Paris Favorites and Finds

Eating, drinking, touring Oh My! 🇫🇷 😘

Apologies for being a bit MIA, I have been in Paris the past week watching the Olympics! For people who don’t follow me on IG and TikTok: my fiance’s best man’s wife is competing for USA women’s volleyball. So of course we were going to go watch! Not to get too patriotic, but it was so fucking cool to watch American women absolutely dominate. My internal cowbell (IYKYK) has been ringing USA, USA, USA all week long. In addition to watching some very fun and exciting Olympic games, we have spent the past week eating, drinking, shopping, and touring Paris and I have put together a summary with some of my personal highlights from the trip that I think you guys will enjoy!

In terms of getting to and from locations to eat and drink, Paris public transit is very good, and the city is very walkable. I recommend downloading the Paris transit app and buying an unlimited pass ahead of time. The trains run very regularly, are clean, safe, and are faster than Uber 95% of the time.

I have celiac and am lactose-intolerance. I got a ton of DMs asking about being GF in Paris. I know some people can eat gluten in Europe depending on their type of sensitivity, you’re not supposed to if you’re celiac but if you wanted to suffer the consequences for a croissant I wouldn’t blame you. But I found it pretty easy to eat GF and tbh it wasn’t bad. I’d say around 80% of traditional French food is naturally gluten-free which you wouldn’t expect. It’s just a lot of vegetables and meat in sauces. You’re mostly missing out on bread and pastries. I found European cow milk still upset my stomach but the cheeses did not 🤷‍♀️. I’d say eat at your discretion but maybe be adventurous with the cheese!

Let’s get into it!

Where to Stay

We stayed in Bastille, which was fun, easy to get around the city, and had a great Farmer’s Market. It was a bit more quiet with less shopping and nightlife. Our friends stayed in Le Marais which is where I would recommend staying! It was lively with lots of restaurants and shopping but not insane nightlife so you can still get a good night’s sleep.

Hotel vs. Airbnb

Personally, I enjoy cooking so it was nice to have an AirBnB with a kitchen. AirBnB’s are also lot more affordable and spacious than Paris hotel rooms. On the downside, most Airbnb’s will not have AC or cleaning service, and elevators are much less common. So it really depends on your needs.

A note on the Ritz Paris… I have had my FYP ABSOLUTELY BOMBARDED with content of what seems like every influencer and celebrity staying at the Ritz. At $2k/night for the cheapest suite, I could not justify it, but we did go for high tea to check it out. In terms of architecture and interior design it is absolutely stunning - like truly next level. The service was as perfect as everyone says, the tea was delicious, the food was good. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon celebrity spotting and people-watching.

Where to Eat

Fancy Dinners

Allard ($$$) is a 1 Michelin star restaurant that came highly recommended. I’d say it appropriately lives up to the hype. We went with a group and tried pretty much everything on the menu. It’s very traditional French food with fantastic wine and good vibes. The frog legs in brown butter sauce, veal, and coffee ice cream dessert were personal highlights for me. Frog legs just taste like more tender mini chicken legs. I’d say around 80% of the menu is GF. They will sit you back of house if you’re not dressed well and the food is delicious but not groundbreaking.

Dersou ($$) knocked my socks off. A restaurant rarely is a 10/10 for me but this place was insane. We got the 6-course tasting menu and 4/6 were gf. The flavor combinations and composition were what I expect out of a 3 Michelin-star restaurant. It was delicious and unique without trying too hard in the way where you get things like sea urchin foam. They had flavors like fermented apricot, veal, and lobster, and slow-cooked peaches. Each course was an actual good amount of food without leaving you stuffed or feeling like you got a tiny bite. Dinner took about 90 minutes which is the perfect pace for me because I don’t like sitting around for four hours. 6 courses with cocktail pairing was around $120. This was one of the best meals I’ve ever had, and at that price, it’s a must. The restaurant is a bit less vibey with no outdoor seating.

Maceo ($$$) was good. It’s a basic, bougie restaurant, with delicious French food, and great wine kind of vibes. It’s a similar style of food to Allard but it’s more spacious and slower pace of service. The restaurant is gorgeous and right near Isadora if you want to get a nightcap. The chicken is my favorite and my fiance raved about the raspberry Mille -Feuille for dessert. It would be perfect for a business dinner or meeting someone’s parents. It’s a little quieter and easier to have a conversation as well. The portions are a bit small so don’t be afraid to order a lot.

Breakfast and Brunch

Hardware Société ($$) is an adorable little Australian brunch spot next to Sacre Cour. French people don’t do breakfast as much as Americans do, in my experience they usually have a cigarette, croissant, and espresso for breakfast. I was craving a big protein-heavy breakfast and an iced latte and this place delivers. I got the poached egg breakfast on gf bread and Nick got their Toulouse Sausage. We went twice it was so good. It’s great to go and then walk around Sacre Cour. There is a bit of a wait if you don’t get there early.

Bakeries: La Maison D’Isabelle $

La Maison D’Isabelle ($) is award-winning and my friends and fiance said this was the best croissant they’ve ever had in their life.

Where to Drink

Cocktail Bars

Isadora Cocktail Bar ($$) has some of the most exceptional vibes of any cocktail bar I’ve ever been to. Delicious snacky bites, craft cocktails that are made by someone who clearly spends weeks crafting them, and immaculate date night vibes. They will seat you back of house if you don’t look put together.

Coffee:

Cuvee Noire $ is good for a big, fat, iced American coffee. After 3 days of espresso with cow milk, I just wanted a sippy cup of cold caffeine and they delivered. I want a lid, I want it served in a plastic cup, and I want a plastic straw. They delivered. They don’t have a good pastry selection tho.

What to See

Luxembourg Garden

Luxembourg Garden is a gorgeous garden and small lake near a great shopping area. This is the perfect park to have a little picnic, watch the kids sail boats, walk around, etc. It’s not too crowded like Versaille or more well-known attractions. It’s super lush with lots of secluded areas as well. If I were planning a proposal this would be a great place to do it.

Sacre Coeur

Sacre Coeur is very moving. It was a highlight of the trip. The architecture and stonework are next level. There are sermons and songs throughout the day which are very beautiful to sit and watch. There are little candles you can light throughout and say a prayer. They’re a few euros and cash only so bring some change if you plan to do this. It’s less crowded in the mornings as well. It is a STEEP set of steps to get up there so come prepared with water.

Where to Workout

The New Me Pilates $$ is a great hard reformer pilates class attached to a cute coffee shop. Classes are very traditional pilates and pretty intuitive to follow. The instructor spoke English and was very helpful but it would be easy to follow along. They have a few locations around Paris! This class was quite hard!

I hope you enjoyed, happy traveling, and as always thank you for subscribing! 😊