Budget eating in Paris

France is well known worldwide for its gastronomic tradition.  While you are on vacation in Paris one of the things you need to do is to taste the traditional cooking.  French cooking varies from region to region and according to seasonal produce which means that you will find a wide variety of foods and restaurants if you want to taste French food.

If you are on a budget but still want to have a taste of the French gastronomy I recommend you choose carefully your eating places in Paris.  Do not be fooled by fast food restaurants, in Paris like many other cities you will find Mc Donalds, Burger King and similar places to eat.  However, bear in mind that eating at a fast food restaurant you will not be saving that much money and you will miss out on a very important part of France; its gastronomic tradition.  To give you an example, in a fast food restaurant you can find a child’s meal for as little as €4.  Not very much, yes; but in a traditional French restaurant you can also find a child’s menu for as little as €5 with a much wider and richer choice than the one offered by the fast food place.

• If you have a limited budget I suggest you head towards the quartier Latin.  You will find a wide choice of restaurants there at very competitive prices. 
• Look for set-price menus especially the ones including starter, main course, dessert and coffee.  At least you will know exactly how much you will be paying before you sit down.  Eating “a la carte” can very soon mount up without you noticing as some restaurants charge separately even for the bread.

• Drink the house wine, it is usually good. If you are on a budget avoid asking for bottled wine from the wine list. A bottle of wine can cost you more than your entire meal.
• Drink tap water instead of bottled water. Bottled water is very expensive in French restaurants. You are better drinking plain water from the tap (just ask for a carafe d’eau) . The house wine can also be cheaper than bottled water.
• Look at the prices before you sit down. Restaurants have their prices at the door so do not be embarrassed to stop and look before you sit down.
• Avoid expensive areas such as the Champs Elysees. A coffee in a terrace there can be more expensive than a whole meal somewhere else.

As amazing as it might sound, there are several restaurants in Paris that offer you a free dinner if you buy the drinks. The menu usually consists of a unique dish which varies from day to day. Some sample dishes are couscous and French fries with moules.

Some addresses offering a free dinner for the price of the drinks are:

• La Cordonnerie at 142 rue Saint-Denis, 75002 Paris, 01 40 28 95 35. Usually they have couscous every Thursday and Saturday at 8:30pm. To top it up, very often they have a live band playing.
• The Tribal Café at 3 cour des Petites-Ecuries, 75010 Paris, 01 47 70 57 08. The speciality here is mussels with french fries on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 9 :30pm.
• La Chope du Château Rouge at 40 rue de Clignancourt, 75018 Paris, 01 46 06 20 10. Here the clients enjoy a couscous every Friday and Saturday night.

It is highly recommended to book your table before you arrive. If you cannot book in advance, at least try to arrive early!

If you are going near the Moulin rouge and Montemartre I would recommend taking a detour along rue Lepic (just off the Moulin Rouge) where you will find some tantalising fruit shops and Asian restaurants and take-aways at very good prices.  Most of the time, sitting down places are very basic but the food is delicious and cheap. 

If you are travelling to France during the warm months I would suggest that at least once you enjoy a picnic in one of the several parks and green areas in the city.  Paris has many bakeries offering the most delicious pastries, both salty and sweet.  Buy yourself a few patisseries and a good bottle of wine and enjoy it under the shade of the trees. 

If you are a horse lover or you are travelling with a young family I would suggest a picnic at the hippodrome d’Auteil (Bois de Bologne) or Longchamp (Bois de Bologne).  They are both open for free during the weekends from mid Mars until mid May.  The Parisians love coming here to have a picnic or a barbeque and to enjoy the play areas and shows for children.  There are also horse shows, pony trekking, trampolines, etc; and all that for free, including the 4pm snack for children offered by Mc Donalds!!!

 For more information you can visit their official site in French Au Galop