06.08.07
Paris Restaurant Picks
When it comes to eating a classic French meal in the more touristy areas of Paris, quality food and a pleasant experience are sometimes hard to find. Here are some of the tried-and-true dining establishments we’ve come to love.
3rd arrondissement:
Chez Janou
2, rue Roger Verlomme
01.42.72.28.41 You will need this phone number to reserve a table; this restaurant fills up fast!
Traditional provençale cuisine with an emphasis on fish dishes. Try a pre-dinner “apéro”: a large selection of pastis, the anis-flavored liqueur from Provence. The atmosphere is busy and the walls are covered in vintage posters of films based in Provence (notably screen adaptations of Marcel Pagnol’s popular books).
5th arrondissement:
Café Panis
21, Quai Montebello
Reliable classics like French onion soup and croque monsieur, with a friendly waitstaff. To accompany your lamb or steak-frites, order a bottle of Cotes du Rhone for 12.50. Old Latin-quarter feel with old books filling the walls of bookshelves. Hard to believe such an “authentic” feeling place could be just across the Seine from the tourist center that is Notre Dame Cathedral. I wouldn’t say there are no tourists here, but it doesn’t have the high-stress atmosphere of some other Latin Quarter restaurants a few blocks over on rue de la Huchette.
6th arrondissement:
Le Bistrot d’Henri
16, rue Princesse
01.46.33.51.12
Metro: Mabillon
Traditional French cuisine, from the foie gras entrée (if you dare…) to the crème caramel dessert. Prix-fixe menus under 20 euros.
La Bastide d’Opio
9, rue Guisarde
01.43.29.01.84
Provençale cuisine that may even beat Chez Janou (see above). Fish, chicken, and brochettes (skewers of meat) are delicious here. The daily specials are particularly recommended - classic flavors with creative flair. Don’t forget to order a dry rosé from the Aix-en-Provence area: not sweet, but an oh-so-refreshing complement to the sunny, savory food.
10th arrondissement:
Chez Julien
16, rue du Faubourg Saint Denis
01.47.70.12.06
The Flo chain of restaurants has received some bad press, but I was impressed with my dining experience at Chez Julien. The exquisitely preserved Belle-Époque dining room is quite a marvel, with stained glass peacocks and art déco paintings of muses. My salmon was tasty, as was my île flotante dessert (”floating island,” in the above picture). A friend was disappointed in her crème caramel, which was flavored with a hint of orange. Nonetheless, a friendly and fun dinner.
18th arrondissement:
Le Bruant
rue des Abesses, in Montmartre
Prix fixe menu for 17.50 or 23 euros, depending on how fancy a dish you’d like to order. Bistro classics (steaks and chicken) and live jazz several nights a week.
megan said,
June 10, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Oh ugh, I hate pastis. It is funny to see you talking about “Provençale” restaurants, because that is about all there is here.
rachel said,
June 10, 2007 at 10:46 pm
I don’t like pastis, either! People seem to get so excited about it in the summertime so I hear it is refreshing to most… I fell in love with the provençal way of cooking when I lived in Aix-en-Provence, and just can’t get into all this other heavy, creamy stuff.