Dine Like a Local with 'Menu du Jour'

If you want to eat exceptionally well in France without draining your travel budget, make lunch your main meal of the day. Most authentic bistros and brasseries offer a 'Menu du Jour' (Menu of the Day) or 'Formule' exclusively during lunchtime, usually between 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM.

This is typically a 2 or 3-course meal made from fresh, seasonal market ingredients, priced significantly lower than the dinner menu. Look for restaurants that display their menu handwritten on an 'ardoise' (chalkboard). This is a strong indicator that the chef is cooking with whatever was fresh at the market that morning.

Avoid restaurants with massive, laminated menus translated into five different languages, or places where a host is standing outside trying to usher you in. True French culinary gems let their chalkboard menus and local crowds do the talking.