Paris Food Guide 2024 – First Timers’ Guide to Eating in Paris

Paris for Foodies

Some people travel to see historical sites; some go to the beach. Me? I like to travel for food and wine!

During my Paris explorations, I also go in quest for the best food in Paris, and I tell you about my nicest findings in this Paris food guide.

If you are looking for good food, Paris won’t disappoint you. In this Paris foodie guide, you will find my best Paris food tips, where to eat in Paris (restaurant, brasserie, or bistro), the best places to eat in Paris, and what to order. Go on reading this Paris food guide with something for everyone!

Table of Contents:

1. Eating in Paris Like a Local
2. Best Food in Paris
3. Vegan in Paris
4. Paris Food Tours
5. Wine Tasting in Paris
6. Cooking Lessons in Paris
7. Best Food Markets in Paris
8. Best Food Streets in Paris
9. Where to Eat in Paris: Restaurant, Brasserie or Bistro?
10. Best Places to Eat in Paris

1. Eating in Paris Like a Local

When talking about a country’s culture, it is impossible not to speak about food. Take part in a cooking class and learn how to make macarons or croissants. Go and visit the city’s markets with local, fresh produce. Enjoy a French apéritif (and some planches of cheese and cold cuts) with your friends. Have fun at any of the French food festivals in Paris. Eat street food and dine in local restaurants. Eat Like a Local!

When planning your trip to Paris, be sure to learn about French food and the best places to eat in Paris like a local. If you’re not trying the Paris food, you are far from getting to know the culture.

2. Best Food in Paris

Here is the list of the most famous foods in Paris: from typical food in Paris to delicious cheap eats or traditional Paris cakes, there is something for every taste!

1. Baguette – Here are the best baguettes in Paris
2. Café & Croissant – Learn how to order coffee in France
3. Jambon-beurre – also called “Parisien”
4. Croque-monsieur – or croque-madame
5. Steak-Frites
6. Onion Soup
7. Duck confit
8. Crêpes
9. Oysters
10. Raw Milk Cheese
11. Saint-Honoré
12. Café Gourmand

Read more

3. Vegan in Paris

In 2024, Paris was highlighted as one of the most vegan-friendly cities in the world, with a 13% increase in vegan restaurants! Today, the city boasts 90 vegan restaurants and over 1,000 vegan-friendly spots.

From delicious plant-based versions of French classics to ‘veganized’ international cuisines, you will be in for a treat by eating in a vegan restaurant in Paris! Here are the best all-vegan restaurants in Paris for all budgets.

4. Paris Food Tours

Food tours are a great way to discover a specific neighborhood or Arrondissement of Paris while tasting delicious food.

Food tours in Paris usually last 3 to 4 hours and combine walking & sightseeing with gourmet breaks, so you get the best of both worlds.

Sometimes, these Paris food tours include a visit to a local market or a gourmet store so you can see what’s on Parisians’ shopping baskets in every season.

The most popular food tours in Paris are cheese tours and French pastry tours, but Paris chocolate walks are also very requested (check out this self-guided Paris chocolate tour in Le Marais).

5. Wine Tasting in Paris

Amongst all French drinks, wine is the star in Paris; the wine regions of France produce between 7 and 8 billion bottles of wine per year!

Wine-tasting tours in Paris are a great way to start a memorable night in Paris. More than ever, people want to know more about French wine and the best wine regions in France.

Wine-tasting tours in Paris are usually led by a professional sommelier who can answer all your questions about wine in France during the wine tasting. Some wine tours are more pedagogical, where you learn about the grapes, soil, the best wine regions in France, and wine-tasting techniques. Other tours, instead, are more focused on tasting the best French wines from different wine regions.

Wines are usually paired with gastronomic specialties or typical Parisian food, like cheese or cold cuts. Remember that in France, cheese is neither an entry nor a dessert; cheese is just cheese!

From Paris, you can visit some of the best wine regions of France on day trips or guided day tours with tastings. Check it out!

TIP:  Want to ensure your wine makes it home? Find the best wine bags for travel.

A good introduction to French Wine

TIP: Always store your wines at the right temperature; check out this small wine coolers review

6. Cooking Class in Paris

Cooking lessons are also a great way to learn about delicious food in Paris while having fun. The finished product is one thing, but you truly get an appreciation of a certain type of cuisine when you see where the ingredients come from and how the food is prepared.

Cooking lessons help immerse yourself in the local culture and are also a great way to connect with other foodies in Paris. Add a Paris cooking class to improve your cooking skills and learn how to prepare the best traditional food in Paris.

7. Best Food Markets in Paris

This Paris food guide would not be complete without the markets of Paris. Paris has numerous food markets selling fresh, locally produced food.

Food Markets in Paris are foodies’ paradise! Parisian markets (marchés in French) can be found in all the districts of Paris, and a visit to a local market alone or with a guided tour can be one of the best local experiences in Paris.

Some Parisian markets, like le Marché des Enfants Rouges, also host small eateries where you can eat lunch or a second breakfast for a small price.

8. Best Food Streets in Paris

In addition to restaurants and markets, the French capital boasts a myriad of colorful food streets populated with typical Parisian cafés, food stalls, and gourmet shops.

If you’re in the mood to shop and snack at the same time, add a couple of these streets to your Paris bucket list; these streets are still a hub for food lovers in Paris.

9. Where to Eat in Paris: Restaurant, Brasserie, or Bistro?

Where to eat in Paris, France? French cuisine sounds fancy, but in the end, food in Paris is all about quality – fresh produce and creating a harmonious dish that elevates the quality of the main ingredient.

The City of Lights boasts over 70 Michelin-starred restaurants, but eating in Paris is not all about expensive restaurants: there are still good places in Paris for foodies with lower budgets.

Brasserie, or bistro: Where to eat in Paris?

Both places serve typical French cuisine. Bistros are usually pretty casual neighborhood restaurants, with a limited offer and specific opening hours for lunch and dinner. Bistros are good places to find local dishes and the best desserts in Paris. The brasseries, instead, are bigger spaces, serve throughout the day until late at night, and have a larger menu.

Traditionally, a Parisian bistro was a low-key place to eat, but nowadays, you can also find trendy or upscale Parisian bistros based on the concept of “‘bistronomie.”

A contraction of “Bistro” and “Gastronomie,” the term bistronomie combines the cuisine worthy of great chefs with the affordable prices of a bistro. You can read more about this topic in my e-book about the Parisian bistros, which comes with a list of the best bistros in Paris by Arrondissement.

10. Best Places to Eat in Paris

Where to eat in Paris? In a city like Paris, you will be spoilt for choice! This food guide Paris links to our lists of the best restaurants in Paris listed by district, category, or type of food.

TIP: Paris is one of the best cities in Europe for being gluten-free if you know the right places to go. Check out this quick guide to Gluten-Free in Paris.

Read more about food and drink in Paris

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