Most of our meals during trips do not look as aesthetically pleasing as the picture above of our family sitting in a cafe in Paris. A big portion of many of our trips is a food crawl to find something that our very picky-eater toddler will eat. Getting him to eat has been one of our biggest challenges of parenting, and it doesn’t get any easier on our trips. Fortunately, for now, our baby girl will eat almost anything that we offer her, so the focus is to find something that the toddler will eat, and the baby will go with the flow.
We managed to find a few spots that both kids thoroughly enjoyed (as well as their parents)! Listing those favorite spots below.
Café du Trocadéro: We had a photoshoot at this location, and although the Trip Advisor reviews on the food are mediocre, we enjoyed the first batch of freshly baked croissants! We got a butter croissant for the kids, and a chocolate croissant for ourselves, and thoroughly enjoyed each bite! The views from this cafe likely draw a large crowd as well.
Le Sens Unique: This restaurant had amazing reviews of French Onion Soup (my favorite), but when we got to there, they were not serving it. Turns out that French Onion Soup is only tasty in the winter moths (guess I need to plan my next trip :)). I ended up ordering pasta with tomato sauce, which was delicious. Thankfully both kids devoured it! My husband got the steak, which he really enjoyed. They were not able to accomodate us with high chairs, and our toddler sat in an adult chair, and the baby sat in her stroller, in a straightened position for seating. It worked for us for our dinner.
Acai and You: One of the ‘safe foods’ for my toddler is an Acai smoothie. They are healthy, delicious, and, thankfully, something we can always be sure he will eat! Because it is so sweet and in liquid texture, we try to save it as a last resort for the day; but sometimes, we just to get him one ASAP. In every city we visit, we try to find an Acai spot, with good reviews and in a nearby location. At this spot, we loved the Pineapple & CoCo Acai bowl for myself and the baby, while my toddler inhaled an adult size Acai and Banana smoothie – so nutritious and delicious!
Restaurant Chang: Thai food is a forever favorite in our household, and this restaurant was delicious and made us feel comfortable with our two babies and giant stroller, even though we hurt their trendy vibe. I took some chicken/noodles out from the Pad Thai, and mixed it with white rice for the kids. They ate it, as well as the Mango and Sticky Rice dessert! I highly recommend this place.
Pierre Herme: I am a huge fan of Macaroons, so one of my favorite food and travel bloggers, Zahra Dharani, recommended Pierre Herme. The macaroons here are pricey, but so tasty! I let my toddler snack on the vanilla one as a special treat, and he approved as well.
On the less glamorous side, we made a couple stops at Starbucks and McDonalds for the kiddies. Starbucks will generally have porridge, banana bread, and warm milk – which satisfied the toddler. McDonalds may not feel like the healthiest, but if all else has failed, I will gladly give my son the chicken nuggets and apple slices to eat.
To prep for the times we cannot find a good meal, I always keep Microwaveable porridge pots and lots of Ellas pouches in the diaper bag. These are convenient for when the kids wake up and immediately want to eat.
Any places you recommend for kids in Paris? What are you back-ups for picky-eater tots?