After living in Paris for six months, I’ve done my fair share of eating out. With over 40,000 restaurants in Paris, there’s definitely plenty to choose from for any cuisine you want. While it was very hard to narrow down, I picked my favorite top five Paris restaurants that you have to try when visiting the City of Lights.
Sansevieria, Line 1, 8, or 12 – Concorde, 1st Arrondissement
- My favorite thing on this menu is the creamy cheese ravioli. The first time I had it, my whole life changed. I usually like to pair it with a strawberry collin’s, and then finish the meal with a fruit salad and a hot chocolate. I’ve eaten breakfast there many times, and their bagels are delicious, as is their avocado toast and croissants. My favorite thing about this restaurant, however, is the staff. The first time I ate here, I barely spoke any French, and the staff spoke English to me; later, one of the waitresses went out of her way to give me two books that had been left at the restaurant a few weeks ago — because she saw me reading while I was eating my lunch. Flash forward to now, we are very good friends, and we’ve even gone out for drinks together! Another big bonus for me is that it’s not too far from the Lourve, so it’s a good place to go after you finish touring the museum, and it’s right next to my favorite English bookshop, Smith & Son. All in all, this cafe is in a great location, the food is delicious, and the staff is amazing. Enjoy!
Pink Mamma, Line 2 – Blanche, 9th Arrondissement
- This place is 100% a must-visit! As far as the Paris restaurants on this list go, this one is by far the most popular. The food is AMAZING, so it’s no wonder there’s always a line around the building. If you want to eat here, you must make reservations in advance — when we went, we made ours two weeks in advance, and there were still slim pickings. My favorite thing on this menu (and many other people’s favorite) is their famous truffle pasta. Now, truffle pasta is extremely common in France, but nobody makes it like Pink Mamma. Another major feature of Pink Mamma is the absolutely gorgeous dining room. Its staircase leading up to the enclosed rooftop space is also a famous picture spot for many people, and I’ve taken a picture there as well! It’s here, on my Instagram.
Apollon, Line 8 – La Tour-Maubourg, 7th Arrondissement
- Despite being a much smaller restaurant (at least the part I’m talking about), Apollon is one of my favorite places to eat in Paris. I eat here probably two or three times a week — and if it’s any sign from the line around the block every day at lunch, so do many other people. Apollon is a Greek restaurant with two parts — a take-away area (pictured below) and a sit-down restaurant. I’ve never eaten at the actual restaurant, but if it’s anything similar to the food in the take-away, it’s delicious. However, I’ll just be talking about the take-away area in this. They serve a lot of traditional Greek food like gyros, dolmades, baklava, and moussaka — and as somebody who is Greek, the food at this restaurant tastes as good as my mom’s! My go-to order here is the gyro, dolmades, or grape leaves wrapped around seasoned rice, and loukoum, which is also known as Turkish Delight; however, I guarantee you everything on the menu is delicious. Another major benefit to this place is how friendly the family that runs it is. They are some of the nicest people I’ve ever met in Paris, and I love being able to talk to them in Greek. When you go, make sure to say Kaliméra (pronounced call-e-mare-a) because that means good morning!
La Terrasse du 7e, Line 8 – École Militaire, 7th Arrondissement
- La Terrasse is another restaurant that I’ve visited a few times. I even brought my father here when he came to visit! I found this place by accident — I was walking back to the metro on a cold January day and stopped to get some hot chocolate. It was, coincidentally, the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had in my life (pictured below). I eat a meal here now probably once a month, but I stop for a snack here much more often. Everything on the menu is extremely tasty, especially the sorbet for dessert (I love dessert). The atmosphere of La Terrasse is also amazing as it is only about a 10-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower — you can people watch for hours. The waiters are all very nice and very funny, and there are menus in English for those who don’t speak French. Enjoy and make sure to try the mango sorbet!
Le New York, Line 9 – Iéna, 16th Arrondissement
- Last, but certainly not least, is Le New York. Located across the Seine from the Eiffel Tower, the view is my favorite thing about this place. Yes, the food is amazing too, but the view makes it that much better. I ate here in early February with a girl who is now one of my closest friends, and the night we ate here was the beginning of that friendship. Now, if you know me, I’m a big fan of pasta — and this place has some seriously amazing pasta. We tried the salmon pasta and the fettuccine, and both were fantastic. I had escargot for the first time here, and let me tell you, it was delicious! While we were there, we also sampled their cocktails (which were fruity) and their wine (which was strong). We sat for about 2 hours and got to see the Eiffel tower sparkle twice — from where we were sitting! We made reservations to eat here, and I would recommend it as well, as it was completely full when we arrived.
I hope my list of Paris restaurants gets you excited about all the great food there is to eat! And while all of these restaurants are amazing, my biggest piece of advice is this: while in Paris, sit down and eat at a random restaurant because you never know — it could become your favorite.
Happy eating!
~ Jamie