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American Food In Paris

American food in Paris is all the rage. Check out four fun restaurants where we experienced the Parisian take on hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese and barbecue back in 2016.

Frenchy To Go Reuben Sandwich - American Food in Paris France
Image: ©2foodtrippers

We exited our apartment, strolling down Rue du Renard away from the Pompidou; turning right onto one of Paris’ largest thoroughfares, Rue de Rivoli. Once on Rivoli, we walked past the Hotel de Ville within earshot of Notre Dame passing an assortment of boulangeries and fromageries including noted MOF affineur Laurent Dubois and Boulanger Manon.

After a few short blocks, we tingled with excitement as we approached our Parisian dinner destination – The Grilled Cheese Factory.

The Grilled Cheese Factory?!!

Yes. You read that correctly folks – our first dinner in Paris was grilled cheese. We were in Paris on a mission to eat American classics: Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, Barbecue and … Grilled Cheese Sandwiches.

Clarification
We adore eating French food in Paris. Sometimes, though, it’s fun to switch things up by taking a brief break from typical Paris food favorites.

During the previous food-focused month Lyon, we were floored by the gigantic yet perfectly prepared burgers at Les Frangins. We learned that this American food fascination began in Paris and was championed by chefs wishing to stretch the culinary boundaries of French gastronomy to create something new and exciting.

These chefs, many of whom previously cooked in the best restaurants in Paris, are now pouring ‘new wine in old bottles’ as they reach for fresh sources of inspiration to create and elevate classics that many of us would consider mundane. And, in many ways, they’re doing this with American food in Paris.

Where To Eat American Food In Paris

As you fill your Paris itinerary with museums and other cool tourist spots, be sure to save time to try a sampling of Paris restaurants. Of course, you will want to eat classic Paris food dishes at charming bistros and perhaps experience one or two of the top restaurants in Paris.

For a unique twist, why not try the French take on American food classics? This option is especially great for budget travelers looking for good but cheap restaurants in Paris. And, as a bonus, many of these restaurants are located in the best areas to stay in Paris, so there’s no need to travel far in your quest for dinner.

If you’re wondering where to eat in Paris, throw out your Paris restaurant guide for a few meals and check out these American-style joints:

The Grilled Cheese Factory

Grilled Cheese Factory in Paris France
In their pursuit of culinary perfection, chefs at the Grilled Cheese Factory in Paris make the extra effort to grill all sides of their sandwiches. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

As we entered The Grilled Cheese Factory in the Lower Marais, our heads turned immediately to the open kitchen just to the right of the door. There, two chefs were grilling large triangular sandwiches on a trio of skillets. The diagonally sliced sandwiches were lying face down in their respective pans.

Grilling the cheesy inside of the sandwich? How come we never thought of that? And the ingredients?

Melty fresh cheddar, full-flavored pastrami (a deli favorite in Paris) and other notable fillings like local farm bacon and deeply caramelized onions. Crisped to perfection on bread sourced from MOF boulangerie Ganachaud, these grilled cheese are an excellent choice for travelers looking for cheap eats Paris options.

Pro Tip
Be sure to add optional fillings like raclette and Rocamadour cheeses, fig jam and tomato confit.

The Grilled Cheese Factory has two locations in Paris. We ate at the one located at 9 Rue Jacques Cœur, 75004 Paris, France.

Frenchie To Go

Frenchie To Go Hot Dog with Yellow Mustard and Homemade Relish in Paris France
Pictured here is Frenchie To Go’s hot dog with yellow mustard and homemade relish. The popular cafe serves other American classics like pulled pork sandwiches, lobster rolls and fish and chips. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

** Frenchie To Go has permanently closed. **

Chef Grégory Marchand blazed new culinary trails in Paris in 2009 with the opening of Frenchie, a restaurant that unashamedly draws in Non-French influences like American and Italian food to the French culinary canon. Now, Marchand offers a number of American classics at his latest venture, Frenchie To Go.

Think you’ve seen some great hot dogs? Check out Marchand’s simple yet elegant take on the American tube meat classic.

Frenchie To Go grills a thin hot dog and places it on a massive hot dog bun stylishly dressed (in Parisian style, of course) with swirled yellow mustard. After tasting the slightly smoky, beefy grilled dog, Daryl swore that the restaurant must be importing their links from New York, but we later found out that the hot dogs are actually made in-house.

Discover more great hot dogs around the world.

One of the more affordable restaurants in Paris, Frenchie To Go makes a drool-worthy Reuben as well as other staples like Pulled Pork and Lobster Roll sandwiches. They also serve worthy Non-American specials including creamy burrata with whole and shaved white asparagus, strawberries and black olives.

Combine the great food with a casual family atmosphere, and the result is not to be missed.

Pro Tip
Don’t be thrown off by a long line. For us, the line moved fairly quickly and was well worth the wait for what may be the best lunch in Paris.

Frenchie to Go was located at 9 Rue du Nil, 75002 Paris, France. It has permanently closed.

The Beast

Texas Barbecue at The Beast in Paris France
Texas barbecue in Paris? It turns out that the Parisians do an excellent job with American BBQ staples like brisket and beef ribs (a cut of the beef rib is shown on the bottom right) at The Beast. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Our American barbecue odyssey, which began at the BBQ capitals of Lockhart and Memphis, continued at The Beast.

Trust the French, whose culinary classics include slow-cooking stalwarts like Boeuf Bourguignon, Blanquette de Veau and Coq au Vin, to lovingly embrace the barbecue concept of ‘low and slow’ cooking at The Beast, one of the most popular places to eat in Paris France.

The Beast Bartender Sarah Andrews in Paris France
The Beast has a small bar with a fine selection of American spirits expertly curated by Kentucky native Sarah Andrews. Whiskeys include American staples such as Eagle Rare, Buffalo Trace and Blanton’s. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

And how was the brisket at this popular Paris restaurant you ask? Pretty darn good.

The moist and juicy meat contains a perfect red smoke ring like we would expect in America, but the rub, dotted with whole peppercorns, was unmistakably French. The French will never just plop food on a plate, and the barbecued meat was plated next to a pool of sauce much like a steak in a fine restaurant. Even on the cheap, dining in Paris is always a special event.

Pro Tip
The huge beef rib, made with meat imported from Australia, is a worthy splurge.

The Beast has three locations in Paris. We ate at the original one located at 27 Rue Meslay, 75003 Paris, France.

Le Ruisseau

Hamburger at Le Ruisseau in Paris France
Hole-in-the-wall Le Ruisseau offers tasty burgers with amazing toppings like Bleu d’Auverne and St. Maure cheeses. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

We stopped in Le Ruisseau for burgers while bar hopping with our friends at Our Tasty Travels. While Le Ruisseau’s burgers aren’t quite as epic as the ones we ate at Les Frangines in Lyon or Le Pied de Mammouth in Strasbourg, they are loaded with flavor.

This hole-in-the-wall serves a fine blue cheeseburger made with Blue d’Auverne and a goat cheeseburger with St, Maure de Touraine. Plus, the fries served with our burgers were perfectly crisp. Is there a more perfect quick meal than hamburgers for four Americans dining in Paris? Maybe. Maybe not.

Discover the world’s best burgers.

We view a restaurant like Le Ruisseau as a bridge between the large burgers we would eat in a fine restaurant and the kind of burgers that are served at Shake Shack, one of our favorite American fast food joints.

That Parisians, however, maximize their ability to use the kinds of superior products (cheeses, meats and condiments) that are only available in France, elevating the burgers, even at cheap places to eat in Paris, to a finer dining experience.

Pro Tip
Le Ruisseau is located right near the Pompidou, making it an excellent spot to eat after checking out some of Paris’ best modern art.

Le Ruisseau has two locations in Paris. We ate at the one located at 22 Rue Rambuteau, 75003 Paris, France.

Final Thoughts

Now that we’ve eaten some of the best American food in France, we’re ready to return and check out the Paris restaurant scene from a different angle. We never tire of eating out in Paris!

Read our comprehensive Paris restaurant guide.

Bedroom in Cobblestone Paris Apartment Hotel
Paris is more fun when you stay overnight. | Image: ©2foodtrippers

Have we convinced you to visit Paris and have your own food experiences? Once you decide where to stay in Paris, you’ll want to plan ahead:

Paris Planning Checklist

Hungry For More In Paris?

Terrace at Bontemps la Patisserie in Paris
Brunch Spots
Septime in Paris
Restaurants
Wine Shelf at La Cave a Michel in Paris
Wine Bars
About The Authors

About The Authors

Daryl & Mindi Hirsch

Saveur Magazine’s BEST TRAVEL BLOG award winners Daryl and Mindi Hirsch share their culinary travel experiences and recipes on the 2foodtrippers website. Since launching the site in 2012, they’ve traveled to over 40 countries in their quest to bring readers their unique taste of the world.

Disclosures

Article Updates
We update our articles regularly. Some updates are major while others are minor link changes and spelling corrections. Let us know if you see anything that needs to be updated in this article.

Funding
We self-funded our multiple trips to Paris and purchased all food featured in this article.

Original Publication Date: May 17, 2016

Bob Marino

Monday 30th of March 2020

These are all good places, but your first meal in Paris was grilled cheese? And not even a croque monsieur? That's sad. And to be updating this and republishing it during the coronavirus lockdown is tone-deaf.

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Tuesday 31st of March 2020

Bob - Did you read the article. We've tasted croque monsieurs many times. This was about American food in Paris. We will continue to edit and tweak our travel site through these challenging times. It is your choice, as a reader, to visit our site. Thanks for reading.

Bernadette

Saturday 25th of June 2016

I love your pictures. The grilled cheese photo is amazing. Did you have one?

Daryl and Mindi Hirsch

Saturday 25th of June 2016

Thanks Bernadette! And, yes, we each ate a grilled cheese sandwich. They tasted as good as they looked.

Gessell

Thursday 23rd of June 2016

Those places look delicious. I've found Europe to be pretty hit or miss with "American" food. I'd love to try the bbq out. Something I've been missing!

Arnie

Thursday 26th of May 2016

I don't care what they say! That ain't 'Murican food! It looks, and I bet TASTES, even better! Can't wait to get back to Paris! (Four exclamation points.... Maybe, a bit excessive.)

Christine

Tuesday 24th of May 2016

This is a great angle and kind of brave to talk about American food in Paris. This is a French telling you that! Bravo!

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