Paris Bouillons

Next time your stomach starts to rumble on a trip to Paris, make like the locals have been doing for over a century, and head to a French Bouillon for an authentic and budget-friendly meal.

According to an Urbansider article, “The first bouillons appeared in Paris back in 1855, when a butcher by the name of Pierre Louis Duval came up with a clever and innovative restaurant concept. To quickly and cheaply serve quality meals to the masses of blue-collar workers in the city centre, his restaurants had just item on the menu: a dish of meat and a broth, or ‘bouillon’.”

These restaurants reached the height of their popularity in the 1900s, with over 250 Bouillons feeding working-class Parisians. However, tastes shifted in favour of fancier bistros and eating establishments and, in 2000, only Bouillon Chartier remained.

Fast-forward to 2024, and a new crop of Bouillons are very much back in favour. Locals and tourists are drawn by the promise of affordable but tasty and traditional fare, like steak frites, egg mayonnaise and the namesake bouillon, served in stunning surroundings (Bouillon Pigalle is particularly striking).

Expect to part with $30 or less for a meal – *café and *un verre de vin included.  

Read more here.

*coffee | *a glass of wine