Paris by Design: How to Avoid Bad Food in the French Capital
BAD FOOD CAN HAPPEN, EVEN IN PARIS… AND WHAT A WASTE!
I remember a trip I took to Paris with my husband, Kirk, and our then 1 year old, Ingrid. It was amazing, yes.
But also frustrating.
We kept getting hungry and tired and wanting to sit down in a restaurant and eat… but nothing was open.
Or nothing good, anyways. We had one of the worst meals I’ve ever eaten IN MY ENTIRE LIFE on that trip. Burnt beef bourguignon, cold soggy French fries, and a wilted salad. (It was even more disgusting than that sounds.) It was all the more frustrating because we were in a place that is famous for its amazing food… AND WE WERE MISSING IT.
If you know me, you know that I LOVE good food, so this turn of events was highly disappointing. (And yes, it wasn’t the end of the world and I was super privileged to be on a trip to Paris in the first place. But when you’ve scrimped and saved for a trip like that, you want to make the very best of it!)
Luckily, I’ve been back quite a few times since that trip and I’ve learned how to find the good stuff—it just takes a tiny bit of planning.
Here are my 5 tips for avoiding bad food in Paris:
1) PLAN AHEAD TO BE HUNGRY AT THE RIGHT TIME
Most places to eat in Paris are only open at specific times. Plan on eating lunch between 12 and 2:00pm. Dinner is from about 7:00pm until 10:00 or 11:00pm (and onward).
On that trip with 1 year old Ingrid, we made the mistake of eating a big breakfast at the hotel each morning, which meant we wouldn’t get hungry for lunch until about 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon, at which point most things were closed. That meant one day we had to eat at a horrible tourist trap (meal described above), and another day we just got a sandwich from a bakery. (A sandwich from a bakery can be a very good thing if that’s what you’re expecting. But if you’re chilled and tired and wanting to sit somewhere warm for awhile, eating a cold sandwich while walking outside isn’t ideal.)
2) GET TO THE RESTAURANT RIGHT WHEN IT OPENS (IF YOU DON’T HAVE A RESERVATION)
More recently, while in Paris I’ve taken to skipping breakfast altogether or else eating something light, like a piece of fruit. (Or maybe a croissant!) That way, I’m definitely hungry by the time lunch rolls around. I like to show up to a restaurant right at noon when they open, so that my family and I (or whoever I’m with) have a better chance of getting a seat. (Lots of places take reservations online, too.) When we do this, we’re often the only ones there at first, but by the time we are finishing our meal, the restaurant is packed.
3) IF YOUR HEART IS SET ON A CERTAIN PLACE, MAKE RESERVATIONS
The downside to making reservations is that you are locked into a certain schedule. The upside is you don't have the stress of wondering, “will they have room for us???” and then getting turned away with a sadly empty stomach. When I plan a trip, I like to keep most of my schedule open and flexible, but maybe make reservations at 1 or 2 places I’m really excited to try.
4) CONSIDER MAKING LUNCH YOUR MAIN MEAL
For dinner, I often have something light back at the apartment rental or hotel. Maybe a rotisserie chicken and veg from a farmer’s market, eggs from the corner shop, or a takeaway salad from Marks & Spencer or la Grande Epicerie (something pre-made/contained like this is better than the other options if I’m staying in a hotel, obviously).
I feel better when I eat this way, but I also save money eating in restaurants for lunch, when prices are typically lower (sometimes MUCH lower) than at dinner.
On the other hand, you’re on vacation after all. So if you wanna splurge on dinner, too, I’m not gonna stop you!
5) FLAG PLACES ON GOOGLE MAPS
Whenever I go on a trip (to Paris or anywhere, really) I try to do some research ahead of time and flag places that look interesting on Google Maps. (Find the place on Google Maps, click on it to pull up its listing, click on the “save” button, and then click the green “want to go” flag.)
This technique comes in SO handy for finding good places to eat spontaneously while I am on a trip. For example, maybe you go to a museum and end up staying longer than you thought. Instead of eating at the place back near the hotel like you were planning, you wanna eat someplace closer to the museum. If you’ve done your research, you can open up Google Maps and just see what restaurants you’ve flagged nearby! This comes in handy for me ALL THE TIME when I’m in Paris (and other cities I’ve done research on).
BONUS TIPS
And hint, hint: to make that research easy, check out the city guide section in my book, PARIS BY DESIGN. Rebekah Peppler, an American food writer living in Paris, was the food editor for Paris by Design and wrote all the food listings. SHE KNOWS HER STUFF, PEOPLE.
You can also get a FREE download of my 50 current favorite places to visit in Paris (including places to eat!) here.
Bon appétit!
x E