Paris eats for cheap

Getting together with friends takes place as often in one’s apartment as in a restaurant. Given the size of the typical Parisian apartment, preparing dinner for more than 4 persons represent a nigh impossible feat…to cook all the courses on your two hotplates on top of the mini fridge in your tiny kitchen takes the planning of a military invasion. So restaurants represent a very attractive alternative for all to enjoy themselves (though of course, French restaurants except those Michelin starred tend to put chairs and tables so close together that you could practically caress the stranger sitting next to you. Space is scarce everywhere in Paris, I guess).

Having friends who are not rich, eating out means that we have to find a restaurant that is reasonably priced and good! (The Parisians will be hard pressed to sacrifice their palate for price!). Luckily Paris is just the place for that, thanks maybe to the standard of cuisine Française which represents a national pride to be enjoyed by all no matter how poor or rich.
Restaurants will often have menu (does not mean the same as menu in English which is carte in French) or formule. Menu means that for a fixed price, you have certain choices of entrée (appetisers), plat principal (main) and dessert (or/and cheese) and coffee. These menus may include all the courses or simply appetisers and main or main and dessert. Some restaurants (often small restaurants) may only offer menus that change from night to night (The Gai Moulin in le Marais, a good sized restaurant that I frequent for the food as much as the ambiance also does this though). In my experience it is best to avoid restaurants frequented by tourists (unless they are upscale restaurants or small restaurants in le Marais which will always have lots of English speaking clients mostly gay and ready for a good time contributing to the ambiance) as they tend to be overpriced and the quality may not be up to par … I cannot help feel that the chef might believe that since his or her clients were foreigners they would not be as discerning as the locals. Standard French fares such as blanquette de veau (veal in white sauce), magret de canard (duck, often you will also see duck in honey which is so yummy), lapin à la moutarde (rabbit in mustard sauce), pot au feu and ribsteak with a variety of sauce etc can be found in most bistros or neighbourhood restaurants. Talking about ribsteak or entrecote, there is a well known restaurant in Paris that serves only entrecote (Relais de Venise) with sauces that are kept top secret and have been debated by prestigious papers (Le Monde) classifying the debate as reaching the point of philosophale.

Paris also counts many regional restaurants serving dishes such as cassoulet, fondue, and dishes à la provençale or Mediterranean. Remember that France also includes départments (administrative regions) in south America and in the pacific. Not surprisingly, there are many Antilles restaurants serving traditional cuisine such as boudin (sausages made from, among others, blood ) and Colombo (meat cooked in tomato, ginger et Colombo spices). African restaurants abound as well (France at some point in its history colonized many regions in Africa) and though the prices may seem a bit steep when the restaurants are found in quartiers that do not have a large population of African origin. If you want good African food for cheap (and willing to trade traditional French ambiance with authentic African), these could be found in less fancy neighbourhoods near stations Stalingrad, Goncourt/Permentier or Mairie de XVIII. Favourites African dishes include Chicken yassa (chicken in lemon and onions sauce) or maffé (meat in peanut sauce). So, if you have had your fill of French cuisine, checking out Antilles and African cuisines should be in your agenda to extend your French experience to include its history and multiculturalism.

Hints :
For Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese, best to go to Porte de Choisy or Belleville which have large Asian population. I love Ruean Thai in Belleville and Tricotin (very bright light and noisy but great food and prices) in Porte de Choisy. A nice African restaurant in the Marais is Le Petit Dakar. There is also Moussa at Porte de la Villette. For Indian food, many restaurants can be found in Passage Brady. Traditional French restaurants (for 30-50 euros/person) in Le Marais are eg. Eglantine (near place de la Mairie) and le Marché (in Place St Catherine). Le Zebre is in Montmartre (métro Blanche). An Antilles restaurant the I like is Table d'Erica near Métro Mabillon and Chez Armelle et Henri near Métro Blanche. For fancy restaurants, check your guide!