(sigh)...Paris. There’s so much to say. And rather than overwhelm you (and let’s be honest, you'll get bored and be like "Why is she bragging so much?!?") with long and detailed Tripnotes, I thought I’d quickly share some of my favorites and a few tips.
Foodwise eating in Paris can be exciting and slightly overwhelming given the wealth of options and in my case, the language barrier. Here are some of the places we loved, which were local and super laidback, go figure!
Relais Odeon
132 Boulevard Saint-Germain
Tel: 01 43 29 81 80
This spot in St.Germain is a charming café with a considerable
amount of outdoor seating along an ancient cobblestone path (seriously - I'm 98% sure it's medevial.) When we went in the Fall, it was the perfect place to sit and warm up with a hot chocolat and pretend to live in Paris.
La Cuisine de Bar
8 rue du Cherche Midi, 6ème
Tel: 01 45 48 45 69
Closed Sunday, Monday
Cuisine De Bar was for realzies one of the tastiest and most affordable meals we ate while in Paris. Near Le Bon Marche (translation "The Good Marche"), they offer a lunch special of a salad, a tartine, a glass of wine and a coffee for around 15 euros. They exclusively use Poilâne breads from the famed neighboring bakery and the tartines (open faced sandwiches not women of ill morals, duh) are to die for. Not kidding.
Laduree - LE DROOL!
Les Fines Gueules
43 rue Croix des Petits Champs
Tel: +33 1 42 61 35 41
WOW WOW WOW WOW! JWOWW! Les Fines Gueules is a cozy, filled-with-locals wine bar near the Louvre and hands down one of my favorite meals in Paris. The menu is written on a large chalkboard with dishes featuring local and seasonal products. Opt to sit in the wine-cave if possible. The veal carpaccio (sorry PETA) a signature of the house was fresh and absolutely delicious. The owner even came by with two glasses of crispy dessert wine for us to enjoy with our cheeses! Thanks man!! Eating at Les Fines Gueules felt like knowing a secret and I’m dying to go back.
Funky jazz bar.
With a million museums to visit, gardens to wander and shops to spend your life savings in, Paris is definitely not short on activities. But anyway, here are a few of my favorites:
Centre Pompidou
Place Georges Pompidou
75004 Paris, France
Tel: 01 44 78 12 33
It has a funky sounding name and the building itself is cool (think hamster cage with tubing). Centre Pompidou is an awesome modern/contemporary art museum with new exhibits every few months (check out their website for a schedule) Check it out just before sunset for an incredible view of the Eiffel tour against a pinky orange sky. It was da bomb.
Laduree
75 Avenue des Champs-Elysées,
75008 Paris, France -
Tel: 01 42 25 18 90
Yes yes yes – I know. Everyone talks about Laduree, but the 100% truth is that the macaroons are actually as delicious as advertised. So, believe the hype! I mean...they have flavors like orange blossom, rose and black currant. Come on! For about 15 euros you can get a sampler box and choose from their insane range of flavors – kinda like with donuts in the US of A! These make really great gifts, though you may want to get them towards the end of your trip so they stay fresh and you're not tempted to devour them.
Cuisine de Bar. This guy was actually pretty snobby.
Poilâne
8 rue de Cherche Midi,
6th arrondisment
Poilane, a French bakery famous for their delicious breads and pastries is a great place to pop in to for a last minute gift. Their signature butter cookies called “Punitions” are about 5 euros and stay fresh and tasty for weeks. Apple turnovers from this place = tastebud overload. Your morning danish is gonna look like such a punk compared to these things.
Au-revoir and bon voyage.
p.s. all photos taken by moi...see what I did there? That's French.
