The
Eating out guide
Eating out in France: prices, chains and what to expect
How much does eating out cost in France?
France is famous for its restaurants, but its chain scene is smaller and more surprising than most people expect. It mixes global fast food with home-grown names, from self-service canteens to burger and tacos brands with a distinctly French twist.
Across the 224 items we track for 14 French chains, the middle price is €6.05, about $6.90. Leaving aside sauces, the cheapest thing we list is a €1.10 croissant at Brioche Dorée. The dearest is a €42.00 Sushi Shop "Plateau Tokyo" of 30 pieces, which is a sharing platter, not a single serving.
A burger on its own usually costs €5.70 to €11 on our lists, and a full meal with fries and a drink costs more. A sit-down chain meal, such as mussels at Léon de Bruxelles, is closer to €16 to €22.
What do the most popular French chains charge?
Here are everyday orders from the menus on this site. Dollar amounts are approximate.
| What you order | Where | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Croissant | Brioche Dorée | €1.10 (~$1.25) |
| Hamburger | Quick | €3.75 (~$4.28) |
| Grande caffè latte | Starbucks | €5.70 (~$6.50) |
| Big Mac | McDonald's | €6.95 (~$7.93) |
| Tacos, size M | O'Tacos | €7.00 (~$7.98) |
| Adult meal with unlimited veg | Flunch | €9.95 (~$11.35) |
| 5-tender meal | KFC | €9.95 (~$11.35) |
| Classic Burger | Buffalo Grill | €11.50 (~$13.11) |
| Cheeseburger | Five Guys | €12.55 (~$14.31) |
| Burger, solo (from) | Big Fernand | €12.90 (~$14.71) |
| Mussels marinière | Léon de Bruxelles | €19.90 (~$22.69) |
Notice the word menu. In France, ordering the menu almost always means the full meal with fries and a drink, and it costs more than the burger alone. We explain the word below.
Which chains are cheapest, and which cost the most?
If you rank chains by the middle price of the items we list, bakeries and fast-food counters are cheapest.
Cheapest end: Brioche Dorée (about €3.55), Burger King (about €3.95), Starbucks (about €5.40), McDonald's (about €5.50) and Sushi Shop (about €6.35).
Priciest end: Léon de Bruxelles (about €19.90), Big Fernand (about €13.90), Buffalo Grill (about €10.20), PNY (about €10.00) and Quick (about €9.00).
Léon is a sit-down restaurant where the price includes a full meal, and Big Fernand and PNY make burgers to order. Compare like with like.
Which French chains are worth knowing?
- Léon de Bruxelles was founded in Brussels in 1968 but is now one of France's best-known restaurant chains, famous for mussels and fries.
- Buffalo Grill started near Avignon in 1980 and gives a French steakhouse an American Old West theme.
- Quick is a Belgian-founded burger chain from the early 1970s, set up as a European alternative to American fast food.
- Flunch dates from 1971 and is a self-service restaurant part of the Mulliez family's Auchan group.
- O'Tacos began in Grenoble in 2007 and defined the French "tacos" format, a grilled wrap filled with meat, fries and sauce.
- Big Fernand and PNY are part of Paris's "better burger" movement.
- Sushi Shop started in Paris in 1998 and helped make premium sushi delivery normal in France.
- Brioche Dorée is a bakery café from 1976, part of Groupe Le Duff.
What do the French menu words mean?
Some words look familiar but mean something different in France.
- Menu: a fixed-price meal. In a restaurant it might be starter, main and dessert. At a burger chain it's the burger, fries and a drink. The list of dishes is called la carte.
- Formule: a cheaper set with fewer courses, such as a main plus a drink.
- Seul: alone, meaning the item without the meal.
- Sur place / à emporter: eat in or take away.
- Plat du jour: the dish of the day.
- Moules à volonté: all-you-can-eat mussels.
What can you eat for under €5 in France?
More than you might think. On our lists, these all cost less than €5:
- Brioche Dorée croissant: €1.10
- Brioche Dorée pain au chocolat: €1.20
- Burger King café latté: €2.30
- Buffalo Grill fries: €3.00
- Quick hamburger: €3.75
- McDonald's Croque McDo: €3.90
- Flunch dish of the day dessert: €3.90
- KFC 2 Tenders: €3.95
- Quick cheeseburger: €4.00
- Starbucks Tall Americano: €4.10
- Big Fernand homemade fries: €4.50
Is tax included in French menu prices?
Yes. French menu prices include VAT, called TVA, and the price on the menu is what you pay. The standard rate for meals eaten in a restaurant is 10%. Some takeaway food in sealed containers is taxed at 5.5%, and alcohol is taxed at 20%.
Do you have to tip in France?
No. By law, French restaurants must include service in their prices. You may see the phrases service compris or prix nets, which both mean the same thing. Staff earn at least the minimum wage, so tipping is optional.
If you enjoyed the meal, leaving a few euros in change is a kind gesture. At fast-food counters and bakeries, no tip is expected. The tip calculator is there if you'd like to split a bill.
Are delivery apps more expensive in France?
Often. Many chains price their delivery menus above their in-restaurant prices, and apps add delivery and service fees. Some of our French prices come from menu-price websites that reflect these delivery prices. Use our delivery markup calculator to see the true extra cost.
How can you save money eating out in France?
- Order the formule. A set deal is cheaper than buying items one by one.
- Try Flunch. An adult meal with unlimited vegetables and a drink is €9.95 on our list.
- Start the day at a bakery. A croissant is €1.10 and a pain au chocolat is €1.20 at Brioche Dorée.
- Watch buckets and menus. They cost more but feed more people.
- Compare nugget boxes. At McDonald's, 6 Chicken McNuggets cost about 95c each and 20 cost about 70c each.
Browse French menus by type
- Fast food: McDonald's, Burger King, Quick, KFC, O'Tacos
- Burgers: Big Fernand, PNY, Five Guys
- Restaurants: Léon de Bruxelles, Buffalo Grill, Flunch
- Bakery, coffee and sushi: Brioche Dorée, Starbucks, Sushi Shop
Travelling to France? The currency converter handles euros, and our Price Index compares France with other countries.
How accurate are these prices?
French chains rarely publish one national menu. Prices vary by city and by location. Our figures come from menu-price websites and a few official menus, checked between late August and October 2026.
Treat each price as a good, representative guide rather than a promise about your local restaurant. Each menu page shows when we last verified it, and you can read how we work on our methodology page.
One note on sources. Our Five Guys prices come from a list confirmed at the Toulouse restaurant in December 2025, and the source doesn't say whether they are counter or delivery-app prices.