Travel. Paris. Paris Restaurants
The City of Paris is divided into twenty arrondissements. They are arranged in the form of a clockwise spiral, starting with the first in the middle of the city on the right bank (north bank) of the Seine River. Select an arrondissement on the map below to view the France Today listings for that area.
1st arrondissement
Au Pied de Cochon
6 rue Coquillière
Paris 75001
Métro: Châtelet/Les Halles
01.40.13.77.00.
Another venerable oldie leftover from the heyday of the city’s wholesale food market at Les Halles. Now run by a big restaurant chain and a shadow of its former self, but it’s open 24/7.
Brasserie Flottes
2 rue Cambon
Paris 1st
Métro: Concorde
01.42.60.80.89
A warm and wonderful family-owned restaurant near the Place de la Concorde that’s open from 11:30 am to half-past-midnight, nonstop, seven days a week. What makes it so different from other Paris brasseries is the exceptional quality of the produce used in the kitchen, and the really good cooking: onion soup and steak tartare, oeuf mayonnaise, roasted Auvergnat sausage served with aligot (potatoes whipped with cheese curds and garlic). €35 per person without wine.
Café Marly
93 rue de Rivoli
Paris 75001
Métro: Palais Royal
01.49.26.06.60.
A handsome if overly expensive Costes restaurant in the north wing of the Louvre, with a summer terrace facing I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid and interior windows overlooking a sculpture gallery.
Chez la Vieille
37 rue de l'Arbre Sec
Paris 1st
01.42.60.15.78
Chef Michel Del Burgo is serving impeccable cuisine bourgeoise: seared duck foie gras with "forgotten" vegetables in a light port sauce; grilled scallops in buttermilk foam garnished with endives and fresh hazelnuts; chocolate moelleux cake with pecans and salted-butter caramel sauce. €70 per person without wine
Hôtel Costes
239 rue St-Honoré
Paris 75001
Métro: Tuileries
01.42.44.50.00
Nothing is trendier, and few places offer such generous helpings of attitude. The flagship of the Costes restaurant empire, serving what’s now known as “Costes food”—simple, artfully assembled on the plate rather than really cooked—but cuisine is not the point.
Indochine
38 rue du Mont Thabor
Paris 75001
Métro: Concorde
01.42.60.79.79.
The spiffy annex of the small restaurant of the same name on the Left Bank (both also known as Au Coin des Gourmets) run by the wonderful Ta family and serving really good Cambodian, Vietnamese and Laotian food.
Kei
5 rue Coq-Héron
Paris 75001
Métro: Louvre-Rivoli/Sentier
01.42.33.13.74
This excellent restaurant on the edge of Les Halles is the first independent venture of Japanese chef Kei Kobayashi, who arrived in France in 1999 and cooked at the three-star Auberge du Vieux Puits and at Alain Ducasse’s Plaza Athénée before going out on his own. His two tasting menus are both spectacular, with such dishes as lobster en cocotte with red pepper sauce and succulent Pyrenees lamb. Lunch menus €38 and €48 (4 or 5 courses), dinner menus €75 and €95 (6 or 8 courses).
L'Espadon
15 place Vendôme
Paris 1st
01.43.16.30.80
The two-star restaurant of the Hôtel Ritz has introduced a €70 lunch menu that offers an excellent way to discover the delicious and inventive cooking of chef Michel Roth served in one of the prettiest dining rooms in Paris. A recent menu: giant ravioli stuffed with artichokes and arugula, garnished with baby clams; filet of monkfish with black olives, zucchini and pickled lemon; a stunningly good dessert of Tatin-style roasted apple with luscious caramel ice cream. €70 per person without wine
La Régalade Saint Honoré
123 rue Saint Honoré
Paris 1st
01.42.21.92.40.
Main courses such as cod steak demi-sel and a luscious paleron de veau à la Provençale are generously served, perfectly cooked and imaginatively seasoned at the second address of Bruno Doucet's La Régalade, this one near the Louvre. The fixed-price menu is one of the best buys in Paris.
€35 per person without wine
La Tour Montlhéry/Chez Denise
5 rue des Prouvaires
Paris 75001
Métro: Châtelet/Les-Halles
01.42.36.21.82.
One of the few authentic old bistrots left in the Les Halles district, serving generous portions of traditional bistrot food, open until 5 am, but closed Sat and Sun.
Le Caveau du Palais
19 pl Dauphine
Paris 75001
Métro: Pont Neuf
01.43.26.04.28.
In the peaceful Place Dauphine on the Ile de la Cité, a restaurant offering well-prepared classic French dishes in several small, romantic dining rooms or on a tree-shaded summer terrace.
Le Louchebem
31 rue Berger
Paris 75001
Métro: Châtelet/Les Halles
01.42.33.12.99.
For carnivores only, a restaurant that’s a remnant of the old Les Halles wholesale food market. The name is old market slang for a butcher, and rotisserie meats are the specialty—the assiette du rôtisseur offers all-you-can-eat servings of spit-roasted beef, ham and leg of lamb. Moderate prices.
Les Bistronomes
34 rue de Richelieu
Paris 1st
Métro: Pyramides; Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre
01.42.60.59.66
Chef Cyril Aveline's grande cuisine training is apparent in his beautifully presented contemporary French cooking: impeccably cooked, pastry-wrapped pâté studded with a chunk of rosy duck breast and a knob of foie gras; lentil salad with slices of morteau sausage; onglet with gratin dauphinois; succulent chicken with basmati rice in a light tarragon cream sauce. Lunch menus €26–€34, à la carte €50.
Les Fines Gueules
43 rue Croix des Petits Champs
Paris 75001
Métro: Pyramides
01.42.61.35.41
Among the best of a superb new vintage of Paris wine bars.
€30 per person without wine
Les Montagnards
58 rue Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Paris 1st
Métro: Louvre-Rivoli
01.40.26.68.75
A spacious restaurant near the Pompidou specializing in fondue, raclette (in which the surface of a raclette cheese is heated and scraped onto diner's plates) and tartiflette (melted Reblochon cheese served over sliced boiled potatoes). €30 per person without wine
L’Ardoise
28 rue du Mont Thabor
Paris 75001
Métro: Concorde
01.42.96.28.18.
A small restaurant in a business-and-boutique district, offering contemporary French cuisine and good value for the price.
Spring
6 rue Bailleul, 1st
01.45.96.05.72
Chicago-born chef Daniel Rose’s stunning new restaurant in a 17th-century house, with a basement tapas bar and a third-level wine cellar. A recent dinner: eggplant cooked four ways, smoked tuna with yellow tomatoes; veal breast with langoustines. Lunch menus €23 or €38; dinner menu €64 (per person without wine).
Verjus
52 rue de Richelieu
Paris 1st
Métro: Pyramides
01.42.97.54.40
Young American cook Braden Perkins's market-driven, cosmopolitan cooking is superb. A recent four-course dinner showcased his highly appetizing culinary creativity, with roasted leeks served with a quail’s egg and Israeli couscous; succulent baked, freshly smoked salmon accompanied by flying-fish eggs and tofu flan; and perfectly roasted pork belly with carrots cooked in carrot juice. The cheese sampler was excellent too. Dinner only, €55 four courses, €70 six courses.
Yam'Tcha
4 rue Sauval
Paris 1st
01.40.26.08.07.
Chef Adeline Grattarad frequently uses Asian seasonings and techniques in her Michelin-starred restaurant: slivered broad beans with pork and sesame seed oil; grilled scallops on a bed of bean sprouts in a wild garlic sauce; Challans duckling with sautéed eggplant and Szechuan pepper; and a splendid and original dessert of homemade ginger ice cream with avocado slices and passion fruit. €45 per person without wine
2nd arrondissement
A Priori Thé
35 galerie Vivienne
Paris 75002
Métro: Bourse
01.42.97.48.75.
In a lovely 19th-century covered passage, a pretty tearoom serving light lunches, salads and sweets along with a wide selection of teas.
Aux Crus de Bourgogne
3 rue Bachaumont
Paris 75002
Métro: Sentier
01.42.33.48.24.
A traditional old bistrot just off the Rue Montorgueil market street, serving moderately priced hearty Burgundian fare including long-simmered coq au vin.
Aux Lyonnais
32 rue St-Marc
Paris 2nd
Métro: Richelieu-Drouot
01.42.96.65.04.
A beautiful old bistro with a Belle Epoque decor, taken over and given a contemporary new life by multi-star chef/entrepreneur Alain Ducasse, who updated the menu with lighter contemporary versions of classic Lyonnais cuisine. It ain’t what it used to be, and it costs more than it should, but it’s good. Menus from €30.
Café Moderne
40 rue Notre Dame des Victoires
Paris 2nd
01.53.40.84.10.
Cozy and chic, with delightful service and an excellent wine list, too. On the menu recently: scallops with parsnip puree and grilled bacon; filet of sea bass with a spice-bread crumb crust. Excellent food, especially for such modest prices. Prix-fixe dinner €39 per person without wine
Chez Georges
1 rue du Mail
Paris 2nd
Métro: Bourse
01.42.60.07.11.
Owned and run by the same family for several generations, this old-fashioned bistrot has been taken over by the owners of Chez René and the Bistrot de Paris, but the atmosphere is still 1950s Paris, with an old-fashioned menu hand-written in nearly undecipherable purple ink. The food is traditional, excellent, and expensive. There is not one reasonably priced wine on the exorbitantly priced list. €50 per person without wine
Citronnelle et Galanga
15 rue d'Aboukir
Paris 75002
Métro: Bourse/Sentier
01.42.21.05.62
The third of the Ta family’s exceptional Indochinese restaurants, this one includes all their best Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian dishes: Vietnamese ravioli; nem or chai gio (small deep-fried spring rolls); ginger chicken; and amok, a Cambodian dish of fresh cod steamed in a banana leaf with coconut milk, galanga (a ginger-like root) and kaffir lime. Lunch menu €15, à la carte €35.
Frenchie
5 rue du Nil
Paris 2nd
Métro: Sentier
01.40.39.96.19.
Smart young chef Grégory Marchand's market menus are inspired by stints he did in London at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen and in New York at Danny Meyer's Gramercy Tavern. The short menu changes constantly: celery-root soup garnished with a poached egg; brandade de morue (salt cod with whipped potatoes and garlic) with roasted red pepper coulis; chocolate tart. Short but interesting wine list. €40 per person without wine
Frenchie Wine Bar
6 rue du Nil, 2nd
Métro: Sentier
This popular, lively and loud wine bar offers a taste of Gregory Marchand's terrific contemporary French cooking in a small-plate format: trout fillets with cucumber curls; burrata with green-pea pesto; tomato salad with black cherries. No reservations. Service starts at 7 pm, which is when you should be there.
L'Hédoniste
14 rue Léopold Bellan
Paris 2nd
Métro: Sentier
01.40.26.87.33
L’Hédoniste in the Sentier—the old garment district in the 2nd arrondissement—comes as a welcome surprise despite a nondescript decor. Chef Sébastien Dubrulle does delectable cosmopolitan comfort food dishes like squid-ink risotto with baby squid, ravioli stuffed with stewed beef, and guinea hen with chanterelles, and his associate Arthur Pétillault has assembled an excellent list of organic and biodynamic wines. Lunch menus €18–€23.50, à la carte €40 per person without wine.
Le Mesturet
77 rue de Richelieu
Paris 75002
Métro: Bourse
01.42.97.40.68.
One of the best of the simple contemporary bistrots around town, run by the generous, enthusiastic Alain Fontaine. Casual, comfortable, serving good, reasonably priced seasonal cuisine with a southwestern French accent—Fontaine scours the region for the best suppliers.
Le Sâotico
96 rue Richelieu
Paris 2nd
Métro: Richelieu-Drouot
01.42.96.03.20
Sâotico is a type of gray shrimp found in the waters off Normandy's Cotentin peninsula, the home turf of chef Hugues Gourney, who used to own Le Reminet. The menu is terrific: a gâteau of sautéed eggplant, heirloom tomatoes and feta; tender squid stuffed with diced vegetables; wild lieu jaune (yellow pollack) with lime; a superb homemade feuillantine filled with raspberries and lemon cream. Open 8 am-7 pm. €35 per person, without wine.
Saturne
17 rue Notre Dame des Victoires
Paris 2nd
Métro: Bourse
01.42.60.31.90
Chef Sven Chartier is French with Swedish roots, his bistrot à vins is blindingly successful, but his cooking occasionally seems too plain. A salad of raw shrimp, sardines, nasturtium flowers, wild fennel and other herbs is pleasant, but more an exercise in composition than cooking. But there's a great list of organic wines; and when the food's good, it's very good, like a perfectly cooked chunk of Challans duckling with a side slaw of red beets. Lunch menu €35, dinner menu €60 per person without wine
Zinc
8 rue de Hanovre
Paris 2nd
Métro: Quatre Septembre, Opéra
01.42.65.58.95
The notable lack of reasonably priced, quality restaurants around the Opéra Garnier makes this new brasserie opened by chef Frédéric Vardon doubly welcome. The smart chef isn’t looking to reinvent the wheel here; rather he understands that sometimes diners just want a solidly good, relaxed meal in a quiet and pleasant setting, enjoying the simple pleasures of traditional French dishes like marinated salmon, steak tartare or roast chicken. Lunch menus €23–€28, à la carte €40.
3rd arrondissement
Au Bascou
38 rue Réaumur
Paris 75003
Métro: Arts et Métiers
01.42.72.69.25.
A lively neighborhood restaurant serving updated versions of traditional Basque and other southwestern French dishes. Moderately priced.
Glou
101 rue Vieille du Temple
Paris 3rd
01.42.74.44.32.
Pedigreed produce—Utah Beach oysters, bellota ham and charcuterie—stands in as a sort of delicious place-maker for the work of real cooking here, but Glou does offer a few hot dishes daily: beef cheeks braised in red wine, salmon with sesame seeds and baby spinach. There's a terrific wine list, reasonable prices and a great atmosphere. €30 per person without wine
Le Bar à Huîtres
33 blvd Beaumarchais
Paris 3rd
01.48.87.98.92
With the arrival of a new owner Le Bar à Huîtres is once again a very good destination for serious seafood lovers. The revamped menu offers a terrific variety of pedigreed bivalves including Prat ar Coum from Brittany, Gillardeau from Marennes and Corsican oysters from the Etang de Diana. There’s also an appealing assortment of fish—the fresh cod with aïoli and the sole meunière are both recommended. €50 per person without wine
Le Taxi Jaune
13 rue Chapon
Paris 75003
01.42.76.00.40
A snug little bistro in the northern Marais that remains one of the most reliable dining favorites in town.
Lunch menu €16.50, dinner à la carte €40–€45. Prices are per person without wine.
L’Auberge Nicolas Flamel
51 rue de Montmorency
Paris 75003
Métro: Rambuteau
01.42.71.77.78.
Said to be one of the oldest buildings in Paris, dating to 1407. Ambitious food, more or less reasonably priced, in a romantic candlelit setting.
Pramil
9 rue du Vertbois
Paris 3rd
01.42.72.03.60
Chef Alain Pramil’s contemporary French bistro cooking is fresh, creative and delicious: earthy white asparagus soup, perfectly cooked scallops served in a light cream sauce with leeks, terrific navarin d’agneau, and a dessert of strawberries with a curious but delightful cucumber-and-olive-oil sorbet. €40 per person without wine
Robert et Louise
64 rue Vieille du Temple
Paris 75003
01.42.78.55.89.
French, Bistrot
A hole-in-the-wall in the Marais where the house specialty is a giant côte de boeuf for two that's cooked over an open-fire.
€35 per person without wine
4th arrondissement
Benoît
20 rue St-Martin, 4th
Métro: Châtelet
01.42.72.25.76.
Another venerable old Parisian institution taken over by Alain Ducasse. The contemporary cuisine is generally very good, but the place is far too expensive to call itself a bistrot.
Bofinger
5-7 rue de la Bastille
Paris 75004
Métro: Bastille
01.42.72.87.82.
A beautiful Belle Epoque brasserie with a splendid stained glass ceiling. The fresh seafood platters are usually fine, the rest erratic.
Georges
9 rue Beaubourg
Paris 75004
Métro: Rambuteau
01.44.78.47.99.
Another trendy, popular Costes restaurant, on the rooftop of the Centre Pompidou, with a cosmic-fantasy decor and a vast summer terrace. The buzz is palpable, the wait staff is usually eye candy, the food isn’t all that bad and the view is spectacular.
Le Dôme du Marais
53 bis rue des Francs Bourgeois
Paris 4th
01.42.74.54.17
Following a recent change in management, Le Dôme du Marais has become a very good and useful address for summer dining. Not only is it open seven days a week, but the seasonal menu is ideal for warm-weather dining. Try the sea bream tartare with lime and ginger or a delightful cold pea soup, grilled sole with potato purée or Thai-style beef with steamed rice. Desserts are terrific, including a raspberry tart with champagne gelée. Lunch: plat du jour €19, two courses €26; Sunday brunch €25; à la carte €45.
Le Gaigne
12 rue Pecquay
Paris 75004
Métro: Rambuteau
01.44.59.86.72
A vest-pocket address with a larger-than-life talent in the kitchen--young chef Mickaël Gaignon.
Lunch menus €16 and €22; five-course tasting menu €39; à la carte €45. Prices are per person without wine.
Le Métropolitain
8 rue de Jouy
75004 Paris
Métro: Saint Paul
09.81.20.37.38
A very pleasant little restaurant in the Marais for a good, affordable, casual meal: terrine of shredded beef cheeks, foie gras and beets; pluma (Spanish pork) with carrots and ginger; and maigre (drum fish) on a bed of eggplant puree. Lunch menus €17, €32; à la carte €35 per person without wine.
Le Temps des Cerises
31 rue de la Cerisaie
Paris 4th
01.42.72.08.63
In a pretty little 18th-century house with a picture-perfect mosaic facade and geraniums in the window boxes, a terrific neighborhood bistrot offering a tempting array of Gallic classics (entrecôte with shallots, fresh cod) along with some lighter contemporary fare (lamb marinated in lime juice, salmon with sage). Lunch menu €13.50, Sun brunch €22; à la carte €30. Wines start at €18.50
Ma Bourgogne
19 pl des Vosges
Paris 75004
Métro: Bastille/St-Paul
01.42.78.44.64.
Comfort food, Burgundy-style, in an old-fashioned restaurant under the arcades of the Place des Vosges. Mostly moderately priced, but tricky.
Mariage Frères
30 rue du Bourg-Tibourg
Paris 75004
Métro: Hôtel de Ville
01.42.72.28.11.
A popular tea shop and boutique with an amazing selection of teas from around the world.
Mon Vieil Ami
69 rue St-Louis-en-l’Ile
Paris 75004
Métro: Pont Marie
01.40.46.01.35.
A small, sleek restaurant run by one-star chef Antoine Westermann of Buerehiesel in Strasbourg, offering sophisticated contemporary cooking along with updates of regional Alsatian specialties. There’s a big communal table (table d’hôte) on one side. Fairly expensive.
Pain, Vin, Fromages
3 rue Geoffroy-l'Angevin
Paris 4th
Métro: Rambuteau
01.42.74.07.52
A cozy spot in the Marais serving six different versions of fondue—a classic Savoyard mix of cheeses, and others with curry, herbes de Provence, goat cheese, Roquefort, and a Norman treat made with Camembert and Pont l'Evêque. €25 per person without wine
Restaurant Claude Colliot
40 rue des Blancs-Manteaux
Paris 4th
01.42.71.55.45
The axis on which Colliot's cuisine turns is his produce, precisely cooked and carefully garnished to enhance its natural flavors at this good-looking dining room: grilled scallops with egg yolk, anchovy paste and carrot slaw; sweetbreads with carrots and finely grated ginger. €50 per person without wine.
5th arrondissement
Au Coin des Gourmets
5 rue Dante
Paris 75005
Métro: Cluny-La Sorbonne
01.43.26.12.92.
Small and unpretentious, run by the delightful Ta family, serving excellent Cambodian, Vietnamese and Laotian specialties, including the best ravioli vietnamien in town. Very reasonably priced, and one of our favorites.
Au Moulin à Vent
20 rue des Fossés Saint Bernard
Paris 75005
Métro: Cardinal Lemoine
01.43.54.99.37.
The delightful Moulin à Vent in the Latin Quarter offers some of the best frog's legs in Paris.
French, Bistrot
€40 per person without wine
Brasserie Balzar
49 rue des Ecoles
Paris 75005
Métro: Cluny/La Sorbonne
01.43.54.13.67.
An old Latin Quarter institution taken over by the Groupe Flo chain. It still looks as romantically scruffy and solidly Parisian as ever, and in fact the food was never much more than ordinary, but for anyone who used to love it, the thrill is gone.
Dans les Landes ... Mais à Paris
119 bis rue Monge
Paris 5th
Métro: Censier-Daubonton
01.45.87.06.00
Deep in the Latin Quarter, this restaurant is the second table of gifted young chef Julien Duboué, whose first restaurant, Afaria, is a deservedly big hit farther out in the 15th arrondissement. Here Duboué offers some 30 different sampler-size plates with a southwestern accent, including Basque-style razor clams and mussels, fried squid with sweet peppers, caramelized pork breast, and smoked duck breast with polenta “fries”. €30 per person without wine
Desvouges
6 rue des Fossés Saint-Marcel
Paris 5th
Métro: Saint-Marcel
01.47.07.91.25
The food at Desvouges, deep in the Latin Quarter, is delicious: impeccable steak tartare—freshly chopped beef seasoned with sun-dried tomatoes, capers and herbs; an intriguing "nem toulousain"—sage-spiked pork sausage wrapped in a crisp roll of crunchy phyllo pastry, accompanied by ratatouille; a perfectly aged selection of cheeses. Fixed-price menu €26 per person, without wine
Itinéraires
5 rue de Pontoise
Paris 75005
Métro: Maubert-Mutualité
01.46.33.60.11.
Chef Sylvain Sendra and his wife Sarah made a huge hit with their tiny Au Temps le Temps before graduating to this spacious restaurant, and their fan club grew apace. Sendra's inventive, even audacious, cuisine is usually worth the wait for a reservation, but portions are small and prices are up.
L'Agrume
15 rue des Fossés Saint Marcel
Paris 5th
01.43.31.86.48.
A sweet little restaurant in a remote corner of the 5th arrondissement where chef Franck Marchesi-Grandi is cooking his heart out in the small open kitchen of a simply decorated, shopfront space near Les Gobelins: crabmeat dressed with lime zest, basil, and matchsticks of Granny Smith apple; brick-colored rouget (red mullet) soup; sea bass with salsify and duckling breast with red-beet slaw. Lunch menu €16; five-course tasting menu €35; à la carte €35 per person without wine.
La Grange Saint Michel
11 rue Saint Séverin
Paris 5th
Métro: Saint-Michel
01..43.26.36.30
A popular spot in the Latin Quarter specializing in fondue: classic cheese, along with fondue aux cèpes and fondue bourguignonne—cubes of beef individually cooked at the table in a pot of boiling oil , then dressed with a variety of sauces. €25 per person without wine
Le Bar à Huîtres
33 rue St-Jacques
Paris 75005
Métro: Maubert-Mutualité
01.44.07.27.37.
With the arrival of a new owner Le Bar à Huîtres is once again a very good destination for serious seafood lovers. The revamped menu offers a terrific variety of pedigreed bivalves including Prat ar Coum from Brittany, Gillardeau from Marennes and Corsican oysters from the Etang de Diana. There’s also an appealing assortment of fish—the fresh cod with aïoli and the sole meunière are both recommended. €50 per person without wine
Le Bistro des Gastronomes
10 rue Cardinal Lemoine
Paris 5th
Métro: Cardinal Lemoine
01.43.54.62.40
A new Latin Quarter standout, with delicious contemporary French bistrot cooking at very reasonable prices: generously served terrine de campagne; razor clams with garlic-and-parsley persillade; scallops garnished with celery root puree; free-range pork; apple tart served with homemade vanilla-praline ice cream and melted salt caramel. Fixed-price menu €35, à la carte €40 per person without wine.
Le Buisson Ardent
25 rue Jussieu
Paris 75005
Métro: Jussieu
01.43.54.93.02.
A small neighborhood bistrot serving good contemporary French cuisine that’s usually a cut above ordinary bistrot fare.
Le Petit Pontoise
9 rue Pontoise
Paris 75005
Métro: Maubert-Mutualité
01.43.29.25.20.
A small, busy neighborhood bistrot with a noisy, good-time buzz. The food isn’t cheap, but it’s almost always very good.
Le Pré Verre
8 rue Thénard
Paris 75005
Métro: Cluny/La Sorbonne
01.43.54.59.47.
With its reputation for good contemporary food at very reasonable prices, this small Latin Quarter restaurant, run by chef Philippe Delacourcelle—one of the forerunners of the “neo-bistrot” movement in the 1980s— and his brother Marc, is always packed and often very noisy. The blackboard menus liberally scattered around the simply-decorated room offer interesting and original dishes spiked with wide-ranging Asian and North African spices and flavors, and a selection of fairly-priced wines.
Les Papilles
30 rue Gay-Lussac, 5th
Métro: RER Luxembourg, Cluny-La Sorbonne
01.43.25.20.79
A tiny, unpretentious neighborhood bistrot, wine shop and gourmet grocery in the Latin Quarter—the name means taste buds. The excellent, reasonably-priced four-course dinner menu offers dishes like artichoke soup with foie gras mousse and grilled pork belly with mushrooms. Lighter lunch and a la carte dishes include salads, terrines, tartines and escargots. €40 per person
Lilane
8 rue Gracieuse
Paris 5th
01.45.87.90.68
Chef Stéphane Guilçou worked at the Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower before opening this very good modern French bistrot in one of the city's most historic neighborhoods. Perfect langoustine-stuffed ravioli and homemade foie gras wrapped in grilled bacon; beautifully cooked mignon de veau (veal filet mignon, a warm welcome and excellent service. House wines are just fine too. Lunch menus €16 and €20; dinner menu €32, à la carte €35. Prices are per person without wine.
Terroir Parisien
20 rue Saint Victor
Paris 5th
Métro: Maubert-Mutualité, Cardinal Lemoine
01.44.31.54.54
Yannick Alléno, three-star chef of the Hôtel Meurice, opened this excellent new bistrot in the Latin Quarter with the mission of offering updated bistrot favorites made with as much seasonal local produce as possible. A recent dinner displayed the surprising bounty of Ile de France: star charcutier Gilles Verot’s cold cuts; navarin d’agneau made with lamb native to Ile de France; brie de Meaux and a pear poached in honey from hives in the suburb of Saint Denis. €35 per person without wine.
6th arrondissement
Au Bon Saint Pourçain
10 bis rue Servandoni
Paris 75006
Métro: St Sulpice
01.43.54.93.63.
Known to regulars as Chez François, after its gruff and loquacious owner François Bonduel, it’s one of the few real neighborhood bistrots left in formerly bohemian Saint Germain-des-Prés. The stalwart menu—leeks vinaigrette, rabbit pâté, beef with olives, roast chicken with tarragon—rarely changes, but the food is good.
Brasserie Lipp
151 blvd Saint Germain
Paris 75006
Métro: St Germain des Prés
01.45.48.53.91.
A Paris institution and a stop on the Hemingway-in-Paris trail, long past its prime.
Comme à Savonnières
18 rue Guisarde
Paris 6th
A terrific little bistrot in Saint Germain: coddled eggs with Roquefort and “la terrine de mon père,” an excellent country pâté; chestnut-puree-filled ravioli; a first-rate blanquette de veau; nicely cooked monkfish with baby vegetables. An ideal choice for a good, reasonably priced meal in Saint Germain. €35 per person, without wine.
Fish La Boissonnerie
69 rue de Seine
Paris 75006
Métro: Odéon
01.43.54.34.69.
A small neighborhood restaurant with a Juan Sanchez and New Zealander Drew Harre (who also runs the Cosí sandwich shop across the street). Good food, good wine list, reasonable prices, lots of Anglophones elbow-to-elbow at crowded tables.
KGB (Kitchen Galerie Bis)
25 rue des Grands Augustins
Paris 6th
Métro: Saint-Michel, Odéon
01.46.33.00.85
A colorful contemporary bistrot with lower prices and a simpler but no less delicious menu than at chef William Ledeuil's Ze Kitchen Gallery, offering Asian-influenced contemporary French cooking: panko-coated shrimp-and-chicken croquettes with piquillo pepper ketchup; Wagyu beef tartare with carrot-ginger jus; slow-cooked pork ribs and grilled potatoes in a hoisin-shoyu marinade. €45 per person without wine
La Ferrandaise
8 rue de Vaugirard
Paris 6th
Métro: Odéon
01.43.26.36.36.
A small neighborhood restaurant with reasonably-priced, interesting but not outlandish modern French food—the kind of place that’s getting very hard to find in this increasingly gentrified, high-rent district. Fixed-price menu €32 per person without wine
La Mediterranée
2 pl de l’Odéon
Paris 75006
Métro: Odéon
01.43.26.02.30.
A lovely restaurant facing the Odéon Theater, with beautiful 1940s murals by Christian Bérard and Vertès and a menu designed by Jean Cocteau, it was once the canteen of le tout Paris of the theater and ballet worlds, along with government officials and politicians (the Senate is a short walk away). The food is excellent and expensive, but there is a very reasonable fixed-price menu.
La Société
4 pl Saint Germain des Prés
Paris 6th
Métro: Saint-Germain-des-Prés
01.53.63.60.60.
The latest of the Costes brothers' many Parisian restaurants, with a stunning decor by interior designer Christian Liaigre. In the heart of Saint Germain des Prés, it's probably the most costly of all the Costes, in every sense. If you’ve done one Costes menu, you’ve done ’em all, only here you’ll pay more. €60 per person without wine
Le Comptoir du Relais
9 Carrefour de l’Odéon
Paris 75006
Métro: Odéon
01.44.27.07.50.
The fiefdom of chef Yves Camdeborde, who made his name as one of the nouveau bistrot chefs of the 1990s, this simple restaurant attached to the Hôtel Relais Saint-Germain is a no-reservation café-brasserie by day and on weekends; after 7 pm on weeknights, out come the linen tablecloths, china tableware and crystal glasses and it becomes a reasonable, fixed-price, fixed-menu gourmet restaurant—reservations required, months in advance. It’s good, if not quite worth the two- or three-month wait.
Le P'tit Fernand
7 rue Lobineau
75006 Paris
01.40.46.06.88
A hangout for neighborhood regulars in Saint Germain des Prés where the meat is particularly good—try the morceau du boucher—but there's plenty of choice: a tartare of spicy chopped avocado and cooked crawfish, foie gras ravioli, magret de canard with cherries. Exceptionally good value in this increasingly upmarket area.
Les Bouquinistes
53 quai des Grands Augustins
Paris 75006
Métro: St Michel
01.43.25.45.94.
One of three-star chef Guy Savoy’s baby bistrots, with a colorful contemporary decor and breezy service.
L’Agapé Substance
66 rue Mazarine, 6th
01.43.29.33.83
This tiny Saint Germain restaurant has a talented chef, David Toutain, overseeing an open kitchen. Dining is mostly table d’hôtes style—20 stools at one long wooden counter—with just three small tables for two. The menu is a list of the ingredients to be found in the small-plate tasting menus: crab in shrimp bouillon; griddled razor clams, squid and zucchini in lavender foam with yuzu cream; veal with tapenade. Lunch menus €39 and €51, Carte Blanche tasting menu €65 lunch, €99 dinner.
L’Alcazar
62 rue Mazarine
Paris 6th
01.53.10.19.99
Sir Terence Conran’s brasserie-style restaurant and one of the most reliable last-minute addresses on the Left Bank. The kitchen has its ups and downs and it’s not cheap, but if you’re after a light meal—maybe oysters and a steak—in a lively atmosphere, it’s just the ticket. €45 per person without wine
L’Avant-Comptoir
3 carrefour de l’Odéon
Paris 6th
Métro: Odéon
01.44.27.07.97
Chef Yves Camdeborde has opened a terrific little “hors-d’oeuvres bar” adjacent to his Saint Germain des Prés café-restaurant Le Comptoir du Relais that’s a perfect spot for a drink before dinner, a light lunch or a snack. Great wines like Lapierre Morgon can be had by the glass at this standup hole-in-the-wall, accompanied by excellent small-plate dishes like salmon croquettes, grilled cèpes, grilled chipolata sausage and charcuterie from all over France—tapas with a Paris accent. €20 per person
L’Epi Dupin
11 rue Dupin
Paris 75006
Métro: Sèvres Babylone
01.42.22.64.56.
The tiny, reasonably-priced restaurant of chef François Pasteau is still going strong, packed solid with reservations made months in advance for the two or three services to a meal. The food’s still terrific too, almost enough to overcome the frenzied atmosphere.
L’Epigramme
9 rue de l’Eperon
Paris 75006
Métro: Odéon
01.44.41.00.09.
A tiny, first-rate restaurant run with great care by owner Stéphane Marcouzzi and chef Aymeric Kräml, offering a short menu of modern French dishes, usually extremely good.
Pères et Filles
81 rue de Seine
Paris 75006
Métro: Mabillon/Odéon
01.43.25.00.28.
Good, simple modern French cuisine with a little pasta and a touch of Asia thrown in. It’s casual, popular, crowded and fun.
Pouic Pouic
9 rue Lobineau
Paris 6th
01.43.26.71.95
A solid neighborhood bistrot in Saint Germain with a stylish decor and well-rounded contemporary menu: millefeuille of roasted eggplant, tomato confit and mozzarella; oeuf meurette with melting onions and spicy chorizo broth; langoustine ravioli with foie gras; tender-crisp suckling pig. Astonishing weekend hours: opening at 5 am on Fri, Sat and Sun mornings, it serves omelets, cheeseburgers, steak tartare, seafood pasta and veal chops until 10 am. Lunch menu €16; à la carte €35; wines from €18.
Ralph's
173 blvd Saint Germain
Paris 6th
01.44.77.76.00.
A pricey pocket of American gastronomy in the new Ralph Lauren mega-boutique, serving dishes that recall 1960s country-club dining room fare: clam chowder, crab cakes, club sandwiches and a roundup of burgers. €70 per person without wine
Semilla
54 rue de Seine
Paris 6th
Métro: Mabillon
01.43.54.34.50
Well-known New York-born Parisian Juan Sánchez, who runs La Dernière Goutte wine shop, and New Zealander Drew Harre, his partner in two other Saint Germain addresses—the Cosi sandwich shop and the restaurant Fish la Boissonnerie—have opened Semilla, a terrific modern bistrot. The appealing menu offers worldly and well-prepared comfort food and well-chosen, reasonably-priced wines by the glass, carafe or bottle. Two-course lunch €19, à la carte €20–50.
Ze Kitchen Galerie
4 rue des Grands Augustins
Paris 75006
Métro: St Michel
01.44.32.00.32.
Chef William Ledeuil won a Michelin star this year for his innovative, different and delicious Franco-Asian fusion food. Customers seated at the far end of the restaurant can watch him at work in his glass-walled kitchen.
7th arrondissement
Atelier de Joël Robuchon
5 rue Montalembert
Paris 75007
Métro: Rue du Bac
01.42.22.56.56.
There’s bar-stool, counter service only at this “workshop” of formerly-retired three-star chef Joël Robuchon. No reservations except for early sittings at 11:30 am and 6:30 pm. Otherwise it’s wait your turn in line for Robuchon’s highly-praised tapas-style small dishes.
Cinq Mars
51 rue de Verneuil
Paris 75007
Métro: Solférino/Rue du Bac
01.45.44.69.13.
A small, dark and comfortable neighborhood bistrot with surprisingly and consistently good food. Always a good bet.
Grand Bistrot de Breteuil
3 pl de Breteuil
75007 Paris
01.45.67.07.27.
Recently revamped, with a very good-value €42 fixed price menu that includes an aperitif; many choices of starters, main courses and desserts; coffee and a half bottle of wine per person, all in a charming restaurant with a spacious outdoor terrace overlooking the Place de Breteuil in the 7th arrondissement. 1/2013
Jules Verne
Eiffel Tower, Pilier Sud
Paris 75007
01.45.55.61.44
Food by Alain Ducasse contends with the stunning views from this restaurant in the Eiffel Tower.
Fixed-price lunch menu €75; dinner €200. Prices are per person without wine.
L'Affable
10 rue de Saint Simon
Paris 7th
Métro: Rue du Bac
01.42.22.01.60
Chef Jean-François Pantaleon, ex-Apicius, brings the original modern bistrot register up to date by bursting out of France every once in a while. His Argentine beef with lime vinaigrette accompanied by slivered snow peas, bean sprouts and crushed peanuts was a terrific main course. He also acknowledges that Parisians are increasingly interested in healthy gastronomy too, as seen in a superb starter of coddled eggs with baked salmon in a light citrus foam. €55 per person without wine.
L'Affriolé
17 rue Malar
Paris 7th
01.44.18.31.33
A bright, modern spot whose friendly atmosphere makes it a good choice even for solo diners. Chef Thierry Vérola’s cooking is inventive and appealing; the menu offers five or six choices each for starters, main courses and desserts; at lunch you can opt for two or three courses; dinner includes all three. Recent lunch dishes: crème de chou-fleur au haddock; tender spareribs in a rich wine sauce; creamy rice pudding topped with salted butter caramel. Menus: lunch €25 and €29, dinner €35. Wines from €19.
La Fontaine de Mars
129 rue Saint Dominique
Paris 75007
Métro: Ecole Militaire
01.47.05.46.44.
The very image of a red-checked-tablecloth Paris bistrot, serving reliable southwestern specialties including foie gras, sliced duck breast and cassoulet. A longtime neighborhood favorite, it’s also become a tourist hotspot since the Obamas dropped in for a family dinner on their Paris trip in 2009.
La Laiterie Sainte Clotilde
64 rue de Bellechasse
Paris 75007
01.45.51.74.61.
French, Comfort Food
The satisfying blackboard menu changes regularly but sticks to appealing French comfort food made from good quality seasonal produce.
Lunch menu €20, dinner €25; Prices are per person without wine.
Le Clos des Gourmets
16 ave Rapp
Paris 75007
Métro: Ecole Militaire
01.45.51.75.61.
A little out of the way in a mostly residential district, an unpretentious restaurant serving fine modern French cuisine.
Le Voltaire
27 Quai Voltaire
Paris 75007
Métro: Rue du Bac or RER: Musée d'Orsay
01 42 61 17 49
Splurge on this traditional Parisian standard on the Seine offering bistro classics. The main dining room is classy and expensive, or try its caf around the corner for a more relaxed atmosphere at a lower price.
Les Cocottes
135 rue Saint Dominique
Paris 75007
Métro: Ecole Militaire
No phone
Chef Christian Constant has made this little corner of the city his own, with four restaurants almost in a row: the upmarket Violin d’Ingres, the lower-key Café Constant, the seafood-oriented Fables de la Fontaine, and Les Cocottes, with a menu of sandwiches, plats du jour and long-simmered casserole dishes.
Les Ombres
27 quai Branly
Paris 75007
Métro: Alma-Marceau
01.47.53.68.00.
On the rooftop of the new Quai Branly museum, a beautiful, wood-paneled and glass-walled restaurant directly beneath the Eiffel Tower—quite a sight, especially when it sparkles at night. The modern French cuisine is top-notch too, with a few fusion elements recalling the museum’s focus on African, Asian, Oceanic and Amerindian art. The prices can be stiff, but there are very interesting fixed-price three-course menus at €38 for lunch and €65 for dinner, making a splurge relatively reasonable. And in fine weather the big outdoor terrace is magical.
Pottoka
4 rue de l’Exposition
Paris 7th
Métro: Ecole Militaire
01.45.51.88.38
As its name indicates—the Pottoka, or Pottock, is a horse breed native to the Basque Country—this place is about great Basque comfort food. Starters include perfectly cooked white coco beans mixed with girolles, piquillo peppers, flat parsley and slices of smoked duck breast, and a favorite main course is axoa, a hearty veal stew. €50 per person without wine
Thoumieux
79 rue Saint Dominique
Paris 7th
Métro: La Tour Maubourg
01.47.05.49.75.
In 2008 Jean-François Piège joined Thierry Costes in rebooting the old brasserie Thoumieux, turning it into a glamorous contemporary restaurant. Now he has opened a second restaurant, upstairs at Thoumieux, where he's offering a very personal take on 21st-century French gastronomy: dazzlingly creative meals with huge portions.
€60 per person without wine
8th arrondissement
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée
Hôtel Plaza Athénée
25 ave Montaigne
Paris 75008
Métro: Alma-Marceau
01.53.67.65.00.
The very formal, three-star Paris flagship of multi-star chef Alain Ducasse. Price had better be no object here.
Café Lenôtre
Carré Marigny, 10 ave des Champs-Elysées
Paris 75008
Métro: Champs-Elysées–Clemenceau
01.42.65.85.10.
A spacious modern restaurant with a big summer terrace, part of the renowned Lenôtre pâtisserie empire, in the garden section of the Champs-Elysées. Light, Mediterranean-oriented cuisine, famous desserts, medium prices.
Café Prunier
15 Place de la Madeleine
Paris 8th
Métro: Madeleine
01.47.42.98.91
The rival caviar boutique to Caviar Kaspa—always a good choice for a light, luxurious (and pricey) snack of smoked salmon and oysters,
Dominique Bouchet
11 rue Treilhard
Paris 75008
Métro: Miromesnil
01.45.61.09.46.
Formerly chef at the Hôtel Crillon, the gracious and gregarious Bouchet opened this small, elegantly simple restaurant several years ago and quickly won a well-merited Michelin star—everything on his fairly short menu is an object lesson in fine French cuisine. Moderately expensive.
L'Instant d'Or
36 ave George V
Paris 8th
Métro: George V
01.47.23.46.78
The decor of chef Frédéric Duca’s three small dining rooms is attractive but chilly, but meals are excellent. Plump langoustines in citrus foam with girolle mushrooms and chestnut shavings; an open raviolo filled with deeply flavored duxelles and topped with lardo di colonnata; butter-poached lobster on squid-ink tagliolini; scallops with ham and hazelnut wafers. Not cheap, but prices are reasonable given the high caliber of cooking. Lunch menus €42–€49, dinner dégustation €98; à la carte €95.
La Cave Beauvau
4 rue des Saussaies
Paris 8th
01.42.65.24.90
In his 1950s vintage vest-pocket restaurant near the Elysée Palace, Stéphane Delleré serves up simple, authentic bistrot food: a superb homemade terrine de campagne, onglet beefsteak with shallots, perfectly ripened cheeses and grandmotherly desserts including crème caramel and baba au rhum. €35 per person without wine
La Cave Beauveau
4 rue des Saussaies
Paris 75008
01.42.65.24.90.
A 1950s vintage vest-pocket bistrot across the street from the Elysée Palace.
€35 per person without wine
Ladurée
16 rue Royale
Paris 75008
Métro: Concorde/Madeleine
01.42.60.21.79.
The original pastry shop and tea salon that made the macaron famous. A good stop for lunch.
Le 39V
39 ave George V
Paris 8th
Métro: George V
01.56.62.39.05
A welcome address in this plush part of town, Le 39V is a lovely place for a really good meal of carefully prepared, top-quality French cooking: grilled langoustines and raw sea bass dressed with lemon juice and a mimosa garnish; free-range chicken with crayfish in a gossamer sauce; griddled Lozère lamb. Try the cherry clafoutis with pistachio sauce or the chocolate soufflé with pepper for dessert. €65 per person, without wine
Le Cinq
31 ave George V
Paris 75008
01.49.52.70.00.
Since arriving at Le Cinq, Eric Briffard has quietly charted a new course for the elegant restaurant of the Hôtel Four Seasons George V, subtly reinterpreting the grand classics of French cooking. A sublime example is his game-season take on the almond-paste-filled pastry called pithiviers: a golden pastry case filled with gray pheasant, wild duck and grouse cooked in chestnut honey with autumn fruits. Served with a jus pressé à l’Armagnac, it’s exquisite. €230 for two without wine
Le Mini Palais
3 ave Winston Churchill
Paris 8th
01.42.56.42.42
Eric Fréchon, the three-star chef at the Hôtel Bristol, has designed a terrific new menu for the Mini Palais, the vast and trendy restaurant at the glass-roofed Grand Palais. The new menu served nonstop from noon to 1 am, includes a delicious clafoutis of cèpes, a duck “hamburger” topped with grilled foie gras, and an off-hours menu that includes a rock lobster, avocado and hard-boiled egg club sandwich. Lunch menu €28, dinner à la carte €60 per person without wine
Les Ambassadeurs
Hôtel de Crillon
10 pl de la Concorde
Paris 75008
Métro: Concorde
01.44.71.16.16.
One of the most spectacular restaurants in Paris, in a glittering 18th-century ballroom with marble floors and crystal chandeliers, where two-star chef Jean-François Piège combines classical training with lavish, inventive, wildly expensive contemporary cuisine.
L’Alsace
39 ave des Champs-Elysées
Paris 75008
Métro: Franklin D. Roosevelt
01.53.93.97.00.
A big, bustling Alsatian-style brasserie now run by one of the city’s ubiquitous big chains, but it’s on the Champs-Elysées and it’s open 24/7.
L’Angle du Faubourg
195 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré
Paris 75008
Métro: Ternes
01.40.74.20.20.
The one-star restaurant of Jean-Claude Vrinat, the owner of long-time three-star restaurant Taillevent, and now run by his heirs. Bright contemporary decor, excellent food and a great selection of wines. The prices are fair, but it’s still a splurge.
L’Arôme
3 rue St. Philippe du Roule
Paris 75008
Métro: St. Philippe du Roule
01.42.25.55.98.
A colorful modern restaurant whose Chef Thomas Boullault serves light, bright contemporary food, reasonably priced for this downtown neighborhood.
Makoto Aoki
19 rue Jean Mermoz
Paris 8th
01.43.59.29.24
Having mastered the technical skills of a classical French culinary education, Makoto Aoki creates dishes that marry Gaul to Japan with brilliant subtlety: a Sicilian tomato salad became a creative treat with the addition of fresh fava beans, a dose of herring caviar and a few drops of Banyuls vinegar; roast suckling pig is lacquered with soy sauce, miso and green tea; the baba au rhum was exceptional too. Lunch menu €21.50, dinner €40–€60 per person without wine
Neva Cuisine
2 rue de Berne, 8th
01.45.22.18.91
Mexican-born chef Beatriz Gonzalez’s new restaurant is a hit destination thanks to her superb contemporary French cooking: ravioli filled with shrimp and ginger; pea soup, made with ham-bone bouillon; fresh cod steak demi-sel; succulent monkfish; lemon meringue tart. Fixed price menus €29 and €36, à la carte €55 per person without wine
Relais Plaza
Hôtel Plaza Athénée
Avenue Montaigne
Paris 75008
01.53.67.64.00.
A fashion crowd favorite at the Hotel Plaza Athénée. The menu changes weekly, but a recent meal included crab and avocado cocktail, rack of lamb with baby vegetables, and a sublime délice de caramel. Prix fixe menu €50 per person without wine
Spoon
12 rue de Marignan
Paris 8th
01.40.76.34.44.
A showcase for health-conscious, ecologically correct cooking, proving that environmental responsibility and gastronomy aren't mutually exclusive: quinoa casserole with vegetables; poached egg with bulgur wheat and shaved mushrooms; yogurt-glossed lieu jaune (yellow pollack). €50 per person without wine
Stella Maris
4 rue Arsène Houssaye
Paris 75008
Métro: Charles de Gaulle-Etoile
01.42.89.16.22.
It’s hard to beat the superlative French haute cuisine served here by chef Tateru Yoshino—there’s no confusing fusion, just inspired excellence, well worth the elevated prices.
9th arrondissement
Brasserie Printemps
Printemps de la Mode, 6th floor
64 blvd Haussmann
Paris 75009
Métro: Havre-Caumartin
01.42.82.58.84.
Under the sensational Art Nouveau stained-glass dome of the famed department store, a restaurant with a colorful contemporary decor by designer Didier Gomez, a circular oyster bar in the center, and furniture by Philippe Starck. It’s good fun, and the food isn’t bad if you stick to the simple stuff.
Chartier
7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre
Paris 75009
Métro: Grands Boulevards
01.47.70.86.29.
A Paris institution, with an authentic 1896 decor, still serving the simplest of old-fashioned French bistrot food at prices that remain well below average.
Corneil
19 rue Condorcet
Paris 9th
Métro: Anvers or Poissonnière
01.49.95.92.25
A fine example of the bobo (bohemian bourgeois) style, this delightful little bistrot has won a name for itself by serving a gargantuan côte de boeuf (rib steak) for two for the sweetheart price of €44. €40 per person without wine
L'Aromatik
7 rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle
Paris 9th
01.48.74.62.27
Everything is delicious, especially as part of a very good-value €15.90 lunch menu: a casserole of scrambled eggs with country ham and truffle oil; lentil soup with smoked haddock; cod steak garnished with sautéed red onions and chorizo; veal ragout with tomato, garlic and herbs; lobster risotto with grilled ham. Also does excellent Sunday brunches. Lunch menu €15.90, prix fixe dinner €35 per person without wine
L'Office
3 rue Richer
75009 Paris
Métro: Cadet
01.47.70.67.31
American Kevin O’Donnell has an inventive Italianate style and his meals display a casual but confident culinary elegance. Reserve well in advance. Lunch menus €19, €24; dinner €27, €33.
L'Opéra Restaurant
Place Jacques Rouché, 9th
01.42.68.86.80
L’Opéra Restaurant finally opened in 2011, and so far, Parisians are having mixed reactions to both food and decor. Smoked salmon with mustard sorbet and smoked trout with raviolis de Royans were good, but a tomato salad with truffle shavings was a bore. The place is still finding its way, it’s convenient after the ballet or opera, and might be worth a second chance. €75 per person without wine.
La Table 28
28 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne
Paris 9th
06.42.87.79.64
American chef Daniel Rose opened this rotisserie restaurant in the space previously occupied by his restaurant Spring, serving a single menu nightly. A recent meal included a gem lettuce salad garnished with pomegranate seeds and Noir de Bigorre bacon; half of a beautifully roasted chicken garnished with roasted carrots, turnips, parsnips and apples, plus a side of sliced potatoes baked with goose fat; pear cake garnished with crème fraîche, apple purée, and shaved chocolate. €35 per person without wine
Le Jardinier
5 rue Richer
Paris 75009
Métro: Cadet
01.48.24.79.79.
A charming restaurant with an eclectic, eccentric flea-market decor, offering inventive contemporary French cuisine at reasonable prices. Serves until 11 pm.
Le Pantruche
3 rue Victor Massé
Paris 9th
Métro: Pigalle
01.48.78.55.60
A simple place created from an old neighborhood café, Pantruche has a seasoned talent in the kitchen—chef Franck Baranger formerly cooked at Christian Constant’s Les Cocottes and Le Violon d’Ingres. His brief menu offers starters like oyster tartare with lettuce cream or a terrific terrine de foie gras; main courses might include beef cheeks poached in wine, sea bass with tandoori spices, or sustainably raised pork with sautéed baby potatoes. Lunch menus €14–€17, dinner €32 per person without wine
Les Affranchis
5 rue Henri Monnier
Paris 9th
Métro: Saint-Georges
01.45.26.26.30
One of the best examples of the current Parisian revival of the neighborhood bistrot is Les Affranchis, a cozy, friendly place with a lot of character, built on the delicious cooking of young chef Pierre Petit. Petit’s ever-changing blackboard menu consistently demonstrates his love of fresh seasonal produce, technical precision and wily gastronomic imagination. Recent choices included a first-rate terrine de campagne and roast cod with fennel.
Lunch menu €18; dinner €25 two courses, €32 three courses
Les Canailles
25 rue La Bruyère
Paris 9th
01.48.74.10.48
A terrific new shopfront bistrot in the 9th arrondissement where chef Sébastien Guillo’s contemporary French cooking is good enough to warrant a trip across town. And reasonable prices seal the deal. every dish confirms that Guillo is a very experienced, talented and classically trained cook working with first-rate produce: grilled sea bream; steak with oyster mushrooms; simple, homey desserts. Menus €25, €33; à la carte €35; wine starting at €23
Les Comédiens
1 rue de la Trinité
Paris 75009
Métro: Trinité
01.40.82.95.95.
Solid French fare at moderate prices in this old-fashioned theater district restaurant that stays open late for after-the-show dining.
10th arrondissement
Albion
80 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière
Paris 10th
Métro: Poissonnière
01.42.46.02.44
Owners Hayden Clout, barman/sommelier, and Matt Ong, chef, renovated this spot near the Gare du Nord with open wine shelves and well-spaced tables. In addition to smiling service and reasonable prices, what everyone appreciates is the top quality of the changing-daily chalkboard menu. Good examples of Ong’s cooking include cod with baby clams and bacon; roasted duck breast with root vegetables; and homey desserts like rice pudding with raspberry compote. €40 per person without wine
Brasserie Julien
16 rue du Faubourg St-Denis
Paris 75010
Métro: Strasbourg-St Denis
01.47.70.12.06.
In the gorgeous Art Nouveau setting of a historic restaurant now run by the Groupe Flo chain, reliable French fare at moderate prices.
Chez Casimir
6 rue de Belzunce
Paris 75010
Métro: Gare du Nord
01.48.78.28.80.
The annex of Chez Michel’s chef Thierry Breton, where the simpler food is almost as good, the prices slightly lower and the atmosphere less supercharged. Small summer terrace.
Chez Michel
10 rue de Belzunce
Paris 75010
Métro: Gare du Nord
01.44.53.06.20.
One of the first of the revolutionary good-value bistrots of the 1990s, more popular than ever, where chef Thierry Breton still turns out reliably good, interesting dishes relished by his faithful, noisy clientele. Avoid the basement room if possible.
Chez Prune
36 rue Beaurepaire
Paris 75010
Métro: République
01.42.41.30.47.
The funky, charming neighborhood café that is the mainstay of the Canal Saint Martin district. The simple food is just fine. Open daily.
La Cantine de Quentin
52 rue Bichat
Paris 75010
01.42.02.40.32
The perfect destination after a walk along the romantic canal St-Martin as it doglegs through the ever trendier 10th arrondissement
€30 per person without wine
La Grille
80 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière
Paris 75010
01.47.70.89.73.
French, Bistrot
La Grille, with a curious collection of dusty dolls dominating the decor, offers a wonderful anthology of bistrot dishes prepared by Geneviève's hard-working husband Yves. His pièce de résistance is grilled turbot with the best beurre blanc in Paris.
€40 per person without wine
La Tête dans les Olives
2 & 14 rue Sainte Marthe
Paris 10th
09.51.31.33.34
Franco-Sicilian Cédric Casanova founded his tiny gourmet grocery in 2008 and on weekdays, for lunch and dinner, runs a 6-seat table d’hôtes that is one of the city's hardest-to-get tables. He takes reservations one month in advance, and now has opened a second table d’hôtes, Le Conservatoire, down the street. Guests are surrounded by cans of olive oil and bouquets of oregano, for divine antipasti and al dente pasta. Mon–Fri, lunch or dinner, €150 for up to 5; €30 per extra person up to 7 (up to 9 at Le Conservatoire). Reserve by email. Bring your own wine.
Le Galopin
34 rue Sainte Marthe
Paris 75010
Métro: Colonel Fabien
01.42.06.05.03
Chef Romain Tischenko’s menus consistently reveal his impressive technical skills, intelligent audacity and restless gastronomic imagination: perfectly cooked shrimp with mustard leaves; grilled sea brill; and a financier made with ground walnuts and honey. Lunch menus €19, €24; dinner tasting menu €42 per person without wine
Le Verre Volé
67 rue de Lancry
Paris 10th
01.48.03.17.34
A wine bar whose talented chef has a real affinity for comfort food: lamb-and-fig terrine; veal carpaccio with shavings of mimolette cheese; roasted duck breast with baby turnips; grilled saucisse de Toulouse with potato purée; home-style desserts like apple-and-pear crumble. €40 per person
Madame Shawn
56 rue de Lancry
Paris 10th
01.42.38.07.37
This authentic Thai mini-chain has seven highly praised restaurants, but this is the mother nest, a haven of serenity decorated with Buddhas, bamboo screens and soft lighting. The spicy or sweet-and-sour dishes include shrimp marinated with garlic and mint sauce, papaya salads and a traditional bobun dish of rice vermicelli with vegetables. But the real treats are the “tiger tears”, filet of beef marinated with honey and herbs, and hor mok pla, fish steamed in a banana leaf. €30–€35. Wines from €20.
Philou
12 ave Richerand
Paris 10th
Métro: Goncourt
01.42.38.00.13
Near the Canal Saint-Martin, a cozy bistrot opened by restaurateur Philippe Damas. A recent meal included an excellent starter of scallop-and-oyster tartare and first-rate main courses of fresh cod with Le Puy lentils and wild duck with honey-braised eggplant. Fixed-price menus: lunch €15, €25; dinner €25, €30
Playtime
5 rue des Petits Hôtels
Paris 10th
Métro: Gare de l'Est, Gare du Nord
01.44.79.03.98
When chef Jean-Michel Rassinoux is really cooking, he's both excellent and very original, often borrowing ingredients, seasonings and cooking methods from worlds away, as in his "milkshake" of soy beans and green tea, fillet of John Dory on a bed of orzo flavored with kaffir lime leaves, or roasted fig in curry sabayon with walnut-cognac ice cream. Lunch menus €17, €21; dinner menus €25, €28. Prices are per person, without wine
Terminus Nord
23 rue de Dunkerque
Paris 75010
Métro: Gare du Nord
01.42.85.05.15.
An old Parisian favorite opposite the Gare du Nord railroad station, now owned, like so many other of the city’s traditional brasseries, by a large chain. The Art Deco decor is dazzling, the atmosphere is bustling, and the food is usually at least correct.
Vivant
43 rue des Petites Ecuries
Paris 75010
Métro: Bonne Nouvelle/Poissonnière
01.42.46.43.55
The new address of Pierre Jancou, original owner of the still excellent wine bar Racines. Jancou is passionate about his list of organic wines and his menu, offering dishes such as foie gras with artichoke salad or grilled poularde with baby vegetables. €40 per person
11th arrondissement
Astier
44 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
Paris 75011
01.43.57.16.35
Long a legendary institution on the Paris bistrot scene, Astier has been spruced up but not changed. Vieux parigot atmosphere and a roster of traditional staples including chicken-liver terrine, foie gras, guinea fowl grand-mere, but also lighter contemporary dishes like a thin tart of sea bream and herb risotto. The 400-reference wine list maintains its reputation for excellence, too.
Au Passage
1 bis passage Saint Sébastien, 11th
01.43.55.07.52
Au Passage, a wine bar tucked away in a tiny lane between the Bastille and the Place de la République attracts a young crowd with its low prices and laidback style, but diners of all ages will feel welcome here. It offers some really good food, including a salad of vegetables with octopus and squid; a Catalan-inspired dish of tuna, mussels and tomatoes; and seared steak with kimchi-style pickles. €30 per person without wine
Au Vieux Chêne
7 rue Dahomey
Paris 75011
Métro: Faidherbe-Chaligny
01.43.71.67.69.
Old-fashioned charm in a wood-paneled bistrot with tiled floors, and new-fashioned takes on home-style cooking by laid-back chef Stéphane Chevassus. A treat.
Auberge Pyrénées-Cévennes
106 rue de la Folie Méricourt
Paris 75011
01.43.57.33.78.
French, Bistrot
A truly Rabelaisian address hidden away in a blessedly ungentrified corner of the 11th arrondissement. The delicious smells of honest slow cooking fill the air as soon as you step inside, and with a warm welcome from Françoise, the world seems a much better place. Sausages dangle from big beams overhead, and for me every meal here is blissful agony in deciding what to have. If you love salade frisée aux lardons (curly endive with chunks of hot bacon) as much as I do, you've come to the right place, and the cassoulet and ris de veau au Porto (veal sweetbreads in port-wine sauce) are wonderful, too.
€30 per person without wine
Bistrot Paul Bert
18 rue Paul Bert
Paris 11th
Métro: Faidherbe-Chaligny
01.43.72.24.01.
An outstanding bistrot in the highly gastronomic rue Paul Bert. The food is wonderful, including one of the best terrines de campagne in Paris; steak tartare with terrific frites; veal steak with girolles; a good cheese tray; and excellent desserts including a raspberry-filled macaron. The fixed-price menu offers exceptionally good value for money. €35 per person without wine
Coup de Feu
48 rue Léon-Frot
Paris 75011
Metro: Charonne
01.43.67.23.48
A very simple neighborhood bistrot serving a mix of traditional and slightly more contemporary dishes.
Jeanne A
42 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud
Paris 11th
Métro: Parmentier
01.43.55.09.49
Frédéric Hubig-Schall's third address, a combination gourmet grocery and bistrot next to Astier in the 11th arrondissement is a relaxed and friendly place with first-rate French comfort food: perfectly roasted duck and chicken from Astier's rotisserie, served with a galette de pommes de terre and a mesclun salad enlivened with fresh herbs. Wines here are sold by the magnum and the carafe. €30 per person without wine.
La Cave de l'Insolite
30 rue de la Folie Méricourt
75011 Paris
Métro: Parmentier
01.53.36.08.33
A wine bistrot with a talented Irish chef in the kitchen sending out dishes like marinated salmon and veal steak with roasted potatoes and beets. Lunch menu €14, à la carte €30
La Vache Acrobate
77 rue Amelot
Paris 75011
01.47.00.49.42
A reasonably-priced, very simple and very good neighborhood bistrot in the trendy 11th arrondissement.
€30 per person without wine
Le Chateaubriand
129 ave Parmentier
Paris 75011
Métro: Goncourt
01.43.57.45.95.
A simple no-decor neighborhood bistrot that has become one of the hot spots on the Parisian food scene, where chef Inaki Aizpitarte conjures up fixed-price dinner menus featuring sometimes wildly inventive cuisine. Lunch is reasonably priced, simpler fare.
Le Dauphin
131 avenue Parmentier
Paris 75011
Métro: Goncourt
01.55.28.78.88
An excellent wine-bar annex next door to the always-packed Le Chateaubriand—an original wine list and a regularly changing small-plates menu that offers cameos of Inaki Aïzpitarte’s restless culinary imagination. €40 per person
Le Marsangy
73 ave Parmentier
Paris 75011
Métro: Parmentier
01.47.00.94.25.
A very reasonably priced, old-fashioned Paris bistrot, serving well-prepared classic bistro dishes.
Le Petit Cheval de Manège
5 rue Froment
75011 Paris
Métro: Bréguet-Sabin
09.82.37.18.52
Xavier Thiery cooks up terrific small-plate, tapas-like dishes like ceviche of seabass with avocado, black olives and oranges, or grilled scallops in leek cream sauce on a duxelles-filled ravioli. Portions are minimal, but don't bother with the cheese course as a filler. €35 per person without wine
L’Ecailler du Bistrot
22 rue Paul Bert
Paris 75011
Métro: Faidherbe-Chaligny
01.43.72.76.77.
The seafood annex of the Bistro Paul Bert, serving fresh fish and oysters direct from the Atlantic coast. Moderately priced.
Pierre Sang in Oberkampf
55 rue Oberkampf
Paris 11th
No phone
This popular small-plate, table d’hôtes-style restaurant in the 11th arrondissement doesn’t take reservations, but chef Pierre Sang's nervy, inventive cooking is good enough to warrant the effort to score a table here (arrive early). Tantalizing dishes like sea snails with chopped radishes and lentils, or sautéed foie gras in a deglazed sauce with honey, vinegar and pomegranate grains. €40 per person without wine. Wines start at €15.
Rino
46 rue Trousseau
Paris 11th
Métro: Ledru Rollin or Faidherbe-Chaligny
01.48.06.95.85
Young Italian chef Giovanni Passerini has made this nondescript little spot a destination table with intriguingly inventive, market-driven menus he revises daily. Dishes might include barley risotto with orange zest and strips of squid or pork shoulder garnished with cabbage and crushed hazelnuts. No atmospheric decor, but a great address for intrepid gourmets. Fixed-price menu €38 per person without wine
Septime
80 rue de Charonne, 11th
Métro: Charonne
01.43.67.38.29
Committed to a cuisine du marché based on seasonal produce, Bertrand Grébaut changes his offer almost daily: white asparagus in a sauce gribiche with chopped oyster; razor clams served in a light vinaigrette and fresh herbs; crispy-skinned chicken came with lentil puree; cod steak with green asparagus; a fine cheese plate and a delicious chocolate ganache with hazelnut ice cream. Lunch menus €21, €26; dinner à la carte €50 per person without wine
12th arrondissement
A La Biche au Bois
45 ave Ledru-Rollin
Paris 12th
01.43.43.34.38
A jolly, sometimes raucous, no-nonsense bistrot not far from the Gare de Lyon train station. In autumn gibber (game) is a specialty—but it also serves traditional bistrot dishes including classic coq au vin, delicious terrine de chevreuil (venison); freshly made céleri rémoulade, venison braised with prunes and roast duck. €40 per person without wine
La Gazzetta
29 rue Cotte
Paris 75012
Metro: Ledru-Rollin
01.43.47.47.05.
Swedish chef Peter Nilsson made his name in the delightful restaurant Trois Salons in Uzès, near Nîmes, before bringing his inventive, Mediterranean-inspired cuisine to this spot near the Bastille.
Le Quincy
28 ave Ledru-Rollin
Paris 75012
Métro: Gare de Lyon
01.46.28.46.76.
Vieux Paris straight out of an old movie set, checkered tablecloths, pâté maison, pot-au-feu and all.
Le Train Bleu
Gare de Lyon, Place Louis Armand
Paris 75012
Métro: Gare de Lyon
01.43.43.09.06.
The prodigiously ornate Belle Epoque restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon, named after the famous Paris-Nice night train. Open all day. The food is not great, but the decor is worth the trip.
13th arrondissement
Au Petit Marguery
9 blvd de Port-Royal
Paris 75013
Métro: Gobelins
01.43.31.58.59.
A treasured Paris institution that has recently changed hands, but so far the traditional menu and the delightful ambiance remain intact. Generous portions, great game dishes in season.
Le Comptoir du Petit Marguery
9 blvd de Port Royal
75013 Paris
01.42.17.43.43.
A new, less-expensive annex to Le Petit Marguery, with copious main courses including luscious lamb shoulder baked in a slow oven for seven hours and a steamed sturgeon filet served with seasonal vegetables. An excellent address for a low-key, low-budget and very satisfying meal.
€25 per person without wine
L’Avant Goût
26 rue Bobillot
Paris 75013
Métro: Place d’Italie
01.53.80.24.00.
A contemporary bistrot a little off the beaten track but offering very interesting, imaginative cuisine at reasonable prices.
L’Ourcine
92 rue Broca
Paris 75013
Métro: Glacière
01.47.07.13.65
A fun and funky restaurant in an out-of-the-way neighborhood, with innovative cooking by Sylvain Danière, who trained with star bistrot chef Yves Camdeborde. Moderate prices.
14th arrondissement
La Coupole
102 blvd du Montparnasse
Paris 75014
Métro: Vavin
01.43.20.14.20.
The famous brasserie of 1920s Paris, renovated but now run by a restaurant chain. It may be worth a nostalgic visit, but not for the food.
Le Bar à Huîtres
112 blvd du Montparnasse
Paris 14th
01.43.20.71.01
With the arrival of a new owner Le Bar à Huîtres is once again a very good destination for serious seafood lovers. The revamped menu offers a terrific variety of pedigreed bivalves including Prat ar Coum from Brittany, Gillardeau from Marennes and Corsican oysters from the Etang de Diana. There’s also an appealing assortment of fish—the fresh cod with aïoli and the sole meunière are both recommended. €50 per person without wine
Le Dôme
108 blvd du Montparnasse
Paris 75014
Métro: Vavin
01.43.35.25.81.
Another 1920s Montparnasse institution, now converted into an excellent but wildly expensive seafood emporium.
Le Duc
243 blvd Raspail
Paris 75014
Métro: Raspail
01.43.20.96.30.
Serving some of the freshest seafood in town, but extremely expensive.
Les Petites Sorcières
12 rue Liancourt
Paris 75014
Métro: Mouton-Duverney
01.43.21.95.68.
The new address of chef Ghislaine Arabian, who formerly had two Michelin stars at Ledoyen. She’s known for her Flemish specialties, served here at reasonable prices.
L’Entêtée
4 rue Danville
Paris 14th
01.40.47.56.81.
A minuscule bistrot just off the Rue Daguerre, one of Paris's liveliest and best market streets serving tatin of chopped, caramelized endives with goat cheese; grilled scallops with an orange “caramel” sauce; sea bass with pistou; pot-au-feu de canard. Excellent desserts, too, especially date mousse with a salad of sugar-dusted fresh herbs. €30 per person without wine
15th arrondissement
Afaria
15 rue Desnouettes
Paris 75015
Métro: Convention
01.48.56.15.36.
A rustic bistrot where young chef Julien Duboué serves tapas and Basque-inspired contemporary cuisine.
Axuria
54 ave Felix Faure
Paris 15th
Métro: Boucicaut
01.45.54.13.91
A friendly, good-value restaurant where both chef and staff take pride in serving very good contemporary French food. A recent dinner began with excellent fish soup, grilled shrimp on quinoa, and seared foie gras on artichokes à la barigoule and continued with two fine steaks, swordfish in a citrus sauce, and a fillet of sea bass stuffed with Swiss chard and wrapped in pastry. Wines are reasonably priced, and desserts are terrific. Open Sundays. Two-course lunch €22, two-course dinner €26 ; à la carte €40.
Café du Commerce
51 rue du Commerce
Paris 15th
01.45.75.03.27
A charming old three-story Art Deco restaurant built around an interior atrium, known for modest prices and excellent, simple, old-fashioned French comfort food: oeufs mayonnaise; poireaux vinaigrette; Limousin beef served with delicious homemade fries; classic profiteroles; a choice of 15 different wines priced at €15. Open daily and late, and reservations are necessary. €40 per person without wine
Jadis
208 rue de la Croix Nivert
Paris 15th
01.45.57.73.20.
A brilliant bistrot on a quiet street in the outermost zone of the 15th arrondissement. Guillaume Delage's changing menu might include a classic like a marbré terrine of chicken, foie gras and artichoke hearts, followed by a deconstructed blanquette de veau—the veal presented in a casserole with its sauce, meant to be spooned over a soup plate filled with leeks, tiny potatoes, mushrooms and carrots. €30 per person without wine
L'Epicuriste
41 blvd Pasteur
Paris 15th
Métro: Pasteur
01.47.34.15.50
Dinner offerings at L’Epicuriste might include a delicious terrine of sanglier (wild boar), a superb lièvre à la royale (hare in a rich gizzard sauce) or swordfish with herb pesto. The quality and creativity of the kitchen at this Left Bank restaurant are outstanding. Lunch menus €24–€28, dinner €34. Prices are approximate, per person without wine
La Beurre Noisette
68 rue Vasco de Gama
Paris 75015
Métro: Lourmel
01.48.56.82.49.
Chef Thierry Blanqui’s excellent, simple contemporary cooking has a solid following at this small, two room neighborhood restaurant—unfortunately a bit out of the way.
La Cantine des Tontons
36 rue de Dantzig
Paris 15th
01.48.28.23.66.
A charming little restaurant where guests serve themselves a three-course fixed-price menu of: tasty, made-on-the-premises dishes that might include terrine de campagne, rabbit in mustard cream sauce, or veal shanks braised with shallots and a selection of cheeses and desserts.
Fixed-price three-course menu €21 per person without wine
Le Cassenoix
56 rue de la Fédération
Paris 15th
Métro: Bir-Hakeim or Dupleix
01.45.66.09.01
Chef Pierre-Olivier Lenormand has fitted out this charming old atelier with flea-market furniture, and serves a changing great-value menu that might include marinated gravlax-style salmon with shaved fennel or an excellent pot-au-feu of beef cheeks and winter vegetables. Fixed-price menu €32
Le Concert de Cuisine
14 rue Nélaton
Paris 15th
01.40.58.10.15
Chef Naoto Masumoto's superb Franco-Japanese cooking has become a strong draw for stylish crowds in spite of a somewhat drab location. Recent meals included risotto with nutty-tasting Japanese pumpkin and irresistible lacquered suckling pig with celery root purée. Lunch menus €24 and €29; dinner €40 and €57.
Le Sept Quinze
29 ave de Lowendal
Paris 75015
Métro: Cambronne/Ségur
01.43.06.23.06.
A busy bistrot with an upbeat ambience, friendly service and well-prepared modern French food.
Le Suffren
84 ave de Suffren
Paris 75015
Métro: La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle
01.45.66.97.86.
A bustling neighborhood bistrot, popular with locals, serving classic bistrot fare, in generous portions and at reasonably priced.
Restaurant du Marché
59 rue de Dantzig
Paris 15th
Métro: Porte de Vanves.
01.48.28.31.55
The fabulous Restaurant du Marché is in a remote corner of the 15th arrondissement. Order the hachis parmentier (shepherd’s pie) made with confit de canard and jus de truffe, and you’ll see why it's well worth the half-hour Métro ride to this cozy spot with a great-value three-course menu. Fixed price lunch menu €18, dinner menus €26, €32 per person without wine.
16th arrondissement
L'Abeille
10 ave d'Iéna
Paris 75016
Métro: Iéna
01.53.67.19.90
At this high-end restaurant of the Hôtel Shangri-La Paris, chef Philippe Labbé recently presented an awe-inspiring menu, with a starter of foie gras served two ways and a main course of lobster also in two services—first breaded claws served with lobster-coral mayonnaise, then lobster tail wrapped in Pontoise cabbage with medallions of foie gras and truffle butter. Pâtissier François Perret's stunning dessert was a feuilleté of wild strawberries and avocado mousse line. Dinner only. €200 per person without wine
L'Ogre
1 ave de Versailles
Paris 16th
01.45.27.93.40
The daily bill of fare, written on a big blackboard, is very French: delicious roast marrow bones, coddled eggs with foie gras, and sautéed wild mushrooms as starters; a terrific veal chop for two; an excellent steak tartare with freshly made frites. A terrific wine list, well-drilled service, and good atmosphere. €35 per person without wine
La Grande Cascade
Allée de Longchamp, Bois de Boulogne
Paris 16th
Métro: Porte Maillot then taxi
01.45.27.33.51.
This elegant Napoleon III hunting pavilion in the Bois de Boulogne with a sumptuous dining room has introduced a great-value three-course prix-fixe Menu du Marché at €75—or €95 including a glass of wine, mineral water and coffee—available at both lunch and dinner. Given the setting, the service and the excellent kitchen, it’s a terrific bargain—a recent meal included a venison terrine, daurade (bream) with eggplant and a choice of luscious desserts.
La Table de Joël Robuchon
16 ave Bugeaud, 16th
Métro: Victor Hugo
01.56.28.16.16.
The second comeback restaurant of formerly-retired chef Robuchon (after the lunch-counter bar-stool L’Atélier in the 6th), this one with two Michelin stars. Excellent but dull.
Le Chalet des Iles
14 chemin Ceinture du Lac Inférieur du Bois de Boulogne
Paris 75016
Métro: Rue de la Pompe, then walk (15 min.) or taxi to the boat dock.
01.42.88.04.69.
Fairly expensive, but reasonable fixed-price menus. A rustic pavilion on an island in a lake in the Bois de Boulogne, reached by a two-minute ride in a flat bottomed boat. Cozy with a fireplace in the winter, but best in summer with its several outdoor terraces. The classic food is correct, the atmosphere—including peacocks strutting in the garden—is unique. See map on website
Le Petit Pergolèse
40 rue Pergolèse
Paris 75016
Métro: Argentine
01.45.00.21.40.
A lively, noisy local favorite in an upscale residential neighborhood, with very good food, reasonable prices and closely packed tables.
Le Pré Catelan
Route de Suresnes, Bois de Boulogne, 16th
Métro: Porte Maillot or Porte Dauphine then taxi
01.44.14.41.14.
An elegant three-star restaurant in a beautifully rejuvenated Second Empire pavilion in the Bois de Boulogne.
Les Tablettes
17 avenue Bugeaud
Paris 16th
Métro: Victor Hugo
01.56.28.16.16
Marseille native Jean-Louis Nomicos offers delicious starters like bergamot-brightened squid and baby artichokes or sea urchins in a fennel emulsion, followed by main courses like scallops with a jus de bouillabaisse or veal sweetbreads with “lemon caviar”—the tangy, beaded pulp of finger lime. Finish up with a green Chartreuse soufflé with yogurt sorbet. Lunch menu €58; tasting menus €80, €120 and €150; à la carte €90 per person without wine
L’Astrance
4 rue Beethoven
Paris 75016
Métro: Passy
01.40.50.84.40.
Reservations at least three months or more in advance are the norm for this very small three-star restaurant run by Pascal Barbot and chef Christophe Rohat.
Lunch menus €70-€190, dinner fixed-price €190. Prices are per person without wine.
Tokyo Eat
13 ave du Président Wilson
Paris 75016
Métro: Iéna
01.47.20.00.29.
A big, surprisingly good canteen-style restaurant with an open kitchen in the oh-so-trendy Palais de Tokyo contemporary art center.
17th arrondissement
Frédéric Simonin
25 rue Bayen
Paris 17th
01.45.74.74.74
Frédéric Simonin's contemporary French cooking is light and full of flavor—recent main courses included tender squid with oven-roasted tomatoes, and veal sweetbreads garnished with morel mushrooms. It's pricey, but the superb cooking warrants the hefty tab. Fixed-price lunch €38, à la carte €70. Prices are per person without wine.
Guy Savoy
18 rue Troyon
Paris 75017
Métro: Charles-de-Gaulle–Etoile
01.43.80.40.61.
The three-star flagship of one of the city’s best chefs.
La Bigarrade
106 rue Nollet
Paris 75017
Métro: Brochant
01.42.26.01.02.
If you're avid for a cutting-edge sample of contemporary French cooking, you should reserve right away--there are only seven tables and Paris food lovers are keeping them filled.
Prix-fixe €45 per person without wine
Le Bar à Huîtres
69 ave de Wagram
Paris 17th
01.43.80.63.54
With the arrival of a new owner Le Bar à Huîtres is once again a very good destination for serious seafood lovers. The revamped menu offers a terrific variety of pedigreed bivalves including Prat ar Coum from Brittany, Gillardeau from Marennes and Corsican oysters from the Etang de Diana. There’s also an appealing assortment of fish—the fresh cod with aïoli and the sole meunière are both recommended. €50 per person without wine
Le Bistral
80 rue Lemercier
Paris 17th
01.42.63.59.61
Japanese-born Yasuhiro Kanayama cooked at the Hôtel Bristol and L’Astrance before taking over this funky bistrot where he offers some brilliant dishes: a scallop carpaccio with crushed roasted peanuts; succulent rack of lamb with eggplant puree; sea bass in yuzu sauce with baby vegetables. Fixed-price menus €29, €58. A la carte €45per person without wine
Le Hide
10 rue du Général Lanrezac
Paris 75017
Métro Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile
01.45.74.15.81.
Traditional Paris bistrot cuisine by a Japanese-born chef.
Les Fougères
10 rue Villebois-Mareuil
Paris 17th
01.40.68.78.66
An excellent little place with an attractive dining room and a menu with some unusual but delicious combinations: ravioli stuffed with Auvergnat pork in a bouillon seasoned with star anise; shrimp in an infusion of lemon grass, coriander and coconut milk; filet of sole with black-olive rice; veal breast garnished with ribbons of organic carrot. Fixed-price lunch menu €25, dinner €36; à la carte €70. Prices are per person without wine.
Paolo Petrini
6 rue du Débarcadère
Paris 75017
Métro: Porte Maillot
01.45.74.25.95.
A top-level Italian restaurant, with excellent contemporary alta cucina . Very expensive.
18th arrondissement
A La Pomponnette
42 rue Lepic
Paris 75018
Métro: Abbesses
01.46.06.08.36.
A Montmartre institution whose decor hasn’t changed for a century, offering well-prepared French comfort food, friendly service, moderate prices and a fun ambience.
Au Clocher de Montmartre
10 rue Lamarck
Paris 18th
Métro: Château Rouge
01.42.64.90.23
Up in Montmartre, shrewd Mauritius-born chef Antoine Heerah offers good value and contemporary French cooking at Au Clocher de Montmartre. The smartly decorated spot is open daily and serves nonstop from noon to 10:30 pm. The terrific menu is mix-and-match—you can come by for a cèpe omelette and a glass of wine, or settle in for a longer and more leisurely feed of dishes like butternut squash soup and oxtail-stuffed Roscoff onions. €40 per person without wine
Bistrot Poulbot
39 rue Lamarck
Paris 75018
Métro: Lamarck-Caulaincourt
01.46.06.86.00.
In place of the old Poulbot Gourmet, a new bistrot whose chef Veronique Melloul, from the Corrèze region of central France, serves family-style French cooking at reasonable prices.
Chamarré Montmartre
52 rue Lamarck
Paris 18th
01.42.55.05.42.
An opportunity to discover a very personal take on the fascinating cooking and produce of the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius.
A la carte €65, Lunch menus €29-€35, dinner €47-€52. Prices are per person without wine.
Chéri Bibi
15 rue André-del-Sarte
Paris 75018
01.42.54.88.96
Not only is it located in a pretty Montmartre street with an edgy bohemian personality, but it's serving what stylish young Parisians like eating these days--solid vieille France bistrot cuisine made with first-rate produce.
Open for dinner only.
€50 per person without wine
Guilo Guilo
8 rue Garreau
Paris 75018
01.42.54.23.92
An almost impossibly popular Japanese restaurant in Montmartre.
Fixed menu €45 per person without wine
Le Lapin Agile
22 rue des Saules
Paris 75018
01.46.06.85.87.
The 19th-century cabaret is still in action with comedy and song.
Le Moulin de La Galette
83 rue Lepic
Paris 75018
01.46.06.84.77.
Contemporary restaurant on the site of the famous 19th-century guinguette.
Le Winch
44 rue Damrémont
Paris 75018
01.42.23.04.63
The menu features a reasonably priced, imaginatively prepared catch of the day.
€25 per person without wine
Mon Oncle
3 rue Durantin
Paris 18th
01.42.51.21.48.
Tasty old-fashioned French comfort food: leek-and-potato soup; an appetizing tempura of red onions, eggplant and sage leaves; braised shoulder of lamb; faux filet beefsteak in a sauce au poivre with good homemade frites; and amandine aux poires for dessert. Lunch menus €14 and €17, dinner €22 and €26 per person without wine.
Wepler
14 pl de Clichy
Paris 75018
Métro: Place de Clichy
01.45.22.53.24.
A big, brightly-lit old-style brasserie just like it used to be in the good old days.
19th arrondissement
Au Boeuf Couronné
188 ave Jean Jaurès
Paris 75019
Métro: Porte de Pantin
01.42.39.44.44.
The last of the traditional restaurants that once filled this former slaughterhouse district, with a beautiful Art Deco interior and a menu for meat-eaters only.
Café de la Musique
Cité de la Musique
213 ave Jean Jaurès
Paris 75019
Métro: Porte de Pantin
01.48.03.15.91.
A bright, modern café in the music museum of the Parc de la Villette, with fairly good modern fare including a bit of Asian fusion here and there.
Que du Bon
22 rue du Plateau
75019 Paris
01.42.38.18.65
Owner Gilles Bénard describes his list of some 200 different naturel and organic wines with enthusiasm and charm, and his son Léo cooks up delicious market dishes like Norman scallops with lemon butter and celeriac purée, and beef cheeks braised in red wine. €40 per person
20th arrondissement
Chatomat
6 rue Victor Letalle
75020 Paris
Métro: Ménilmontant
01.47.97.25.77
A simple storefront restaurant in the very Parisian, working-class neighborhood of Belleville, with original, delicious meals and charming service.
Roseval
1 rue d’Eupatoria
Paris 20th
09.53.56.24.14
Those who venture forth to this remote location will catch two rising young stars—the Anglo-American Michael Greenwold and his Italian souschef Simone Tondo who cook in tandem, producing a cameo suite of tasting portions focused on produce, aesthetically studied, technically alert and cautiously sensual. Grilled langoustine with petits pois; potato purée with onions and clams; grilled steak with anchovy cream. Menus €35, €42; wine starting at €24.