Paris - recommended cafes/cheap eateries

Smiley_Mum

Hi,

Got a little bit of time in Paris about two days in all. Can anyone recommend reasonably price restaurants which are child friendly etc. Or any tips etc with young children. Will probably do Eiffel Tower and a boat trip, other than that just saunter round the place, bit of shopping etc. Should I just go for the bakeries and markets for cheap eats and just make a picnic out of it as I see there are lots of nice places take a breather. Any recommendations on what to avoid etc due to charges etc. Youngest in for a shock as not taking a buggy hence the light weight sightseeing agenda. TIA for any info. Cheers.

nikkig_3

if you are going after the 21 july there is a beach along the side of the seine, it is there for a month, your children would love this! it is about a mile long. lots of people picnic along there. Also in tuileries gardens there is a big funfair so be warned! regarding cheap restaurants have a look at https://www.timeout.com for the online paris guide there are lots of restaurants reviewed including average prices. the river cruise at the moment is 10 euros for an adult and lasts an hour, the one I have been on is the one which starts at pont neuf, this has a proper guide not a recording. and for the eiffel tower even at 11pm at night expect queues! its worth the wait though! and when its dark everyhour on the hour for 10 minutes there is an amazing light show on the eiffel tower!

Smiley_Mum

Thanks for the info. I'll check out the beach, I'm sure the kids would love that and we could have a picnic too. Thanks. I'll check out Timeout for info on eateries etc. Been looking around at other sites and most cafes seem ok, steer clear of the ones near the Eiffel Tower though. So I'll just keep a supply of snacks with me for the boys and should be ok. Thanks.

skylight

Really sorry, but in the centre of Paris there are no reasonable places to eat!

McDonalds - at least you know what your getting!


I can suggest somewhere to avoid - if you look at the Notre Dame from the front, there is a road with a cafe on it (only short way down).

We paid £27 for sausage chips and coffee x 2!!!!!

nikkig_3

another thing avoid buying the kids coke and stuff in cafes the price is astronomical! its cheaper to drink wine! also there is a big supermarket behind printemps near st lazare station and a big one on the champs elysee where you can stock up on your pic-nic food.

Smiley_Mum

I'll check out the supermarkets mentioned etc. I usually just drink water most of the time so should be ok. I'll avoid the touristy places for eating etc, know from experience that you always get robbed blind. Due to the limited time, might check out the bus sightseeing trip that they have, seeing as the kids are going to be walking everywhere, youngest will be grumbling after a few yards I'm sure, only four.

Ben_P

You cannot go to Paris and miss out on a restaurant meal! Almost all restaurants have a lunchtime "formule-midi" which is a fixed price 2 or 3 course meal. Even in the centre you can find some reasonably priced ones (£10).

One I've tried near Notre Dame cathedral was Cafe Leffe (https://www.cafeleffe-notredame.com/formules.htm). Another one I've tried is a chain called Leon de Bruxelles (https://www.leon-de-bruxelles.fr/gif/ou/paris.htm) a few near the centre and further out. Both happen to have a choice of seafood and belgian beer which I love!

For an even cheaper option you could try the Flunch self-serve restaurant/cafeterias. The food is reasonable if a little overcooked, but healthy, with lots of choice of salads, meat, fish and serve-yourself vegetables. Cost is about £5 up. There are 2 in the centre at:
5-7 RUE P. LESCOT - FORUM DES HALLES 75001 PARIS
21 RUE DE BEAUBOURG 75003 PARIS (near the Pompidou centre)

In the evenings another option is to try one of the many Chinese restaurants in the 13th arrondissment, or the Indian ones on Passage Brady in the 10th.

One tip - if eating at any restaurant in Paris - always check that the waiter gives you the right receipt. A couple of times the waiters have tried to give me someone else's higher priced receipt and expected I would not notice!!!

Smiley_Mum

Thanks very much for all the tips. I'll have to get myself a notebook and keep track of them all. Been trawling the net for info too. Thanks a lot, really appreciate you all taking the time to reply. We are away for a week in total and I'm trying to get a good plan together so we see the main attractions etc of each place. I'll definitely check out the restaurants you mentioned Ben_P, we all really like seafood. Whistle stop tour in three places during the week we are there, planning to make the most of it. Thanks everyone. :j