French, Bistro restaurants in France
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A
L'Épi d'Or
The ‘Golden Sword’ has been an institution since the belle époque, when it would open at 10pm to serve the ‘forts des halles’, the brutes who stacked the ‘devils’, huge bags of potatoes and cabbage, all night at the old Marché des Halles. Today it’s an oh-so-Parisian bistro with 1940s décor and well-prepared, classic dishes – gigot d’agneau (leg of lamb; €18) cooked for seven hours, magret de canard (sliced duck breast; €22) – to a surprisingly well-heeled crowd. The menus are available at lunch and till 9pm only.
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B
Bistrot du Sommelier
If you’re as serious about wine as you are about food, dine here. Indeed the whole point of this attractive eatery is to match wine with food, aided by one of the world’s foremost sommeliers Philippe Faure-Brac. Sample his wine-food pairings on Friday when a three-course tasting lunch with wine is €50 and a five-course dinner with wine is €75. The food, prepared by chef Jean-André Lallican, is hearty bistro fare and, surprisingly, not all the wines are French.
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C
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.
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D
Les Troubadours
Should you be touring or shopping in the Passage des Panoramas and feel peckish, you could do no better than stop for lunch at this very intime old-style bistro serving the most traditional of French dishes. Service is uniformly friendly and helpful, the plat du jour €13 and the chocolate cake not to be missed.
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E
Au Goût Dujour
Denis Dujour is the chef behind this overtly ‘local quartier’ bistro with jolly burgundy-red canopy and market-driven dishes chalked on several blackboards. Be it roast cod with polenta and white asparagus in May or chestnuts in autumn, cuisine here is strictly seasonal – and some of the best value in town.
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F
Le Tire Bouchon
‘The Corkscrew’ is a mock old-style bistro close to the flashy rue Oberkampf with a dozen gingham-clad tables arranged around a polished wooden bar. The cassoulet confit (casserole or stew with beans and meat) and millefeuille de dorade (sea bream in flaky pastry) will tickle your taste buds. Book in advance.
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G
Willi’s Wine Bar
This civilised and very convivial wine bar-cum-bistro was opened in 1980 by British expats who introduced the wine-bar concept to Paris. The food by chef François Yon is still excellent, the wines (especially Côtes du Rhône) well chosen and Willi’s legendary status lives on.
reviewed