Paris Dining

Paris Dining

For the first real restaurant, we must naturally turn to France. In 1765, a soup vendor named Boulanger opened a shop offering diners a choice of dishes rather than the then standard "ordinary" or "table d'hôte" dinner.

The sign above Boulanger's door read "Restaurants," meaning "restoratives," referring to the hot soups and broths available inside.

The term restaurant or a derivative, was eventually adopted by many other nations and languages, although the word was not generally used in England until the late nineteenth century.

Hungry Parisians so enjoyed the new eating place that hundreds of similar establishments began springing up around the city, one offering close to 200 different meat dishes daily.

Today, you’ll find more than 3000 places to eat in Paris, from the most expensive establishments to the budget oriented places. Here are a few in each category.

The oldest restaurant that still operate today in Paris is Le Procope (photo on the top Voltaire, Rousseau and Diderot were faithful regulars and the "Encyclopédie" was created under the coffee's crystal Chandeliers. In this place, Benjamin Franklin completed the American Constitution.