Cafe Francoeur

Okay, so this recommendation is less about the actual place and more about how I found it! We often get so locked into finding a place that’s well rated on google that we pass by many a restaurant, bar and cafe that could be a stand out of our trip. It also may not be! But there’s nothing I love more than finding a place that hasn’t come from some listicle. Yes, recommendations are great but travel is also about creating your own recommendations too!

For selecting a place for lunch, I put my phone away and decided to go on vibes only. This cafe had plenty of people sat outside and from a quick sashay past, I realised most were speaking French. Locals. It was a nice day, and so sitting outside and watching the world go by was absolutely on my check list, plus the food being served looked good and so that was enough for me.
I plonked myself down and my first green flag came when, after wheeling out my rusty French skills, the waiter was encouraging and helped me order what I needed in French; us both having a bit of a laugh with it.

I went for a bavette steak and fries and; naturally, a red wine. And oh my goodness, the ‘frites’ were some of the best I’ve ever had. What luck!

However, whilst the food was actually pretty good, it wasn’t that that made me enjoy this place. It was knowing I’d found it, and the simple joy of sitting back with my wine, watching the world go by.

Paris is a great place to try this – there are so many great food places – and perhaps if you’re not ready to part with cash with the chance of it being rubbish, just bring your standards down a little when you’re checking the Google ratings. I checked afterwards and this place was 4.3 out of 5 – pretty good! However, perhaps not good enough to have swayed me to single the place out.
Good luck with your restaurant hunting!