25 Paris Foods You Must Try Before You Leave (Honest Review)

There is so much to eat in Paris and so little time. In this video we share the 25 Paris foods to try that we keep coming back to, in five groups: street food, desserts, bistro dishes, cheeses and pastries. In between, we explain what to look for each season, which also helps you spot a tourist trap serving food out of season.

Our 25 picks

  • Street food: a French hot dog in a baguette covered in cheese, crêpes (sweet) and buckwheat galettes (savory), the croque monsieur or croque madame, a ham and cheese roll, and the jambon-beurre.
  • Desserts: crêpe Suzette flambéed at the table, pavlova with fresh berries, profiteroles, tarte Tatin from Normandy and the Paris-Brest.
  • Bistro dishes: choucroute from Alsace, steak au poivre with fries, moules-frites, duck confit and boeuf bourguignon.
  • Cheeses: Morbier, Crottin de Chavignol, Brie de Meaux, Beaufort and Reblochon.
  • Pastries: kouign-amann, Saint-Honoré, chausson aux pommes, a cream and chocolate pastry, and the pain au chocolat.

Eating with the seasons

In spring look for white asparagus, peas, fava beans, lamb, strawberries and fresh goat cheese. Summer brings steak tartare, salade niçoise, melon and ham, grilled fish and lightly sweet ice cream. Autumn is for mushrooms, pears, figs, game and duck confit. Winter is raclette, fondue, tartiflette, cassoulet, hot chocolate and roasted chestnuts.

Our favorites and tips

Our own favorites included the jambon-beurre, the cheese roll, duck confit, steak au poivre, Morbier, Beaufort and the kouign-amann. For cheese, skip the supermarket and go to a fromagerie, where cheeses are sorted by milk and strength and staff can cut small pieces for you. For the pain au chocolat, we love Blé Sucré in the 11th, where we once took Mark Wiens.

To taste your way through the city with a local guide, book the Devour food tour or browse more Paris food tours and Paris cooking classes. Our 125 best restaurants in Paris guide lists the places we trust, and our Paris Guide Bundle covers the rest of your trip.