my son will try pretty much nothing!
he did fine in italy because of pasta and pizza
i haven’t been to paris in 25+ years and i am really hoping to hit some of the board favorites discussed in that thread and spoil myself, but i’d really prefer not to look across the table and have him look miserable and hungry, or just eating bread and frites.
any recc’s?
also he loves thrift shops for highish-end clothing. is there, or are there neighborhoods where they are concentrated?
finally, i’m looking for moderate lodging. 300-400 per night is max, and am open to any central location.
Find a good Monoprix store. We prefer the Monoprix Dragon.
Head to the basement and get ready for your kid to be happy!
Delicious charctuterie fo all types, even the little finger salamis are great.
Cheese up the wazoo and they have great duck foie gras pate, all sorts of things you can both enjoy. Just roaming the store will provide your son many cool new things to try. They also stock bamboo utensils and nice little picnic blankets (cheap.)
Then, a quick stop at a local wine shop and off to Square du Vert-Galant for a wonderful picnic.
This is all in an easily walkable radius.
It will really make him feel included as you shop and they have amazing stuff…downstairs! Plus, you get to nosh on what you like and drink wine surrounded by the seine!
Just a few doors down from that Monoprix is Les CAVES de la MÈRE GERMAINE, a great little wine shop with a well curated selection!
153 Bd Saint-Germain
For ambience, The Buddha bar is a good kid place, with pan-asian food in a lovely high ceiling room. Right near the American Embassy. The atmosphere wins the day for kids. it feels other worldly.
Without question, go to one of the l’Alsacien restaurants and order up some Flammekeuche. They are like thin crust pizzas with creme fraiche and are delicious. Start by sharing a “traditional” then order a couple of the specialty ones. Also, I recommend starting with the “Salad Melfor”, it is just a simple green salad but with a great vinaigrette.
Perhaps do Airbnb? Besides possibly getting more space for fewer $$$, allows you to go market and get some food items that might appeal to him . And still go out for meals/dessert.
Time to teach your child well. Cheese, charcuterie, patisseries, boulangeries, creperies, sandwiches, chicken, ham, cassoulet, Berthillon and on and on. My son would only eat frite as a young child but became captivated with Parisian food early on. I hope yours does the same. Maybe even give him a chance to sample escargot after a couple of days. Good luck
Grab a baguette, a hunk of cheese and some pate… or other good meat, some rose, and have a blast by the Siene! Don’t stress, if he is hungry he will eat…
If steak frites is an option, Relais de L’Entrecote is fun and has several locations. Sauce on the side, I suppose.
Edit: I see you were looking for better places previously recommended. I’m not sure if it has come up here before but we’ve really enjoyed D’Chex Eux on two occasions, once with a young child and once just my wife and myself. They happily made my wife a simple green salad off the menu, and they were great to us each time. If your kid will eat chicken, they made a great crispy poulet aux morilles that could be served plain, and more morilles for you.
looks like will be chicken and frites and steak frites
sounds like a lot of bistro food which is fine with me
this was never going to be a michelin type trip
thanks all!
My kids were a bit more adventurous when we took them the first time. They did well at:
Le Bon Georges
Le Severo - very good steaks, and at least then, terrific wine list
Semilla/Freddy’s
Restaurant Joesphine/Chez Dummonet (if he will eat boeuf bourguignon)
There are very good burgers in Paris. My favorites are at Mr T (on Rue Saintonge, across from Le Marche des Enfants Rouge; they blowtorch the cheese, which is applied from a whipcream dispenser), GOKU Asian Canteen (near Republique, winner of the best burger in France a few years ago), Le Ruisseau Burger (several locations around town), and Yannick Alléno’s place, Père & Fils par Alléno, in the Beaupassage on Blvd. Raspail in the 6th).
And the steak hache at Le Bon Georges and Le Severo are delicious, too.
I took a similar trip to Europe including Paris with my then 16 y/o son. I made the trip about seeing sights and not food or wine though I slipped that in a few times.
Bar Principal by the Brutos team is very casual, burgers, fried chicken and is a cool scene with mostly young 20s patrons. If Roast chicken is an option Brutos is excellent.
Believe or not American style comfort good is popular these days in Paris,
Pretty Box in the Marais is great for vintage. I would also recommend a trip to the flea market Clignancourt in the 18th.
There is also a very cool vintage clothing place on the side of the canal near Le Verre Vole. Need to find the name!
We did this with our son when we visited Japan when he was 13. He’d only east white foods those days (noodles, no sauce, chicken nuggets, etc). by the time we got to Kyoto, we gave up and got him Subway from the basement of our hotel for four nights and left him to watch Japanese TV in the hotel
he’s not the type to stay in a hotel room.
we will negotiate the terms, but we will both get our way!
i consider a pair of vintage jeans a fair trade for a fantastic bistro meal
