By Rachel Diebel
Skip the snails and enjoy the best foods in Paris! Chock full of culinary delights both sweet and savory, Paris is the perfect destination for any foodie looking for a place to try their hand at new foods. Sure, you could go to an upscale restaurant and you will likely be blown away, but you can also find amazing street food and budget culinary delights galore in the streets and shops of Paris. From standards like baguettes and crepes to dozens of colorful macarons, Paris has something for everyone.
More about Paris: Traveling Solo to Paris | What to Wear | Riding the Metro
Baguette Sandwiches
Looking for a delicious, affordable meal on the go? Look no further than a baguette sandwich. Available at restaurants, cafes and street carts alike, a baguette sandwich is the perfect late afternoon lunch in Paris. They come in many combinations, such as ham and cheese, or butter, gruyere and smoked sausage, or tomato and mozzarella. There’s a baguette sandwich for even the pickiest of eaters.
Crepes
Crepes are a classic Parisian food. Whether you have them at a fancy sit-down dinner or simply fresh off a street vendor, crepes are generally affordable and satisfying. Like very thin pancakes, crepes are filled with sweet or savory toppings. Common combinations include banana and Nutella, and berries and honey! The Latin Quarter of Paris is a great place to find crepes galore, but you’ll spot crepe shops near just about every major attractions (though, be warned, the best treats are not usually right outside of an attractions entrance or exit).
Choose Your Cheese
Food can be expensive in Paris, particularly sought after items like gourmet cheeses. However, if you want good cheese at cheap prices, look no further than the local grocery store. It’s not unheard of to find a large wedge of brie for $3 or $4! Choose your cheeses, as well as some crackers and wine and have yourself a picnic outside in the sun, all for much less money than a traditional restaurant meal (and it tastes just as good)! Take a seat on the grass at Champs de Mars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower or on the banks of the Seine and you’ll be guaranteed a marvelous Paris experience. If you’re looking for something a bit fancier, there are many places that offer cheese and wine tastings if you are willing to pay a bit more.
Caramels
These are no regular caramels. These sweet treats are deliciously rich and buttery, with the perfect texture. They come in many different varieties, from your standard caramel to exotic flavor combinations, and every kind is wonderful. Small and individually wrapped, these make the perfect snack to stick in your pocked for when you need a quick pick me up while tramping the streets of Paris. To get the best caramels, try Patrick Roger or Jacques Genin.
Pain au Chocolat
While any pastry in France is typically delicious, a specialty there is pain au chocolat, a layered croissant with chocolate on the inside. These little pastries are the prefect go-to breakfast when you’re in a bit of a time crunch, and they taste spectacular. You can pick up pain au chocolat at any corner patisserie in Paris.
Macarons
You can’t miss the many colorful displays of macarons that are in the windows of almost every bakery in Paris, and your trip would be incomplete without a taste test to decide which flavor is best! Macarons are made of sweet meringue-like shells sandwiching a buttercream or jam filling, and they come in every flavor imaginable, from salted caramel to lime.
Galettes
Similar to crepes, galettes are often eaten as a snack or in between meals to sustain yourself between larger, official meals. Galettes are thin pancakes made of buckwheat and (unlike crepes) are most often eaten with a knife and fork. These predominantly savory snacks are often filled with thing like fried eggs, ham and bacon.
*****
Photo credits:
Baguette Sandwiches: Susanne Nilsson via Flickr
Crepe: Cody and Maureen via Flickr
Cheese: Davide Restivo via Flickr
Caramels: Cody and Maureen via Flickr
Pain au Chocolat: cyclonebill via Flickr
Macarons: Betsy Weber via Flickr
Galette: cyclonebill via Flickr