What to eat in Paris? The must-try Foods for Visitors

Pâtisserie (Pastries)

One of the first things you want to do on your first trip to Paris, is to try some of the wonderful pastries that the city has to offer!

• Croissant — All bakeries offer top-notch croissants in Paris. The best croissants are eaten in the morning. They are the most delicious when still lightly warm.
• Pain au Chocolate — Also called Chocolatine in the southern French regions. It's like a croissant, buttery flakey, but it comes in a rectangular shape, filled with 2 strips of chocolate.
• Pain aux Raisins — They look like cinnamon rolls, but these are filled raisins.
• Chaussons aux Pommes — A flaky pocket the size of a hand, filled with apple puree.
• Beignet — French doughnuts filled with either jam, chocolate or vanilla.

• Paris-Brest — A ring of choux pastry filled with a hazelnut praline cream and topped with sliced almonds.
• Éclair — Elongated choux pastries filled with custard or pastry cream and topped with a flavored shiny sugar glaze.
• Baba au Rhum — A yeast cake filled with rum. They sometimes come with a small bottle filled with rum. The bottle is then squeezed into the cake.
• Mille-feuille — A typical Parisian pastry, the “thousand sheet cake” is filled with custard.
• Chouquettes — Also called Petit Choux, are small bite-sized choux pastry balls decorated with some pearl sugar.
• Religieuse — Chocolate or coffee flavored stacked choux pastry filled with custard.
• Profiteroles — Classic choux pastry filled with pastry cream.
• Croquembouche — A lavish tower of stuck together choux pastry.
• St. Honoré cake (Gateau Saint-Honore) — Cream-filled choux pastry with a puff pastry base.

Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame

A Parisian creation, the Croque Monsieur and Croque Madame took over the country by storm over the decades.

The classic Croque Monsieur (translation, “bite the man”) is a ham and cheese toasted sandwich.

The Croque Madam (translation “bite the woman”) is basically an extension of the former with a fried egg.

Tart

Tarts can come in many ways. They are frequently prepared at the last minute at home, and always from scratch with a tart pastry.

Pastry shops have perfected tarts and offer beautifully presented and delicious tarts slices.

Fruit tarts (tarte au fruit) in simpler conditions, are normally as shown in the image below, while pastry shop tarts are topped with a translucent shiny gelatin layer to make them pop.

The tarte Normande is a special apple tart from the Normandy region which is topped with a creamy egg custard.

Besides, look out for the caramelized upside-down apple tart known as tart tatin and the tart meringuée, which is completely topped with white meringue.

I also highly recommend Frangipane tarts, which are also known as tart a l'Amanda and are made of an almond paste as a filling. The Mirabelle almond tart and the pear ones that the most spectacular!

Salade Niçoise

This classic French salad originated in the town of Nice in southern France.

The ingredients are highly debated but are proper Salad Niçoise definitely shouldn't miss tomatoes, cucumber, boiled eggs, anchovies, tuna, and lettuce leaves.

During the summer months, we typically relish this salad in the Parisian Brasseries.

French roast chicken (Poulet rôti)

Poulet rôti translates to roast chicken. It's a typical Sunday family meal in France.

A whole chicken is seasoned with Mediterranean herbs such as thyme and rosemary and potato or mushroom sides are added. The chicken is then roasted until the skin is golden crisp.

In upscale restaurants, they commonly serve smaller portions, such as a leg.

Gougères

Gougères are savory choux puffs that are prepared by incorporating grated cheese, typically Gruyère Cheese, into the batter.

These little French pastries are usually served with a wine tasting or as an appetizer.

Candy

The French have long been known for making fine candy. Here are the ones that you should look out for.

• Caramels — Omnipresent in Paris, caramels come wrapped in various flavors. They are hard candies that dissolve slowly in your mouth.
• Pâtes de Fruits - Fruity gelatine based small soft candy. They are coated with sugar and frequently come in a rectangular shape. These are more commonly sold during Christmas.
• Nougat - The French Nougat de Montélimar is almonds, whipped egg whites and sugar. High quality nougat is always soft and stretchy. Never purchase hard nougat as it is too old!
• Réglisse - Traditional liquorice in France come as small soft candies. Some are sold as rolls.
• Bergamote de Nancy - A golden transparent bergamote flavored candy.

Crêpes

Crêpes are thin French pancakes. They can be filled with a sweet or savory crêpes filling.

Special food places serving only Crêpes are known as Crêperie, and they are commonly found in Paris and other major French cities.

Yet, you will also frequently see Brasseries offering crêpes too on their menus.

A special version of crêpe is the Galette de Bretagne, which is a specialty from Brittany, a historical region in western France.

This particular crêpe is made with buckwheat flour, and it is then filled with ham cheese and an egg.

Quiche

A traditional quiche is always the quiche Lorraine. Variations exist such as the quiche Florentine which includes spinach.

Quiches are a lunch or dinner meal, and they are served with a side dish salad.

Additionally, look out for Flamiche, which resemble quiche, but they are topped with a pastry layer, just like a pie.

Breads

• Baguette — The true Baguette first emerged in Paris, and therefore you should hunt down some good baguette while in Paris. Artisanal small bakeries make the highest-quality Baguettes!
• Brioche — A buttery flaky, and a bit sweet, bread. It's a staple in French households. It's great by itself or topped with butter or jam. My favorite use is to make French toast with a leftover hardened brioche loaf or buns.

Biscuits

• Macarons de Paris — Macarons are colorful egg white sugar cookies that are sandwiched together and filled with a creamy flavored filling. They are the pride of Paris.
• Sablé — Shortcrust cookies are called sablé in French, and they come in different variations.
• Les Tendres — Small almond cookies.
• Les Meringues — Egg white and sugar cookie peaks that are baked at a low temperature over a long period in the oven.
• Petit fours — Small varied, usually pretty, cookies. These are only sold during Christmas.
• Palmier — Palm-shaped cookies. The layers are melt-in-your-mouth amazing!

Billy Bi

Paris has a luxurious mussels soup and it's called Billy Bi. The soup has its root in the art nouveau classic, Maxim's in Paris.

Cream, a yolk, wine, parsley and fresh mussels make this soup a must-try when in Paris.

French Cheese, Charcuterie & Crudités

You are in the ultimate cheese and cold cuts country, and you most definitely shouldn't miss out on the offerings when in Paris.

Most Bistros and Hotels offer a cheese and charcuterie board. Crudités are not always added.

Crudités are cold raw or pickled veggies such as olives, cherry tomatoes, peppers, onions.

Here are some of our top cheese recommendations:

• Saint-Nectaire
• Roquefort
• Brie de Meaux
• Morbier
• Neufchâtel
• Tomme
• Saint Albray
• Chaumes
• Buche de Chevre
• Bleu d'Auvergne
• Cantal

Cured meats and hams to try, include:

• Rosette de Lyon
• Saucisson de l'Ardèche
• Saucisson sec d’Auvergne
• Jambon d'Auvergne
• Jambon de l'Ardéche
• Jambon du Kintoa
• Jambon Sec des Ardennes
• Saucisson de Lyon
• Saucisson de Lacaune

Foie Gras

Foie Gras is a delicacy in France. It's fine duck or goose liver.

You will get the best only in France and Parisian restaurants will amaze you with their sustainably sourced Foie Gras.

Rillettes

Rilletes are shredded duck, chicken, or pork meat cooked in fat. It is then canned and served just like Foie Gras or Paté as bread spread.

If you are into flavorful delicacies such as cold cuts and bread spread, you will enjoy Rillettes for certain.

Omelette

Omelette in France are known to be light and fluffy. They are more commonly served as a lunch or dinner meal with a green salad at the side.

Often, fresh herbs are used to season the omelettes. This is why I have added this simple dish to the list because you ought to have tasted once in your life an omelette in Paris!

Soufflé

Soufflé are next level of egg-based dishes. They blow up during the cooking process, creating airiness in the dish.

You will come across sweet and savory Soufflé, as in Chocolate Soufflé and Cheese Soufflé.

Crème brûlée

Every dessert lover, will know to value a Crème brûlée.

It consists of egg custard turned into a flan. The crispy caramel is achieved by burning sugar with a flame.

The best part is breaking through the hard caramel to get to the creamy vanilla flavored egg custard.

Duck Confit

The confit de canard recipe, or duck confit, is a traditional French way to prepare duck legs in duck fat.

Ultimately, the skin is cooked crispy and the duck meat turns out soft juicy tender on the inside.

My wife loves this dish, and she will order it every time she is in Paris!

Jambon-beurre

One of the most popular lunch work meals in Paris is the Jambon-beurre.

Ham and butter are spread in a Parisian baguette, making this the ultimate sandwich from Paris.

Variations exist with, boiled eggs, pickles, and onions. I highly recommend this sandwich during the hotter months.

Steak au Poivre & Steak Frites

Steak au Poivre and Steak Frites are traditional French steak meals prepared with tenderloin beef cuts.

Poivre means pepper and therefore steak au poivre is made with peppercorn.

Steak Frites, on the other hand, is beef stead served with potato fries.

Escargot

Escargot are snails in French, and they are a delicacy.

Meticulously cleaned, they are then usually cooked in a butter garlic sauce, but you will find some establishments deep-frying them.

Don't skip experimenting with this dish when you are in Paris!

Frog Legs

Frog legs are another delicacy in France, and they are wonderfully prepared by most high-end food establishments in Paris.

When they say that the legs taste like chicken, they are actually spot on right. Frog leg meat is tender and absolutely worthwhile if you feel adventurous.

Especially since France is one of the few countries in the world where you can legally eat frog legs.

Soupe à l’oignon

A typical Parisian soup, the French onion soup is prepared with fresh onion rings in a roux based clear soup.

The soup is then topped with bread and cheese before it is baked crunchy.

It's a must-try wholesome soup on a winter visit to Paris.

Steak Tartar

Steak Tartar is a classic french dish which won't be everyone's choice.

It consists of raw ground beef meat with a raw egg and a rich seasoning and is then served with pickled onions and cucumber pickles.

Parsley, capers, and Worcestershire sauce make this iconic dish a must-try for all food aficionados.

Cassoulet

This traditional French cassoulet is a meaty, hearty stew filled with duck, pork, sausage, and beans slowly cooked in a rich and flavorful tomato broth.

Originally, a medieval farmer's dish from southern France, it was designed to make use of whatever was available at the time.

Slow cooked, this dish is a must-try if you love meat and a hearty meal!

Gratin Dauphinois

Gratin Dauphinois is a creamy-baked potato gratin from South-Eastern France that you will frequently find on menus in Paris.

An authentic Gratin Dauphinois contains only a few ingredients. It consists of potatoes, milk, cream, and season, including garlic, salt, pepper, and grated nutmeg.

Cheese is traditionally not added but modern dishes might include it as a topping.

Coq au Vin

The most popular French chicken recipe abroad is the Coq au Vin.

Originally, this dish was made with rooster, but nowadays, chicken is more commonly used.

The meat is marinated in red wine and then cooked tender with bacon pieces, mushrooms, and cognac.

Pot-au-feu

Pot au feu is a traditional, hearty beef and vegetable stew. It's a homely cold season Sunday dinner meal.

You will find it served with pickles, and truly delicious versions include a sauce gribiche!

Hachis Parmentier

Hachis parmentier is like a French version of a cottage pie.

Ground beef cooked with onions, carrots and garlic makes this casserole super satisfying.

I highly recommend it in the colder winter months!

Vol-au-vent

Vol-au-vent is a cylindrical puff pastry. It can be filled with a meat, mushroom, seafood sauces but also with sweet fruit fillings.

It's one of the oldest classic french dishes, and one that you should try if you want to dig deeper into French food culture.

Cakes

• L'opera — A complicated to prepare layered Parisian cake, resembling a Tiramisu.
• Madeleine — Small shell shaped cakes.
• Clafoutis — A cherry custard flan cake. The cherries have to be baked with the seed core in.
• Kouign-amann — Small cakes prepared with layered buttery bread dough. This cake is originally from the historical Brittany region.
• Canelé — Little bundt-shaped cakes filled with vanilla custard and caramelized on the outside.
• Charlotte Russe — A Charlotte is a pretty cake made with ladyfinger cookies and filled with custard or cream. It's more commonly available during Christmas and New Years.
• Galette des rois — A frangipan tart sold on the 3 kings day (6th January) with a hidden fève, which is a tiny Jesus.
• Financier — Small almond cakes.
• Dacquoise — A meringue layered cake filled with pastry cream.

Blanquette de veau

A classic dish, the blanquette de veau consists of fine veal meat cuts topped with a blanket of a roux-based sauce. Translated, it means “white veal”.

The meat is cooked with root vegetables and water, while the sauce is prepared with some vegetable veal bouillon, making this a super flavorful traditional French meal.

Aligot

Aligot is a cheesy-mashed potato dish from Southern France.

The dish is enhanced with regional cheese, such as cantal cheese and garlic. Cooked down, it becomes elastic, which is every cheese-lover's wildest dream!

Seafood & Fish

When in France, eat seafood! The French capital offers super high-quality seafood, thanks to one of the largest and most diverse seafood markets in the world.

You can expect the freshest oysters, whelks, clams, sea bass fish and more in all upscale food establishments.

• Oysters
• Mussels (Moules à la marinière)
• Grey and pink shrimp
• Langoustines
• Clams
• Lobster
• Crab
• Whelks
• Scallops

• Sea bass
• Sole (Sole meunière)
• Bream
• Cod

Matelotte d‘anguille

Matelotte d‘anguille is one of the oldest Parisian dishes, and one that is hardly known to foreigners.

Parisians fished eels in the Seine since medieval times and the eels were then used to make Matelotte d‘anguille, a flavorful eel soup.

The dish is rather rare and not that fashionable anymore, but if you come across it on a trip to Paris and if you like eels, please don't hesistate to try it.

Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon is a French beef stew that comes from the region of Burgundy. Burgundy is known for its top red wines.

In this dish, the beef is marinated for at least 3 hours in red wine.

The meal is then slow cooked with root vegetables and a handful of seasoning, making this a must-try when in Paris in winter!