Although these best lunch places in Paris are currently temporarily closed due to COVID, when on a Traveling Professor small group tour to Paris, we always take time for a relaxing Parisian style lunch. In today's Paris blog post, The Professor tells you about 3 of the best places to have lunch in Paris.
Café Jacquemart-André: The Musee Jacquemart-André is an elegant private museum in the 8th arrondissement. It is the former home of Édouard André and Nélie Jacquemart. It gloriously displays the art and artifacts they collected during their lifetime in their luxuriously decorated living space. But for The Professor, it is an opportunity to have one of the best lunches in Paris at the café located in the mansion, one of the most remarkable tea rooms in all of Paris. In the summertime, al fresco dining is open too. Hours for lunch are 11:45 a.m to 5:30 p.m from Monday to Friday and from 11 a.m. on weekends. A delightful Sunday brunch is from 11 a.m. to 2:30. Reservations are not available so at times there might be a short wait on line. Lunch/Brunch here is one of the great bargains in Paris. Expect to pay under 20 euros for salads or main courses. My favorites include the quiche of the day, salad, and ice cream for dessert. Don't forget the "Siam" Chinese cabbage salad. And of course, there is always a special of the day. For your pleasure here is the menu, or as they say in Paris, the "carte" for you to peruse and dream about.
Restaurant du Musée d'Orsay: The Musée d'Orsay is one of the great museums of the world. It is filled with wonderful Impressionist paintings like "Le Déjeuner" by Monet, which of course inspires a visit to the restaurant located inside the museum for another one of the best places to have lunch in Paris. Like the Café Jacquemart-André, no reservations are not taken but the bright and airy dining room has plentiful seating. One of the best deals in all of Paris is the museum restaurant. Unfortunately, it is temporarily closed due to COVID. On our last visit, our Paris small group tour took advantage of:
- Starter + Main dish or Main dish + Dessert: 24.50 euro
- Starter + Main dish + Dessert: 29.50 euro
My favorite is to always start with the terrine or the soup, followed by a main dish like sea bream or grilled beef. I was never a big fan of dessert until I tried the unbelievable and elegantly presented Limoncello ice cream.
Cafe du Musee Rodin: I am not sure where there is a more relaxing or beautiful setting for lunch during the warm months in Paris. Located in the gardens of Musée Rodin, the offerings are quite simple and quite inexpensive. The strategy here is to have your travel partner find a table while you go to the counter to order and pick up your order then enjoy one of the best lunch places in Paris. A simple sandwich or quiche is usually the order of the day followed with a freshly baked pastry. Prices are reasonable (lunch should be under 20 euros).
Tip: The Professor's good friend Andy Herbach wrote "Eating and Drinking in Paris" which is the ultimate guide book for finding and enjoying dining spots in Paris. Not only does Andy give his best lunch spots in Paris, but plenty of other dining recommendations too.
Join The Traveling Professor on a small group tour to Paris.