Cheap Eats in Paris Please

[Kristine]

My friends and I are coming to Paris from Spain next spring to celebrate a birthday . We want to see and do as much as possible , but are concerned that the difference in restaurant prices between Spain and France will be a bit of a shock . Any suggestions where we will be able to eat ( breakfast , lunch & dinner .) at reasonable prices for good food would be welcome . We all like our food !

[cooperlola]

My favourite reasonably priced Paris haunt : Le Passe Simple 36 rue Legendre 75017. 47 63 63 87   Limited menu, lovingly cooked.

[Kristine]

Many thanks cooperlooa , I've made a note of that , any more folks , or do the rest of you only frequent the expensive places ?!

[Christine Animal]

Hello again Kristine !

There are tons and tons of restaurants in Paris, so it's hard to suggest any and to know your price range.  When I went in recently to have lunch with a friend we went to le Caveau de L'Isle.  It's so nice and quiet on the Ile Saint Louis.  The food was very, very good.  We had the menu at € 24.95, but I've just had a look at their site and they've changed the contents of it since.

http://www.lecaveaudelisle.com/fr/

http://richardab.typepad.com/iheartparis/2004/11/le_caveau_de_li.html

 

P.S.  I also confirm the friendly, relaxed atmosphere mentioned in the above article.  We arrived at 13.00 and left at 15.45 !  [:)]    [:P]

 

[5-element]

This is a bit tongue-in-cheek, Kristine, but since you ask for cheap eats, this is the cheapest I found a few weeks ago, it is an Indian restaurant, the NEW CALCUTTA - one of 3 Indian restaurants side by side (open every day)

6 Passage Brady (a very very tiny street, Metro Chateau d'Eau or Stransbourg Saint Denis) Paris 75010

Tel 01 40 18 08 42.

 

At lunchtime, the first price menu (3 courses) was.............6 euros 87 centimes.....yes....really....and it was better than some other Indian restaurants I have eaten in, in France.

 

[Christine Animal]

Love Passage Brady too !   [:)]

 

[5-element]

Wow, Christine, I imagined that passage Brady must be largely unknown here! Do you have a favourite restaurant there? I have only been to one, and assumed that the 3 are quite similar?

Unfortunately, about 3 weeks ago there was a fire in one of the buildings,  above one of the 3 restaurants,(which one I don't know!) and tragically,  3 people died: a grandmother, a young girl, and a pregnant woman. Passage Brady is impossibly narrow, and the buildings there are split into all sorts of flats - probably unsanitary, badly maintained and maybe overcrowded, with tragic consequences.

It seems that there are "marchands de sommeil" operating in that area. I wondered if the flats above the restaurants might be used to house whole families working in those restaurants. According to the firemen on the news at the time, fires occur with some frequency  in those buildings.

[Christine Animal]

Yes, it's terrible about the fire.  The living conditions must be very bad.  They said that the maire de Paris was going to have a look at the buildings.

I don't know which of the restaurants we ate at, sitting out in the Passage, but surely there are more than three.  We were in the covered part.  Were you in the other open half?  I like going round the shops in the area.  We bought a lovely wall hanging with an elephant on it, cushion covers, etc.

http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/france/paris/passage-brady

 

[Missy]

When you arrive in Paris get yourself a 'Pariscope'. It costs about 40cents, on sale at the newspaper kiosks you will bump into as you walk along the city. It has anything and everything you would want to do in Paris. Eat, drink, party/dance the night away, shops, things to do, cinemas, exhibitions, museums, promenades in Paris, etc.... etc... etc... It comes out every Wednesday. In French most of it but quite easy to understand. There is a small English section at the back... and it fits nicely into an average size handbag! what more could a girl want!

[Pierre ZFP]

A couple of my favourite places to nosh cheaply are Leon's, franchises all over Paris, they do just 3 things, mussels in 30 different ways, chips and beer - marvellous!  http://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/

The other one is Bistro Romaine, again all over Paris, done up inside like a Tart's boudoir (errr, so I'm told [:$] ) 2 of the things they do I can recommend are Carpaccio de beouf a volonte and an extremly rich chocolate mousse http://www.bistroromain.fr   download the coupon for an offer like a free drink etc

Niether of these places will  strain the pocket either

[5-element]

sorry double post, mysteriously[:D]

[5-element]

[quote user="Christine Animal"]

Yes, it's terrible about the fire.  The living conditions must be very bad.  They said that the maire de Paris was going to have a look at the buildings.

I don't know which of the restaurants we ate at, sitting out in the Passage, but surely there are more than three.  We were in the covered part.  Were you in the other open half?  I like going round the shops in the area.  We bought a lovely wall hanging with an elephant on it, cushion covers, etc.

http://www.geobeats.com/videoclips/france/paris/passage-brady

 

[/quote]

 

Christine, you are a GEM!!!!! Wonderful clip, I will treasure it., thank you .

Yes I went to the open half, and missed ([:(] the covered part, which I believe was closed that day. Can't wait to go again and check it out now.

I hope this will give OP Kristine some ideas.

Missy, I find Pariscope so much geared for tourists and foreigners - it is useful, but if you want to go off the beaten track, it is definitely not what you need.

For restaurants, I find the "Guide du Routard" pretty good, as it is French and  not specifically catering to foreign tourists. 

 

[hoverfrog]

there is a chain of restaurants called I think "Entrecote" which are really good and also good value. I have tried several in Paris but google isn't helping me today so no link :(

Best bet is always to stay off the beaten track, and eat where the locals eat!

Wander up the side-streets - we found a fantastic Lebanese restaurant that way not too far from Gare du Nord.