Monday, September 15, 2014

A Very Affordable Lunch in Paris at Foyer de la Madeleine


Paris can be an absolute trap for tourists who want to eat well.  It's not unusual to pay $AUD10 just for a coffee in Paris, so when our friend Malcolm told us about the restaurant situated in the cellars of the Madeleine church, known as Foyer de la Madeleine,  we decided to give it a try.  Set up as a fund raiser to help the poor, it is a well patronised establishment, offering a 3 course meal with bread at the unbelievable price of 8.50 Euro.  You need to be a member and obtain a card, which costs an additional 5 Euro, but it still works out as great value for a meal right in the heart of Paris.  The membership card is valid for a year, so if you are in town for a while you can make good use of your memebership.

You will need to speak a little French, but only a little and the volunteer ladies serving the food are absolutely lovely.



To enter the restaurant walk around the side of the church (right hand side facing Place de la Concorde) and enter through the door marked with the sign above.




You buy the membership card at reception and then pay the lady sitting at another desk to the left of reception



Then find yourself a table and wait to be served.  The ladies will bring around a tray of salads with several choices.  On the day we were there there was rice, cous cous, green or potato and fish.


The is also a good selection of bread.



For the main course there was a choice of two.  Beef or fish with lovely carrots and fries.



The half bottle of rose was 3 Euros.






Dessert is also a selection of fruits, cakes, cheeses, yoghurts or creme caramel also bought around on a tray by the ladies.  This changes daily.




There was also coffee or chocolate ice cream served in an ingenious container, where the lid became the base.


Afterwards you can retire to the lounge at the left of the cellar to take in an espresso coffee and chocolate, for 80 centimes.




After lunch make sure you check out the interiors of the beautiful Madeleine





and the views from her front stairs back to Place de la Concorde, where Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI met the guillotine.


This restaurant is just down the road from Maxims and whilst it is no gourmand, it is great value and a really French experience.

Compare the Maxims menu here.



La Foyer de la Madeleine open weekdays from 12-2pm.  Closed Christmas Day, May Day and for the month of August.
For more travel stories go here.

If you would like Desire Empire posts to come straight to your inbox every ten days or so, you can sign up here for my Newsletter.

You can pin any of these shots by hovering over the shot and clicking on the  'P'.

You can also find me on
and instagram @desireempire

Today I am linked up here
Metamorphosis Monday

4 comments :

  1. Thank-you for showing us one beautiful city after another. It's like I'm traveling with you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a great find. Love the rounded walls. The church is gorgeous. Loving reading about your travels. What a great experience for you all especially for your children xx

    ReplyDelete
  3. Now that is a fantastic find! Paris is so expensive, I have memories of paying $50 for 2 burgers and 1 chips to share amongst my family of 4! Needless to say, we filled up on the included breakfasts after that so that we could skip lunch!
    Looks like your having a fantastic holiday :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Good pics - even the one of the commercial creme caramel. LOL. Can't wait to see the shots of "Le Penguin" - we should give your readers directions - they could do Chateau du Meudon and the restaurant in one hit. Although way more expensive than Madelaine - €11.50 for three course (what a rip off! LOL) To get this in perspective... you'll pay €5.50 for a (sitting down) 'Café Creme" (white coffee) in most places - and the same for a beer. If you stand at the bar it will be about half that. BTW - never order "café au lait" - always say "café creme" ...or even "une creme" - when you want a white coffee.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...