As far as we are concerned, no trip can be considered complete if you don’t discover the place through typical tastes , trying the local cuisine and immersing yourself in the place through the flavors. Do you agree? 😄
That’s why, when planning your next vacation in the French capital, you absolutely must know what to eat in Paris before you go! Also because French cuisine, a bit like Italian cuisine, is known and appreciated all over the world; to be objective, there are many delicacies that we find on our tables every day that have been thought up and created by the expert hands of Parisian chefs.
A clear example could be the croissant , which every day brightens the breakfasts of millions of people all over the world, not only in Italy.
Here is a delicious list of what to eat in Paris to taste the best traditional dishes on your next trip between art and beauty.
By the way, if you are looking for ideas on what to see in the capital we have written a detailed article dedicated to the unmissable attractions of Paris , with advice and practical information.
Although, the most valid advice we can give you is always to activate, before leaving, a valid insurance coverage that will let you travel without worries, the unexpected unfortunately never warn! This is the solution we rely on , simple, transparent, economical.
What to eat in Paris: French delights for breakfast?
Breakfast is known to be the most important meal of the day , and the French know it well. When we talk about breakfast, in fact, we start with our imagination and we already see ourselves in the pâtisseries with windows full of sweets and sugar masterpieces worthy of a museum.
What to eat for breakfast in Paris to get off to a great start?
1. Croissant and Pain au chocolat
The various ‘ toppings ‘ of the croissant as you can imagine have been inserted in later versions of the typical French parcel; its original version was in fact strictly natural, which allows you to better appreciate all its fragrance and butteriness.
Its cousin Pan au chocolat is actually a more delicious alternative that contains layers (or drops) of dark chocolate; for true enthusiasts and for those who want to start off with an extra edge (and who aren’t afraid of rounder sides).
2. Macarons
You can’t go to Paris and not taste the famous macarons, little treasures of haute patisserie.
These are almond meringue shells filled with various butter creams, so good that one leads to another. Colorful and very sweet, they can be the right touch for breakfast or for a snack, or why not, even as a dessert after dinner.
3. The very famous French Crêpes
What to eat in Paris at any time of day or night? Regardless of our being good eaters , facing reality, any moment is good for a crepe . Don’t you think? 😁
A symbol of French cuisine, the crêpe is naturally found in both sweet and savoury versions and can be eaten practically anywhere: bars, restaurants, kiosks, bistros, even literally in the middle of the street , as we did on our recent trip to Paris , part of our crazy car journey from Catania to the North Cape.
What to Eat in Paris: The Savoury Specialties of “French Cuisine”
The more you delve into French cuisine, the more you realize that butter is used (and often happily abused) in most dishes, as well as eggs , which are the main ingredient in many typical dishes. Let’s see in which dishes these two ingredients have crept in the most!
4. Croque Monsieur, a concentrate of goodness
Warning: this dish cannot be simply classified as a toast . The Croque Monsieur is a true institution in Paris, and it is a delicacy that you should try!
Bechamel, cheese and ham are the main ingredients of this hypercaloric sandwich, which turns into a Croque Madame if you add a fried egg on top! Scary good!
5. A simple Omelette..?
What to eat in Paris that is absolutely typical and completely basic? The omelette , obviously, prepared with only eggs , in full traditional style. It is closed like a wallet or rolled up with the addition of your favorite filling (usually ham and cheese to keep it simple, but you can always get creative), suitable for a substantial snack or a tasty and quick lunch.
We also found the omelette in typical Moroccan dishes (under French domination for a long time), although it was prepared in a more original and typical way.
7. The softness and substance of quiche lorraine
This dish is also simple yet very substantial, in fact quiche (pronounced kish ) is a savory pie with a shortcrust pastry crust and a filling of eggs , cheese and other ingredients.
Even in this case, chefs often go wild and nothing stops them from enriching it with carrots or courgettes, bacon, olives and every kind of goodness you can imagine.
4. What about the baguette?
Forget the bread present in our country, here we are talking about something different. The real French baguette in fact has an original shape as its consistency: crunchy on the outside and very soft on the inside, it must be tasted strictly fresh from the oven . In some bistros and typical trattorias they serve it still hot accompanied by various condiments, typical cheeses and jams . In short, better not to add anything else 😁.
8. Chicken raised to its highest expression in Coq au Vin
One of the most refined dishes of Parisian cuisine? French stew!
Chicken, carrots, onions, mushrooms, flour and cognac are the ingredients that end up in the pot to boil for hours and hours, until the meat becomes tender and tasty with a hint of contamination from the red wine and black pepper used during the marinade. If you like chicken, you will want to eat a whole pot of this recipe!
9. A hot and tasty soupe à l’oignon (breath-proof)
What to eat in Paris if you’re sharing the trip with your better half? Onion soup , of course! Why is this dish perfect for lovers ? Because if he kisses you under the Eiffel Tower even after you’ve eaten an onion soup, he really loves you!! 😂
Jokes aside, besides being a typical dish of the French tradition, among the oldest and tastiest, it is the proof that every dish , if treated in the right way, can become a concentration of goodness.
Breaking a lance in favor of the soup, you should know that it is prepared with a base of meat broth and accompanied by croutons . You will see that it will surprise you even if, like us, you do not get along very well with onions by nature.
10. The very famous Ratatouille
How could we not mention in our list of what to eat in Paris the famous recipe that also gave its name to one of the most popular cartoons among children (and even older ones) from all over the world?
Ratatouille, to be honest, is not originally from Paris but from Nice , it is a Provencal dish that includes a mix of stewed vegetables. In addition to being vegetarian, it is also tasty and healthy, so if you are going to Paris we recommend you give it a chance anyway.
We know, maybe you’re thinking that it’s a bit like eating pizza in Milan , but that doesn’t mean that Milan doesn’t have good pizza chefs , you just have to know how to find them.
Moreover, real chefs (the Parisian ones are no exception) know how to faithfully reproduce traditional recipes and, if you are lucky, contaminate them in the right way by adapting them to local specialties. Have we already mentioned that in our opinion, sitting at the table is a journey within a journey? 😄
Are you visiting Paris in the near future?
Have you already visited the French capital? Have you had the chance to taste these extraordinary typical dishes? We hope we haven’t made you too hungry, but rather thirsty for travel!
