The European heart of the best gastronomy, the capital of France, boasts a delicious culinary panorama made of ancient tastes and modern worldwide cuisine. In Paris, it is possible to try foods from virtually every country as well as indulge in those local staples that make the city a renowned foodie destination in the world.
Part of the local lifestyle and culture, there’s nothing more Parisian-like than stepping into a classic bistro and spending at least an hour savoring delicious foods while watching life go by on the quaint streets of Montmartre or the Latin Quarter.
Established as a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, French Gastronomic Meals offer the most delicious way to experience the city the same way that locals do.
If Paris is among your next trips or you just simply want to daydream about the best food to eat in Paris, this article features the best local dishes, interesting tips, and all there is to know to be able to enjoy one of the top-class cuisines in the world.
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What to Eat in Paris: Staple Dishes
Croissants
It might look weird to begin a food list with a pastry, but croissants are the most iconic food you will ever try in town.
Chosen by locals and tourists alike, centuries before macarons became a Parisian staple, there’s nothing better than this French, affordable treat to start your day in the City of Lights.
It is unique when paired with a very French café au lait, but it also pairs well with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
This is an unmissable bite that you can also enjoy served plain or with creative fillings, including jam, chocolate, or almond paste.
Although you’re bound to find croissants anywhere in Paris, it is always better to go to authentic artisan bakeries.
You won’t miss them; the fragrant, sweet, and inviting croissant perfume coming out of these shops is the best way to find them.
Want to take the experience to the next level? Order a pain au chocolat as well. This unique French pastry adds a twist of taste (and calories) to the whole experience.
LEARN MORE: 3 Days in Paris Itinerary
Croissants are the quintessential French pastry and they go perfect with coffee
Crêpes
Both savory and sweet, crêpes can be considered the ultimate example of French street food. Not that locals enjoy eating on the go, on the contrary!
The most fascinating part about enjoying Paris food is the ritual related to sitting and relaxing at a local restaurant, bistro, or cafeteria to spend a relaxing hour savoring your full meal.
If that’s also what you enjoy, then choose one of the hundreds of crêperies scattered in every district, all over town.
In some of them, it is even possible to try from the simplest crêpe made of ham and cheese to more refined versions, often so rich and abundant that they can easily replace a complete meal.
And for those with a sweet tooth, check out warm crêpes with banana and chocolate spread or with apple and salted caramel sauce. They are simply fantastic!
LEARN MORE: One Day in Paris Itinerary
What to eat for brunch in Paris? Why not try some delicious sweet or savory crepes!
Escargots
No visit to Paris could be deemed complete if you left town without first trying this national dish, snails.
Locally known as escargots, this is probably the most iconic dish you will be served in Paris. It is easy to find and not as expensive as you might expect.
Snails are prepared in a dozen different ways in every region of the country.
However, most Paris restaurants choose to serve the simple Burgundy Escargots, an ancient and traditional recipe featuring 5 to 6 snails in their own shell with a delicious and fragrant filling made of garlic, butter, abundant herbs, and snails, of course!
If you’ve already tried them and are ready to sample more refined and complex recipes, look for snails cooked with truffle butter, Roquefort cheese, or even foie gras.
And if instead of having snails as a starter, you’d rather enjoy them with fresh pasta or in a risotto, check out Chez Janou (2 Rue Roger Verlomme, Paris), a Provence-styled bistro serving snails as the main dish.
READ MORE: 15 Places to Visit in Paris (for First-Time Visitors)
Onion Soup
It doesn’t really matter whether you visit Paris in summer or winter; a delicious bowl of Parisian onion soup is a great idea all year round!
This local staple is often found in fixed daily menus (known as formule) that most restaurants and bistros feature, especially during midday.
The formule offers an affordable way to eat in Paris, as it usually includes a starter and a main dish or a main dish and a dessert for a convenient fixed price.
Since onion soup is a simple but delicious recipe with just a couple of ingredients (mainly onions, beef broth, Gruyère cheese, and a slice of bread or croutons), it is easy to find in any Parisian restaurant.
Enjoy it paired with a Croque Monsieur for a quick lunch stop before a shopping afternoon along Les Champs-Elysées.
LEARN MORE: 8 Best Day Trips from Paris
As the sun goes down it’s almost time to start thinking about what to have for dinner in Paris
Steak Frites
This is the best dish you can offer picky eaters and all those who do not dare explore the unfamiliar flavors of French cuisine.
Is there anything as comforting and as reassuring as a steak (sometimes it can also be a hamburger) with French fries? This is a winner for cautious eaters.
A flagship dish of most Parisian brasseries, this simple but delicious meal is also a great alternative for travelers on a budget.
Macarons
These colorful circular pastries adorn the windows of many patisserie shops in town.
Although most Parisians would agree that macarons were not a trendy snack a few years ago, today they are one of the most famous Parisian icons that you can find decorating all kinds of souvenirs in Paris.
Macarons are light pastries made of two outer shells, known as coques, made with almond flour pastry and filled with different creams or jams (the garniture), depending on the color of the outside.
In fact, the most distinctive trait of macarons is their intense pastel colors, sometimes closely evoking the flavor of the treat.
Common flavors include chocolate, coconut, and fruit, but more sophisticated varieties have shaped the macaron market in recent years, including rose, caramel, rhubarb, cinnamon, and Earl Grey tea.
Different venues in town dispute the privilege of selling the best macarons in Paris, although the most popular ones are Ladurée (to be found in different locations in town) as well as Pierre Hermé with its romantic macaron creations.
I also recommend trying the chocolate macarons from the Biscuiterie de Montmartre, just steps from Sacre Coeur Basilica.
LEARN MORE: Weekend in Paris Itinerary for 2 – 3 Days
For a mid-morning or afternoon snack why not enjoy some beautiful macarons with your café au lait?
Croque Madame and Monsieur
It might be tricky to remember which is which in the rush of the moment when ordering your next snack in a Parisian café.
Although both are equally delicious, keep in mind that the main difference between these two ham and cheese grilled white bread sandwiches is the way the fourth ingredient, the egg, is added to the snack!
To avoid confusion, remember that the Croque Monsieur is a delicious fine sandwich featuring a rich filling of ham and cheese and, in many cases, also served with a creamy portion of béchamel sauce on top. In a Croque Monsieur, the bread is dipped in a whisked egg before cooking it, which gives the dish a unique color and texture, making it a unique variety of French toast.
On a Croque Madame, instead, the basic ingredients remain bread, ham, and cheese, but in this case, the egg is freshly fried in fragrant butter (or sometimes poached), and it is placed on top of the sandwich right before serving it: Delicious!
Jambon-Beurre
There is no quicker or more delicious quick snack to try in Paris while running from one museum to the next.
It is also a great alternative for those who travel on a budget and want to cut down on expenses. Yes, dining in Paris can be the most expensive part of your trip!
Grab a jambon-beurre at any local bakery, a glass of French wine, and head to the Champs-Mars for a delicious picnic under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower. Trust me, it will not get more Parisian than that!
But what is all the fuss about the jambon-beurre? Believe it or not, it all boils down to just one thing: how fresh the main ingredients are.
This simple snack is nothing but a delicious, crispy baguette filled with Parisian ham and creamy French butter. That is all!
A picnic with the Eiffel Tower in view is a good Paris bucket list item
Quiche Lorraine
This is the ultimate Parisian dish that all travelers seem to adore.
Made from eggs, heavy cream, bacon, and Swiss cheese, this kind of savory pie is another affordable option for a quick lunch or a budget dinner in Paris.
Although it is easy to find many other varieties of quiches, including quiches with ham, sausages, veggies, and more, the authentic Quiche Lorraine always features abundant crispy bacon among the ingredients.
Ethnic Food in Paris
It’s always advisable to eat where the locals do to avoid tourist traps and to taste the best cuisine in any city you visit.
In Paris, this means more than traditional bistros and brasseries.
The city is home to rich and varied ethnic cuisines ranging from Moroccan pastilla to Asian noodles, from Jewish falafel to Italian pizzas.
Don’t be afraid to explore the different regional restaurants and food joints in popular neighborhoods.
Head to the fashionable Marais neighborhood for Middle Eastern and Yiddish bites or explore the Chinese Quarter near Porte de Italie for a taste of Dim Sum, Bubble Tea, or Thai food.
More Must-Try Foods in Paris
The city offers an endless choice of dishes combining rich ingredients, including mushrooms, heavy cream, plenty of butter, garlic, herbs from Provence, and red wine.
But other than discovering some amazing Parisian recipes, it is a good idea to leave some time to taste other authentic products, including the following…
Cheeses
As Charles De Gaulle once said, “How can anyone govern a country with over 246 varieties of cheese?” Yes, France is one of Europe’s main cheese consumers, and it’s one of the world’s top producers of cheese.
With countless production methods and varieties, local cheese can be herbal, spicy, soft, hard—you name it. Do not miss a cheese and wine tasting experience like this one.
Or join a cheese-making workshop to learn everything about this fantastic French food.
Parisian Pastries
Although we have mentioned croissants, macarons, and—if only briefly—pain au chocolat, Paris is a heavenly destination to discover cakes, tarts, cremes, mille-feuille, eclairs, sweet pies, meringues, and more.
For an unforgettable selection of sweets, check out the fantastic patisseries located in the iconic Galeries Lafayette.
Paris is always a good idea! Autumn is a particularly beautiful time to eat your way around the City of Light
Wine & Champagne
Together with cheese and bread, wine is a common ingredient that often makes it to every French table, or at least to every Parisian picnic by the Seine River.
Home to some of the most prestigious wines in the world, you can never go wrong with a bottle of French wine, even if purchased at the local supermarché!
Do not forget to carry a bottle opener with you at all times, but leave it at the baggage storage when visiting Paris museums.
A special mention needs to be added for French Champagne.
Although Reims is the Champagne capital of France and there’s no better place to sample the world’s finest Champagne, there are several day tours departing from Paris that are perfect to taste the magic of the original French bubbles.
Paris champagne tours like this one include explanations about the traditional champagne production method as well as a visit to different cellars, chateaux, and champagne tasting rooms.
And if you prefer to remain in Paris, worry not! It is very easy to find some good quality champagne brands in the city.
Tartare
Steak tartare or beef tartare are other staples of the local cuisine that, even when they do not tempt every visitor, locals seem to truly enjoy.
The steak tartare is a classic dish easy to find in several Parisian bistros, featuring simple but extremely fresh and flavorful raw ground beef.
Of course, a balanced and well-thought-out seasoning is key to making plain ground beef an explosion of delicate and complex flavors.
Among them, you will certainly find salt, pepper, onions, capers, garlic, and sometimes even a raw egg yolk on top.
Some restaurants also offer tuna tartare, which maybe sounds a little less daring than raw beef.
In many restaurants, it is not uncommon to have a portion of frites (French fries) as a side dish. Red wine is often the drink of choice for this dish, replaced by white wine if you choose the tuna variety.
Final Thoughts
It is not hard to see why Paris is one of the tastiest capitals in the world, where choosing what to eat each day can be a fantastic, flavorful surprise. Bookmark this page as your food reference while visiting Paris. Bon appétit!
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About the Author
Gabi Ancarola is a translator and travel journalist living in Crete. She regularly writes about Europe for several magazines about travel, gastronomy, and hospitality. She has published several travel guides about Greece and plans customized trips to the Greek islands. She loves cooking local dishes, taking photos, and driving on the mountain roads of Crete.