As Paris is an international city with many expats living as Parisians, especially American expats, there has inevitably been a demand for proper Thanksgiving dinners, both demand for meals in restaurants and demand for Thanksgiving “supplies.” If you are traveling to Paris during the American national holiday, as many do due to the beauty of Paris right before the end of year holiday time, here is where to go to avoid missing out on the annual feast.
THE HOOD
The Hood café, an INSIDR favourite, is a coffee house, neo-bistro and events venue that brings communities of creatives and entrepreneurs together through food, music, arts and coffee. The food is Asian inspired and they only use products from sustainable farms in Italy and France. Nestled in the very diverse street Rue Jean Pierre Timbaud in the Paris 11 arrondissement, it is a true space for inspiration, collaboration and good conversations.
The Hood is hosting a gourmet dream party for Thanksgiving! Featuring Masterchef winner 2015 and proud co-owner of The Hood Khánh-Ly Huỳnh, who will be taking over the kitchen for a Thanksgiving pop-up to remember. Khánh-Ly will prepare delicious twists of the usual Thanksgiving dishes and introduce you to new flavors, which is one of the things she does best.
Lunch tickets (starter, entree, main and dessert) are 30€/pp // Dinner tickets include mulled wine and extra bites for 43€/pp.
All about it this fantastic evening on The Hood website.
Make sure to reserve your spot to the feast until the 20th of November.
JOE ALLEN
If you want to keep it simple on Thanksgiving in Paris, and have a true feast of food most closely resembling what you would eat in the USA, reserve Joe Allen’s Thanksgiving dinner. Joe Allen is an American restaurant that is located in the major international cities with the most American expats, New York, Paris and London. Their regular menu includes American favorites such as bagel sandwiches, club sandwiches and grilled cheeses. However for their special Thanksgiving menu, for a set rate of 50€, you can eat:
Starter selection of: Pumpkin and squash chowder with pumpkin seed croutons or Crab cakes with homemade bread and butter pickles or Pan fried wild mushrooms with cream, parmesan and grilled herbed polenta or Joe Allen foie gras with five peppers, bourbon and onion jam or Sea scallops, butternut squash and celery root slaw with cranberry vinaigrette or Roasted pumpkin and ricotta enchiladas with spaghetti squash coleslaw or Joe Allen Caesar Salad
Main course selection of: Roast Thanksgiving turkey with quince, apple and walnut stuffing and gravy with candied yams & sautéed green beans with cranberry sauce with orange and spices, or Baked ham with wine soused pear, late harvest wine and sweet mustard sauce & maple glazed butternut squash with Thanksgiving mashed potatoes with crème fraîche and chives, or Grilled marinated tuna steak & wild rice pilaf and grilled tomatoes provençales
Dessert selection of: Joe Allen pumpkin pie with bourbon sabayon or Apple pie with aged cheddar or vanilla ice cream or Gluten free chocolate cake with mascarpone cream frosting or Brownie with hot fudge sauce and vanilla ice cream or Pecan pie with bourbon and whipped cream or Apple cranberry crumble with vanilla ice cream or Cheesecake with fruit coulis or Fruit and cheese plate
INSIDR Inside Tip: Joe Allen is the place to go for your casual but authentic Thanksgiving dinner, but be sure to e-mail to reserve this special dinner and evening.
30 Rue Pierre Lescot, 1st arrondissement
Photo credit: lafourchette.com
RESTAURANT DUNE
At the incredibly charming Restaurant Dune, not far from Bastille, you will also have a traditional Thanksgiving menu for a lower-cost of 38€/person. The American chef Evan Leichtling will offer you all of your favorites from traditional roasted turkey to mashed potatoes and even desserts, all included in the price. Be sure to reserve for their special meal as they only host two seatings, one at 7:30pm and one at 9:30pm.
Photo credit: duneparis.fr
Ô’CHATEAU
One of our favorite restaurants and wine tasting bars in Paris actually hosts an extremely elegant Thanksgiving dinner. Ô’Chateau’s Thanksgiving menu, while more up-scale than Joe Allen, is in fact cheaper at a flat rate of 45€ for the meal (excluding drinks). However as the price is similar to Joe Allen’s menu, the deciding factor comes down to the menu. Do you want a simple traditional Thanksgiving meal, or do you want to maintain loyal to French cuisine during your visit and try Ô’Chateau’s creative dishes with Thanksgiving-inspired ingredients? Here is O’Chateau’s 2016 menu for your comparison:
Starter: Pumpkin velouté
Main course: Roasted turkey, potatoes al gratin, chives and homemade coleslaw
Dessert: Apple tart and vanilla & pecan nut ice cream
68 Rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1st arrondissement
Photo credit: parisperfect.com
RALPH’S
If you want a near fine-dining experience in Paris this Thanksgiving, the iconic American company Ralph Lauren has a beautiful restaurant on Boulevard Saint Germain that serves an elaborate turkey dinner. Ralph’s dinner is usually around 120€/person, once again excluding wine. While this may at first seem too posh compared to your normal Thanksgiving traditions, a meal at Ralph’s in Paris, especially a Thanksgiving meal is overall a one of a kind experience.
Sample menu: Roasted turkey and stuffing with pork sausage and chestnuts, brussels sprouts with bacon, homestyle mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and wild rice with mushrooms
173 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 6th arrondissement
Photo credit: dollyjessy.com
THANKSGIVING STORE
A meal at any of these three restaurants will not only connect you with some of the other expats or tourists in Paris, but it will also be an experience you will never forget. Even some Parisians enjoy indulging in these Thanksgiving dinners to join in on the American tradition! If you are looking to prepare your own Thanksgiving meal in an apartment this year, Paris has stores that have made this 100% a possibility. Thanksgiving staples such as a turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing and pumpkin pie can be purchased at the Thanksgiving store (turkeys to be ordered in advance). Additionally, The Real McCoy in the 7th arrondissement sells pies as well as packaged ingredients that are not sold in many French stores that will aid your Thanksgiving preparations.
20 Rue Saint-Paul, 4th arrondissement
Photo credit: thanksgivingparis.com
INSIDR Top Tip: To learn more about stores to buy ingredients or products from the USA and other counties, check out our article on Expat’s Favorite Spots!