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Paris
Here’s how to eat out for under €20 in the French capital – without sacrificing on flavour (or vibes)
The food in Paris is out of this world, but it can weigh heavily on your wallet. The city has something like 120 Michelin-starred restaurants (putting it only second to having the highest number in the world), and if you grab a snack in the wrong spot you could be looking at accidentally spending €20 on a tiny sandwich and an even tinier drink.
But don’t panic – Time Out has put together a handy guide to help you fight back against the high cost of eating out. We’ve handpicked spots that are cutting prices, not corners – places where you can enjoy a proper sit-down meal, in an spot full of ambience, for €20 or less, from bibimpap to falafel and €10 lunch deals. So here it is: our ultimate guide to eating in Paris, on the cheap. Enjoy.
➡️ READ MORE: Discover our ultimate Paris restaurant guide
Our team of expert editors at Time Out Paris spend their days exploring Paris’s many neighbourhoods, and it’s constantly evolving food and drink scene – basically, if it’s worth your time in Paris, these guys know all about it. . For more information, check out our editorial guidelines. Headed up by Food & Drink Editor Antoine Besse, every spot on this list is here for a reason: these guys have tried it (often multiple times), and they’d genuinely recommend it. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by experts across Europe. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
🔔 BOOK NOW: Paris’s best Airbnbs and best hotels
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
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In their makeshift shop, Juliette Stive and Maxime de Bollivier cook up a Reunionese meal of the families (hence the name, Fami), originally from the island in the Indian Ocean. The starter-main-dessert menu at €15.50 comes with a pair of juicy, chicken-kaffir lime samosas and a mouthwatering bowl of sausage rougail. And for dessert, we gobble up a small coconut-lime cabbage, bright and fresh. It’s one of the cheapest lunch menus in Belleville.
Address: 39 bis rue de Tourtille, 75020, Paris (20th arrondisement)
Opening Hours: Wednesday from noon-2.30pm, and 7pm-10.30pm; Thursday to Saturday from noon-2.30pm; closed Sunday to Tuesday
Expect to pay: €3 for starters, €6.50-16 for mains, and €3.50 for desserts
Since Pierre Moussié took over management in 2023, he’s been able to cut costs without cutting quality at Chez Jeannette. Surrounded by the neighborhood’s creatives exchanging ideas and construction workers on a break, hungry workers of all walks come for the mayonnaise eggs and celery remoulade, the languid pork cheek on polenta and the little choux pastries with lemon verbena cream. What a way to end a lunch break.
Address: 47 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, 75010, Paris (10th arrondisement)
Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday from 8am-2am; Sunday from 9am-2am
Expect to pay: Around €4.50 for starters, €9 for mains, and €3 for desserts
This unassuming little shack in the heart of Belleville has cheerful staff, seriously good steamed buns and fried snacks, with everyone squeezed around three plastic tables, mostly chatting away in Chinese. Best Tofu’s menu is a photocopied sheet of paper, but what you’ll find is seriously tasty, often veggie and ridiculously cheap prices – and by cheap, we mean just about nothing over €3. Think pork-stuffed steamed savoury vegetable pancake, salty sticky rice cake and more.
Time Out tip: Best Tofu opens as early as breakfast time – where you can dip a child’s-arm-sized doughnut into a mug of soy milk coffee.
Address: 9 Boulevard de la Villette, 75010, Paris (10th arrondisement)
Opening Hours: Friday to Wednesday from 8am-8pm; closed Thursday
Expect to pay: About €5 per person, depending on how hungry you are. It’s a record to beat.
In a small pop-coloured setting on Boulevard du Montparnasse, this pink diamond has been sparkling since 1971 with the promise of a 100% homemade cuisine that travels through all the provinces of China. Average cost for a meal at Diamant Rose? Normally less than €15 for lunch or dinner, with exquisite cherry tomatoes in fiery mala sauce and burnt mushrooms as sultry appetisers.
Address: 161 Bd du Montparnasse, 75006, Paris (6th arrondisement)
Opening Hours: Open daily from 11.45am-2.30pm, and 6.45pm-10.30pm
Expect to pay: €7-9 for starters, €10-20 for mains, €3-9 for sides
Pistil is an all-wood canteen inside the Ménagerie de Verre, a buzzing hub for contemporary dance in Paris. Designed by Matali Crasset and set against stark white concrete walls, this spot has all the makings of a sleek spot for vegetarian lunches, and with seriously affordable prices, to match. Who do we have to thank? Chef Julie Bavant, who once worked at Arpège, before running the reigns, here, and serving an outstanding market-fresh set lunch. All meat-free, yet packed with flavour.
Time Out tip: Pistil is only open for dinner on performance nights at La Ménagerie de Verre. Otherwise, it’s lunch only.
Address: 12-14 rue Léchevin, 75011 Paris (1st arrondisement)
Opening hours: Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, with evening service on performance nights (check its website for details).
Expect to pay: Arouond €5-12 per plate
Open only on weekends, this no-frills canteen, tucked inside an association for Spanish expats, serves up Galician specialities at proper mates’ rates. This is seriously good, authentic Spanish cuisine. Under buzzing neon lights and the hum of Spanish television, you can tuck into hefty tapas-style plates (there are about 20 to choose from) or go for something heartier – like the Galician-style hake flooded with tomatoes and beans. It’s rustic, filling, and some of the best value around.
Time Out tip: Be warned – they don’t accept credit cards here. And if you want to try the paella, you have to call a week in advance and order it for at least four people (at €14 per head).
Address: 91 rue du Ruisseau, 75018, Paris (18th arrondisement)
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Thursday from 11am-4pm; Friday to Saturday from noon-10.30pm; and Sunday from noon-4.30pm
Expect to pay: Around €4-13 for tapas
A classy Korean spot tucked away on a quiet street in the 1st district, with a stylish interior featuring paper lantern-style lights, exposed brick, and a long communal table decorated with framed scenes from the neighbourhood. For its plump mandoo dumplings and whelk salad, its bulgogi galore and its bibimbap (one of the best in Paris) sizzling in its stone bowl. Everything about this very chic-looking spot screams ‘high-end Korean’ – but don’t be fooled by the looks. Bistrot Mee doesn’t judge a book by its cover, and this restaurant dishes up a proper anti-inflation lunch deal: €19 for a starter and a main.
Time Out tip: Bare in mind that in the evening, the same menu is served at slightly higher prices (but still very reasonable for the area).
Address: 5 Rue d’Argenteuil, 75001, Paris, (1st arrondisement)
Opening hours: Open daily from noon-2.30pm, and 7pm-10pm
Expect to pay: €19 for the lunch menu, €7 for starters, €16 for mains
Will’s Deli is a hardy sandwich spot that puts pastrami on par with Katz’s in New York or Schwartz’s in Montreal. The Benitah family may have come to the game a bit late (2014), but they’re serving up a seriously good Reuben here, loaded with meat, pickles, and melted cheese. The price for the full lunch deal (with a side and drink) can go for just under €20.
Time Out tip: No fries here. Instead, it’s crispy latkes with either sesame and honey sauce, or roasted vegetables. Trust us, you want this.
Address: 28 Rue Poissonnière, 75002, Paris (20th arrondisement)
Opening hours: Monday to Tuesday from 11.30am-3.30pm; Wednesday to Saturday from 11.30am-10.30pm;
Expect to pay: €9-15 for sandwiches and plates, €4.50-6 for sides, and €3.50-5 for desserts
What is it? A tiny Szechuan spot near Paris’s top department stores that’s lost none of its sacred fire since 2018.
Why we love it: In this cosy little room with a striking mural and three tables of six, you’re seated elbow to elbow with fellow fans of authentic Sichuan cuisine. The menu here is concise, featuring noodle soups (priced between €10-13), topped with meat and dumplings.
Time Out tip: You can adjust the heat from 0 to 3 spice level, but don’t ler your ego decide: even level 1 with have your eyes watering.
Address: 41 rue de Provence, 75009 Paris
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, 12-9pm
Expect to pay: Dishes €7.50-11.50, sides €3-6.50 and beer €3
This tiny Szechuan spot near Paris’s top department stores hasn’t lost its sizzle since 2018. In a cosy little room with a striking mural and three tables of six, you’re seated elbow to elbow with fellow fans of Miam Miam Cool’s authentic Sichuan cuisine. The menu here is concise, featuring noodle soups (priced between €10-13), topped with meat and dumplings.
Time Out tip: You can adjust the heat from 0 to 3 spice level, but don’t ler your ego decide: even level 1 with have your eyes watering.
Address: 41 Rue de Provence, 75009, Paris (9th arrondisement)
Opening hours: Monday to Saturday from noon-9pm; closed Sunday
Expect to pay: €7.50-15 for dishes, €3-6.50 for sides and €3-3.50 for drinks
RECOMMENDED:
🥘 The best restaurants in Paris
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🥐 The best patisseries in Paris
🏨 The best hotels in Paris
📍 Where to stay in Paris
👨🍳 Ultimate guide to restaurants in Paris
Been there, done that? Think again, my friend.
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