Paris is full of great options for eating out. With its world-renowned restaurants, cute corner cafés, and neo-bistros, visitors to Paris have an abundance of options when it comes to choosing where to eat in Paris. While most travelers have a bucket list of restaurants to reserve, there is a growing trend of tourists seeking out alternative dining options like where to eat with local Parisians for a more intimate experience with the city’s food culture.
If you’re tired of sitting in restaurants surrounded by English-speaking tourists, want an authentic Paris dining experience, or are looking to make new friends, you may want to try one of the various meal-share platforms that bring tourists and Parisians together at the same table. Here‘s where we like to go to eat with locals in Paris.
Present in 120 different countries, VoulezVousDîner pairs local home chefs and foodies with tourists looking to have a unique dining experience while abroad. With VoulezVous Dîner, you’ll get the chance to enjoy a meal prepared especially for you by a local in their own home. The diverse selection of Paris meals includes an authentic Indian option (24€), intimate dinners with a view of the Eiffel Tower (72€), and a vegetarian lunch (23€). So if you want to eat with locals in Paris, it doesn’t get better than this. Enjoy a cultural exchange over a home-cooked meal and gain insight into the everyday life of Parisians.
With its platform proposing dinners, cooking classes, food tours, and supper clubs; eatwith has something for everyone. The website offers another great way to eat with locals in Paris, while giving you a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how Parisians shop for food. Try an outdoor market tour and lunch experience (144€) where your host takes you food shopping at a local market and teaches you how to rustle up a tasty French meal with the produce. Classes like a macaron-making course (140€) and learning the art of the soufflé (96€) guarantee that you’ll be able to recreate your French foodie experience when you get back home.
Meal Sharing promises to help users discover home-cooking in over 150 countries, including several cities in France. The Paris local meal-share options are limited at the moment, but sure to grow with time. What makes them interesting is their diversity—vegetarian tourists will enjoy the Italian vegetarian experience (20€) and those looking for an interesting fusion experience will want to book the Palestinian-French dinner (40€). Meal Sharing offers affordable meals (for instance, you can book a Brazilian lunch in Lyon for 5€) and honest experiences with home-cooks and food lovers who are eager to share their knowledge and time with you, making this another great way of eating with Parisian locals.
While most travelers are familiar with Airbnb as a way to find lodging while on the road, many have yet to discover Airbnb Experiences. After launching in late 2016, Airbnb Experiences have steadily been on the rise and are now offered in thousands of locations across the world. The Paris offering is vast and includes a variety of tempting options for the foodie tourist to eat with locals. Take a croissant and coffee walk (37€) with a Parisian in the morning, then make new amis in the evening with a Belleville-based wine bar crawl (75€).
As its name implies, With Locals aims to bring tourists and locals together over great food, making it so much easier for visitors to the city to eat with the local Parisians. Currently offering over 80 private tours and activities in Paris, the website features food-focused experiences in addition to cultural activities. Mom and dad can enjoy a private cheese tasting (57€) by a local host before taking the kids to Family Masterpiece: Montmartre & Art Workshop or the Bonjour Paris!- Fun Family Intro Tour.
In addition to the family friendly aspect of this platform, With Locals also works closely with its hosts to offer a wide range of ways to discover and learn from the history, architecture, hidden secrets, and food culture of Paris.
Please note: All prices were verified as of March 2019.
Related Links
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- The best gluten-free lunch spots in Paris.
Written by Emily Dilling for HiP Paris. Looking to travel? Check out Haven In for a fabulous vacation, or long term, rental in Paris, Italy, France or elsewhere in Europe.
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