Restaurant Suggestions

We will be celebrating my husbands birthday in Paris on October 25 - it will be the last night of our 7 week holiday to the UK, Italy and France! Can anyone suggest a restaurant that we should try - we are traveling with three teenagers and would like to try something that perhaps the locals frequent.

Our French is terrible but we are trying to learn a little before we arrive!

Thanks in advance.

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greetings, i just returned from paris. we had a wonderful meal, a bit pricey, maybe 120 euros for 2, called d%26#39;chez eux. small restaurant, fine service, look it up online....what a find. it is in the 7th district and just delightful enjoy your trip

lynn herman-atkins

boston

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Lynn - thanks so much for your reply, will look it up as when you live in Australia its not too often you get to celebrate a birthday in Paris! Can%26#39;t wait to get there, are there any must see or do tips from your recent trip?

Lisa

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Hello jaz09,

what i always suggest for a first trip in a big city is a city sightseeing. Just have a seat and relax, take notes about what to see again later. You have a hop on/of tour :

www.carsrouges.com ticket available 2 days

Then, metros and buses, you can buy a paris visit pass, for info go to : http://www.ratp.info/touristes/ then clic on english version

A lot of infos on : http://fr.parisinfo.com

You would like a dinner cruise on the Seine, go to

bateauxdeparis.com/paris-dinner-cruise.php

A visit to Versailles Castle, go to www.guidatours.com

and what%26#39;s more, oh yes a restaurant, well what kind ?

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A couple of places that are popular with the local residents and serve excellent cuisine at reasonable prices are...

L%26#39;Époque at 81 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine

Le Languedoc at 64 Boulevard de Porte-Royal

We have eaten in both on numerous occasions and have always enjoyed the food and the service has always been friendly and efficient. They are both family owned and run restaurants.

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hello again,

there is so much to see...walk, walk, walk!!!you will get lost in the beauty.if you have never been, get on the double decker bus for a 2 day pass, travel around the city and listen to the tour, then you will know what area to return to that interests you. the metro is easy to use, just always know what station you have to end up at to get to your hotel...people are helpful in the stations and the maps are great. we loved being there...it was my 4th trip where are you staying?

lynn

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You could try the Auberge Nicolas Flamel. If your French is limited it has the advantage that the maitre d%26#39;hotel is English. It%26#39;s also interesting because it%26#39;s in the oldest stone house in Paris, built in 1407 - so it%26#39;s celebrating its 600th anniversary this year. If you know the Harry Potter books you may have come across the name Nicolas Flamel - he was an alchemist who built this house 600 years ago.

It%26#39;s a small restaurant, not too expensive, mostly used by locals though there are tourists too because of the Flamel connection and the age of the building. Walking tours are taken past it. You can see some pictures on www.parismarais.com/selected-restaurants.htm . You can find out more by searching on Google though the restaurant%26#39;s own website doesn%26#39;t work very well and only a few of the pages come up when I try it.

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Thanks so much for all the suggestions and advice.

We are staying at Hotel Des Grandes Ecoles.

We are not fussy eaters so like most things and are keen to eat as the locals do.

Before arriving in Paris we have a week in St Emilion if anyone has any must see or do ideas for that area would love to hear them. Of course wineries are high on our list for that region!

Thanks again

Lisa

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Hi Jaz

Just came back from Paris in May and can highly recommend a restaurant called %26quot;404%26quot; in Rue de Grevilliers in the Marais.

The restaurant is North African/Morroccan food. We had dinner for two there, and what a treat it was - Entrees of crumbed and stuffed sardines, a terrine of eggplant, followed by mains of chicken tagines and lamb shish kebab and cous cous. We couldn%26#39;t eat dessert, we were too full. The place was packed with lots of people celebrating, and at one point a cake was presented to a birthday boy at the table next door. It%26#39;s loud, unpretensious and funky. You%26#39;d feel right at home. Dinner for two with wine was 100euros. The waiters and maitre%26#39;d spoke perfect english and were obliging and friendly and obviously proud of their food and hospitality. It was a recommendation we found from travellers we met in London, and backed up by a great review in the Paris Good Food Guide. Highly recommended, but I advise you to book in advance if you want to eat about 8-ish. It%26#39;s packed every night.

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If this is St Emilion near Bordeaux, I%26#39;d recommend going to Monpazier

pays-de-bergerac.com/english/…index.asp

Nowadays, this is quite touristy but it%26#39;s still worth a trip. On the way you could call at Cadouin - a small village with an impressive abbey

pays-de-bergerac.com/mairie/…a_voir.asp

If you want to go further, there%26#39;s Sarlat, a lovely old town

www.francedirect.net/sarlat.php

and still further there%26#39;s the spectacular Rocamadour.

france-for-visitors.com/lot/rocamadour.html

Have a look at the links to see what these places are like.

Bear in mind that although the distances may not look huge, it will take quite a long time to get to the more distant places. Don%26#39;t exhaust yourself with driving too far. You can always plan another trip for another year.

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hello jaz09, and HELL a week in St Emilion ???

You talk about vineyards, but something you have to know, usually it is often very difficult or impossible to visit and taste the %26quot;Grand Bordeaux%26quot; houses. Only the small and not very well known vineyards open their doors to the public (and most with apointment).