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If you’re heading to Paris chances are the food will be a huge part of your overall experience. As a city it's renowned for taking its cuisine extremely seriously and there can be a hefty price tag to match this intense dedication to taste. But, there are Michelin bargains to be had. Here we present seven restaurants where you can enjoy exemplary cooking that won't completely break the bank, excluding wine and service.
Also, check out our guides to Michelin dining for less in London, New York and Tokyo.
Where to Eat in Paris
1. Auguste
A very reasonable €37 ($40) for three courses of one star cooking from chef Gaël Orieux in the seventh arrondissement; dishes include pollock with samphire pesto and veal with hazelnuts and figs.
2. L'Agapé
L'Agapé/Facebook
Four courses for €44 ($47) depending on what’s good at market that day means you’re unlikely ever to have the same meal twice at L'Agapé. At the helm is Yoshitaka Takayanagi, one of a new generation of Japanese chefs offering their interpretation of French fine dining in the capital.
3. L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon
The ever reliable Joël Robuchon offers four courses for €49 (pushing the budget slightly at $52) at the “Etoile” branch of his restaurant empire at the top of the Champs-Élysées.
4. Lucas Carton
Enjoy three courses of steadfast French cooking by chef Julien Dumas, who formerly worked under Alain Ducasse, in one of Paris’s most famous art noveau dining rooms, for €45 ($48).
5. Nakatani
Nakatani
Shinsuke Nakatani’s eponymous one star restaurant offers meticulously plated French fare with a light Japanese touch and the price, €40 ($43) for four courses, will have you humming the young Japanese chef’s name on a post-lunch walk along the Seine.
6. Saturne
The crew at Saturne have a strict philosophy of all organic, all natural and “no sous-vide.” Find out how this translates onto the plate at €45 for three courses.
7. L’Astrance
Okay, so we’ve tricked you slightly here. Lunch at L’Astrance costs €70 ($75), but for three Michelin star cooking it deserves special mention and is in that sense the best value restaurant on this list. Prepare for a surprise menu from chef Pascal Barbot at what is the 57th best restaurant in the world according to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
