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A guide to where to eat in Paris on a budget from a foodie devoted to finding great eats that don’t break the bank—and believe it or not, it is also possible in Paris.
I love, adore, I’m obsessed with Paris. Yes, I’m one of those.
However, one of the things that took me forever to figure out was where to eat in Paris. In some cities, it feels like it just comes naturally; spots jump out at me, but Paris always seemed like a mystery to me.
There are just too many options, and lots of the popular spots you see recommended tend to be this “once in a lifetime” meal in a beautiful, but fancy, setting that costs a fortune.
And while I appreciate great food, that’s not my kind of vibe. My ideal food, everywhere I go, is good quality, affordable, and many times, very casual.
As a traveler, I prioritize spending time in the destination more than spending time sitting down at a restaurant 3 times a day. Unless the restaurant truly adds value to the experience, like sitting outside at a cute neighborhood cafe.
You’ll see.
All this to say that even though I love this city, Paris for first timers can feel intimidating when it comes to navigating food, especially on a budget.
So, after visiting over five times now, and having recently lived there for over two months with our circus job, I’ve compiled this guide on where to eat in Paris on a budget, in the hopes of complementing your Paris itinerary and saving you from spending way too much money on mediocre food.
From cheap and local breakfast to casual and delicious handheld snacks, to hearty Japanese meals, and the best crepes in Paris, this guide should have you covered for the whole trip.
Where to Eat in Paris on a Budget
This is not the cheapest of the cheap, but rather good-quality meals at reasonable prices and great value for money, with the more affordable items starting from €1.50 and pricier meals costing around €15-20.
Cheap breakfast in Paris
Local breakfast at boulangeries
There is an undeniable, cheap way to visit Paris, and that is by remaining loyal to the boulangeries, the bakeries.
For a local and incredibly affordable breakfast option, the best thing to do is to stop by one of the maaaany incredible bakeries in the city for a pastry and a coffee.
Some of the best bakeries in Paris include Leonie, Mamiche, The French Bastards, and La Maison d’Isabelle, but honestly, almost any neighborhood bakery will do.
A croissant or pain au chocolat will normally be somewhere between €1.20 to €1.50-ish, depending on what bakery you’re visiting. Modern, trendy bakeries can be a little bit more expensive, but still stay very budget-friendly.
Specialty coffee shops for the coffee lovers
Another cheap way to have breakfast in Paris—if thinking about French breakfast—is by visiting one of the many specialty coffee shops in Paris.
This is the best option for coffee lovers, like myself, who would like their pastry with a decent cup of coffee, and not the average bakery coffee.
Most specialty coffee shops also care a lot about the pastries they offer—it’s Paris after all—so this is a win-win for great coffee and good pastries.
The prices will be a little bit higher than at the bakery, for both the pastry and the coffee, but the total will remain under €10.
Some of my favorite coffee spots in Paris with great pastries include Motors Coffee, KB Cafeshop, and The Monocle Café.
Brunch in Paris
While I love breakfast food, eating out at brunch restaurants in Paris quickly adds up, with some places charging up to €16 for eggs Benedict alone.
However, if you’re really craving a stack of pancakes or fried eggs, two of my favorite places for cheap brunch in Paris are Coutume Babylone and Back in black.
At Coutume Babylone, you can order a stack of maple syrup pancakes for €9.5, chia puddings and granola bowls for €8, and their coffee is delicious!
At Back in Black, you can enjoy some fried eggs and toast for €9.5, a scone with cream and jam for €6, and an oatmeal bowl for €10.5.
Cheap lunch in Paris
Bakeries for casual and cheap lunch
I’m telling you, the best way to eat on a budget in Paris is by committing to the boulangerie life.
Besides offering the most affordable breakfast of all time, French bakeries are also an excellent option for a budget-friendly lunch.
At most bakeries, you’ll find lots of delicious sandwiches, quiches, salads, and even soups, each costing under €10.
This is also a great way to use lunch to create a core Paris memory by picking up some goodies at the bakery and heading out to a park for a picnic, like Jardin des Tuileries, Place des Vosges, Jardin du Palais Royal, or even at the Eiffel Tower Park.
Omosubi Gonbei: Affordable, delicious onigiri
One of the best budget eats in Paris, without a doubt, is Omosubi Gonbei, a small onigiri shop, just a block away from the popular Jardin du Palais Royal.
When traveling, I normally love to have a quick, easy lunch option to not split the day too much and lose time in a sit-down restaurant, and for this, Omosubi Gonbei is perfect.
This small takeaway shop offers Bento boxes for just under €10, including two hearty onigiri, two pieces of fried chicken, edamame, and a small omelette.
How can you even compete with that?!
An individual onigiri starts at €2.50, and they are chunky and SO good!
Our favorite thing to do is grab some onigiris and head to the nearby Jardin du Palais Royal, and enjoy them on a bench as we people-watch.
Bliss!
Patate: The perfect hand-held snack
If you’re ever feeling snacky while exploring the Latin Quarter, and as with the Omosubi Gonbei, you don’t want to stop your tourist route for a full meal, a great option in the area is Patate.
Patate is a small French fries takeaway shop, perfect for a snacky lunch, or just a quick something to eat in between meals.
The smallest cone costs €4, plus €1 for a sauce. They have a few fun ones like truffle mayo, alioli, pepper sauce, and you can even add some grated parmesan on top.
For another core memory lunch in Paris, you could grab your fries cone and make your way to a bench by the Seine River. Cheap, tasty, and scenic—my favorite kind of travel meals!
Breizh Cafe: The best crepes in Paris
No trip to Paris is complete without crepes, and after testing many spots throughout the years, I can confirm that the best crepes in Paris are at Breizh Cafe.
Breizh Cafe has a few locations in the city—wherever you find yourself, you can probably find a location a short walk away—and every single location we’ve visited has always been consistently great.
The crepes are simple, classic, and so delicious! Everything tastes fresh and made with high-quality ingredients.
This is a great spot if looking for where to eat in Paris on a budget, and tick off a French essential.
You can get a classic crepe with ham, egg, cheese, and butter for €12.80, or indulge in one of their delicious special crepes—like the beef pastrami one, which I love—for €18.50.
Maoz Falafel: Local students’ favorite
The Latin Quarter is one of the best places to find cheap eats in Paris, as this is the student area of the city with the Sorbonne University being nearby.
And another great option in the area for a quick and cheap lunch is Maoz Falafel—there’s one right next to the Patate spot I previously mentioned.
Maoz Falafel has two locations in the Latin Quarter, and both are small takeaway shops.
A classic pita falafel costs €8, and you can customize the toppings on it. This is a great option for an affordable, casual, hearty, and healthier meal, as you can pack the pita with loads of veggies.
Take your hand-held lunch across the river to the Notre Dame Square for the perfect lunch with a view.
Amonē: Delicious handheld cordon bleu
Amonē is one of my favorite new foodie discoveries in Paris.
I find that most French cuisine tends to be a more formal sit-down meal, normally for dinner, where you can order a beef bourguignon or coq au vin.
So I loveee the concept of Amonē of “casualizing” a typical French dish, the cordon bleu, by making it a hand-held snack, without compromising quality at all.
Cordon Bleu consists of breaded chicken stuffed with ham and cheese. What this innovative tiny restaurant did was simply make it a handheld roll.
Rolls are around €10 each. I got the Gérard one, and it was incredible!
Sadly, they only have one convenient location, a block away from Sacré-Cœur, so if you are in the area, make sure to add this spot to your Montmartre itinerary.
Creperie Elo: Small and casual crepe stand
For a more casual crepe meal, you can visit Creperie Elo, the perfect spot for a quick breakfast or lunch while en route to line up for Notre Dame Cathedral.
This small crepe stand only has outdoor seating, so keep that in mind; however, we visited in February and were fine sitting outside under their little roof, all bundled up, enjoying our breakfast crepe in the quiet courtyard where it’s tucked away.
Crepes here are served in a paper cone, so you can easily eat them while on the go as well. Most crepes are under €10, so it’s a great option if you’re looking for a central place to eat in Paris on a budget.
We went for a classic ham and cheese one, and it was perfect, simple, delicious, and filling.
A great go-to spot for a no-fuss meal, and guarantee that it won’t take too much time out of your busy day exploring beautiful Paris.
Fric-Frac Montmartre: Dedicated Croque-monsieur restaurant
A great spot to add to your itinerary when looking for where to eat in Paris on a budget, while ticking off another French classic, is Fric-Frac in Montmartre.
Fric-Frac is a modern, yet casual, restaurant specializing in croque-monsieurs. Their menu consists of different variations of this popular dish.
One of my favorite aspects is that they are all made with multi-grain bread.
Look, I’m not a super health-conscious person, especially while traveling and wanting to try the local food. However, France is a very bread-heavy country, so it’s nice to switch it up for a healthier option every now and then.
I ordered the Mam’zelle which comes with ham, bechamel, Emmental cheese, and a soft-boiled egg in the middle, accompanied by a side salad with the French vinaigrette I can’t get enough of—and all for €12.9.
L’As du Falafel: Beloved falafel spot in Le Marais
When talking about the best cheap eats in Paris, we cannot ignore L’As du Falafel, a popular falafel spot in the trendy Le Marais neighborhood, loved by locals and tourists alike.
I was intrigued by the popularity and hype of this place—at meal times, you can always see a long line forming outside—and after trying it the first time, I could immediately see why it’s so popular.
This was hands down the best falafel I’ve ever had!
The falafel itself is flavorful and… chewy is the wrong word, but just not dry as many others tend to be.
The pita is generously filled with so many veggies, making for a hearty, healthy meal for only €10.
Le Balto: Locally loved bistro
To keep things on a budget, a lot of these options are very casual, with crepes, sandwiches, and handheld snacks.
However, one of my favorite places to eat in Paris on a budget, and have a more French sit-down meal—while still being very casual—is Le Balto in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
This casual bistro serves French classics like onion soup, croque monsieur, and entrecote, to lighter options like omelettes, salads, and small appetizers.
The prices are very reasonable for such a good location, with the onion soup costing €9, a generous side of fries costing €6, an omelette with sides costing €12, and a delicious glass of champagne for €9.
I visited this place multiple times during my last stay in the city. Being in the middle of the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, it’s relatively close to many attractions, making it the perfect pit stop.
This is a great spot if you’re looking for where to eat in Paris on a budget, in a great location, and have delicious classic French dishes.
PS: Their onion soup is my favorite one in the city!
Yoji Osaka: Authentic and affordable sushi spot
One of the highlights of cities as big as Paris is that you can find a wide variety of delicious international food. Which is why you’ll find no shortage of tasty Japanese food, like Yoji Osaka.sa
Yoji Osaka is a no-frills sushi restaurant, between the Latin Quarter and Saint-Germain-des-Prés, serving authentic and straight-to-the-point sushi at very reasonable prices.
We got a sushi set with tuna and salmon maki, and both fish were delicious, better than you would find in other European cities.
Their sets come with delicious miso soup and a side salad, for around €15—a great meal deal.
Their white wine is €3 the glass and very tasty—it’s hard to have bad wine in wine country.
One of the best budget eats in Paris for when you need something other than the fifth onion soup of the trip.
Sanukiya: Traditional Japanese udon
After living in Japan for nine months, I cannot tell you how excited I am whenever I find authentic Japanese cuisine outside of Japan, and Sanukiya is THE spot in Paris.
Sanukiya is a snug, casual Japanese restaurant with true Japanese vibes, where you can sit at the bar looking at the kitchen as they prepare your fluffy udon.
Their specialty is udon noodles—my favorite—but they also offer other tasty Japanese dishes like kaarage, katsu-don, tempura, and more.
After visiting once and ordering Niku Oroshi Udon—with beef, poached egg, and grated radish—I became completely loyal to that dish and ordered it every time we went back. It’s so good!
Along the same line, the boyfriend ordered the Katsu-don once and got hooked, and ordered it every time since.
So, you know those two have our stamp of approval, but I do not doubt that anything they do will be good.
The Niku Oroshi Udon is a little bit on the pricier side of what I declared as budget at the beginning of this post (it costs €18); however, there are other tasty udon options starting at €12.
Ban Ban Noodles: Casual Chinese noodle restaurant
Another great option for a warm, filling, and affordable meal is Nouilles Ban Ban, right by the Jardin du Palais Royal.
I found this spot on a cold and rainy winter day, so the pork dumpling soup I ordered was the perfect comforting meal.
Here you can order dan dan noodle bowls, but beware that they are spicy. If you want to play it safe with spice levels, you can order the dumpling soup as I did.
This is another great spot for switching it up with all the crepes and sandwiches you’ll have during the trip, while still having an affordable meal since most dishes are under €15.
Dinner on a budget in Paris
As you’ll probably notice, I don’t have a dinner on a budget option in this post, as I do find that dinner tends to be the priciest meal of the day in Paris, with prices starting at a minimum of €25 per person.
That said, some of the lunch spots in this post could also be considered dinner spots, like Sanukiya, Yoji Osaka, and, for a French spot, Le Balto bistro.
If you’re trying to keep the trip on a budget, one of the best ways to have a cheap dinner is to rent an accommodation where you can cook easy and affordable meals at the end of the day.
I did this on some of the nights on my most recent Euro-trip with my mom and aunt. Which was a great way to save money, and honestly, sometimes we just didn’t have the energy to have a slow sit-down meal at a restaurant.
Additional budget eats in Paris
As I mentioned, I recently spent over two months in Paris, during which I walked a lot and pinned a lot of places for the purpose of this guide.
I didn’t have enough time—or hunger—to try them all, but these are all bonus options for budget eats in Paris that look good, and will live on my Google Maps for my next time in the city.
- La Baguette du Relais: The fast-food, affordable version of the popular Relais de l’Entrecote, where you can get their famous steak and frites in a sandwich form. Sandwiches start at €15.
- Chez Alain Miam Miam: Famous, generously-served hot sandwiches around the corner from Marché des Enfants Rouges. Sandwiches start at €13.5.
- All’Antico Vinaio: Italian must-try paninos—affordable, generously-served, and delicious. A very filling meal for around €10. I didn’t try them in Paris, but I had them many times in different cities across Italy, and I love them!
- Sauce. A very highly-rated Kebab shop (4.9 out of almost 1000 reviews!) that had locals lining up at lunch time. Kebabs start at €8 for a veggie one, and €9.5 for a chicken one.
- Armande: There’s a sandwich shop and a cafe, both very cute, both in Montmartre. Here you can find tasty sandwiches, salads, soups, and quiches. Sandwiches start at €5.
- Schwartz’s: Casual hot-dog spot, perfect for a quick and affordable meal with a classic hot dog starting at €5.
- Junk: You’ll find various locations of this popular burger spot around the city. Burgers start at €6.50, and fries at €3.50.
- Ippudo: A popular Japanese ramen chain with a few locations in Paris. Here you can get hearty ramen bowls starting from €15.
Final thoughts on where to eat in Paris on a budget
Visiting Paris is always such an incredibly exciting experience, whether it’s your first or third time in the city.
However, Paris can get a bit pricey in some aspects, so I fully understand the need to try to balance out the expenses with some budget eats… but that doesn’t mean you have to have cheap, bad meals.
I hate bad meals with a passion.
This guide on where to eat in Paris on a budget will help you find affordable, delicious meals throughout your trip, so that you can still experience the local cuisine without having to throw half your trip budget at it.
From having affordable breakfast at some of the best bakeries in Paris, to building core memories picnicking at beautiful Parisian locations, to ticking off French culinary classics like croque-monsieur and onion soups, this guide has you covered to have a well-rounded and well-fed trip.
My favorite kind!
I hope you enjoy this foodie guide to Paris. Please do let me know if you end up trying some of these spots and your thoughts on them.
Bon appétit!