Paris Guide - Eating Out

Restaurants in Paris need not be expensive and every quarter has its reasonably priced bistros. Traditional French cooking is very meat based, as a glance at any brasserie menu will show. Old favourites, from moules marinières (mussels), and andouillettes (pork intestine sausages) to cassoulet (a stew of white haricot beans and different meats) predominate. Non-meat dishes in cafes are usually limited to chèvre chaud (hot goat's cheese on salad), tartines (open toasted sandwiches), omelettes and baguette sandwiches. Vegetarian restaurants are a new and limited phenomena and many vegetarians seek out alternative cuisines.

Enjoy a quintessentially French petit déjeuner by ducking into any café for buttery croissants and chocolat chaud (hot chocolate) or coffee. If you want coffee with milk, ask for a noisette. They will bring you an espresso and a small jug of hot milk which is much tastier than the average, watery café au lait. Other Parisian drinks include infusions (herb teas), un panaché (shandy), sirop de grenadine (pomegranate syrup), citron pressé (freshly squeezed lemon juice served with sugar to taste). Water can be carbonated (l'eau minerale gazeuse), still (l'eau minerale plate), somewhere in-between (Badoit), or from the tap (l'eau du robinet).

Bookings are essential on Saturday nights and Sunday lunchtimes, and are recommended at other times. Many restaurants close at the weekend, or at least on Sunday, so the good restaurants that are open tend to fill up quickly. Like other businesses, many restaurants close for the month of August

Paris