I thought I’d continue on my Paris theme with a post about one of my favorite things: food. As I said in my previous post, I was living on a student’s budget so most days my meals consisted of a baguette sandwich or a cheap pastry. But there were a couple restaurants that I would splurge on that didn’t break the bank.
L’as Du Falafel
This tiny restaurant located in the Marais (the Jewish district) is pretty famous despite its small size. It’s a favorite of celebs like Lenny Kravitz. Almost every orders the Falafel Special, which features delicious fried falafel balls in a pita surrounded by fresh veggies and taziki sauce. The best part is the fried eggplant, which I had never had before, but it melts in your mouth. And the best part is that it’s only 7 euros! It features indoor sit-down dining, or a walk-up window to take your falafel to go.
Le Refuge des Fondues
This is another hole in the wall restaurant that is popular with both Parisians and tourists alike. Its most memorable aspect is that they serve you wine in baby bottles, which is always a great photo op with friends. The fondue here is absolutely delicious. The restaurant is very small with two long rows of connected tables lining both sides, so you end up smashed together with other diners. It’s a fun way to get to know new people. Dining here is a little more expensive than the other places my friends and I would frequent, especially if you ordered multiple bottles of wine, so we only went here a couple times. It was worth it though for the fun experience and great food.
Warning: the waiters here are extremely rude. I don’t know if it’s supposed to be part of the charm of the restaurant, or if they really are just mean people, but don’t let it bother you. They continuously tried to shush the diners when I was there, but we all just kept up with our lively conversation anyway.
Rue Daguerre
This street isn’t a restaurant, but rather a place where my friends and I often bought food since our school was located there. It’s nestled in the 14th Arrondissement of Paris and is known for its collection of specialty food stores and markets.
There were a few Greek specialty stores filled with bins of salty olives and tubs of garlicky hummus. The one next door to our school featured carry-out falafels for 3 euros. While they didn’t rival those from L’as du Falafel, they were still delicious and affordable.
There was also a noodle shop that sold every kind of noodle imaginable. I tried a few different varieties of ravioli that were to die for, even for a cooking-impaired person like myself.
At the entrance of the street, there was a very fragrant cheese stall that stunk up the first block. But once we got past the stench, we bought cheese there often.
When I think of Rue Daguerre, Hemingway’s “movable feast” comes to mind. Not only in the sense that there were so many types of food available on one small street. But also in the sense of community and liveliness of the street itself.
Stinky cheese
tall willowy blonde 