How to Find Great Restaurants in Paris – Like a Local Foodie

With more than 30,000 restaurants in Paris, how to find a great restaurant in Paris is question we often get asked. Choosing the perfect restaurant in Paris is an art, a journey through the city’s vibrant culinary tapestry. As your guide, I’ve worn the hats of both chef and food tour expert, ready to demystify the intricacies and offer you an in-depth guide on discovering the best dining experiences in the City of Light.

🧭 How to Find Great Restaurants in Paris Before You Get Here

If you want to eat well on arrival, start before your plane even boards. The best meals in Paris are rarely the result of wandering blindly—they’re researched, bookmarked, and occasionally obsessively stalked on Google Street View.

Sure, the Michelin Guide is fine if you fancy a €200 tasting menu and a dining room full of stiff suits. Here’s where locals actually look:

• Le Fooding — insider, local, refreshingly chefy
• Gault&Millau — sharp French palate, less hype, more substance
• Le Routard — still scrappy, still real
• Le Pudlo — a beloved old-school favourite with a classic Parisian nose for charm and quality, often overlooked by visitors but adored by locals

🚫 Skip review sites like Sortir à Paris. They’re great for keeping up to date with food openings, but there’s way too much fluff and far too many paid promos.

Still not sure who to trust? I’ve pulled together this chef-approved list of critics and food guides so you can cut through the noise.

🔍 Google Reviews: Your Culinary Magnifying Glass

Before you even arrive, build your own Google Map of promising spots near where you’re staying. It’ll save you from hangry decisions on the fly.

Ignore the star count. That 4.6 means nothing without context. Dig into the photos, the reviewers’ patterns, and tone. If a local is raving about steak tartare in five different restaurants, follow that trail. But if it’s a one-star meltdown because the waiter wasn’t smiley enough? Ignore it.

👉 Want my short list? Here’s the Google Map I use when friends visit. It’s been taste-tested across arrondissements.

🚩 Tourist Trap Red Flags (That Locals Clock Instantly)

• 📸 Menus with pictures (instant nope — unless it’s an Asian spot and the uncle wrote the menu in Word 95, in which case, you’re in for a ride)
• 🇬🇧 English-only menus out front
• 📢 Someone trying to get you to come in
• 📋 Menus longer than a Tolstoy novel
• 🍽 “Bistro–Brasserie–Café” triple-threat signage
• 🧻 Grimy bathrooms (don’t even peek in the kitchen)

💡 Discounts on The Fork? Maybe for a reason. Those places are often filling empty tables for a reason.

Want to understand what “real” food actually means in Paris? Don’t miss this deeper guide to finding authentic local food.

🔥 Chef’s Tips for Finding a Great Restaurant in Paris

As you wander, you may wish to eat. Here’s how I spot a good place to park my derrier and dive into delicious grub!

👗 Follow the Locals (Yes, Even the Smokers)

Well-dressed people sipping wine, chatting animatedly, and maybe puffing on a Gauloise? That’s your north star.

🕛 Trust the Lunch Rush

If it’s already tough to get a table at 12:35, you’ve struck gold—that’s the lunch rush sweet spot, the kind of place people make the effort to arrive early for. Trust the lunch rush—if locals are queueing or settling in early, they know it’s worth the wait.

🪧 Trust the Blackboard

Menus that change with the season. Dishes written in chalk. No laminated nonsense. Bonus points if items start getting crossed out by 1:30 PM. That’s a kitchen cooking real food, not reheating it.

🚶‍♂️ Use the Two-Block Rule

Walk two blocks away from any major monument. You’ll dodge high rents and tourist prices—and find food made for locals, not for foot traffic.

Want more step-by-step tips, especially if it’s your first time in Paris? Check out this full dining guide for visitors.

👴🏼 Look for the Old Guard

If the staff looks like they’ve been working there since Chirac was president—and still move with the rhythm of service—take a seat. Restaurants that take care of their team and retain older staff are often local institutions where the same families have been dining for decades. That loyalty is earned one honest dish at a time.

🍽️ Check for the Real French Dishes

Look at the menu. Are they serving riz de veau, foie de boeuf, or andouillette (yes, even I can’t eat that)? That’s not tourist bait—that’s a kitchen with a classic, loyal clientele. These are the dishes that scare off the squeamish but keep locals coming back for decades. A menu with guts (literally) often means a kitchen with roots.

On the flip side, if you see a €28 burger front and centre, back away slowly. That’s not a restaurant—it’s a scam with fries. Real Parisian bistros don’t need to pretend they’re gourmet with price tags. They just cook.

🎢 Keep Expectations Realistic

Even in Paris, not every meal will blow your beret off. I’ve eaten at fancy spots with names that echo through culinary halls, and left underwhelmed. Embrace a little risk. You’re not here for perfection—you’re here for flavour, vibe, and the story.

✅ Summary: Your Eat-Like-a-Local Checklist

1. Follow chef-approved guides: Le Fooding, Gault&Millau, and my Google Map
2. Be a Google detective: Read beyond the stars
3. Dodge the tourist bait: English menus, laminated signs, pushy staff
4. Watch the locals: Who’s dining? What are they drinking?
5. Seek chalkboards: Simple, seasonal, disappearing dishes
6. Stay curious: Great meals live off the beaten path
7. Don’t expect fireworks every time: Even chefs get it wrong sometimes

🎯 Still unsure? Want a shortcut? Join one of our chef-led food tours and let us show you the places Parisians actually eat. Book your spot here.

Bon appétit—and bonne chance.

Chef Tris

Food Tour Guide

From the bustling streets of Paris to the heat of a professional kitchen, my life has always revolved around food. A Brit who moved to France at 16, I trained as a chef in a Parisian palace kitchen at 18 and have spent decades cooking, eating, and living like the French.

By day, I run kitchens and events, but Eat Like The French is my side hustle—a way to share my passion for French food through writing and food tours. After a detour into tech recruitment, I returned to what I love most: cooking and storytelling—one dish, one tour, and one bite at a time.

FAQ for Finding a Great Restaurant in Paris