Eating in Paris

Paris is full of tasty food and you don’t need deep pockets in order to have a fantastic meal. By eating your main meal at lunch you can save a lot of money.

Breakfast

The typical French breakfast is a croissant  or tartine and coffee. It's cheap, it's easy and it's good. 

Many boulangeries also serve coffee, so you can make a quick stop there for breakfast. Expect to pay less than 3.00€ for a coffee and a croissant. Or stop by your favorite cafe and do the same. The price will be a little higher - or maybe not if you can find a 3.50€ breakfast like I did at this cafe on rue de la Roquette. Or order one of the other options and you can skip lunch. 

Breakfast can even be cheaper if you are renting an apartment and eating at home. My current favorite is plain yogurt with sliced peaches and honey and a cup of Nespresso coffee. This probably costs about 1.50€

Look for Lunch Specials

Many restaurants have lunch specials where the same or similar meal would be 30%-50% more at dinner, so I'm always on the lookout for a good lunch special. 

Just look for the blackboard on the sidewalk outside. By law, restaurants are required to post their menus too. Just take a look and see what looks appealing. 

Another favorite is a sandwich from a Boulangerie. The sandwich may look simple but trust me – this sandwich will taste like none you have ever had. And big bargain at about 5€. I still remember the first jambon buerre sandwich I had in 1976. 

Lunch with Parisians

I had one of my favorite lunches at the Cafeteria at the BHV  - Le Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville on Rue du Rivoli. Technically the cafeteria is called: "La Cantine du Bazar". I found it by accident when I was in search of the "toilette". My lunch was a fantastic quiche with roast chicken and a petite bottle of wine. As you can see my total bill was 9.50€ and the place was filled with what appeared to be locals. Be sure to grab a table with a nice view of the surrounding rooftops.