We spent the bulk of our trip in Paris, so the majority of the food you’ll see in this post is from our time there, but one of the best meals we had was in London. We’ll get to that in a bit.
Before I even dive into the restaurants we visited, I feel the need to throw a few disclaimers out. My experience with food while in Paris, outside of the pastries and sweets, was not the best. I’m sure a lot of that had to do with the fact that I’ve never left the US until now so experiencing authentic food from somewhere else was completely out of my comfort zone. I’m a very picky eater. I’m also the type of person that tries different things on the menu but I do so up until I find that one thing I really like (usually some sort of pasta), and from that point forward I get the exact same thing every single time. I’ve become more open to expanding my palate in recent years, but at my core, I don’t like very many things when it comes to food…unless it’s full of sugar, of course (sad, I know). With that said, take my thoughts about the food in Paris and London with a grain of salt.
I’ve listed the nine (9) restaurants we visited, and I’ve included my thoughts on the meals we had with a rating of my experience (using a five-star scale).
PARIS EATS
Le Cercle **
This is the first place we visited to grab food while on our trip. It was the start of my underwhelming experience with food. I wasn’t happy with the way my burger was prepared including the bacon that came with it that felt undercooked. Mario wasn’t impressed with his meal either.
We appreciated the host here, who spoke a bit of English for us to help us understand the menu to place our orders.
Café Gustave ****
We had brunch here before our tour of the Eiffel Tower. It was simple and inexpensive and quite delicious. The omelet and salad we had paired together really well. The special was fairly inexpensive and came with croissants, juice and coffee.
Le Champ de Mars ***
I had a pretty basic salad here with tomatoes and avocados as the highlights of the dish. It was good but I wasn’t impressed. Mario had chicken with a light gravy-like sauce that was really good, along with a side of fries.
Mario opted for a dessert here and it proved to be quite tasty! I also appreciated how the menu included a description of each item in English.
Hure’ Createur De Plaisir ****
A breakfast spot where we grabbed croissants, pastries, you name it. So, so good…and sweet. This is where I had the best macaroon I’ve ever had in my life, a pistachio macaroon.
Angelina ****
OMG, y’all. We went here specifically for the hot chocolate and it was so worth it. It was called, Chocolat Chaud “Africain”, and it tasted like pure chocolate had been melted down into a smooth and creamy consistency then poured into a cup. It was so rich and delicious and almost too much to take in. We couldn’t even finish the chocolaty goodness because it was just that rich. Good. Pricey. But, again, so very worth it!
We also had eggs here that I could have done without because of the price. We ended up spending over $55 at this restaurant for breakfast on a serving of eggs and hot chocolate for each of us. Way too much for what we got. In hindsight, we should have only had the chocolate. Take note!
Boulangerie Patisserie De La Tour Eiffel ***
I got more eggs while here. I learned that I couldn’t go wrong if I ordered that, so I got an omelet and a salad for dinner, which I enjoyed. Mario had a burger, fries and a salad which I tried and thought was well-prepared too.
Before we arrived I learned that in order to get water without being charged for bottled water we should ask for a jug of water specifically. So, “une carafe d’eau, s’il vous plaît” was one of the few key phrases I learned before our arrival and used everywhere we went!
We had a really late dinner here on our last night in Paris. We just wanted to head back into the heart of the city one more time and this is the place Mario decided we should check out. The food here felt a bit larger than life, and I felt like our burgers had way too much going on. But, the flavors were good.
The atmosphere was great as well, and the host was super nice. She served us champagne on the house when she found out we were visiting Paris to celebrate our anniversary.
LONDON EATS
Café Rouge***
We had breakfast here while in London. Again, just like in Paris, I felt the bacon wasn’t cooked as well as I’d prefer. But everything else we had was pretty good, especially Mario’s French toast.
I liked the atmosphere here as well and the open windows throughout. I noticed that was the case in many restaurants we visited in Paris as well; that indoor/outdoor feel meshed together when it came to sitting down for a meal. I really liked that about being there.
Pizza Express *****
Hands down, one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had. Ever. This, of course, was my favorite meal of the entire trip. Both of us really enjoyed our meal here!
Funny story: We had a really hard time deciding where to go. I mentioned this place and he brushed it off. After walking in (and out of) about three places Mario was finally fed up and agreed to go here. He was so happy we did from the moment we had the cheese bread. The dough balls were excellent as well! Good. Simple. Yummy.
The best!
I’d love to hear about your food experience in other countries. Do you tend to enjoy almost everything that’s put in front of you; embracing new flavors and dishes? Or, is your palate as immature as mine?
This all looks so delish! Trying new food is one of my favorite things about traveling 🙂 However, there are definitely some dishes I won't try, just because I'm picky haha!
http://hollyhabeck.com
My top recommendations are:
ParisÑ Frenchie to go
London: Jaimie Oliver Italin
So exciting, everything looks great! I'm a little disappointed to hear about the food but it could also be due to knowing where to go to get the best food… But I'd take some of that Hot Chocolate now lol!
So glad you found something you really liked in London. I was there for 8 days and never had a good meal. Blah fish & chips, way-too-al-dente pasta, dry breads…London has wonderful museums and theatre, but food, not so much. Pizza next time!
Wow, everything looks so good!
Xx,
Amanda || http://www.fortheloveofglitter.com