Tucked in at a café on the famed Champs Elysees in front of the Arc de Triomphe, a glass of lovely Bordeaux in hand, I slowly munched my way through the scrumptious cheese platter before me. I started thinking back to when I was a fervent French cheese naysayer. But today, I embrace the French food culture and always eat like a local in Paris, especially when delicious cheeses are my lunch.
So … What’s all the fuss about having storied culinary experiences when you eat like a local in Paris?
Throughout Paris, you can’t escape food, even if you wanted to. Tempting dining opportunities multiply right in front of your eyes, whether you meander the Latin Quarter’s cobblestone streets or the Champs Elysees, Paris’ main boulevard.
France’s world-renown food culture suggests that you live to eat well, rather than simply eat to live. It’s a tradition alive and well throughout Paris’ culinary scene. For Parisians, dining usually involves quality social time with family and friends, with the shared meal being the centerpiece of the day – a key ingredient for the French joie de vivre (joy of living).
Whether a dedicated foodie or not, you can easily experience Parisian cuisine by turning it into an eat like a local adventure with food as your destination.
Who knows – immersing in Paris’ culinary lifestyle may even change the way you look at food and meal time – it did for me …
Where to Eat Like a Local in Paris – Food Markets, Fromageries, Patisseries
You may never look at a French baguette, pastry, quiche, croissant, or cheese the same way after indulging in traditional Parisian food. With so many different ways to sample typical Parisian cuisine, you can easily eat your way through the city – each experience unique.
Besides the typical outdoor café, casual bistro, and full-menu restaurant, there are wonderful specialty shops like fromageries selling cheese, patisseries offering pastries, boulangeries with all sorts of breads, and chocolatiers brimming with chocolates, of course.
Also, you can adventure and delight in Paris’ outdoor food markets where Parisians shop daily for the freshest cooking ingredients. The food stalls are a fun place to discover Paris’ dazzling diverse food culture.
You can immerse yourself in an aromatic and tasty foodie experience, spending hours while exploring the riot of colorful stalls brimming with tempting farm-to-table fresh produce, herbs, giant prawns, regional pate, suckling pig, artisan cheeses, charcuterie, stuffed calamari, duck rillettes, oysters, and wines – just to name a few delectables.
In fact, many market-goers pick up fresh ingredients such as crusty loaves of bread, smoked saucisson, soft camembert, local jambon (ham), and a bottle of wine to picnic in a nearby garden or along the Seine River. Or, they can simply buy baguette sandwiches already assembled like a jambon-beurre baguette (ham and creamy butter sandwich) or a tuna and olive baguette.
Grab a stool at one of the counters where you can sample tidbits, tapas, wine by the glass, and small plates with most markets also offering small bistros and counter stalls serving traditional and ethnic dishes like those found at the three top outdoor food markets listed below.
Go Eat Like a Local in Paris at 3 Best Outdoor Markets
Marche Mouffetard, Latin Quarter, 5th
Described by Hemingway as ‘A Moveable Feast’, the bustling Latin Quarter’s lovely street market, Marche Mouffetard, shines as a traditional food venue dotted with bright stalls, chock-full of fresh farm to table fruits and vegetables as well as specialty items such as pate, charucuterie, seafood, cheeses and luscious pastries. For more info, see here.
Marche Des Enfants Rouge, Le Marais, 4th
The oldest food market in Paris, Marche Des Enfants Rouge has kept its name dating back to when a 16th century orphanage occupied the spot. The iconic market boasts stalls filled with a wide international mix of Italian, Lebanese, African, Japanese and other multi-ethnic culinary fare. You can also browse a vast array of artisanal and organic food stalls. For more info, see here.
Marche Dejean, Montmartre, 18th
The Marche Dejean on the Right Bank is known as the place to go for a colorful and aromatic variety of seafood, intense flavors, and exotic spices rooted in West African cuisine. Offering a multi-ethnic mix of European and African culinary cultures creates a sensory market experience, engaging all five senses and resulting in novel food experiences. For more info, see here.
Restaurants – Eat Like a Local in Paris by Neighborhood
Even for Parisians, picking a food destination out of the vast and diverse Paris culinary scene, can be challenging. So, based on their cuisine criteria, they often choose a food destination by neighborhood.
Whether exploring attractions in Saint-Germain des Pres, seeking traditional home-style cuisine in the Marais, looking for panoramic city views from Montmartre, climbing the Eiffel Tower, eating like a local at Marche Mouffetard in the Latin Quarter, or people-watching on the Champs Elysees – you can likely find a restaurant, bistro, or café that matches your food desires.
Here are eight top food destinations where you can eat your way through Paris like a Parisian, explore the sights, and immerse in Paris’ charming ambiance.
Champs Elysees Area, 8th District
Around the grand Boulevard Champs Elysees on the Right Bank, running through the heart of Paris, the L’Arc de Triomphe at the top and the Place de la Concorde at the bottom, you can find elegant dining, luxury accommodations and high-end shopping in the Champs Elysees neighborhood. Along the boulevard, you can also find lively colorful cafés and eateries overflowing with locals and travelers alike enjoying something to eat, happy-hour, and people-watching as crowds walk by.
Eiffel Tower Area, 7th District
While close to top restaurants and major sights on the Left Bank, the Eiffel Tower neighborhood is also convenient to amazing attractions across the Seine River, on the Right Bank. Just a bridge crossing away, you can find yourself on the majestic Champs-Elysees exploring culinary opportunities and discovering the lovely area’s historic gems like the Pantheon, Pantheon and Roman amphitheater.
Latin Quarter (Quartier Latin), 5th District
On the Left Bank, the vibrant Latin Quarter bohemian-tinged neighborhood is reminiscent of Old Paris charm, where artists and intellectuals used to meet and be inspired. With a vivacious student population, due to the Quarter’s universities like the Sorbonne, you can find a panoply of eclectic food choices from regional dishes to Italian, Moroccan, and beyond.
Louvre-Tuileries Area, 1st District
On the Right Bank sits one of the most majestic scenes in Paris, the world renowned Louvre museum aside the lovely Tuileries Gardens, ripe for picnics or just chilling and watching the world pass by. As the famous Louvre neighborhood is home to one of the top sight-seeing destinations in the world, just steps away you can find a vast variety of restaurants, bistros, and other eateries dishing out traditional home-style cooking and specialty fine dining.
Marais, 4th District
Recognized as one of the more authentic Old Paris districts, you can find many regional dishes in the ubiquitous traditional restaurants where their menu changes according to fresh catch and fresh farm-to-table ingredients. In fact, Paris’ oldest open-air market, Marche des Enfants Rouges, thrives in the Marais neighborhood from where you can take a short walk and explore other sights like Notre Dame and Sainte Chappelle on the Ile de la Cite.
Montmartre, 18th District
On the Right Bank, from the enchanting neighborhood’s hilltop perch, the sweeping panoramic Paris cityscapes below steal your breath, particularly from the lofty white-brushed Basilica de Montmartre. Steps away from the basilica, you will find Montmartre’s ‘Artist’s Square’ (Place du Tertre), one of the best places to experience a slice of the Old Paris era when artists, writers, and intellectual elite flocked here to be inspired and interact with their peers.
Lining the ‘Artist’s Square’, you can find colorful quintessential Parisian cafés and restaurants offering local and regional fare, like that at Mere Catherine where you have a front row seat to watch the artists paint landscapes and charcoal-draw portraits.
Montparnasse, 14th District
Within walking distance to Left Bank attractions (or a quick metro hop), the Montparnasse neighborhood boasts Old Paris bistros and cafés like La Closerie des Lilas, frequented in the past by starving artists like Picasso and writers like Hemingway. Today, many locals and travelers opt for Montparnasse’s village atmosphere rather than the tourist-dense areas, cherishing their easy access to a bevy of traditional and trending restaurants, brasseries, cafés and bistros dotting the Montparnasse landscape. Another perk is the Montparnasse Tower’s gourmet restaurant, le Ciel de Paris (the Paris Sky) gifting the highest panoramic views over the city.
Saint-Germain-des-Pres, 6th District
In Saint Germain-des-Pres, a wildly popular neighborhood on the Left Bank, you can enjoy a drink or meal at iconic restaurants such as the Café de Flore, a hang-out for artists and elite intellectuals in the past. Lined with restaurants and cafés, the cobbled narrow streets offer a cornucopia of lively and diverse dining opportunities in this enchanting slice of authentic Paris where you can visit landmarks and historic treasures.
TIP: Another way to explore and experience the intriguing Paris culinary scene, is to take a Paris Food Tours, Paris Cooking Classes, Paris Market Tours, Paris Wine Tasting, Paris Bars and Aperitifs/Happy Hour.
