Restaurants

Why go to Paris if you're not going to eat? Every once in a while, big newspapers and magazines in the US will run stories about the 3 or 4 remaining affordable bistros in Paris, and they proceed to list places that cost upwards of 50 to 75 euros per person. This is utter, unabashed balderdash, mostly meant to show off how plugged into the local scene the article's author is. The simple fact is that there are hundreds and hundreds of astonishingly good, inexpensive restaurants in Paris, and it's not difficult to find truly great meals in the 20 to 30 euro range. You can even find really good food for less than that (and my favorite restaurant in the world is still well under 20 euros). All you have to do is read Tom's Guide, or, if you want to stake out on your own, just walk around a little, and avoid the big busy streets. Go around the corner; peek inside a courtyard. Hop on the metro and choose a stop at random to get off at. You'll find something good. Every restaurant in Paris will display their menu out front, so you can walk around and inform yourself before you choose. Be daring, be bold, be assertive--eat.

Most of the restaurants listed here are inexpensive to moderate; there are a couple of big splurges. There are a couple of things to remember when in a French restaurant: except for really expensive ones, most will offer at least one form of "prix fixe" (pree feeks), which is a menu where everyone pays the same price, and you get a limited choice of appetizer, main course, dessert, etc. It's usually much more economical than going "à la carte," in which you choose your whole meal in what amounts to the American style. Note that the "menu" option is much more common in France than it is in the U.S. (most restaurants you'll end up at will have one), and that you'll eat very well this way--you shouldn't think of it as the cheap way out, for which you'll end up getting not very much or not very good food. Au contraire: you'll eat very well. Often restaurants will have "menus" at different price ranges, and the difference in price will correlate things such as the number of courses you get, and the kind of item on the menu. You can more or less always go "à la carte," of course, but check to see whether the things you want aren't actually on the menu at a lower price. Finally, you'll note that a lot of Parisian restaurants are located in really interesting buildings (below you have L'auberge Nicolas Flamel, located in the oldest house in Paris, which was built in 1407!). And check out Tom's Guide reader Colin's review of L'Auberge Nicolas Flamel below...)

All the nonsense you've heard about French waiters being rude is just that: nonsense. A couple caveats, though. If you go to a bistro or brasserie, gruff service is part of the genre. Some of the restaurants listed below are very fine, but you will not find there (or anywhere, for that matter) the obsequious service so annoying in a lot of American restaurants ("Hi, I'm Buffy, and I'll be your server"). For the French, being a waiter or waitress is more like a career than it generally is in the U.S., and they take professionalism very seriously. You don't expect your dentist to say, "Hi, I'm Darrell, and I'll be your dental professional today!" so the French feeling is, why should a waiter be silly and cloying? Service (tips) is virtually always included in the price of a meal in France (that's what the abbreviation S.C. means [service compris], and on some "menus" your beverage is, too, but that's not all that common (it'll say boisson comprise if it is, and there will be a list of choices). Even when service is included, it's always nice to leave a little something, especially if your waiter or waitress was especially good--a couple euros is a nice gesture. No one eats before 7:00, and that's still really early, and not many people really eat before 8:30 in the summer--think more like 9:00 or later. Virtually all restaurants accept whatever major credit card you may have. In fact, they'll have this neat little hand-held thing that they use to process your card; it's a trip.

One of the things you may have to get used to is how meat is cooked and what you call it. Rare is saignant (saynyanh), medium is à point (a pweinh), and well done is bien cuit (byenh kwee). The thing is, though, is that each of these levels of cooking (cuisson) is about one step rarer than in the U.S. Thus, if you ask for something medium, it'll come a little closer to rare than you might be accustomed to. Rare is pretty pink, and if you happen to like your meat really rare, ask for it bleu (bleuh)--but know what you're doing on this one, and if you're not hard core, don't try this. Interestingly, for lamb, the cuisson for rare is "rosée."

The following are some of Tom's guide to the best, most fun, or strangest restaurants in Paris:

Aux artistes. 65 rue Falguière (01 43 22 05 39). Metro Pasteur or Falguìère, but Pasteur is closer (13 euros). (Summer 05: there's a lot of construction going on, with scaffolding and such in front of the building, but the restaurant is still going at full speed.) This is my favorite restaurant in the world, and it's impossible to explain why. The food is very good--not great, but very good; the ambiance is not enchanting, but it's certainly charming. There's just something, well, I don't know what about this place, and since it's been around since the 1950s, they must be doing something right. Go here, but don't tell anyone about it because we don't want it to be overrun, but I promise you will adore this place. Everyone I've ever taken here has added it to their personal list of favorites. You have to write down your own order on the little slip of paper that will be sitting on your table, and make sure to write down what you want to drink as well. Note that wine is not included here, but get the Réserve--it costs about 2 euros more than the red junk they serve ordinarily, but it's worth it. The "menu" is on the right-hand page of the folder-type thing they give you, and there are about a million choices. Get the Boeuf Bourguignon if you're not redmeated out. The chicken dishes (poulet) are all good, too. People say the steak tartar is remarkable, but I can't deal with that. I hear the brains aren't bad, and make sure to look at the ceiling. This place has recently found its way into the guide books, which is disappointing, and there will probably be a lot of British and maybe some American tourists there (although recently that hasn't been the case). In general, you want to go late here; it'll be jammed until about 10:00 and sometimes even later, especially in the summer. This is a very good place to have a late dinner. All in all, it may well be the best restaurant in the world for food quality, price, and ambiance. The only thing it doesn't have going for it is location, since there isn't really that much else around it (although the neighborhood has been coming up lately). Really: just go here.

Chez nos ancêtres les gaulois. 39, Rue Saint Louis en l'île, on the always charming Ile Saint-Louis (35 euros). Metro Pont Marie. You can eat as much as you want of everything here (except your main course), and drink as much, too. Go hungry and expect to get very drunk. This one can be really fun, especially if you're with a small group. It's better to avoid this place, by the way, if you're with a large group, for reasons that will be obvious once you get there. People will come in and sing traditional (and hence sickening) folk songs, and they'll possibly try to make you sing, too. Refuse adamantly. There are these huge vats of wine in various locations around the restaurant, and they give you a pitcher; you then get up and fill your pitcher, and you can keep on filling it (and emptying it) until you can no longer stand. You eat pretty much the same way. One thing: don't let the waiters try to rush you. They'll ask you when you get there "si vous connaissez le système" (if you know how this joint works); make them explain it, but here's what they'll do: they'll bring you a huge (I mean really huge--you won't understand that I'm not exaggerating until you see this) basket of raw vegetables as a first course, and you select what you want as a sort of salade de crudités and make your own dressing with the mustard, garlic, and oil, etc. provided. Eat as slowly as you like, and if the guy asks you if you're done, tell him NO if you're not (and you won't possibly be able to eat all the food they put on the table--you'll see what I mean when you get there). The same goes for the next course, which is a "charcuterie" (sort of deli) course, that you have to get up and go get yourself. There are some really nice salads and saucissons, etc., and some things you don't want to know about. Oh, and while you're up, you might as well fill up your pitcher with wine again. The meat course will be some choice of a brochette (skewer-type thing) or grillade (grilled-type thing) or something, and you only get one helping of this. Oh, and you can refill your pitcher of wine now. Then they'll bring you this enormous cheese board and you can pig out on that; and then they'll ask if you want dessert, which is not included in the price, so if by some miracle you're still hungry and order desert, you'll pay a little extra. This place is fun and strange and well worth a visit. If you go, I'd recommend going late--like after 10:00 or so.

Good and pretty cheap Vietnamese restaurants on rue Monsieur le Prince, off St. Michel (Metro Cluny La Sorbonne or Luxembourg), and there are also some good ethnic restaurants at Metro Belleville in the 10th/11th. Look around there, and don't be put off by the appearance of the neighborhood. It looks somewhat sinister but it's really not. I lived there for awhile, so shut up. Polidor, also on Monsieur le Prince (no. 41, in the 6th, Metro Odéon), is terrific. It's extremely popular and crowded. Somewhat hectic. Amazing food. This is one of those places to go and then to tell everyone back home you went there. It's a sure-fire hit.

OK, here's a place I've always wanted to go to and haven't yet made it, so you go and tell me how it is: it's called Allard, and it's at 41, rue Saint-André-des-Arts (01.43.26.48.23), Metro Saint Michel or Odéon. It's right in the middle of the incredibly hopping Saint-André-des-Arts scene, which is mostly young and, well, party oriented, but Allard looks strangely rustic, and the menus they've posted in the window in the past look extremely interesting. So, someone go there, and then tell me how it was. (Some folks have written in saying they really like Allard, although one person mentioned it was somewhat expensive. Let's hear from others!) October, 2005 update: Sandy gives us the definitive word on Allard: "Allard has a wonderful atmosphere and friendly waiters, but get the main room, not the small room in the back-- it's claustrophobic. The food is incredible and huge helpings! The only thing we've eaten there is the roast chicken with mushrooms and potatoes, as it's just wonderful! I think that our meal, with a bottle of wine and dessert, came to $125 Euros... nice for a special occasion." February, 2006--Jock writes: "Allard is a really wonderful restaurant. We were there a few months ago. It is a little cramped but good food and very nice mix of locals and others - not just Americans. We sat next to some businessmen from Sweden and a large group of Parisians celebrating a birthday. It was a very nice experience."

Now if you trust that snobby British guide, which I do not, you might like Brasserie Fernand, at 13 rue Guisarde in the 6th (01.43.54.61.47, metro Mabillon), but Tom didn't think it was all that hot. It's perfectly fine, actually, and it has that charm of the really crowded place where they cram you in with other people and you get to talk to them and they're all very nice and all, but the food is good, but not good enough for the price. Two of us came away from there 98 euros lighter, and while we enjoyed our meals, we felt that a reasonable price for what we had would have been more in the neighborhood of 65 euros. Just so's you know.

In the same general vicinity is the somewhat famous, and perhaps a little precious Petit Prince at 12, rue Lanneau in the 5th, Metro Maubert Mutualité (01 43 54 77 26). This is especially good food for the price, with an utterly charming ambiance and in an especially inviting neighborhood, and the restaurant also happens to have a sizeable gay clientele. You're up the slope from the boulevard Saint Germain, the area where you have lots of little twisty streets. You'll like this--really. 

If you want vegetarian food, there are more and more vegetarian restaurants in Paris. A recent favorite is Le Grenier de Notre Dame, almost right across the river from the cathedral at 18 rue Bûcherie (01.43.28.98.29, metro Cluny-La Sorbonne or Maubert-Mutualité). Fairly extensive menu of creatively served vegetarian combos that are filling and satisfying here, at prices that should be in the 22 euros per person range.

The first soul food restaurant in Paris--heck, in Europe, it turns out--is Haynes [01 48 78 40 63], at 3, rue Clauzel, in the 9th (métro St. Georges, and pictured here). Leroy Haynes founded the restaurant in 1949. An American GI, he basically never returned to the U.S. after the war. I think he was from Georgia (I could be wrong--I only talked with him once. I lived 5 or 6 doors down from this terrific restaurant). The restaurant moved to its current location in the mid sixties, and it's been a sort of mecca for years and years. Go and check it out for some of the best southern cooking you'll find outside New Orleans. It's quite a hotspot, too, for celebrities, musicians, and whatnot. Don't be fooled by the unprepossessing exterior. There's a whole world--and an entire history--going on beyond the door.

While you're in the 9th, make sure to check out the bustling market street of the rue des martyrs, just around the corner from Haynes. And for sentimental reasons--mine, not necessarily yours--have dinner at La Rose Bleue at 15, rue Choron, a stone's throw from the rue des Martyrs (01 42 81 00 71, metro St. Georges or Notre-Dame-de-Lorette). Downright cheap, good food, and wry service make this restaurant a good one to add to your permanent addresses.

Two especially interesting brasseires are Brasserie Flo (7, cour des petites écuries, 10th arrondissement, Metro Chateau d'eau [01 47 70 13 59]) and Julien, 16, rue du faubourg St. Denis, Metro Strasbourg Saint Denis (01 47 70 12 06). Don't confuse the COUR des petites écuries with the RUE des petites écuries (you want the COUR). If you do confuse them, you'll never be seen again (idle threat). Flo is a bit hard to find, but keep looking, because I guarantee you, it's worth it. You have to go through a little doorway in the side of one of the buildings in order to gain access to the passage. Julien is easier to find, but you ought to note that for both of these restaurants, you shouldn't be afraid by the neighborhood despite its slightly sinister appearance. You might see some frightening looking people on your way here, and maybe a prostitute or two, too, but no one will bother you or even pay attention to you. Neither of these places is cheap--probably about 40-75€, depending on how excessive you feel--but well worth it for the big splurge, such as last night stuff, celebration, etc. Get a Kir Royal as an apéritif if you have any extra money hanging around--it's the house drink and it's made of champagne and crème de cassis (black current liqueur). Both of these are 19th-century restaurants, kind of loud and the waiters are a little gruff; this is the way it's supposed to be, and the service is quite good. The food will be really good, carefully prepared, and nicely presented. On top of it all, you can dress rather casually here, too (but don't get carried away). Unless you frequent 4-star restaurants a lot, this may be the best food you've had in a very long time. I think I prefer Julien (at right) just a bit to Flo, maybe only because it's bigger, a bit more bustling, and for some reason, even though these are owned by the same company, the food seems just a little bit better prepared here.

Au pied de cochon (image at left), 6, rue Coquillière, right near the bourse du commerce and les halles in the 1st, Metro Les Halles (01.40.13.77.00). This is an old favorite, and it belongs in the same category as Flo and Julien, described above. Used to be very popular with the market regulars when Les Halles was still functioning (Les Halles was the open market that had been functioning on this site since the twelfth century), and it's a striking mixture of elegance and casual chic. You can go there any time of day or night--it's open 24 hours--and gorge out, or pop in simply for a bowl of onion soup. If this doesn't move you, or if it's just not what you're looking for, go two doors down to Le Commerce, at number 12, rue Coquillière (01.40.13.00.18, open 7 days, 9 am to 11 pm). The menu isn't so rich here--you'll find more vegetables on this one, for example--and it's a little lower in price (just came back from there, and three of us had three courses, plus apéritifs, plus coffee, plus a liter of wine for something like 90 euros). The staff are very charming and friendly, and they'll joke with you and make you feel right at home, but still serve you the way a restaurant ought to serve you. Nearby, in the Montorgueil/Les Halles district is the splendid Pharamond, at 24 rue de la Grande Truanderie (01.40.28.45.18, metro Etienne Marcel). This restaurant, which serves in a lovely courtyard during the summer, is a classified historical monument inside: its turn-of-the-century decor is beautifully impressive, and the staff are extremely friendly. The menu is more or less classic French, and prices are in the neighborhood of 25 euros per person.

When you're in the marais, check out the rue des Rosiers, which has treats such as Jo Goldenberg's, at 15 rue des Rosiers (01 48 87 70 39), the Restaurant La Verrierre du marais, which has a beautiful glass-roofed, air-conditioned courtyard, at no. 23 (01.42.77.12.75), L'As du falaffel, at no. 34 (01 48 87 63 60), and Chez Marianne (which is actually on the corner of the rue des Rosiers and the rue des Hospitalières St Gervais--01 42 72 18 86). More restaurants in the marais to come...

La Closerie des Lilas. 171, boulevard du Montparnasse, in the 6th arrondissement (01 40 51 34 50). Hemingway used to hang out here, and if you go into the bar you can see his name in the wood on the bar near the left side. The restaurant is pretty to very expensive and somewhat uppity, but it's extremely good and the service is impeccable. This is one of those standard, great restaurants. Don't steal one of the ashtrays--they're the neatest I've ever seen. The bar isn't too expensive, and you can drink there without eating, which might be fun. There'll probably be some snobby young British character tending bar. I don't know why this is. In the Montparnasse vicinity is the famous La Coupole, once the haunt of Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and the existentialist set (also see the Hanging Out link for more info on cafés in this area). It's got a brilliant art deco interior, wry and attentive waiters in smart black and white attire, a traditional menu that will certainly please, and, strangely, the staff all gather around the table and sing "joyeux anniversaire" (happy birthday) to those celebrating another year.

Couscous. You must do this at least once. There are a lot of couscous restaurants in the pedestrian quarter just off of St. Michel between St. Germain and the Seine (rue Xavier Privas, rue de la Huchette, etc.)--you'll know the area when you see it. Most of these are good, but the best one is, in my humble but alas! correct opinion, La Couscoussière (and yes, that's my finger in the photo). If you don't know what couscous is, just go here and order it and find out--you will not be disappointed. Basically, it's a North African stew, and it's served over that grain (couscous) that they're starting to promote in the U.S. Couscous here, however, is not simply the grain: it's the stew, consisting of vegetables and your choice (or not) of meats in a savory sauce served over the grain. La Couscoussière is at 83, rue du Cardinal Lemoine, which is a stone's throw (even if you're very weak) from the Place Contrescarpe, which you ought to know anyway, because it's a good place to grab a late night drink. Hemingway lived right across the street from this restaurant, by the way (check out the sign across and down the street just a tad). The couscous at La Couscousserie is among the best I've ever had, and your total bill, with an appetizer, couscous, desert, and drink, shouldn't be more than 25€ or so. The other really good couscous place is on the rue du Sommerard, and you'll know it when you see it, so just go check it out. You'll also find really good couscous, and surprisingly cheap, at Chez Nini, 9 rue Cépré. The décor is strangely opulent for a couscous restaurant (although don't go there expecting plush surroundings), and the food is wonderful. Another place, a little different, perhaps, is Le Taninna, 14, rue Abel, just a 5 minute walk from the Bastille (01.40.19.99.04, metro Gare de Lyon ou Ledru Rollin). This place bills itself as a bar à tappas, but think Algerian. They've got two kinds of couscous: the traditional wheat and the interesting barley, and the menu also features tajines. The couscous here is succulent and plentiful, with flavors I can't quite place but a little different--perhaps more earthy and somehow slightly more sophisticated than traditional couscous--and they also have music and an espace culturel one floor up. Tom doesn't like to un-recommend restaurants, but if you want really good couscous, you might not find it in the pediestrian streets in the Latin Quarter. 'nuff said.

One of Tom's new favorite restaurants is--really--Le Quatorze Juillet, at 99 rue Didot (14th; metro Alésia). This place is run by two very young people with a taste for traditional food slightly twisted. Thus, you'll find an absolutely astonishing Croustillant de chèvre with mint and figs in filo pastry, for example. The truffon dessert is itself worth the trip to the 14th if you have any sense (chocolate sense that is) at all. Go here. It's relatively inexpensive, fun surroundings with friendly people, and truly excellent food. Expect to spend about 30€.

Marty, 20, Avenue des Gobelins (01 43 31 39 51). The guidebooks will tell you that this is one of the few remaining "neighborhood" bistros where you'll find locals enjoying excellent food. Well, the food is OK--not great, but just OK--but that isn't the reason to come Marty. The real reason is the drama you're likely to find there, whether with the staff or the other customers. Rub the maître d' or the bartender the wrong way and they'll likely start slamming glassware around and muttering under the breath about you; the waiters are just as likely to be either harried or overly apologetic. Other customers talk loudly about their quotidian problems, and sometimes argue among themselves or with the staff. Extremely entertaining. UPDATE June 2005: Just had dinner tonight at Marty with Judith and Terry, and while we had a marvelous time (it was us, after all, and we'd be good anywhere), it was in spite of, and not because of Marty. Judith and Terry had the tuna, which they said was way overdone; my food was just OK. The service, however, was little short of dreadful. Think of all the snotty things you've ever heard about French waiters, and there you have it. But it's one thing to be sickening when you actually know how to do correct service. These people don't, and they did many things simply wrong (such as removing food from the left, of all things), so their bitchiness wasn't even deserved. Think twice before you go to Marty. If anyone has a different opinion, I'd love to hear it. Please leave it here.

Like Marty, but with significantly less drama, is Balzar, 49, rue des Ecoles (01 43 54 13 67, photo below). Another one of the "last of the neighborhood bistros." You'd think that this apparently dying breed would have fewer survivors, but there you have it. Balzar is very good, indeed. The service is attentive and sometimes wry, and the owner is extremely cordial. The food is precise and tasty, and you might even see a celebrity or two here if you're lucky. Expect to pay about 30-40€.

Good, traditional French cuisine with a sort of nouvelle twist is yours at the Pré Verre (nice pun?), at 19, rue du Sommerard, at the intersection with the rue Thénard (5th arrondissement 01 43 54 59 47--metro Cluny La Sorbonne or Maubert-Mutualité). You'll come away about 35 € lighter after having consumed an excellent three-course meal with a very good bottle of wine and an aperitif. The cochon de lait will melt in your mouth, and the truffarde au chocolat might just make you sick it's so good. Very attractive décor and surroundings.

One of the smallest restaurants you'll ever see is the Cochon à l'oreille, at 15, rue Montmartre (01 42 36 07 56, metro Les Halles), in the old les Halles district. Run by a harried middle-aged couple who chat a lot with neighborhood regulars, this restaurant has only 6 tables inside, but in good weather they set up 4 or 5 more out on the sidewalk terrace. Here they serve traditional brasserie food and good salads, nicely prepared and inexpensive. Despite the overall pig theme (and check out the display of pigs doing strange and impossible things they have above the bar inside) you'll find a good variety of menu offerings. Make sure also to look at the large ceramic farm scenes in the restaurant's interior, produced locally (and quite some time ago) on the rue du Paradis, once famous for its ceramics and porcelains, and now home to the china and flatware wholesalers. This is really a perfect place to have lunch, since there's every chance you'll be in this neighborhood anyway. Go here and I promise it'll be an experience you haven't had outside of Paris before.

If you're out museuming (that's a verb; shut up), you might try La Frégate, a nautically themed brasserie-restaurant that's right next to the Musée d'Orsay and more or less just across from the Louvre. It's situated at 1, rue du Bac in the 7th, right where the Quai Anatole France meets the Quai Voltaire (01 42 61 23 77, metro rue du Bac). This place is slightly upscale but not fussy, and while it's no bargain, it's not horribly expensive, either--think 25 euros for a really, really good lunch. It has truly impeccable service, and the waiters attending to you will be charming, very professional, and even slightly friendly. In this carefully preserved turn-of-the-century (that's turn of the 20th century) locale you can still find writers and even some artists from the nearby Ecole des Beaux Arts.

Le Trou Normand ("The Norman Hole") is a restaurant you're never likely to find on your own (01 48 05 80 23), but you ought to know about it. Located at 9, rue J.P. Timbaut just off the quieter part of the rue Oberkampf (metro Oberkampf), this is another hole-in-the-wall restaurant serving good, solid, and very cheap northern French food with a little bit of Italian tossed in. There's nothing fancy here, and the team of young waiters who look as though they stopped off to work here just before heading out to the bars up the road will be very friendly and helpful. If they like you they'll even buy you an after dinner digestif, so be nice. We're talking in the neighborhood of 15 euros here. Very good wine list and not at all expensive. (There's another Trou Normand on the avenue Parmentier, but I don't know if it's run by the same people or if it's any good, since I've never been there. Feedback, anyone? [Update, March 2006: a reader responds]) In roughly the same neighborhood is the strangely named Ave Maria, at 1 rue Jacquard (opposite no. 61 rue Oberkampf, 01.47.00.61.73 metro Parmentier or Oberkampf). This restaurant has accomplished the difficult task of being one of Tom's new favorite restaurants. It's world cuisine, which means a strange mishmash of Mexican, Brazilian, French, and whatever. You're likely to find watermellon, passion fruit, chicken, piquant sauces and who knows what else in the earthenware crockery your food comes in, and the absolutely charming waitstaff will go out of their way to help you. Do go here. You might also like the Bakara Lounge, also in this neighborhood, at 61, rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud (01.48.07.17.04, metro Parmentier or Oberkampf).

A true find is the Restaurant Perraudin, at 157 rue Saint Jacques (01 46 33 15 75), at the top of the hill where the wide and busy boulevard turns into a narrow, homier neighborhood street. This was once the haunt of Roland Barthes and his coterie, and they serve traditional French fare, including a dynamite bœuf bourguignon and an unbelievable gigot d'agneau, at unrealistically low prices. Careful, though: as an indicator of how good they are, they're actually closed on Saturday and Sunday. Expect to pay on the order of 25 euros here. One of the best-selling--and hence stupid--guide books declares that Perraudin is stodgy and tired, but that guide book has itself been around so long that, well, you get the picture. Go to Perraudin and ignore everyone's advice but mine (this applies, by the way, in all situations). If you can't make it into Perraudin, try the Au Port Salut, just two doors down at 163bis (01 46 33 63 21). The food is almost as good, the atmosphere very nice and friendly, and if anything it's just a tad cheaper.

Tired of French food? Then go to a different country. No, really, head over to the Casa Bini, at 36 rue Grégoire de Tours in the Saint-Germain district (01 46 34 05 60, metro Odéon or Mabillon). This excellent Italian restaurant is not located in the more tourist-plagued, plastic-and-neon laden block of Grégoire de Tours located just off the rue St. André des Arts, but in the quiet district up the slope toward the top of the street. Although they specialize in various forms of carpaccio here, you'll also find very nicely done pastas and meat dishes. Although not cheap, it's worth the 40 or so euros you'll spend on two or three courses with wine.

OTHER GOOD AREAS WHERE YOU'LL FIND SOMETHING GOOD JUST BY LOOKING AROUND: 

Montmartre area. Try in particular the Villa de Poulebot, on the Place Charles Dullin, on the corner of the Rue Dancourt (metro Anvers). There are two menus, both quite inexpensive, and they're both very good. Try also the Rue des Trois Frères, Metro Anvers. Go up this street, and you'll find many interesting, quirky, and reasonably priced restaurants. If you don't want to spend much money, you might want to try Le Buffet, at 18, rue des Trois Frères. They have a reasonably priced menu which does not, you should note, include dessert, but you can order the "Buffet" for your first course, which is sort of like a French salad bar--very unusual, actually, and with lots of good stuff on it that you can load onto your plate. I would avoid the restaurants all the way up the hill on the Place du Tertre, because they'll be expensive and not very good. Too many tourists, really (don't you love it when someone says that?). An interesting place just off of the top of the hill which I used to recommend is La Maison Rose, which is, in fact (as the name says), a little pink house--it was also the subject of a Maurice Utrillo painting. If you're at the top of the hill, at the Place du Tertre (where all the artists are), go down the very busy Rue des Norvins and turn right onto the Rue des Saules. Go down the hill to the corner of the Rue de l'Abreuvoir and you'll see the little pink house at number 2 (01 42 57 66 75). I say I used to recommend it, because the last time I went it was pretty touch and go; usually, however, it's very good, quite charming, and it's a terrific place to have dinner outside in Montmartre on a warm summer's night. Again: go late. Let me know how it is, OK?

You'll find other interesting places to cadge a meal on the Rue Mouffetard. See Chez Georgette, above. There are many good, interesting, and inexpensive restaurants on this street and on the little side streets leading into it. Have a drink at one of the cafés on the Place Contrescarpe at the top of the hill. Metro Monge. Check out also the Rue Grégoire des Tours (see Casa Bini, above, but stay at the lower end to find a lot of other small places worth a look). Metro Odéon. Choose something that doesn't have too much plastic in it. It'll be fine. You'll find a mix of Greek and Normandy here. Also go just around the corner onto the rue St. André des Arts, and you'll find some interesting, trendy, and generally perfectly OK places. Rue St. André des Arts is a good place to be seen. There's also an anarchist restaurant on the boulevard Arago (closest metro is probably "Gobelins") that seems to appear and disappear at infrequent intervals. If it's open--and you'll know it to see it) go in. It'll be unusually intimidating, and people will probably yell at you, but it's actually their idea of irony. It will be cheap and politically interesting, maybe traumatic.

CHEAP AND EASY (but not pushovers):

Chartier, 7, rue du faubourg Montmartre. An institution (metro Grands Boulevards). This is a restaurant that you really should go to, just because of its history (they claim three centuries of service to 50 million people!) and its strange, loud, hectic ambiance. The food isn't remarkable (but it's certainly quite decent). This is one of the rare occasions when you should order à la carte (and they post their very reasonably priced menu on the web daily). Very crowded and noisy, the waiters will be gruff but charming, and they'll write your order directly on the paper table cloth. If you're young and/or on a budget, you'll absolutely love this place (pictured here). Chartier is the sort of grande dame of the great inexpensive restaurants. There is a sister (brother?) restaurant to Chartier that has practically the same menu but it's slightly less interesting. It's called Convention on a street of the same name in the 15th. Unlike most places, these stop serving at 9:30, so you have to go reasonably early. You will probably have to wait in line. Go to Chartier over the other one, because it's weirder and vastly more interesting. If you are alone or with only one other person, expect to be seated at a table with someone else. This is OK, so just cool out, will you? You'll probably actually enjoy yourself.

If you hadn't waited so long to go to Paris, you could have dined at the Casa Miguel, on the Rue St. Georges. This is no longer still open, because it was run for the longest time by a woman who was 88 years old if she was a day. It was the cheapest restaurant in France, with a Guinness certificate in the window to prove it. Last time I was there it was only 5FF (that's less than 1 euro)--I'm not kidding. You would go there and expect to be seated next to clochards (really). It was a trip. Madame Miguel cooked and served pretty much by herself, and I'm not sure, but I think she ran the place really to feed a lot of these homeless guys who, it turned out, were generally quite charming. Here's to you, Mme Miguel!

There is also a stunningly good and astonishingly cheap Caribbean restaurant on the rue Etex in the 18th, metro Guy Moquet. I forget the name and the number, but when you get off the metro, head up Etex and it will be a little ways up the street on the left. The food is extremely spicy, so watch out. If you like breathtakingly hot food, you'll love this.

The neighborhood around the rue de la Huchette, rue de la Harpe, rue Xavier Privas, etc. consists of pedestrian-only streets that date back to the twelfth century (and I took this picture of the rue de la Harpe looking up toward the boulevard St. Germain from my living room window, and I had to lean out pretty far, so you'd better darned well appreciate it). It's very charming, and it's got many, many restaurants. The jury is out on these. I've had decent meals here, and I've also had crap. I can't recommend any in particular (but I do remember that the last time I had couscous at "Au bon couscous" the couscous wasn't very bon), but you can check them out. In the summer, especially August, there will be a zillion people walking around here, especially from about 9:00 at night until about 1:00 in the morning. You can eat outside, but unless it's really hot I wouldn't recommend it simply because of the jostling and the musicians who will set up and play in front of you (always, always "Those Were the Days My Friend") and ask for money. The rue de la Parcheminerie and the rue Xavier Privas have what seem to me to be the most interesting dark little cave-like restaurants. Also, just across the rue St. Jacques there's another little neighborhood worth checking out. It won't be anywhere near as crowded, and the streets aren't closed to cars. Look at the rue Galande, rue Dante, and the little streets that run from the boulevard St. Germain toward the Seine. Some cool places and old nightclubs can be found here (including the famous "Oubliettes" [and if you don't know what that is, check it out]).

Someplace you're not likely to find that has a nice concentration of interesting restaurants is the area around Saint Roch and the rue du marché Saint Honoré (1st arrondissement). Take the métro to Pyramides, and then go down the rue des Pyramides to the rue St. Honoré. Turn right and head over one block, just past the church, to the rue Saint Roch. Turn right again, and head up the rue Saint Roch. Here you'll find an unusual mix of traditional auberge-style restaurants with new wave Japanese restaurants. If none of these strikes your fancy, keep going straight until you get to the rue Gomboust, turn left, and proceed on over into the square ahead. You'll find the marché Saint Honoré here, and all around it, particularly heading down the rue du marché Saint Honoré, a collection of upscale restaurants, each in a different style. Look especially at L'Ecluse and L'Absinthe. You'll likely agree that Nomad's is a good place for an after-dinner drink, and they often have live music with no cover charge (and you're in for a special treat if René Miller's Wedding Band is playing). 

On a warm summer evening head over to the place du marché Ste. Catherine in the 4th (metro St. Paul), just off the rue Caron. A half dozen decent restaurants occupy this charming, quiet little square that seems totally removed from the busy city around it, and they spread out into the space with overhead lights, plants, and just about everything you'd want that screams with ambiance. You won't believe you're in a huge city here. Although the restaurants are hit and miss--but all perfectly serviceable--they're reasonably priced and you simply can't do better for ambiance. If you want less atmosphere (i.e., you'll be eating inside) but slightly better, perhaps more interesting food, check out L'Epouvantail (01 40 29 03 03) or Les Bougresses (01 48 87 71 21), both at 6 rue Jarente, just at the top of the square. The marais is a good place to walk around in, too, and on the Neat Places page you'll find suggestions for where to roam.

OK, here's another challenge to Tom's readers: for years I've wanted to go to Chez Julien, pictured at right, but have never gone (1, rue Pont Louis Philippe, 4th arrondissement). Anyone been here? It has always looked completely charming to me, but for whatever reason I've never gone. Who's been? Tell us all.

If it's a warm summer evening head on over to Chez Lena et Mimile, a truly charming bistrot in the quiet part of the Latin Quarter (32 rue Tournefort, 5th arrondissement, phone 01 47 07 72 47, metro Censier-Daubenton or Monge). Lena et Mimile have what might be the absolute best terrasse in the city for outdoor dining, and it's well worth waiting for. Because the restaurant is located at the bottom of a hill, the terrasse affords a terrific view of a quiet and charming neighborhood. The food is very good, nicely prepared, and the staff helpful and friendly. 

Readers Chime In

Jackie swears by the Jules Verne Restaurant, located on the Eiffel Tower itself, but she also cautions that you need to reserve well in advance (01.45.55.61.44), and adds that "the view is magnificent!"

An anonymous reader tells us we have to check out La Coupole, which is also listed on the "Hanging Out" page (102, bd du Montparnasse, 01.43.20.14.20, about 40 euros), and I couldn't agree more. It's one of Montparnasse's old stand-bys, and many a famous writer called the large and open restaurant a second home.

Beth and Bruce of Dallas were completely charmed by the Hotel du nord (102 quai de Jemmapes, tenth arrondissement, metro Garde de l'est or Goncourt 01.40.40.78.78). "It's white tablecloth, but not snooty; there's an upright piano in the dining room, and every once in a while someone would just go up and start playing."

Frank writes of Le Twickenham that they have "Absolutely transcendental moules frites in a very sweet cream and shallot sauce (I think they were shallot bits, but there were tons of them). Ooh, I get chills thinking of this dish. A better experience than the moules provençales we had in Brussels (every day) ten years ago (a lifetime fave). Good fries, hot but not exceptional. Place is absolutely average in ambiance,waiter was helpful and gracious, very professional (68 Bd. Saint Germain, 5th arrondissement, metro Maubert Mutualité 01 43 54 52 44).

Terry recommends A La Petite Chaise at 36, rue de Grenelle in the seventh arrondissement (01 42 22 13 35 metro rue du Bac or Saint Sulpice). They went early and "there were no patrons at that time. The servers were almost overjoyed to help us. By the time we finished, the place did start to fill up." The restaurant was two blocks from Terry's hotel.

John and Sharon roamed the ninth arrondissement and strongly suggest two places to eat. The first is Sous le Jasmin, a place for couscous and tagines, at 66, rue Blanche (01 49 70 06 75, metro Blanche); and they went a bit overboard recommending Le Bistrot Papillon (6, rue Papillon, 01 47 70 90 03, metro Cadet) a turn-of-the-last century bistrot with a 27-euro menu and a large and reasonably priced wine list.

Galen says that one should go to Perraudin (see above) for the Au Gratin alone, and adds that when they went there the owner was so nice he even offered them a complimentary Kir at the bar because they had to wait a little while ("an unexpected delight," writes Galen).

Sue is especially impressed with Zinc Zinc, at 209 Ter (209C, basically), avenue Charles de Gaulle in Neuilly sur Seine. (Neuilly Sur Seine is a suburb of Paris, but it's so close that you won't even know you're not in Paris--and the metro will take you there without any special ticket or anything. Just get off at Pont de Neuilly.) Sue writes: "Food excellent, service superb, prices resonable, atmosphere relaxed. And even though their English is as limited as my French, they are very patient and downright nice. Big thumbs up every time I go there."

Sandy from Illinois also likes Brasserie Balzar and Allard, but she also recommends "a little restaurant on the Place Dauphine called Le Caveau du Palais (38, rue des Tournelles, 4th [01 42 71 43 33]). They have the best Confit de Canard with crispy fried potatoes, and wonderful Tarte Tatin – they don’t skimp on the Crème Fraiche!  We also enjoy Bistro de Breteuil, not far from Invalides (3, place de Breteuil, 7th [01 45 67 07 27]).  They have a very reasonably priced prix fixe menu, including a bottle of wine (for 2 people) and coffee at the end of the meal. I just checked their website, and the price is 33 euros."

An anonymous reader responded to my request for information on the Trou Normand on the Avenue Parmentier: "You asked for feedback on this restaurant and here it is. I've eaten here 3 times in my last 2 trips to Paris and every meal was excellent. 20 euro formule. Entree & plat or Plat & dessert. Extra course is 7 euros. Small carte changes daily. Mostly locals here, very friendly owner. Good and reasonable wine list. One of the best buys in Paris. Metro Parmentier" (117 avenue Parmentier, Paris 11 [01 43 57 39 62]).

Another anonymous reader recommends Le Bec Rouge, at 46 bis boulevard du Montparnasse (metro Montparnasse-Bienvenue or Falguière: 01 42 22 45 54). S/he writes: Very nice cooking of alasacian inspiration. A great 3 courses meal for 24 Euros, "très bon rapport qualité prix".

Jane speaks very highly of La Marsa, at 45 rue Gay Lussac, in the 5th (01 46 33 11 85; metro [RER] Luxembourg): "This little fish restaurant is situated in the Latin Quarter just round the corner from the Relais Saint Jacques hotel. The Gambas in Pastis was wonderful, staff lovely and very patient with my restricted French."

An anonymous reader (who I'll bet is French) is extremely enthusiastic about L'Ambassade d'Auvergne, at 22, rue du Grenier Saint-Lazare in the third arrondissement (01 42 72 31 22; metro Rambuteau). "This is really my favourite restaurant in Paris. Typical food from the Auvergne region (you must eat an aligot once in your life, that is, mashed potatoe with a special cheese, but really more sophisticated than that), the lamb is excellent, in a superbe decor, delicious food, neat service and not that expensive especially as they offer lot's of small things during the meal : terrine with the aperitif, fouasse and conquises with the coffee. Very pleasant, relaxed-smart atmosphere. And it's opened on sundays."

Colin enjoyed the Auberge Nicolas Flamel (51 rue Montmorency, third arrondissement, metro Arts et Metiers, Etienne Marcel, or Rambuteau: 01 42 71 77 78), in the oldest house in Paris: "I thought I'd made a huge mistake when I went into this street but the reality was something else. Home to Nicolas Flamel, a 16th (I think) french alchemist it's supposed to be one of the oldest residential houses in Paris. Inside it's huge guilt mirrors, candel light and very few electric lights. Service was first class. The floor is run by one very efficient lady. There are only 12-15 tables downstairs so it's very intimate. Food is exceptional (try the pot au feu seafood casserole). My girlfriend said it was THE most romantic restaurant she'd ever been to and it made her cry. Booking is strongly recommended.

 OK. I've told you my favorite places, and other readers have given theirs; now it's your turn to add something to the guide. Do you have a favorite place that you always go to? Whether it's a 4-star extravaganza or that little hole in the wall that serves your basic meat and potatoes kind of meal, Tom's Guide wants to know about it. Click here to suggest a restaurant of your own.

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