Need advice restaurants Paris & London

We are going to Paris and London pre-cruise. Does anyone know of good modest priced restaurants? In Paris we want French food and in London open to any type. Also suggestions on tour companies.

Thank you.

Try Trip Advisor.

L'Entrecote in Paris...There is one near Porte Maillot and one just off Boulevard St Germain close to the Seine along from Notre Dame. Best steak in Paris.... sauce to die for.

http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d719402-Reviews-Le_Relais_de_l_Entrecote-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

In London I recommend the set price lunch at Richard Branson's Babylon Roof Gardens restaurant. Is on the 7th floor and you get great views of London from the outside terrace .... + views of the gardens complete with flamingos! Set price is something like £23.50. Lovely service and fab views....

http://www.roofgardens.virgin.com/

Or there is the restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery..... it adjoins the National Gallery in Trafalgar square..... it can get busy..... but again good views of London and could be coupled with visits to the 2 galleries.

If you wanted to go further afield then I recommend taking a ferry trip on the river Thames to Greenwich...one of the private ones had a great commentary about the sights and the history of London. Once in Greenwich walk along the Thames for a little way towards the barrage..... 500 yards maybe to the Trafagar pub. Wonderful river front pub complete with history and good food.... it too can get busy.

http://www.trafalgartavern.co.uk/

Enjoy..... so much to do there

Oh nearly forgot. The Cheshire Cheese pub.... set off the main road.... has connections to Dr Johnson, close to Fleet st.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Olde_Cheshire_Cheese

Enjoy :)

I could not dissuade my American niece from her plan to see Stonehenge.... I tried believe me as I do not understand the obsession with the place but she chose to lose a day in London to go there. I did find her a great coach trip though which didn't dump her at the stones for a day but included a trip to Bath . Now there is a place worth seeing....

http://www.andersontours.co.uk/tourdetails.asp?id=7&sid=6301

Great advice. Thank you.

I could not dissuade my American niece from her plan to see Stonehenge.... I tried believe me as I do not understand the obsession with the place but she chose to lose a day in London to go there. I did find her a great coach trip though which didn't dump her at the stones for a day but included a trip to Bath . Now there is a place worth seeing....

 

http://www.andersontours.co.uk/tourdetails.asp?id=7&sid=6301

I don't understand why you would consider going to Stonehenge an obsession. We visited Stonehenge last year after visiting Salisbury. To me, it is not up there with Westminster Abbey, Parliament and the Tower of London, but still an important historical site.

It is still fascinating to consider how old stone age people built Stonehenge and moved those huge stones many miles there.

Perhaps I should ask why some English would be passe about such as site? It could be that sometimes locals take for granted something in their neighborhood. I have met New Yorkers that have never been to the Statue of Liberty.

I might never know why my ancestors left the British Isles. Perhaps they wanted to see more of the World?

Le Souffle Restaurant- http://www.lesouffle.fr/ - was a a special experience for the four of us. I suggest you book in advance for lunch.Of course you will have to like souffle !!

If you like steak, I highly recommend Relais de l'entrecote in Paris; we ended up eating there twice! They only serve steak-frites, and they have PERFECTED it! I think it was like 25 or 30 euros? Which we thought was an outstanding price for what we got.

Here is the direct link to my review (with pics) of Relais:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=35957883&postcount=254

Here is the trip advisor review:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d719402-Reviews-Le_Relais_de_l_Entrecote-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

L'Entrecote in Paris...There is one near Porte Maillot and one just off Boulevard St Germain close to the Seine along from Notre Dame. Best steak in Paris.... sauce to die for.

http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/

 

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d719402-Reviews-Le_Relais_de_l_Entrecote-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

 

 

Enjoy :)

I just recommended Relais too! I should have read the whole thread first ;)

We loved it so much, we went twice! Since our trip we have tried on a few times to replicate the secret sauce, quite the challenge!

I just recommended Relais too! I should have read the whole thread first ;)

 

We loved it so much, we went twice! Since our trip we have tried on a few times to replicate the secret sauce, quite the challenge!

This look great. Thanks

L'Entrecote in Paris...There is one near Porte Maillot and one just off Boulevard St Germain close to the Seine along from Notre Dame. Best steak in Paris.... sauce to die for.

http://www.relaisentrecote.fr/

 

http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d719402-Reviews-Le_Relais_de_l_Entrecote-Paris_Ile_de_France.html

 

In London I recommend the set price lunch at Richard Branson's Babylon Roof Gardens restaurant. Is on the 7th floor and you get great views of London from the outside terrace .... + views of the gardens complete with flamingos! Set price is something like £23.50. Lovely service and fab views....

 

http://www.roofgardens.virgin.com/

 

Or there is the restaurant at the top of the National Portrait Gallery..... it adjoins the National Gallery in Trafalgar square..... it can get busy..... but again good views of London and could be coupled with visits to the 2 galleries.

If you wanted to go further afield then I recommend taking a ferry trip on the river Thames to Greenwich...one of the private ones had a great commentary about the sights and the history of London. Once in Greenwich walk along the Thames for a little way towards the barrage..... 500 yards maybe to the Trafagar pub. Wonderful river front pub complete with history and good food.... it too can get busy.

 

http://www.trafalgartavern.co.uk/

 

Enjoy..... so much to do there

Oh nearly forgot. The Cheshire Cheese pub.... set off the main road.... has connections to Dr Johnson, close to Fleet st.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ye_Olde_Cheshire_Cheese

 

Enjoy :)

Thanks for the great suggestions

re Stonehenge

well it is English heritage and I am English and they charge you to go in!!! That is minus point no 1 for me. Plus you cannot get close to the stones....they don't rush to tell you that! Now to be fair they have recently opened a visitor's centre..... so there is a little more to see. They don't allow dogs in so when I was persuaded by my American husband to go there we found we couldn't take the 2 dogs in so we walked across fields to a small hillock...possibly a tumulus and from there had a great view. An hour was perfectly long enough. My niece was looking at public transport to there which would have been a complete nightmare - the combined bus tour saved her that. She only had 3 1/2 days in London including her day of return travel, staying with my daughter so I felt that trekking out there was a waste of time she could have spent seeing so much more.

I think I have managed to convince the American relatives that there is a great deal north of London to see..... they loved our county town of Chester with its Roman walls, black and white timbered "rows" of shops. The castles of N wales - 30 miles from me. The maritime and Beatles History of Liverpool. the cotton trade history of Manchester, and the natural beauty of the English lake District. The easy journey by fast ferry to Eire and Dublin.... all in all the north west of UK has it all :)

In Paris too.... if on a budget..... opposite L'Opera is the department store.....Galleries Lafayette..... from its roof terrace you get wonderful FREE views of Paris.....there is a rooftop café/terrace there......

An alternative is to get yourself to the Basilique de Sacre Coeur....take the funicular railway if you cannot face the steps in Montmartre as there are again great views. The ascent of the Eiffel Tower takes a lot of queuing...not only at the base station as there is the first funicular lift then 2 further lifts to queue for if you intend to reach the top tier..... so free and easily accessible views get my vote. However I wouldn't scrimp on a bateau mouche trip on the Seine as you get a real feel for the beauty of the city of Paris from the river.

Enjoy.... I am envious as I haven't been back since last year when my friend rented an appartement just off Boul St Germain and invited meeeeeeee.... a short stroll to the Seine :)

Allow a day to see the Louvre.... but I can recommend Rodin's house with its wonderful sculptures in the gardens and close to the fabulous Les Invalides and Napoleon's tomb.

http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/home-en

http://www.musee-armee.fr/en/english-version.html

Not too far from the Invalides (and the Rick Steves' promoted Rue Cler) are the very good restaurants Pasco and Le Florimond. We enjoyed our meals there in October. Just check out their ratings (and addresses) on sister website tripadvisor. Le Florimond is small so definitely prebook if you want to have dinner there.

Thank you everyone for the great advice.

It is a while since I was in Paris, so can't help with a restaurant there. London is a very large place, so depends where you are staying and the type of food you like.

I could not dissuade my American niece from her plan to see Stonehenge.... I tried believe me as I do not understand the obsession with the place but she chose to lose a day in London to go there. I did find her a great coach trip though which didn't dump her at the stones for a day but included a trip to Bath . Now there is a place worth seeing....

 

http://www.andersontours.co.uk/tourdetails.asp?id=7&sid=6301

Ok, I will give you a different point of view. We found Stonehenge fascinating (DW is a retired teacher who used to actually teach about the place) much the same as we enjoyed Ephesus, Pompeii, Abu Simbal, etc. As to Bath, we once made the mistake of staying there (for 2 nights) in the summer tourist season. Trying not to choke on all the bus fumes (from tour buses) was a real challenge as there were buses parked everywhere (with their engines running) and hoards of day trippers. Unfortunately, this charming city has become more like a 3 ring circus in the busy months.

We did go back to Bath on one beautiful February day and it was truly a wonderful place off-season.

Hank

For Paris, google Bistro Romain - several choices and recommended. Also restaurant in the Musee d'Orsay under the clock.

It is still fascinating to consider how old stone age people built Stonehenge and moved those huge stones many miles there.

I've been reading the posts on the British Board for some time and I've noticed that the folks who are enthusiastic about their visit to Stonehenge are the folks who rent the audio tour and take the time to understand what they're seeing. The folks who just look at the stones seem to come away with a big yawn and bewilderment as to why the stones are so fascinating.

But back to the OP's question about restaurants...

I hope the OP will come back and tell us where he/she is staying in both Paris and London. Those are big places. If the OP is anything like my husband and me, we walk and walk and walk during the day so good local choices are much appreciated by the time dinner rolls around.

I do have one suggestion throughout London and at 10 locations in Paris: Pret a Manger. This chain serves amazingly tasty food quickly at a modest price. Here's a link to the menu: http://www.pret.com/our_food/

It's not a place to linger and relax, so this might not be the best place for dinner, but it's a fantastic option for breakfast and lunch.

Pet Nit Noy

Pret a Manger is a sandwich shop. Fine for eating a lunch time snack (although there are lots of better, cheaper options) you can't have a meal there.

As OP hasn't said where they are staying it is very hard to recommend anywhere, but in general terms there are plenty of good eating places in following London areas: Spitalfields, Angel, Islington, City of London, Covent Garden, Chiswick, Greenwich. Basically, you will find somewhere decent in most parts of London. Have a look on http://www.toptable.co.uk

IMHO the concept and history of Stonehenge is interesting, but to visit is disappointing. I think Avebury is much better, but you need a car.

Pet Nit Noy

 

Pret a Manger is a sandwich shop. Fine for eating a lunch time snack (although there are lots of better, cheaper options) you can't have a meal there.

I recommended it primarily as a place for lunch and dinner, so we're in agreement there. And I wouldn't ignore that as a possibility for someone who is trying to squeeze in a quick bite to eat between a full day of sightseeing and evening theater tickets. Add a soup, salad, and dessert to the basic sandwich offerings and you've just filled up fast and inexpensively with a reasonable level of quality.

Note about menu prices in London generally: When you look at menu, you may be tempted to ask yourself, "What's the fuss about London's high prices? These prices look pretty familiar" (assuming you live in a major metropolitan area in the US). Then, you'll have a "duh" moment as you realize the prices are in GB Pounds and the US dollar is worth .6 of a GBP.

For Paris - Le Reminet. Absolutely delicious. Located by Notre Dame. Make your reservations through the link below and you will get a 40% automatically deducted from your bill. Lots of reviews on Tripadvisor.com.

http://www.thefork.com

I come from a city (Boston) that seems more compact than say Paris and London. In Boston it does not matter what hotel you are residing in when it comes to selecting a restaurant. It appears that Paris and London are much larger cities, however, we intend to be in different districts. But to simplify things let me be a bit more specific. In Paris our hotel is near the Champs Elysees. So at this location we are looking for breakfast and dinner options. We will be attending two shows: Moulin Rouge and Crazy Horse.

In London, we are staying near Buckingham Palace.

For dinner we prefer chicken, beef or shellfish. Our budget is for $100.00 (American) for dinner (one glass of wine) and breakfast $40.00. We are not looking for high end or trendy restaurants.

Thanks to everyone who has responded.

P.S. I did look at the Trip Advisor as well.

Sorry, I can't recommend any restaurants near the Champs-Élysées, but I highly recommend you avoid Le Deauville.

Sorry, I can't recommend any restaurants near the Champs-Élysées, but I highly recommend you avoid Le Deauville.

I agree ! This is what we call here an "attrape-touriste". :D