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 front desk 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.
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Table of contents
Finding Good and Cheap 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 (around 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
Many wonderful and interesting sounding options, 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?
Right 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 (39 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.
New York City
We already found the list of Bib Gourmand restaurants in New York City! In 2025, the list contains 82 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; (38)
- Bib Gourmand restaurants in San Francisco; (129)
- Find Bib Gourmand restaurants in Washington DC; (26)
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.
We are looking forward to returning to Paris this year and eat at Bistrotters again.
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 about affordable Michelin restaurants in Paris: Bib Gourmand;
- 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.
Pin Michelin Bib Gourmand Restaurants in Paris
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