Costs per day for meals/Paris
 

We are trying to plan our daily budget, and would like to stay within a reasonable range. How much can we eat dinner for reasonably in Paris? I am having a tough time finding sample menus with prices at restaurants online, only the fixed price menus.

By reasonably, I mean that I will be mostly drinking water (tap is fine) since I am pregnant, and DH may have one glass of wine ( or possibly water as well- not a big drinker). We aren't big 'foodies', and will probably just eat a main course- we don't normally get appetizers, dessert. The only costs I see in books, etc are usually for fixed price menus so I don't have an idea of regular courses.

For breakfast, we are going to buy groceries to keep in our apartment so that we can eat at home and take our time in the mornings.

For lunch, we plan on picking up crepes or a sandwich...nothing formal or sit-down. Any idea on average costs for this type of lunch per person? We will probably pick up bottled water at the store and carry it with us for drinks.

We do plan on having a splurge night or two for the record! I am just trying to figure out a rough budget for what we will need per day. Thanks for any help,

You are in the US forum.

While you are in the US forum and might find more responses to your question in the Europe forum, I'm happy to try to help.

Try reversing your thinking a bit.

The best prices for the best food are found at lunch. So, have your big meal then and later pick up something light for dinner. That being said, Lunch for three at the cafe (can't remember the name, but it's something like Cafe American or Cafe du Paris?) across from the Conciergerie was around $80 US when I was there last year. That was for a couple of salads, salmon entrees and soups. Given the location and popularity of that particular Cafe, that's not bad.

Consider a late afternoon "snack" of an omelette, french onion soup or that crepe you might fancy.

Take a walk down Rue Cler your first day. There, you'll find bakeries and cheese shops. Stock up on pastries, bread, cheese and some great sliced meats to snack on in your apartment in the evening.

We found that dining in fancier restaurants was similar to US prices. If you're not ordering wine, it will be close to the same, but not more than 10 to 15% more in general.

The best advice is to get off the tourist track and head for locations more local. We loved the Montparnasse district for this very reason.

Enjoy!

((C))

Thank you for the tips! A big meal at lunch might be a great option. My default is the US board, I forget to change it occasionally before I post. Thanks1!!

I do it in reverse. Figure out how much you have to spend on food, divide by the number of days you'll be in Paris, then look for places that fit that budget.

I wouldn't think you could spend more than $20 a day in Paris, TX, even if you ate everything on the McDonalds menu. :)