotel as it's off the main drags, but so close to the Pantheon/ Lux Gardens under 5 minute walk. For a splurge, try Bouquinistes, a Guy Savoy place right on the left bank on the Seine. We still buy the wine we had there here in NYC and the desserts were a taste of their top 6 (to die for). Look them up directly for current prices, don't want to mislead on that.

Bouquinistes looks wonderful can't wait to try it out! thanks

Les Papilles

Pre Verre

Comptoir du Relais

Le Timbre

Balzar

L'Epi Dupin

The Rose of Sommerard


Thin