What Parisians REALLY Eat for Dinner (It’s Not What You Think!)

If we asked you to picture dinner in Paris, you would probably imagine steak frites, a glass of wine and a white tablecloth. You can absolutely eat that here, but most weeknight dinners look nothing like it. In this video we show you what Parisians really eat for dinner on a normal Tuesday, open the fridge of Mick, a real family with three young kids, and share where people actually shop. It helps anyone who wants to eat more like a local on their trip.

How the French eat

At 8 pm, about eight out of ten French people sit down to dinner at the same time, and on average dinner falls between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. A weeknight meal is simple: Mick’s family had pasta with chicken in a creamy mushroom “Normandy” sauce. Water is the usual drink, and dessert is often fruit or yogurt. Onion soup, escargot and duck confit belong to the restaurant repertoire, not to a Tuesday at home. Frozen Picard bags are a feature, not an embarrassment.

Where people shop and what changes with the seasons

Outside the center, Antoine’s family walks to the bakery for a fresh baguette, visits the weekly market and the cheese shop, and uses supermarkets like Carrefour, Aldi, Grand Frais and Picard for specific things. The calendar decides the menu: raclette from the end of September, stews like beef bourguignon and coq au vin plus oysters in winter, white asparagus and strawberries in spring, and a light apéro dînatoire in summer.

Our tips for your trip

  • Book dinner at 8 or 8:30 pm to eat alongside Parisians. A full room at 7 pm is mostly tourists.
  • Renting an apartment? Shop at the market, buy a ready meal from a traiteur and pick up a baguette daily.
  • Try a bouillon for classic French food at a low price, where locals really eat.
  • Green flag: a short menu. Red flag: pages of dishes, a sign of a tourist trap.

To eat where Parisians actually eat, use our 125 best restaurants in Paris guide, or let a local show you around on a Devour food tour. For the rest of your trip, our Paris Guide Bundle has you covered.