American food in Paris: where to find pancakes, US groceries, NFL nights and a Thanksgiving turkey

You moved to the food capital of the world, and some Sunday you'll still want a short stack, a box of mac and cheese and the late game. Paris can do all of it, with a little planning and a tolerance for import prices.

The short version

• Diner food: Breakfast in America has served pancakes and burgers in Paris for two decades and runs three locations [1].
• Groceries: La Grande Épicerie de Paris has an "épicerie américaine" section [2]. Costco has two warehouses in the Paris region, Villebon-sur-Yvette and Pontault-Combault, with an individual membership of €36 a year (about USD 40) [3].
• Thanksgiving: order your turkey (dinde) from a butcher well ahead of the fourth Thursday. Thanksgiving falls on November 26 this year.
• NFL: Paris is six hours ahead of New York most of the year, so the 1 p.m. ET games start at 7 p.m. and Sunday Night Football at 2:20 a.m.
• History with a cocktail: Harry's New York Bar, opened in 1911, holds a famous US presidential straw poll [4].

USD conversions use the Federal Reserve H.10 rate of October 30, 2026 (EUR 1 = USD 1.1163) [5].

Diner food and brunch

Breakfast in America

The best-known American diner in Paris calls itself the "original diner in Paris," with a copyright line that goes back to 2003 [1]. Its site lists three locations [1]:

Expect pancakes, eggs and omelets, burgers, sandwiches and milkshakes, with California Eggs Benedict listed at €13.50 (about USD 15) when we checked [1]. The site says it's open seven days a week from 8:30 a.m., and it was already taking bookings for a Thanksgiving 2026 dinner [1]. Weekend brunch lines are real; go early.

Burgers, bagels and brunch

Paris went through a full-blown burger craze in the 2010s, and good burgers are now on menus everywhere from bistros to food halls. Bagel shops and American-style brunch spots come and go fast, so we're not listing names that might close by spring. Ask locally, and check recent reviews before you trek across town.

US groceries: the taste-of-home shopping list

La Grande Épicerie de Paris

The upscale food hall of Le Bon Marché, with stores on rue de Sèvres on the Left Bank and rue de Passy on the Right Bank, lists an "épicerie américaine" category among its world foods [2]. That's where Americans go hunting for peanut butter, cake mixes, maple syrup and the odd box of cereal. Prices reflect the address and the import costs; this is a treat run, not a weekly shop.

Costco

Yes, there's Costco in France. Its French site lists warehouses in Villebon-sur-Yvette, south of Paris, and Pontault-Combault, east of Paris, plus Mulhouse in eastern France [3]. Membership was €36 a year (about USD 40) for individuals when we checked, and same-day delivery runs €15 (about USD 17) per order [3]. You'll need a car or a friend with one, and you'll recognize the Kirkland labels, though the stock leans French. If you already have a US membership, ask at the desk whether it's honored before buying a French one.

Regular French supermarkets

Before you pay import prices, check the "produits du monde" aisle at Monoprix, Carrefour and other chains. You'll sometimes find a small American shelf with things like marshmallows, peanut butter and pancake mix. Some items just translate:

Baking? French flour types are numbered (T45, T55 and so on), and oven temperatures are in Celsius: 180°C is about 350°F.

Thanksgiving in Paris

Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday, November 26. In France it's a regular workday, so many Americans celebrate on the weekend.

Getting a turkey

Turkey in France is mostly a Christmas food, so a whole bird in November takes some planning:

1. Order early. Ask your local boucher or volailler (poultry seller) two to three weeks before. Say "une dinde entière pour le 26 novembre" and give the weight you want.
2. Size it in kilos. Figure roughly half a kilo per guest (about a pound), more if you want leftovers. French birds often run smaller than the giant ones back home.
3. Check your oven. Parisian ovens are often compact. Measure the inside before you order a big bird, or ask the butcher to cut it into pieces.
4. Ask about a chapon or pintade (capon or guinea fowl) if a whole turkey is hard to find.

Market stalls and butchers in every arrondissement take orders. Some Americans skip the oven fight entirely and book a Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant, like the one Breakfast in America advertises [1].

The sides

Stuffing, sweet potatoes and green beans are easy: patates douces and haricots verts are sold everywhere. Cranberry sauce and canned pumpkin are the hard ones, so buy them early at La Grande Épicerie or another import shop, because they sell out in November.

Watching the NFL, NBA and college football

Paris has no shortage of Irish pubs and sports bars, and many show NFL games, especially on Sundays and for the Super Bowl. Bar lineups change by season, so we don't name them here; call ahead and ask, "Vous diffusez le match de NFL dimanche soir?"

Time differences, with Paris normally six hours ahead of New York (it's five for a week or so in spring and fall, when the US and Europe change clocks on different dates):

The Super Bowl kicks off well after midnight Paris time, so the big watch parties are all-nighters with breakfast on the far side. Plenty of Americans just stream games at home through the NFL's international streaming service and save the bar for playoff weekends.

Harry's New York Bar

Harry's, at 5 rue Daunou between the Opéra and rue de la Paix, opened in 1911 when American jockey Tod Sloan turned a bistro into the "New York Bar," with a bar shipped over from Manhattan [4]. It became a hangout for Hemingway, Sinclair Lewis, Humphrey Bogart and other Americans [4]. Before each presidential election, it runs a straw poll for customers who can prove US citizenship [4]. Our source on the bar is a Wikipedia article flagged for needing more citations, so check opening hours before you go.

Swapping tips on where to find a decent bagel or a bar showing the Monday night game is half the fun of our community group for Americans in France.

Sources

1. Breakfast in America: Original diner in Paris
2. La Grande Épicerie de Paris
3. Costco France
4. Wikipedia: Harry's New York Bar
5. Federal Reserve: H.10 foreign exchange rates

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