Great Paris Restaurants You Should Try

Roasted chicken at Ma Cocotte

While Paris can be a food-lover's paradise, it's easy to have a bad meal in the city. If you fail to do research before your trip, you could get sucked into some tourist trap restaurant and end up spending €80 on generic French onion soup, dry steak frites, bad bread and plonky wine.

The husb, Jordan and I are heading to Paris in November. It's the third straight year we've done the French capital as a family and while we're looking forward to revisiting our favorite spots, we're definitely excited to try new ones.

In general, we're big fans of the plats du jour. They generally tend to be interesting and a phenomenal three-course value for lunch. In turn, we're never too hungry for dinner. It's usually something light. You can also never go wrong with fresh oysters or mussels if you like that sort of thing.

I'm asked about Paris restaurants all the time. You can always do the iconic spots like Les Deux Maggots, Le Fouquet's, Jules Vernes (if you want to spend your mortgage) and the other legendary ones. Here are 10 new Paris restaurants getting buzz.

Here are my tried and true favorites definitely worth a try.

Fabulous Places to Eat in Paris

Great Paris Restaurants, Paris Picnics, Luxembourg Gardens

Picnic at Luxembourg Gardens in 2013

Le Grand Epicerie at Le Bon Marche - The food hall at the legendary store is the bomb. I love picking up items for a picnic and heading over to Luxembourg Garden for lunch.
La Durée - I don't do the tourist-packed main salon. Enter La Durée's bar on Rue Lincoln off the Champs Elysee location. It's never overcrowded and the service is always sublime. The decor looks like a road trip inside Antoni Gaudi's mind. The macarons? Worth it BUT unless you plan on eating all those macarons in a day or two, don't buy a ton. They don't keep well.
Eric Kayser - a Twitter friend told me about this spot for pastries. It became a go-to for breakfast on our last trip.
Poîlane - the classic original bread outpost never disappoints. I love their walnut loaf.

Lunch at Le Sens Unique in 2012

Le Sens Unique - a popular bistro in the 8th just off the Champs Elysee always packed with locals.
Bistro Vivienne - a great bistro to visit while you're strolling Gallerie Vivienne (which you must do!). If you're not up for lunch, try Legrand wine bar for a quick drink. It's an elegant lesson in French wine at its finest.
Ma Cocotte - a lunch option if you're hitting the flea markets at Clignancourt that's popular with flea market folks and decorators on the hunt. We had a phenomenally juicy roast chicken that has me salivating as I type this.
Tea at the George V - a ridiculously expensive and indulgent experience that's worth every penny. Go on a Sunday afternoon when most Paris restaurants are closed and you're likely to be sandwiched between an Oscar winner and Saudi royalty. Heck that could happen any day there.
L'Epigramme - a tiny spot in the 6th where we saw a French couple consummate their affair at the table next to us. Really. The food might have caused them to do it. It was that good. The owners are warm and gracious.
Muscade - an elegant spot along the promenade in Palais Royal. It opens to a huge park where kids run and play. We sat there with an Air France flight attendant for two hours one Thursday afternoon. The woman should write a book.
Le Comptoir - if you can get into this popular spot in the 6th, go. I'm not much of a meat girl but the charcuterie plate blew me away.

Lunch at L'Ebouillante in 2012

L'Ebouillante - a darling cafe in the 4th that attracts students and other locals who enjoy a quality, inexpensive meal. Their omelets are what every omelet should aspire to be.
Moulin de La Galette - a beautiful spot in Montmartre below one of the iconic windmills. It has gotten mixed reviews. We had a fabulous time and enjoyed a seafood summer salad, pommes frites, rosé and deep conversation with two Paris energy company executives.

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What are some of your favorite under-the-radar spots? Is there a popular restaurant you hate? Please let us know in the comments section.

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