Restaurants in Paris
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À la Grande Bleue
You’ll find unusual barley couscous (€11.80 to €18.50) prepared in the style of the Berbers (Kabyles) of eastern Algeria, as well as the usual semolina variety (€10 to €17.50), tajines (€13 to €23) and savoury-sweet pastilla au poulet (chicken pastilla; €18.50). The rare crêpes berbères (Berber crêpes; €8.50 to €11.50) require a minimum of four people. We love the blue and yellow décor, the art on the walls and the warm welcome.
reviewed
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Café de l’Homme
You probably wouldn’t cross town for the food at the Café de l’Homme, the plush restaurant sharing the same wing of the Palais de Chaillot as the Musée de l’Homme and the Musée de la Marine; it’s overpriced and designed for the beautiful people who are flocking here at the moment. But you would travel for the view; virtually any spot at any table is a front-row seat before the Eiffel Tower. This is why you came to Paris.
reviewed
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Georges
Encased in aluminium sheeting with modular arctic-white seats, the Pompidou Centre’s hyperindustrial dining room offers pretty predictable and expensive Coste food – most people go for the tuna tartare or avocado and crab salad (€20 to €22) or the steak with the Asianesque name Le Tigre qui Pleure (The Crying Tiger). But this place is really all about the stunning views over Paris’ rooftops, especially from its terrace.
reviewed
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L'Arbuci
A popular choice for breakfast or brunch, this airy lounge bar with big, street-facing windows buzzes. Its décor is a contemporary take on traditional brasserie-style and the easygoing menu caters to all tastes, including those whose buds go wild over bottomless plates of oysters. Prime real estate, the packed tables on the pavement terrace in front see you vying for foot space with passing pedestrians. Live jazz in the basement on Fridays and Saturdays.
reviewed
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Les Domaines Qui Montent
Les Domaines Qui Montent has been around since before the cave à manger trend began, and although it’s not quite as trendy as most newcomers, it is very much the real thing. Above all a wine shop, it offers simple 2-course menus at lunch which you can pair with any of their available bottles.
reviewed
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Chez René
Proud owner of one of blvd St-Germain’s busiest pavement terraces, Chez René has been an institution since the 1950s. Perfect for punters seeking no surprises, cuisine is quintessentially bistro: think pot au feu (beef stew), coq au vin (chicken cooked in wine), rognons de veau (calf kidneys) etc accompanied by your pick of garnitures (fries, boiled potatoes, fresh spinach or other veg of the season etc) and sauces.
reviewed
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Le Mauricien Filao
This hole-in-the-wall canteen in passage du Prado, a derelict covered arcade accessible from 12 rue du Faubourg St-Denis and 18–20 blvd St-Denis, serves cheap but tasty Mauritian dishes such as spicy rougaille de poisson (a Creole dish of fish cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander) and cari poissons aux lentilles (curried fish with lentils). Only certain dishes from the main menu are available daily, though.
reviewed
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Au Petit Budapest
With its old etchings and some requisite Gypsy music, this little eatery does a reasonable job of recreating the atmosphere of a late 19th-century Hungarian csárda (traditional inn). From the chicken paprika to the crêpe à la Hortobagy (crêpe with meat and crème fraîche; €10.50), these are refined versions of popular Hungarian dishes. For dessert try the ever-rich Gundel palacsinta (flambéed pancake with chocolate and nuts).
reviewed
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L’Étoile Verte
Founded in 1951, the ‘Green Star’ is where all the old French classics remain: the onion soup, the snails, the rabbit. When one of us was a student in Paris (back when the glaziers were still installing the stained glass at Ste-Chapelle) this was the place for both Esperanto speakers (a green star is their symbol) and students on a splurge. That may have changed, but the lunch menu is still a great deal for this neighbourhood.
reviewed
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La Partie de Campagne
Located in one of the old chais (wine warehouses) of Bercy, the ‘Country Outing’ serves some of the best food in the area. Business people and strollers from the Jardin de Bercy sit cheek by jowl at a large communal table set up at the back of the room, and order from a menu that includes soups, tartines, pies and crêpes (€4.20 to €5.50). It’s also a great place for breakfast, and the inviting terrace is open in the warmer months.
reviewed
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L’AOC
‘Bistrot carnivore’ is the strapline of this ingenious restaurant concocted around France’s most respected culinary products. The concept here is Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), meaning everything has been reared or made according to strict guidelines designed to protect a product unique to a particular village, town or area. The result? Only the best!
Rare is the chance to taste porc noir de Bigorre, a type of black pig bred in the Pyrénées.
reviewed
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L’Oulette
Big brother (or is that sister?) to the Bistrot de l’Oulette in the Marais, this is a lovely (and pricey) restaurant with a terrace overlooking a pretty church in a rather dreary neighbourhood. Owner-chef Marcel Baudis’ menu du saison might include veloute de potimarron et moules (cream of pumpkin soup with mussels) and cuisses de canettes au genièvre (duckling thighs with juniper).
reviewed
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Le Chaland
‘The Barge’ is a pleasant café du quartier serving rock-solid favourites like blanquette de veau and tartes salées (savoury pies) with the occasional leap into the 21st century with gigantic salads. It’s one of the more approachable (and affordable) eateries on the canal and you’re offered a kir (white wine with cassis) as an apéritif. The plat du jour is €9.50
reviewed
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Roger la Grenouille
Nine varieties of frogs’ legs are served at the time-worn institution ‘Roger the Frog’. À la Provençale is with tomato, Orientale sees the pin-sized legs spiced with pine kernels and fresh mint, while Indienne has a splash of curry. If you’re squeamish about devouring Roger and his mates, dishes like roast pheasant with dried figs are also on the menu.
Frog sculptures and statues scatter throughout the restaurant, along with B&W pictures of 1920s Paris on the whitewashed walls and an array of old lamps illuminating the low sepia-coloured ceiling.
reviewed
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Le Potager du Marais
A very welcome addition to the Marais dining scene is this organic vegetarian restaurant within easy reach of the Centre Pompidou. The décor is rustic, with lots of lush plants inside, and there’s a full page of options for vegans. We especially enjoyed the onion soup. The ‘Marais Vegetable Garden’ is not cheap, but it makes for a refreshing change from the usual run-of-the-mill veggie eateries that feel more like canteens or at best cafeterias.
reviewed
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Brasserie de l’île St-Louis
Founded in 1870, this riverside brasserie enjoys a spectacular location on the Seine just across the footbridge (prime busking spot) between Île de St-Louis and Île de la Cité. Feast on old faithfuls like choucroute garnie (sauerkraut with meat), jarret (veal shank), cassoulet and onglet de bœuf (prime rib of beef) or simply revel in the riverside location over a coffee/beer/Berthillon ice cream.
reviewed
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Globetrotter
La Défense’s gens d’affaires (businesspeople) come to this tropical restaurant to embark on a culinary tour of the world through various islands. Think swordfish carpaccio with Caribbean pineapple or duck breast with dried fruit. Tables on the wooden-deck terrace face La Grande Arche and those inside woo diners with first-row seats at the Bassin Agam. Shoebox-shaped, this must be the stubbiest building in La Défense!
reviewed
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Georget (Robert Et Louise)
This ‘country inn’ with red gingham curtains offers simple and inexpensive French food, including côte de bœuf (side of beef 2/3 people; €42/63), cooked on an open fire. Arrive early to snag the farmhouse table next to the fireplace – the makings of a real jolly Rabelaisian evening.
reviewed
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Auberge Nicolas Flamel
A visit to this charming restaurant, with its higgledy-piggledy rooms on two floors, is not so much about the food as the location: this was once the residence of celebrated alchemist and writer Flamel (1330–1417) and is the oldest building still standing in Paris. Expect dishes that are correct but not earth-moving – duck foie gras, lamb cooked in a tajine and so on. Ask about wine tastings in the atmospheric (read: spooky) cellar.
reviewed
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Café de l’Industrie
This popular café-restaurant with neocolonial decor has two locations, with Café de l’Industrie Annexe directly opposite. It’s a pleasant space and a preferable alternative to one of the crowded cafes or bars just off the place de la Bastille. Food is competitively priced but not always up to scratch; to avoid disappointment stick with the simple entrées or just graze off the fabulous dessert table.
reviewed
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La Tête de Goinfre
This funny place, whose name translates as ‘Glutton Head’, has a piggy theme, and cute little figurines pepper the joint. As for the joints and other comestibles on the plate, it’s (mostly) pork – from the charcuterie to munch on while you wait for a table to the l’os à moëlle (marrow bone) and confit de porc (pork confit). It’s a lively place, always packed and an evening to experience. Just go with a carnivore.
reviewed
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Les Bouquinistes
This stylish eating space courtesy of Guy Savoy sits across from Notre Dame and the Seine-side booksellers. Modern but elegant décor aside, its menu lures gourmets with tantalising dishes such as Brittany crab ravioli with lobster and fennel in a lemongrass juice, veal shank or a spiced duck filet. Don’t torture yourself over which dessert to pick – the dessert for two (€20) features a tiny tasty morsel of each.
reviewed
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Swann et Vincent
Paris meets Italy in this elegant, old-fashioned restaurant. Unpretentious staff will help you select from the huge blackboard, whose offerings include temptations such as saffron risotto with speck and veal cutlets drizzled with lemon. Go easy on the olive-and-herb bread – you need to leave room for the tiramisu.
reviewed
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Sawadee
For 20 years this well-known restaurant has been bidding sawadee (welcome) to Thai-food lovers. The decor is rather impersonal, but the sophisticated cuisine more than makes up for it. Classics include prawn or chicken soup flavoured with lemongrass, spicy beef salad (a real treat), and satay sticks (chicken, beef, lamb and pork) with peanut sauce.
reviewed
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Sensing
Don’t worry about arriving at this elegant address with a hair out of place or smudged lipstick – a quick preen in the mirrored door upon entering will sort it out. The swanky ‘affordable-bistro’ creation of Michelin-starred celebrity chef Guy Martin, Sensing is one of those try-hard New York–type places with an interior design so cutting edge it seriously distracts from the food. ‘Snacking’ is the trendy name for pre-dinner nibbles.
reviewed