Paris travel guide

Back in Paris After 8 Years: Bistrot Richelieu, an Eiffel Tower Picnic, and the Spot Where We Got Engaged

We first came to Paris eight years ago, back when we were still figuring out what to order. This time we came back with more confidence and more hunger: revisiting the spots we still talk about, tracking down the things we missed the first time, and returning to the exact bridge where we got engaged.

8 Years since last visit

95 euros Steakhouse dinner, 2 people

12 euros Day pass, Métro

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Where we ate.

 Mini Cafe 1 Rue des Deux Ponts, Paris 

Coffee, outdoor-only stall

Get: A flat white

Lisa had this place bookmarked from the moment the trip was booked, and it didn't disappoint: a tiny, cute outdoor-only stall with paper straws only. Most places in Paris seem to do a flat white well, and this was no exception.

 La Maison d'Isabel 47ter Bd Saint-Germain, Paris 

Croissants, 2018 award winner

Get: The classic butter croissant

This bakery won a 2018 prize for best croissant in Paris and the wider region, and it's enormous, crispy on the outside almost to the point of feeling too American-crunchy for one of us, and deeply buttery inside. We'll let you decide which side of that debate you're on.

 Clint 18 Av. Ledru Rollin, Paris 

Jambon-beurre and cured meats

Get: Jambon-beurre with tomato and lettuce, and a salumi-and-cornichon baguette

Simple, cheap, and genuinely delicious: a crispy baguette, real cured salumi, and just enough butter to make the case for why French sandwiches don't need to be complicated. We also picked up a few tins from a foie gras vendor at the same outdoor market, sold to us by someone so warm and generous with samples that we walked away with more tins than planned.

 Bistrot Richelieu 45 Rue de Richelieu, Paris 

Classic French bistro

Get: Escargot, beef bourguignon, and steak frites

We ate here eight years ago and never stopped talking about it, so we came back. The inside's been renovated, but the food held up exactly as we remembered: escargot drenched in garlic butter, beef bourguignon cooked fork-tender in red wine sauce, and steak frites big enough for two, ours came out a perfect medium-rare with just a sprinkle of salt.

 Bistrot Paul Bert 18 Rue Paul Bert, Paris 

Classic French bistro, sirloin and pepper sauce

Get: Sirloin with pepper sauce and pommes frites, ordered rare

A friend's recommendation, and one of the best meals of the trip. We asked for the sirloin rare, and the waiter told us that's the only way to eat it, he wasn't wrong: a juicy center, a great crust, and a pepper sauce with real peppery, savory depth that never overpowered the meat. The fries were crispy outside, soft in the middle, genuinely A+ on every part of the plate. Lunch for two ran 95 euros.

 Nonette Banh Mi & Donuts 71 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, Paris 

Vietnamese bakery, chili oil donut and banh mi

Get: A chili oil cream donut and the popcorn chicken banh mi special

A donut with visible flecks of chili oil on top of a whipped cream filling, sweet more than spicy, and a banh mi piled with pork floss, ham, and vegetables that we'd call one of the better sandwiches of the trip, crispy chicken, soft bread, perfectly balanced.

 The Coffee 40 Rue des Gravilliers, Paris 

Specialty coffee, V60 pour-over

Get: A mint tea and a V60 pour-over

We wanted something cold but they didn't have it, so the V60 pour-over was the next best thing, and a good one. The mint tea came with a choice of how much mint to add; the medium was exactly right.

 Ground Control 81 Rue du Charolais, Paris 

Food hall in a converted warehouse

Get: Taiwanese fried chicken from Coin-Op

A genuinely cool, hip space near our hotel, packed into an old warehouse with bars, board games, a library, and a thrift store alongside dozens of food stalls. We tried Taiwanese fried chicken from a stall called Coin-Op with a teriyaki-style glaze, different from what we've had in Taiwan or LA, but good.

Good to know before you go

The bridge where we got engaged, sometimes called the 'Inception Bridge' for its film-famous look, is right by the Eiffel Tower and makes for a genuinely great engagement or photo spot.
We used the IDF Mobiles app to buy day-pass Métro tickets in advance, no profile needed, 12 euros a day, and took the Eurostar from London to Paris.

Questions people ask us about Paris.

What's a classic Paris bistro worth revisiting?

Bistrot Richelieu was memorable enough eight years ago that we returned specifically for it. The escargot, beef bourguignon, and steak frites all held up exactly as we remembered. Bistrot Paul Bert, on a friend's recommendation, was just as good for a rare sirloin with pepper sauce.

Is Ground Control in Paris worth visiting?

Yes, especially if you want something other than a classic bistro. It's a food hall built into a converted warehouse with bars, a thrift store, board games, and food stalls including Taiwanese fried chicken.

How do you get from London to Paris?

We took the Eurostar train, and booked tickets ahead of time. For getting around Paris itself, the IDF Mobiles app made day-pass Métro tickets easy, about 12 euros a day with no account needed.

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