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.

But we have watched one too many tourists wander through the dreary aisles of a French supermarket scavenging like lost urban seagulls for industrially made scraps when all of Paris is there for the taking in its competitively priced gourmet food shopping glory.

Follow our tips on how to get more value and quality for your money and turn that in-room picnic into a memorable meal you couldn’t get at home.

Why the Supermarket Should Be Your Last Resort

Note that while American supermarkets have become more glamorous and high quality in recent years, Paris supermarkets just don’t try that hard. Even larger chains like Monoprix with their own deli counters and more extensive offerings can’t give you the same quality that you can find elsewhere. And if you are going to make a meal of wine, bread and cheese, which are usually accompaniments to the main meal in France, remember that life is short and you have better options than the inferior mass-market variety.

A Paris Farmers Market for Every Day of the Week

Another obvious one-stop destination for in-room picnic supplies is the Paris farmers market. Paris has 82 farmers markets in every neighborhood of the city, meaning you have your pick of locations any day of the week.

The lively markets of Paris are entertaining and life-affirming. Not only can you find fresh whole foods, you can also find more exotic but still affordable pre-prepared offerings like warm freshly made paella, choucroute or roast chicken and potatoes, or even a plate of shucked oysters (just ask) that you can enjoy with a glass of wine, some made-in-Brittany butter and fresh bread in your room, no cooking required.

Because the food is not pre-packaged, you can buy only as much food as you need, like a single roasted chicken thigh with a handful of roasted potatoes, instead of a whole chicken, or any sized morsel of cheese, which will save you money on wasted food.

Specialty Shops and Traiteurs

Don’t be intimidated by cheese shops, wine shops, fruit and vegetable sellers, butchers (who sell ready to eat cooked meats and pates as well), fish shops (which sell the aforementioned oysters or already cooked shrimp or smoked salmon) and other specialty shops, which may look fancy but aren’t necessarily more expensive.

The traiteur is the name for a gourmet take-out shop or deli where you can buy prepared foods. This is not a budget option per se, although if you want to sample gourmet dishes prepared by French hands without paying for a sit-down restaurant meal, there are savings to be found. Also be aware that even apparently upscale wine shops will have plenty of perfectly drinkable wines priced at well under €10, and the staff is trained to help.

Pick up bread, pastries, sandwiches, quiches and more at a boulangerie. Photo: meminick

Boulangeries and Patisseries

There is no point buying pre-packaged supermarket pastries when the city is jam packed with patisseries where you can buy anything from a single macaron to a slice of tart for the price of a pack of industrially made cookies at the supermarket.

It should go without saying that the boulangerie is the cheapest place to buy the freshest bread. But the boulangerie is also a reasonably priced place to pick up sandwiches, quiches, desserts, salads and in some cases hot meals packaged to go (if you want your meal heated, just ask).

Pretty much every boulangerie offers a fixed price menu option (or three) that can save you money on a sandwich/quiche/pizza/stuffed bread plus a dessert and a drink. (But be sure to do the math in your head first since in some cases you can save by buying separately.)

Remember not to buy more bread or pastries than you plan to consume asap, as items are baked fresh and not injected with preservatives to give them a shelf life.

If you want fresh bread but don’t want your baguette to go stale (which it will, often in a matter of hours), don’t go for those overpriced mini breads they sell like candies at near the cash register. Instead, ask for a “demi-baguette,” and you will pay half price for half of a full-sized baguette (this generally works only for standard baguettes, not ones made with special flours or whole grains or added ingredients like nuts or olives).

Microwave Meals

If your hotel has a microwave, we have two words for you: Picard Surgelés. This ubiquitous chain has been selling flash frozen foods and upmarket TV dinners to French citizens since the early 1970s, and now has more than 100 locations in Paris alone. Even if you don’t plan to buy anything, taking a stroll through the chilly aisles provides a fascinating sociological glimpse into the modern French palate. Plus you can try French specialties like escargot, duck stuffed with foie gras and more without paying restaurant prices.

Take Out and Delivery

More and more Paris restaurants offer take-out (à emporter), which isn’t necessarily a low cost way to go, especially since tipping is included in the price of items. Some restaurants, like the hipper than thou organic pizza makers Pizza Flamingo, knock €1 off for take-out. And there are mediocre sushi restaurants all over Paris that offer food to go.

Delivery (livraison) is also increasingly popular in Paris, but you will wait an hour and quality to price ratios are not necessarily givens. Be sure to check first with your hotel if you decide to go the delivery route.

The post Gourmet Picnic Ideas for Your Paris Hotel Room appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.