Coutume – Paris

Coutume – Paris

Coutume originated as a specialty coffee shop in the 7th and has now expanded to a chain of half a dozen or so cafés throughout the city. A few locations offer a limited breakfast menu. My breakfast at the original Babylone location in the 7th Arrondissement was perfectly executed (poached eggs were perfect) and the service was spot-on. The Babylone location is totally unpretentious and laid-back. Subsequent locations have a more contemporary, chain feel to them … but the coffee is great in all locations.

Café Louise – Paris

Café Louise – Paris

Why Café Louise? If you go to see the highly overrated Café de Flore or Les Deuxe Magots in Saint Germaine you’ll likely see a long line of tourists waiting for a table, like cattle following others over the cliff. Don’t despair. Walk across the street to the small, but impressively decorated Café Louise for breakfast. The American Breakfast with eggs and bacon, toast or croissant, coffee and juice is reasonably priced (half the cost of the overrated cafés across the street) and perfectly executed. On a recent visit the service was quick and the waitress was friendly. And … there was immediate seating.

Cleo – Paris

Cleo – Paris

Restaurant Cléo, located in the luxury-hotel, Le Narcisse Blanc Hôtel & Spa, is the only restaurant we’ve reviewed in Paris that made both our ‘Best Breakfasts’ and ‘Affordable Gourmet’ lists of top-picks. The ambience is noticeably more upscale than the other breakfast spots that made our list and the dinner menu and it’s execution rival the city’s top restaurants at a fraction of the cost. Opens at 7 a.m. for early-bird tourists.

Guy Savoy – Paris

Guy Savoy – Paris

Guy Savoy – Paris proves that in a culinary world that reveres burnt straw and foam you can still find restaurants that that deliver satisfying meals that leave you wishing you could have a second helping. Guy Savoy just keeps producing outrageously satisfying food from outrageously luxurious ingredients in an ambiance that shouts “this is a special occasion”. It’s expensive … but you won’t feel shortchanged because this is the meal of a lifetime.

Arpège – Paris

Arpège – Paris

Arpège – Paris, the creation of lauded-chef Alain Passard, offers an expensive garden-centric tasting-menu, often utilizing unique cultivars from the restaurant’s own garden. Arpège, which offers no a la carte menu, has garnered 3 Michelin stars but hasn’t fared so well in critiques by other professional or consumer reviewers.

Benoit – Paris

Benoit – Paris

Benoit is a convivial bistro founded more than 100 years ago and family-owned for 93-years until sold to Alain Ducasse who for better or worse, has added his “touch” to the rich history in this location. This is the only modest little bistro in Paris to have earned a Michelin star which, no doubt, explains the average main-course price of around 50 euros, about twice what you’d expect in a neighborhood bistro. More bang for the buck at lunch when you can get a 3-course prix fixe menu for only 39 euros.