Budget restaurants in Paris: How to eat out for under €20

Paris: the city of light, love, and bon repas. Paris’ restaurant scene is many things: dynamic, creative, and often synonymous with an eye-watering bill – this is the home of Michelin, after all. However, today the capital is enjoying a renaissance of the original working man’s restaurant: the bouillon.

For those seeking to enjoy Paris on a shoestring, this is an excellent way to experience the more traditional side of French cuisine without leaving a huge dent in your savings.

The original concept of the bouillon was simple: an elegant, no-frills establishment offering a single menu item of a warm bowl of flavourful broth accompanied by a hunk of crusty bread and a generous portion of meat. The point was to keep things quick and affordable for Paris’ busy working class.

The bouillon is a staple of Parisian restaurant culture, though until recently, it had fallen out of fashion. At one point, the city had over 200, but one-by-one, each shuttered until only a handful remianed. They included Bouillon Chartier, established in 1896, which now has three locations in the capital. One of the last bastions of the old-fashioned bouillon experience, Chartier retains the original art nouveau charm. You’ll find high ceilings, ornate mouldings, and red-and-white checkered floors adorning a large restaurant floors. Today, the restaurants are bustling, efficient, organised chaos: waiters in crisp black and white uniforms direct diners to tables quickly cleaned and reorganised, writing orders directly on white paper tablecloths.

These eateries offer a much more comprehensive menu than they did in the 19th century, but with the same economical spirit: good food at a good price. Three courses under €20? Possible; the most expensive item on the menu is €13.90. Dishes arrive quickly and with little ceremony: think tender leek swimming in a tart vinaigrette, curls of pike quenelles with a shellfish sauce, and a rum baba soaking in enough rum to warm your body even on the coldest, wettest winter days – complete with a cloud of fresh whipped cream.

The cost-of-living crisis and a heaping of nostalgia are driving a resurgence of bouillons across the city. Even famed Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx – known primarily for molecular gastronomy…