Around the rest of Paris, however, it’s good to have a few suggestions for when the urge hits. Prices vary widely but expect to pay €3-7 for a takeaway crepe. Restaurants are a bit pricier, at €8-15 for a savory crepe, though look out for set menus that score you a savory and a sweet for decent prices.

Related: 8 Great meals in Paris for €10 or less

The best Paris crepes to try during your trip

Market Crepes: Top Pick

Head to the Marche des Enfants Rouge for the city’s most over-stuffed crepes at Chez Alain Miam Miam. Alain takes his time making each item fresh, grating the cheese onto a freshly prepared buckwheat crepe and loading it with salad, meat, and fresh herbs. The line can wrap around the market, with waits exceeding thirty minutes, but no one walks away disappointed having spent only €7. If he likes you, he may throw in a few sweet crepes for dessert. Take the portable meal to the nearby Square du Temple and embarrass yourself as you try to get it into your mouth.

Latin Quarter Crepes

If you’re meandering through the Latin Quarter by the Pantheon or you just had a pint in one of the student-friendly bars on rue Mouffetard, head to Au Petit Grec (66, rue Mouffetard, 75005). They heap ingredients onto a wide variety of crepes, including seasonal ones like the Savoyard, which offers a thick mountain of cheese and potatoes. Prices hover around €5-6 for the savories. I’ve never had room for a sweet crepe afterward, but they look just as good.

Marais Crepes

On rue des Rosiers in the Marais neighborhood, right down the street from famed L’As du Falafel, there is a blue façade that serves up traditional crepes called La Droguerie — perfect for something that’s not falafel while strolling rue des Rosiers (56 rue des Rosiesr).

Around the corner, you’ll quickly find Princess Crepes (3, rue des Ecouffes, 75004). Keep your eyes peeled for a storefront that resembles a geisha’s dollhouse topped with whipped cream. This tiny store puts a kitschy, nontraditional, Japanese spin on the crepe — and you won’t break the bank while indulging with each creation somewhere around €5. The ice cream is a welcomed touch.

Restaurant Crepes

For a sit-down crepe experience, everyone always buzzes about Breizh Café (109 rue Vieille du Temple) in the Marais. Don’t get me wrong, they’re excellent, but between needing a reservation and fighting all of the “foodie” tourists that go there, it can get kind of frustrating. And at €12-16, it’s not the cheapest.

You have other choices when it comes to crepe restaurants that don’t require reservations. For example, on Ile Saint Louis the tiny Café Med (77 rue Saint Louis en l’Ile) serves up no-frills crepes that hit the spot. Sure it might not feature high-end ingredients, but a good old ham, cheese, and egg crepe doesn’t need anything fancy.

Several other restaurants serve up crepes with a fork and knife for around €10 or less. On the Right Bank, West Country Girl (6 Passage Saint Abroise) is a favorite for those like baker/writer David Lebovitz. On the Left Bank, La Crepe Rit du Clown (6 rue des Canettes) is an easy go-to when you need a crepe fix. Little Breizh (11 rue Grégoire de Tours) is another solid address with some more gourmet options, right in the heart of Saint Germain, and it’s been on food writer Patricia Wells’ radar.

Sitting down to a buckwheat crepe with a cup of cider for lunch. Photo: Neil Conway

Tips for eating crepes

Remember crepes are savory or sweet. Savory varieties are best served on a buckwheat crepe and filled with ham, cheese, or egg, but each creperie has its own set of concoctions. Some get crazy with fish, potatoes, various cheeses, and Bolognese sauce (students love it). The buckwheat, however, means they are generally gluten-free but don’t depend on it.

Sweet crepes are made of flour and can contain fruit, Grand Marnier, honey, or Nutella among other items. You can even just eat a sweet crepe on its own, or nature, as the French say. Your best bet is just to try several of them and judge for yourself.

Hungry yet? What are your favorite spots in Paris for crepes? Tell us in the comments!

Note: This post was updated in April 2016 with new listings and current information.

The post Paris Crepes: The best crepe stands and creperies appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Instead, let’s discuss knowing which dishes are worth trying in Paris, no matter what restaurant you choose. Sushi, pizza and burgers abound in Paris, but here are five dishes that you may not get back home quite as easily. Look for them on the menu and give these classics a try!

1. Duck confit

Duck leg cooked in its own fat? Done. You can thank the fat-loving southwest of France for this dish. Usually served up with roasted potatoes, this is a staple of many Parisian bistros and cafés, and it’s hard not to love. Even the cheapest ones are pretty good. Look for confit de canard on the menu.

2. Escargot

These slimy little buggers are made entirely appetizing with some butter and maybe some garlic and parsley. They are much easier to eat than Julia Roberts would have us think in Pretty Woman. While seemingly kitsch, snails are still something to try when in Paris as a starter, just to see what all the fuss is about.

3. Beef bourguignon

Your mother may have made Julia Child’s version of this iconic beef stew. While Amy Adams tried so desperately to recreate the dish in the movie about Child, the real thing isn’t quite as tricky to make. You’ll find versions of it on menus all across town, so leave any preconceived notions at home.

4. Steak tartare

Instead of getting cooked beef, why not just get the fresher version? Steak tartare is raw ground beef mixed with various seasonings and a raw egg. Sounds gross but that doesn’t stop people from ordering it—though I wouldn’t suggest getting it at just any café since quality ingredients are important for a raw dish like this one. Many tourists gripe about not being able to get meat well-done, so why even bother? Just go with the flow on this one.

5. Foie gras

If you’re from California, you might feel like you’re breaking the law, but foie gras is still very much appreciated in Paris. Fatty duck or goose liver may not be grown in the most humane way (what really is force-feeding anyway?) but the result is divine. Served with toast, maybe a bit of jam and some coarse salt, it’s the perfect way to start a meal or to indulge with a glass of wine. Just don’t think too much about it.

The post Dining in Paris: Five meals to try before you leave town appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

Drinking in Public

If you’re out and about, take advantage of the city’s 820 drinking fountains (check out this map) including 120 historic Wallace drinking fountains or its new brand of sparkling water fountains that offer chilled bubbly water on tap.

How to Order Free Water in a Restaurant

If you’re in a Paris café or restaurant, water, like bread, is always free.

And it’s the only drink in France that comes with a free refill.

Just ask for a glass of water (un verre d’eau) or a carafe (une carafe d’eau) to indicate that you plan to revel in the complimentary pleasures of the city’s “grand cru.”

Or if your waiter gives you a nudge by asking whether you prefer flat (plat) or sparkling (gazeuse or pétillante), asking for “Château-la-Pompe”–the cheeky nickname for tap water that translates roughly to “Château of the Water Pump”–will demonstrate your command of French wit and the knowledge that there’s no need to pay for something you can get for free.

Eau de Paris Souvenirs

In an effort to encourage Parisians to drink tap water, the publicly funded city water company Eau de Paris makes colorfully designed 1-liter carafes for home use that have the perfectly balanced mineral content of Paris water printed on the side.

The sturdy glass carafes come in limited edition designs including a carafe for each arrondissement to promote neighborhood pride. But there’s no reason you can’t bring one of these babies home and fill it with your own tap water (or wine).

And if you’re not in the mood to lug a glass carafe in your carry-on, you can pick up a reusable Philippe Starck-designed plastic water bottle from a vending machine at the sparkling water fountain at André Citroën park in the 15th arrondissement.

The post Why you should never buy water in Paris appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.