** NOTE: France, like the rest of the world, is struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic and Paris is essentially shut down to tourists and even residents. All of the posts for destinations on this blog are assuming venues will once again at some point re-open to the public. Until then, posts here are for information only, not recommendations to visit immediately. And let’s all help each other through this harrowing period in global history. Merci! **
I’m not a fan of going to a foreign country and seeking out the same foods you can eat at home. Why anyone would go to Paris only to eat at Pizza Hut, Subway and McDonalds is beyond me.
However, for travelers who enjoy a full breakfast (called English or American breakfast), there’s a dearth of options in the City of Light.
So, if you’re hankerin’ for pancakes or a Denver omelet, head to Breakfast in America, which operates two restaurants—one on the Left and one on the Right bank. Owned and operated by U.S. ex-pat Craig Carlson and opened in January 2003, BIA offers an authentic U.S. diner experience for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
But it’s the breakfast that’s the big draw here, including the city’s only bottomless cup of coffee (you pay per cup everywhere else). Order the blueberry pancakes, Denver omelet, freshly made bagels, breakfast burritos, and hard-to-find side dishes like sausage links, ham slices and hash browns.
Another plus for Americans who happen to be visiting the City of Light on Thanksgiving, both BIA locations offer a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings for les Americains who really, really are insistent on a traditional Thanksgiving feast. (There are a couple of other restaurants in Paris that also offer Thanksgiving meals, but they’re primarily restaurants for tourists in touristy areas. In other words — not very pleasant or tasty.)
I still try to stick to the Parisian breakfast of croissant, coffee and freshly squeezed OJ as much as possible, but once in a while I need to fortify with something a but more substantial. I’m never disappointed at BIA.