Author’s note, May 15, 2026: As we approach the anniversary of this post, I decided to update it to reflect critical additions, necessary subtractions, and restaurant closures over the past year.
I’m supposed to be writing something this morning, something professionally that I’m being paid to write. That’s why I’m writing this instead, obviously. (By the way, I’m also recently a ghostwriter. Let me know if you want me to write your memoir.)
A few times a quarter I get the classic DM requesting Paris recommendations. Maybe an old colleague will be in town for a few days and wants to eat like a local. Perhaps a friend from business school is passing through and wants to know where they can get a great cocktail in Paris. Or a friend of a friend of my parents wants activities recommendations even though they already booked a hotel near the Arc de Triomphe and nothing I say is going to save their trip at this point.
I take Paris recommendations extremely seriously because I don’t want to ruin someone’s vacation or let them down or cause them not to like me anymore. I always reply with a heartfelt, overly detailed set of restaurant, monument, museum, leisure time ideas, all with too much context and too many caveats. (Yes, I know over-explaining is a trauma response. No, I’m not going to work on it.) It’s likely that no one even reads these lists I make, but at least I know if their vacation sucks, it won’t be my fault.
Instead of reinventing the wheel every time I get a recommendation request, I decided to create a singular recommendation email that I send to everyone who hits me up. This still takes a lot of time to curate, type up, and edit every so often as restaurants change or close. I don’t know how Rick Steves does it. And after all of that work, I somehow always end up losing the email in my drafts or my sent messages. I accidentally revert to an old one that isn’t up-to-date, the formatting gets all wonky when I copy and paste the content into a new email, etc. So I decided to make it a Substack post so I can send people the link and send them on their way. Actually, it was my husband’s idea, and as I’m frequently quite hard on him I’ll give credit where credit is due.
That said, I am no food and culture expert, I’m just a normal human who lives in Paris. I literally steal everything I do or recommend from Le Fooding, Paris By Mouth, and The New Paris Dispatch. They post about a resto, I bookmark it, I visit, I save it if I like it, I tell you to go there when you visit. That’s all this machine can do. Some of us are explorers or great thinkers. Others of us are curators and critics; that’s me.
Anyway, that caveat over-explained, here’s my extremely long and detailed list of Paris recs with elaborated asides to make an actual post out of this. Bookmark it, annotate it, reference it, critique it. Let me know what I forgot to include; we all know I’ll remember all my omissions as soon as I hit “publish.”
Parks
They're all good but I think some are better than others. People always ask me what there is to do in Paris, and I say that you can either eat, drink, or stroll. Parks are a huge part of life here, so grab a snack and sit and chat like the Parisians do.
Parc des Buttes Chaumont (20eme): More local vibes, newer, but with a really cool island in the middle. Where Parisians go on a sunny day. Literally every Parisian. It will be crowded. Rather steep lawns so be prepared to hike.
Coulée Verte (12eme): The Highline of Paris. Actually the Highline is based on this park, don’t get it twisted. My personal happy place in Paris where I’ve laughed, cried, run in the rain, lunched, read, and gotten my 15k/day steps in. Lots of loud-breathing joggers plodding along the route, but you don’t have to move for them because there are posted signs that say jogging is only tolerated, the park is primarily for walkers.
Place des Vosges (4eme) is the first real park in Paris, or so a friend told me many years ago and I’m too lazy to fact check such a harmless fact. It’s pretty quaint, but can get very full of influencer types these days. Great cafes and shopping in the surrounding area. Lovely at around 9am, if you happen to have a child who is forcing you out of the house that early. It does have those two-sided benches that are super awkward if you deign to use both sides.
Along the Seine: Lots of picnic spots or places to grab a quick drink on the right bank. Group dancing on the Quai de Saint Bernard. Just show up without a plan and walk; this is literally the whole point of Paris.
Bois de Bologne and Bois de Vincennes: yes they’re not central, but both are gorgeous. Go touch grass after spending time in gray Paris.
You’ll notice I didn’t mention the Tuileries, Jardin des Plantes, Jardin du Luxembourg, and Monceau. That’s because there’s no need to, you already know about them. They’re huge, amazingly beautiful, worth visiting even when they’re a crowded human soup on a sunny day. But you don’t need me to tell you that.
Lunch
Most of these are the types of places I hit up for lunch on a normal day. Save them for when you’re sick of a big three-course French lunch and you wouldn’t mind eating a vegetable.
Le Chanceux (11eme and 5eme): good for breakfast or lunch, feels like it would fit in in HLP or Los Feliz, maybe that’s why I feel at home there. I literally never shut up about this place and bring anyone who will let me to sample their mushroom melt. Very good option if you’re tired of heavy bistro food. They now have a new outpost near Bastille.
Plan D near the Canal in the 10eme: Really fun vegan sandwich place, great spot for lunch if you're hanging out at the canal. They usually have two monthly sandwiches based on a color. Just buy the whole menu, to be honest.
Marche des Enfants Rouges (3eme): Covered market with tons of food, like the Original Farmers Market but of course better. Great for lunch, but can get full of tourists so book or get there early for the highly publicized spots. I find it kind of pricy compared to other similar restaurants in Paris, but if you’re American you won’t even notice.
Gramme (11th): More Instagrammable lunch and brunch vibes. I’ve actually never been because I’m worried I’ll have to stand in line and I’m too old to stand in line for restaurants. I think you can reserve at the location in the 11eme, however. I’ve heard it’s very good, though.
Chez Aline (11eme): Some argue they have the best sandwiches in Paris, and I am some. Get there early enough to not miss out on the tortilla española, it will sell out. The chicken salad is maybe the best I’ve ever had, which is really saying something because I care about chicken salad more than most folks do.
If you want to do a cross-town sandwich showdown, also try the jambon beurre over at Le Petit Vendome. You can take it to go or eat at the counter. To be honest, the sit down lunch there looks fab as well.
Chez Carrie (2eme) for a centrally-located lunch that is bright, creative, and has one of my favorite Caesar salads in town.
Olga Wine and Cheese (12eme): I think I already said my favorite sandwich was at Chez Aline but it’s also at Olga. Creative yet simple sandwiches and desserts, curated wines and cheeses, and the most attractive sandwich paper on the continent, nay, the world. Get the formule so you can taste the homemade confiture. Can’t say enough good things about this place.
I love to get omusubi from Omusubi Gonbei Palais Royal or Aki Cafe then go and take it to Jardin du Palais Royal and have a picnic and reflect on how freaking amazing my life is. Having a good day? Omosubi picnic. Having a bad day? Omosubi picnic to improve the day.
KEÏLI (11eme): Tired of steak frites or ham sandwiches? Miss a giant, filling grain bowl covered in veggies and sauces? This is the place for you. The desserts are also delicious and the staff is super friendly.
Cantine Diderot (12eme): This place serves the type of food you’ll find at a bouillon, but the vibe is much more locals-only bistro. I like to treat myself to a steak lunch here now and then complete with entree and/or dessert and the bill is like fifteen euros. It’s quick, it’s French, it’s charming, but never a tourist in sight.
Le Cornichon (10eme): Don’t let how cool this place is put you off, the food is great. I actually like coming here for apero and small plates as well, but they don’t take evening resys, and I’m barely cool enough to show my face here past 7pm. But they do take lunchtime reservations, have wonderful lunch specials, inspiring entrees, and a green salad that I literally crave from time to time. If you’re going to dine here, please invite me.
Need a big salad with every ingredient you can think of and delicious dressing? Good luck finding that in Paris! Except, Elle and Dees did it. They brought the big giant everything salad to Paris, and I love them for it.
Les Provinces (12eme) is a butcher/resto combo on the Marche d’Aligre that is only open for lunch. Aside from being a great butcher that I stand by, their meals are delicious. I can vouch for the cote de boeuf served with potatoes and salad. There’s frequently a line, so come early or prepared to wait.
On Partage in the 11eme has a tight menu of beautiful bowls and sandwiches, great coffee and pastries, and a beautiful setting for lunch between friends.
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