Trip to Brussels and Paris - Where to eat?

McDo at those prices.

A guide called "Pudlo Paris," written by Gilles Pudlowski, was called "The most robust and reliable guide to Paris restaurants" by one newspaper reviewer when it was published a few years ago.

The guide lists hundreds of restaurants according to the various arrondissements of Paris in which they can be found. Many of them might be too expensive for your aunt, but a large number of them offer prix fixe meals that would be within her budget.

Some examples from the 6th Arrondissement (St. Germain des Pres), with prix fixe prices for lunch shown in euros:

Allard: 24
L'Arbuci: 15.50, 20
Bistrot d'Opio: 9.90, 16.90
Bouillon des Colonies: 22
Bouillon Racine: 15.50
Les Bouquinistes: 25
La Boussole: 16.90
Aux Charpentiers: 19
Coté Bergamote: 10.50
L'Epi Dupin: 22
Fish La Boissonnerie: 10.50, 21.50
Au Gourmand: 16

The restaurants are listed alphabetically by arrondissement, and I have shown only A-G in one area of the city. Even though prices must have gone up since my edition was published (the prices are from 2008), there may still be a good number of places where your aunt can eat well for relatively little.

I love Paris, and I hope that she will, too.

A Quater pounder with cheese, or in France a Royale with cheese.

Away from the most touristed areas of Paris, there should be lots of small places with set menus at less than 15€. Preferably at lunchtime. The east and north of Paris are generally cheaper than the central districts (1-8, 16).

The same goes for Brussels. Easy to find reasonably priced good food if you get away from the Grande Place and the street lined with restaurants that leads to the train station.

I think that bjd makes an excellent point about finding reasonably priced food away from the most touristed areas of Paris. The restaurants I listed at #2 were all in an area that I chose specifically because most tourists will be passing along its streets. The same guide had lots more restaurants with lower prices in other parts of the city.