Inexpensive Restaurants In Paris France

Going native is the secret to inexpensive restaurants in Paris. In other words, eat when the natives Parisians eat, go where the native Parisians go, order the foods that the native Parisians order and behave like the native Parisians behave. You will not only be safeguarding yourself from the overly exorbitant prices that were inflated for the sake of impressing the naïve tourist, but you will also be eating the most authentic dishes, served most authentically, in a most authentic environment.

So, when do the native Parisians dine? Well, Parisians eat only one large meal a day, either lunch at 1:00 p.m. or dinner at 9:00 p.m. Breakfast does not count as a meal by native Parisians because all they usually have is coffee with bread and butter or a croissant. The large meal, however, is intended to do more than just satisfy hunger, it is a daily event that takes at least two to three hours of leisure and pleasure.

To find the restaurants where the native Parisians dine is tricky but not impossible. You can use a good city guide that will direct you to the neighborhood restaurants but you must do some of your own assessing.

If the restaurant is small, simple, low key and has no fancy décor or neon lights it is safe to assume that it is a native Parisian restaurant. However, if the restaurant has lace curtains you can bet that it is a native Parisian joint with warm atmosphere, terrific food and reasonable prices that you will not be disappointed in.

If more than twenty-five percent of the restaurant’s clientele speak English you can be sure that this is not the restaurant in which the typical native Parisians dine. Furthermore, if the menu is printed in French and English, be careful for it may be a tourist spot. By the way, the translations of menus into English are often very inaccurate and misleading. If nothing else, try learning to read and understand the French menu. And while we are on the subject of menus, if the menu is displayed in front of the entrance, is hand written and you had noticed that it changes frequently, this is no doubt a native Parisian place.

Another good way to distinguish between the native and tourist choice is by what is served. If they serve “offal’s” such as liver, brain, intestines, gizzards, thymus gland, tongue, etc., which are considered delicacies by natives, then it is reasonable to assume that they do not cater to tourists.

Parisians do not worry about fat intake, low sodium, high cholesterol or other health risks when they eat because they relish their meals with delight and are not inclined to allow obstacles to intervene. So when you have finally found the native Parisian restaurant, order like a native: a three-course meal with all the toppings and trimmings, forget your worries and never feel guilty afterwards.

Behaving like a native Parisian at meal times is most difficult for Americans because it requires using a knife and a fork simultaneously one in each hand, speaking in calm low tones, dressing up, keeping both hands above the table, patiently waiting to be served without summonsing the waiter and placing your bread directly on the table not on your plate.

Do like the Parisians do and you will get the best of foods for the lowest prices in the most delightful atmospheres.

Posted in France Vacation Guide