On our last vacation night in Paris, we didn’t want to go out too far from our hotel. Although we wanted good food, we still had to do boring stuff like packing. So we asked our hotel for recommendations for good food nearby. Little did we know that we were about to get introduced to Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants in Paris.
The manager enthusiastically exclaimed that we just had to try Bistrotters, only a few blocks away. Since he recommended La Closerie des Lilas before and we loved it, we trusted his advice. Right away he called them and set up a reservation for that night.
Disclosure: This post might contain affiliate links. If you buy through one of these links, it will not cost you anything extra, but we might get a small commission. Thank you for supporting us. To learn more, please read our full affiliate disclaimer page.
Table of contents
Finding Good Food in Paris
We happily went on our way and were looking forward to trying Bistrotters. It indeed was a short walk and the interior was warm and welcoming. When we sat down and looked at the French menu on the wall (hand written, so they could easily change it), we recognized about half of the words.
Luckily, they were nice enough to supplement the wall menu with a paper English language menu. You know, for us foreigners who don’t always know all the French terms for food. In addition, they did welcome us with a small appetizer bite, eggplant with crème fraîche, a surprising and nice touch.
Bib Gourmand
When we looked around, we saw a mention of them being included in the Michelin Guide. This was very surprising to us, since in our mind Michelin is $$$$$ Very Expensive Indeed. But the prices here didn’t look bad at all, it was only 37 Euros for a three course menu. Definitely affordable.
That is when we found out about Michelin’s “Bonnes Petites Tables” or “Bib Gourmand” as they are called now. The Michelin inspectors basically searched for superior food at affordable prices (less than 40 Euros for a full menu) and published a book about Bib Gourmand restaurants in Paris and other places. Bistrotters was one of the restaurants included and after eating there we had every reason to agree!
Our Experience at Bistrotters
There were many good choices, so it was hard to choose. After discussing the menu with our friendly server, Tom decided on the octopus salad while I chose something with fresh peas as our starters.
This restaurant changes its menu often to make use of local and in season ingredients and it shows in the freshness and excellent flavour of their dishes. A great showcase for the quality of Bib Gourmand restaurants.
The Best Bouillabaisse
For our main we decided to start on the bouillabaisse. This felt like a good choice in a French restaurant and indeed it was. First, I have to confess that this is the first time that I ate bouillabaisse so I can’t compare it with other bouillabaisse experiences. I suspect that this particular one will have set the standard very high. It was smooth and the flavours blended together perfectly. To this day, I can still close my eyes and taste the goodness.
bouillabaisse a la Bib Gourmand
Dessert To Die For
Naturally we had to try dessert too and we opted for the lava cake. Next time I want to try pain perdu, since I have never had that, but this time I wanted to see how they did lava cake. In the past, we have had many substandard lava cakes, so I was curious about these. They surely delivered one of the best lava cakes I have had.
While the exterior was nice and crusty, with a hint of salt, the interior was molten chocolate goodness, every bite was delectable. Good choice and a great finale to an unexpected Michelin level meal. Did I mention we were now in love with this Bib Gourmand restaurant in Paris?
Next to the Odéon: La Méditerranée
Recently we went back to Paris and stumbled upon La Méditerranée when we were checking out Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe on the left bank of the Seine.
While sipping our wine on the nearby terrace, we realized that we were right next to one of the Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurants: La Méditerranée. Although we hadn’t reserved a table, they were able to seat us later that night.
Again, the food quality was sublime and affordable. Highly recommend this restaurant if you love seafood.
Where to find Bib Gourmand restaurants
Now that we found this affordable Michelin rated restaurant, we will do more research and try to eat at more of them.
Paris
Since there are many (47 at last count) of these Bib Gourmand restaurants in Paris, check out this list of all the Bib Gourmand restaurants in Paris; Enjoy any of them and let us know in the comments which one you tried.
Right next to the Odeon: La Méditerranée
New York City
We already found the list of Bib Gourmand restaurants in New York City! In 2022, the list contained 109 restaurants. We have tried two so far (Italian Bar Primi and Korean Danji). Stay tuned for another post about our experiences there.
Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC
In the US, we have three more cities with Michelin Bib Gourmand distinction. Check out Chicago, San Francisco and Washington DC:
- Visit Bib Gourmand restaurants in Chicago; (53)
- Bib Gourmand restaurants in San Francisco; (142)
- Find Bib Gourmand restaurants in Washington DC; (36)
Conclusion Bib Gourmand in Paris
Yes, it is possible to eat in a haute cuisine restaurant and afford it. Just look for the Bib Gourmand label. Have you been to Paris? Did you find dining to be affordable? What was your favorite restaurant? Please share in the comments.
Best Things To Do in Paris
- Paris on a Budget;
- Explore Paris;
- Visit Monet for Free;
- Important tourist scam warning: How To Beat the Shell Game !
- Hang out with the Lost Generation at La Closerie des Lilas;
- Explore the Montparnasse neighborhood in Paris;
- Find out geeky Van Gogh facts and then seek out some of his paintings in Paris;
- Stay in Paris for free using your Hilton Honors points;
- Or use a free Hilton weekend certificate.
- Bistrotters reviews;
- Three Courses, 20 Euros: The Affordable Dining Renaissance in Paris. New York Times article with good and cheap restaurants.
Pin Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurants in Paris
Pin this for later so you can plan to visit some Bib Gourmand restaurants in Paris and other places.
Comments
24 responses to “Michelin Bib Gourmand: Affordable Restaurants in Paris 2023”
Great article! Reading this makes me want to travel back to Paris. Really like the detail given about the food.
Thank you, travelingmomentum! We were happy to find such amazing food for a relatively cheap price. Go back to Paris when you can, it always is magical and we seem to discover new gems each time we are there, and of course enjoy revisiting old favourites.
Karen
I LOVE French food. I think the food descriptions were informative and helpful and the photography is perfect. I literally wanted to pick up the spoon and eat the eggplant small bite. Thanks for sharing snd explaining about the Michellin Guide.
Thank you, Andrea! We love French food too, and the spoon with the eggplant was such an elegant and tasty extra to this meal! Hope you will have much French food in your future! The Bib Gourmand label is a good one to find some affordable ones. Last night we checked out an actual five star Michelin one in Maine, but the $125 per person (without the wines) was just more than we could afford.
This place looks great! I’ve necer tried Octupus either, would be interested to see what it tastes like! Great post guys!
THank you, NextOnTheMap. Yes, we loved loved that place, wish we could go back there like tonight 🙂
Octopus can sometime taste very rubbery, but this one was prepared perfectly, not at all rubbery. Hope you get to try it some day!
Food looks yummy. Not to my taste as id still be hungry and like my grub! But pictures are great. I would also love to go to paris.
Thank you, Yorkshire mum!
Yes, go to Paris when you can, it is just an awesome experience!
[…] has the same chef as the other restaurant in the hotel Librije’s Zusje, which has two Michelin stars. […]
[…] This game is a popular scam in big cities with lots of tourists, not only Paris, but also in New York City, Barcelona, Amsterdam, London and even Las Vegas. There is only one way to beat it. Do NOT fall for it, do NOT try to beat it, and do NOT show your money. I repeat, do not play! Even when you think you can win easily. Especially not when you think that. The internet if full of stories by people, self-declared smart people, taken by this game. Do not become one of them. Instead spend your money on a good dinner at the Bistrotters. […]
What a gem find! We’ll defo have to visit there if we ever find ourselves back in Paris!
Jessica & James | http://www.foodandbaker.co.uk
Yes, we were happily surprised how good and affordable it was! Definitely go for it or seek out Bib Gourmand restaurants in other locations .
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
This will come in unbelievably handy for my next trip in Paris! Every time I go to Paris I always have trouble finding affordable AND decent food. Well now i know where to go! Thanks for sharing x
Jesica • talesfromjes.com
Glad i could share this cool tidbit of foodie knowledge. When we found out about it, it felt like a whole new universe of dining opportunities opened up for us .
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Receptionists usually have the best places to recommend for places to try – since they are local to the area, they know exactly where the place to be is!
The funny thing about traveling is how often I always end up thinking to myself I must learn every language for there to never be a language barrier – it’s interesting reading menus in different languages and trying to decipher what each word is.
That’s actually amazing that The Michelin Inspectors were able to compile a list of places to eat that were affordable yet tasty – the food looks absolutely delicious!
Yes, the food was totally delightful, I would go back there in a heart beat. I agree with you on the language learning, I find that I am always try to at least learn the basics like hello, thank you and such, and that I am always trying to figure out what menus and signs say. Not always successfully 😀
The Michelin inspectors did a better job in Paris than they did in New York City, but haven’t gotten around to writing that blog post yet. So much to write, so little time 😀
Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
[…] has the same chef as the other restaurant in the hotel Librije’s Zusje, which has two Michelin stars. […]
[…] And while you are in New York City, find good and affordable food to eat in a so-called Bib Gourmand Michelin restaurant. […]
[…] Eat at a Bib Gourmand restaurant! Visit affordable Michelin rated restaurants in New York City. […]
Great post.
Thank you! I hope you get to eat at one of these Parisian Bib Gourmand restaurants some day.
[…] Paris, France. Niepce Paris Hotel, Curio Collection. Not only a cool hotel, but also close to metro stations and an excellent Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurant, Bistrotters. […]
[…] Find out about affordable Michelin restaurants in Paris: Bib Gourmand; […]
[…] From there you can take the Eurostar to Paris and get an affordable meal at a Michelin Bib Gourmand restaurant; […]