I know I’ve said this multiple times, but I’m in love with Paris; the architecture, the history, and especially the FOOD! If you know me, then you know I’m a major foodie. I travel to eat and to explore new culinary tastes and recipes, so I pretend I’m Andrew Zimmern when I’m out of town. I have a huge sweet tooth so of course, I had to eat a crepe at least once a day.

Around the Hotel

The hotel we stayed at, Hotel Eiffel Seine, came with free breakfasts every morning. We made sure to start off with coffee, eggs, orange juice, and lots and lots of chocolate croissants lol. It was also located right next door to Bistrot de la Tour where we ate almost daily and made a friend, Tony; our waiter, whom we gave a $20 tip to because we weren’t carrying any Euros with us the first night.

At Bistrot de la Tour I had the Croque Madame. An Irish Coffee almost daily, which was the best thing, especially to warm you up, on a cold day. I also had a Bloody Mary from there but I prefer the ones in New Orleans. This is actually the place where I first ordered and tried escargots. I never thought I’d be a fan of them or that I’d even want to try them. After watching my mom enjoy them while eating, I had to have one. I quickly became a fan and I absolutely loved the way they made them with a green pesto sauce. Since most people asked what they tasked like, I can tell you the texture is a little like lobster and the taste, well I tasted the sauce more than anything but they were delicious and worth trying. And ordering two or three more times after that.

My dad ordered pizzas from here and my mom had a grilled salmon which she said was cooked amazingly, and she’s usually not a fan of salmon. I ordered a gaufre (waffle) for breakfast but can’t say I loved it.  On a different night I ordered a Grand Marnier crepe which is literally just a crepe with Flambe Grand Marnier on top. This was a little too plain but not overly sweet.

Next door to the Bistrot de la Tour was another restaurant named Iolanda. At Iolanda I had my first banana nutella crepe in Paris. My dad ordered a chocolate souffle that came with ice cream and whipped cream. I ordered the Bouef/Steak Tartare a separate night which was amazing and my parents shared a Cheese Fondue with Baguete. My dad and I ordered a hot chocolate and my mom had her daily Grand Marnier to warm up. Jorge, was our waiter every time we ate at Iolanda, he was extremely nice and fluent in spanish, english, french, and portuguese!

For Dessert or Pastries

Paul – I discovered Paul in Washington DC actually but I was so stoked to find their bakery in the Champs de Elysees avenue in Paris. I managed to actually order “trois tarte au citron meringuee” in French! Those tarts tasted so much better in Paris than in Washington DC. I also had a raspberry macaroon with a Cafe Au Lait at the location right by the Louvre.

Angelina – Angelina is known for its rich and decadently, thick hot chocolates so I had to have one to try. It was delicious and definitely worth the 4 Euros it costs on a cold wintry day. The restaurant gets a little crowded, so I bought the hot chocolate to go and walked around the Luxembourg Gardens.

Boulanger – chocolate croissants. eclairs. fruit tarts. macaroons. creme brulees. You name it, you’ll find it. I could probably live in a Boulanger but I’d be 20 lbs heavier. I visited a few around Paris but one of my favorite ones was the one located in Quartier Latin.

Other Food

After a few days of French food I needed a change in tastes so I looked for a Chinese restaurant by the hotel and I came across Siu Yu. Their duck has to be the most amazing duck I’ve ever had, I still crave it to this day.

Related Posts:

• Paris: City of Love partie un