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The Cheat Sheet

Category	Go Here	Order This
Splurge dinner	L’Arpege	Vegetable tasting menu (book lunch)
Best macaron	Pierre Hermé	Ispahan + Grand Macaron
Best pastry	du Pain et des Idées	Pistachio escargot (go early)
Best croissant	Ritz Paris Le Comptoir	Apple filled square croissant
Seine picnic	Androuet + bread shop across the street	Hard goat-sheep cheese + baguette
Hot chocolate	Angelina	The original hot chocolate
Best crepe	Breizh Café	Whatever they recommend
Surprise hit	Galeries Lafayette, 3rd floor	Mosugo plantain burger

Paris doesn’t need me to tell you the food is good. But the difference between eating well in Paris and eating memorably is knowing where to go beyond the obvious. I’ve been several times now, and each trip I build a longer list of spots I’d fly back for. This is that list — every place personally tested, no press-trip freebies, no sponsored meals.

The Restaurants

The Splurge Meals

L’Arpege — Alain Passard’s vegetable-forward tasting menu. It’s pricey and you’ll want to reserve well in advance. My tip: book lunch instead of dinner. Same menu, slightly more relaxed atmosphere, and you get to walk off the meal through Paris afterward.

L’Orangerie at the Four Seasons — Gorgeous setting inside the hotel. The space is intimate and almost impossibly pretty. You’ll need a reservation, but it’s the kind of meal that feels like an occasion even on a Tuesday.

Astrance — Haven’t been yet, but it’s at the top of the list for next time. The head chef trained at L’Arpege, and everything I’ve heard says it lives up to the pedigree.

Everyday Favorites

Cafe Constant — Near the Eiffel Tower, which means it could easily be a tourist trap. It’s not. Solid bistro fare at reasonable prices in a neighborhood where that’s hard to find.

La Tourelle — A tiny spot on Rue Hautefeuille in the 6th. The space is adorable and the owner is incredibly warm. The kind of restaurant you stumble into and tell everyone about after.

Mimosa — Italian, from the same Big Mamma group behind Circolo Popolare in London. The restaurant is beautiful inside — lush, colorful, and energetic. The pasta is genuinely good, not just instagrammable.

Le Flore en l’Île — Right next to Notre Dame on Île Saint-Louis. Good croissants, good coffee, gorgeous location. A perfect morning stop.

Chez Toye — In Montmartre. Casual, friendly, and the food is comforting without being heavy. A good lunch spot between exploring the hilltop neighborhood.

Breizh Café — The OG crepe spot. If you’re only having one crepe in Paris, have it here. They take it seriously in the best way.

International

Baranaan — A new-age Indian concept doing something genuinely different. Modern plating, creative flavor combinations, and a vibe that feels fresh in a city that doesn’t always embrace fusion well.

La Brasserie Thai — Near Montmartre with good vegetarian options. Solid pick when you need a break from butter and cream.

Afternoon Tea & Drinks

Tea at the Shangri-La — The afternoon tea service here is beautiful. Elegant setting, excellent pastries, and a more refined experience than many of the hotel teas in Paris.

Café Kitsuné, Palais-Royal — A coffee shop with plenty of seating, which is rare in Paris. Great if you need a spot to sit, decompress, and people-watch near the gardens.

The Bakeries & Pâtisseries

This is where Paris earns its reputation. You could skip every sit-down restaurant and just eat your way through the bakeries and it would still be one of the best food trips of your life.

Pierre Hermé — The macaron shop with truly unique flavors. Ispahan (rose and raspberry) is my favorite and it’s not close. Some locations have a tea salon, and the one on the Champs-Élysées has surprisingly good cocktails and mocktails. The Grand Macaron is incredible.

Ladurée — More macarons, but the pastries here are amazing too. They have actual salon locations where you can sit for lunch or afternoon tea. The experience is worth it at least once.

du Pain et des Idées — The pistachio escargot (a pinwheel pastry, not snails) is famous for a reason. One of the best bakeries in Paris, and that’s saying a lot. Go early — they sell out.

Ritz Paris Le Comptoir — Giant madeleines and these incredible square filled croissants. The apple filled one was my favorite. Everything here is gorgeous and tastes even better than it looks.

Mamiche — For croissants, this is one of the best in the city. Buttery, flaky, golden, perfect. No-frills bakery doing one thing at an extraordinary level.

Yann Couvreur — Known for rose-flavored pastries that are as pretty as they are delicious. A more modern pâtisserie that genuinely delivers on taste.

Des Gâteaux et du Pain — Cakes and tarts that make great gifts to bring home. The apple pastry is a standout. Good packaging for travel.

French Bastards — The name alone is worth the visit. The pastries back it up. Creative, irreverent, and genuinely excellent.

La Fabrique — L’Éclair de Génie — Éclairs elevated to an art. Beautiful flavors, beautiful presentation. A great afternoon pick-me-up.

Quick Bites & Surprises

Androuet — The best cheese shop in Paris. The staff is knowledgeable and generous with samples. There’s this hard goat-sheep cheese that is to die for, and there’s a bread shop right across the street. Grab both and have a picnic by the Seine.

Yummy & Guiltfree — A waffle shop in the Marais. Light, crispy, and the toppings are creative. A good walking-around snack.

Fric Frac — Sandwiches done right. Simple, satisfying, and affordable by Paris standards.

Galeries Lafayette Food Hall — On the 3rd floor there’s Mosugo by Mory Sacko, which has this plantain burger that is so, so good. The first floor has tons of snack and dessert options. Great pitstop during a shopping day.

Angelina — Famous for their hot chocolate, and it lives up to the hype — thick, rich, almost like drinking a melted chocolate bar. The pastries are excellent too. Expect crowds on weekends.

Jour — Nothing fancy, but they have healthy options and tons of seating. Perfect when you need a salad and a quiet spot to sit after days of butter and cheese.

Starbucks Opéra — The only Starbucks I’d ever recommend, because it’s inside a stunning converted Parisian building. The coffee is the same, but the ceiling is worth the stop.

The Verdict

If I had to pick five things to eat in Paris and nothing else: the pistachio escargot at du Pain et des Idées, the Ispahan macaron at Pierre Hermé, a filled croissant from Ritz Le Comptoir, cheese from Androuet eaten on a bench by the Seine, and lunch at L’Arpege. That’s the short version. The long version is everything above.

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