Meal prices

Hello,

We are a group of 4 adults visiting Paris in November for 8 days. We are renting an apartment by the Louvre Museum. I read a lot of reviews about places to eat and we will go at least to 1 nice dinner while in Paris, but I would also like to know if 100 euros per day for meals for the 4 of us(excluding the price for a nice dinner that we will do 1 day) is an OK budget. We will most likely eat breakfast in the apartment daily and we will also have at least one other meal there. We are looking at our budget and when we started to add up an average of 35 Euros per person per meal for 8 days, we almost lost our breath :)

Are there any grocery shops close by the Louvre from where we can get some eggs, cheese, meat, veggies, etc, so we can have some nice and healthy meals prepared in the room?

Thank you,

Monica

|||

so you are saying that you are looking to spend around €25 per day per person on food? If this is the case, you will definitely want to not eat out much. I would imagine that there are grocery%26#39;s nearly everywhere, i stayed near Gare du Nord and there was a sweet fresh fruit and vegetable market within a couple of blocks.

If you have a kitchen, you could really prepare yourself some delicious meals at night using local food. I can%26#39;t imagine that getting the food you mention above would be hard at all. I had no kitchen, so our food costs went high. I%26#39;ve never been so grateful for continental breakfast.

Several times, I had a bottle of wine, bread and cheese from the store, took it to a park and ate there for under €10 (for two people). Granted the wine was cheap, but I%26#39;m not picky.

|||

I should consider 25€ per day per person to be a very meager budget for central Paris. I suppose it could be done assuming you eat both breakfast and lunch in your apartment and drink water with your meal.

I have a friend with whom I often dine on each of frequent business trips to Paris. We recently discussed this very subject and our conclusion was that an additional 5€ per meal (30€ excluding wine) resulted in more than marginal improvements to our overall dining experience and was ultimately money well spent.

|||

I budget 5 euro for breakfast 10 for lunch and 30 for dinner. HOwever, you can certainly have breakfast in your apt (coffee, croissant (1 euro) Yogurt, juice). You can make a picnic lunch or come back for soup. You can find a crepe or pizza slice for less than budget! For dinner out almost every resto has a fixed price special which is a good deal. Find a small local resto and the food can be great. Avoid restos with English menus posted on the outside of the resto .

|||

5 euros for breakfast only if you buy at a store and take it to your apartment, same with 10 euros for lunch. Dinner for 30 euros is fine. We stayed in St. Germain and at a nice bistro on St. Germain itself we paid for 2 chef salads (big and good) and 2 beers about 30 euros, this was a lovely meal. Other places like Chez Clenemt and Leon of Buxelles a meal for two can range form 35 eoros for two eating a %26quot;formule%26quot; and up.

|||

Your budget is slim for four adults. I spent probably less than that in June with my three teenagers, but they weren%26#39;t that interested in food. We had an apartment near the Louvre (just walk around a few blocks, you%26#39;ll come across several small grocery stores and bakeries) so every morning just headed out to the bakery on our block to get breakfast pasteries, wonderful! Then for lunch we were out and just got a sandwich (the popular ham on baguettes or a slice of pizza), and for dinner we just ate at cafes we happened upon. Drank tap water with every meal. I used the kitchen for the microwave and small refrigerator. When I travel I always bring plastic cups and utensils, and paper plates (call me weird but I don%26#39;t like to eat off hand-washed kitchenware, want them through a dishwasher, and not many apartments have these.) If you can fit it in your suitcases, bring some paper towels and extra toilet paper, you%26#39;ll get one roll of each, so it will save you from buying it.

|||

You can try Le Refuge des Fondues in Montmartre. The food is very good. For 15€, you will get an apéritif, a small starter, wine, a cheese/meat fondue course and a small dessert. You can read about it here - www.bonjourparis.com/story/paris-on-a-budget/

|||

kpads--loved the idea of a fondue restaurant but Le Refuge des Fondues lost its charm when I read that they served their wine to you in baby bottles.

|||

I think 25 euros a day per person means you will must have breakfast and lunch in room( or make a picnic) , and for dinner you can find a cheap meal in a bistro or cafe,, restaurants tend to cost a bit more...unless you go into the Latin Quarter and find those places that sell 2 or 3 course meals for 12-15 euros,, but watch out, those same places then sell you a 5 euro coke, LOL

I can easily have a big salad for 10 -13 euros for diner, that and bread is fine for me. I will then get an ice cream or crepe( the ham and cheese ones are soooo good) for a snack later perhaps at about 4-5 euros.

Your budget is very tight, I mean, can four adults have three meals a day, or even two, in Chicago for that much,, with out resorting to take away pizzas and fast food? It would be tough here.

Check out ethnic food, and yes, takeaway pizza and street food like crepes and sandwiches are good options when you don%26#39;t want to cook , but can%26#39;t afford a sit down meal .

Never eat at a cafe within a block of a major tourist site,(yes there are places that have 5 euro coffees) they tend to be expensive, look for places on little side streets.

There are many little grocers and bakeries, you will not starve, be creative.

The cheaper you eat day to day the more you can spend on a special meal. Choose that carefully.

|||

Just got back from Paris and generally spent about 25-30 EUR on dinner in cafes (nothing fancy - a starter and an entree). We usually bought ready made sandwiches/quiches for lunch (about 5 EUR).

|||

Thanks for the great tips.