Paris

My idea of the perfect long weekend in Paris involves lots of eating, shopping, and walking! Keep reading for my tips on what to eat in Paris - there are quite a few overhyped places so I will be completely honest about whether somewhere is worth going to or not!

BREAKFAST

I loved Carette - both the atmosphere and the food. We went at 9:30am and managed to avoid queueing so I would recommend getting there before 10am if you can. We sat outside and ordered the full breakfast with hot chocolate, pastries, and the creamiest scrambled eggs. Everything was delicious and very indulgent. It did feel a bit hectic but that’s part of the charm!

PATISSERIES

I tried lots of patisseries throughout the trip - some were heavenly and others were a bit disappointing.

The chocolate chip cookies at Mamiche are to die for! You can really taste the ingredients (they did not skimp on the butter) and they are not overly sweet with a light sprinkling of fleur de sel to balance the flavours. The pain aux raisin was also delicious and I have heard great things about their croissants too. Definitely one to visit!

I stumbled across Pain Pain one morning because there was a long queue of locals outside (always a good sign in my opinion)! The baguettes are the thing to get here but the chouquettes and pain aux raisin were also delicious. The quiches looked very tempting too but I was too full to try a slice…

Tapisserie is a beautiful pastry shop by the same people behind Septime, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris. This is not your typical patisserie - the pastries and flavours are unique, for example choux a la flouve which is a choux bun filled with a hay-scented cream. I personally was not a fan of the choux a la flouve and wish I had tried the maple syrup tart which is what they are famous for! The vanilla flan also looked delicious.

Stohrer is the oldest patisserie in Paris and their millefuille is heavenly - look at those layers! The eclairs and other pastries also looked delicious.

I had seen so many people rave about Du Pain et des Idees so I was excited to try it. I got the pistachio and chocolate escargot which was nice but nothing special. The croissant and pain aux chocolat were disappointing as well. I personally don’t think this place is worth the hype!

RESTAURANTS

Bistrot Paul Bert is my favourite classic French bistro. It has a great atmosphere and the food is amazing - the steak frites with peppercorn sauce is heavenly and the sole meuniere is also very good. The desserts are worth saving space for if you love classic French desserts like creme caramel!

If you’re looking for French food with an Asian twist in an elegant but relaxed setting, Le Servan is the restaurant for you. The menu changes depending on what is in season but my favourite dishes were the trout crudo and fennel tart.

Racines is a beautiful restaurant in a former printing factory in the Passage de Panoramas, one of the oldest arcades in Paris. The menu is Italian with a French twist and the Veal Milanese is amazing!

I had to try Chez Janou, a bustling French bistrot famous for their chocolate mousse which is served from a huge bowl. The restaurant felt very hectic and I wasn’t a big fan of the main dishes (the menu is quite restrictive if you are not a fan of snails, mussels etc.) but the chocolate mousse was very good. If you’re on the hunt for a delicious chocolate mousse on-the-go, I would recommend visiting a chocolate shop called Chapon which has several varieties of chocolate mousse on offer (from milk chocolate to 100% dark chocolate).