Local Restaurants 3
If you’ve had enough of markets and cooking for yourself, here are some of our favorite restaurants in and around the neighborhood, many of them within walking distance (in no particular order):
L’Enoteca, 25, rue Charles V, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.42.78.91.44. Just down the street from the studio, this wildly popular, very authentic, highly atmospheric Italian place is great for a bite when you don’t feel like going far afield. Unfortunately, so many people feel the same way that it’s almost imperative to reserve ahead, even if it’s just an hour or two in advance.
Bistro du Peintre, 116, Avenue Ledru Rollin, Paris 11, (tel.) 01 47 00 34 39. One of our current favorites. A beautiful Belle Epoque space (a bit faded, so even better) and great food at very reasonable prices. Excellent service as well. We think it’s just about the perfect Parisian bistro.
L’Ebauchoir, 45 rue de Citeaux, 11 (tel) 01.43.42.49.31. We absolutely love this place and go to it every time we’re in Paris. It’s great to combine shopping at the nearby Aligré market in the late morning and then end up here for an incredibly cheap lunch (on weekdays 13 euros for the prix-fixe formule, 22 euros on weekends). We have never had a bad meal here. Necessary to reserve during the week as it packs in the local populace—for good reason.
Chez Janou, 2, rue Roger Verlomme, Paris 3 (tel.) 01.42. 72.28.41. Excellent Provençal restaurant, with a very nice little terrace in front for outdoor dining. GREAT fresh fish!
Le Petit Marché, 9 rue Béarn, Paris 3 (tel) 01 43 14 98 53. This sister restaurant to Chez Janou makes a wonderful recent addition to Marais dining. Reservations are necessary as it’s wildly popular. French cuisine with a beautifully rendered Asian emphasis.
Bistro Belhara, 27, rue Duvivier, 75007 Paris. Métro: Ecole Militaire. Tel.: 01 45 51 41 77. Fixed-price menus: €22 (lunch), €35 (dinner). Just opened July 2013, this charming little bistro is now one of our favorites. The chef, Thierry Dufroux, worked with a number of the top chefs in France: Guérard, Ducasse, Loiseau, and Arrambide. The food is simple, elegant, and incredibly reasonable at lunchtime. Worth the trip.
Julian, 16 Rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis Paris 10e, (01 47 70 12 06). Julian is a long-time favorite of ours (we starting frequenting it in 1985 and try to go back at least once a year). It is in a kind of funky neighborhood in the northern portion of the city, but it’s a magical Belle Epoche world when you enter. The food is wonderful classic Paris brasserie fare, and the service generally impeccable. They have a late-night prix-fixe that is quite a good deal.
Bistrot de l'Oulette, 38, rue des Tournelles, Paris 4 (tel. 01.42.71.43.33. Very near place de la Bastille, on a small side street, this is an incredibly popular place, for good reason. A focus on southwest cuisine (French, not American).
Les Enfants Rouges, 90 rue des Archives (or 9, rue de Beauce), ph 01 48 87 80 61. Open for lunch Tue-Sat and dinner Thu-Sat. Excellent food in a lovely small restaurant just across from the oldest open market in Paris. 2 course lunch menu for 14€ and 22€ for three courses in the evening. Traditional and simple food: grilled sardines, crème brûlée etc.
Le Temps des Cerises, 31, rue de la Cerisaie, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.42.72.08.63. A great place to have a cheap meal in a lively neighborhood place. Usually quite crowded at lunch. There are generally three prix-fix lunch menus.
Chez Nenesse, 17, rue de Saintonge (Angle rue de Poitou), Paris 3 (tel.) 01.42.78.46.49 (metro Fille du Calvaire) A nice little family-run neighborhood restaurant. The duck is very good.
Thai Spices, 7, rue de l'Avé Maria, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.42.78.65.49. A couple of blocks down rue St. Paul towards the Seine, turn right and you'll see this lovely new little restaurant whose entry is covered with lush flowers and plants. They serve first-rate Thai food, with a 3-course 15 euro prix fixe at lunch that's great value.
Vin des Pyrenees, 25, rue Beautreillis, Paris 4 (tel.) 01 42 72 64 94. About three blocks from the studio going towards Bastille (1/2 block down from St. Antoine. A very popular brasserie-style restaurant that remains lively until all hours and serves good fare.
L’Ebauchoir, 43-45 rue de Citaux, Paris 12 (tel) 01.42.43.49.31. Though this is a recent find of ours, this classic French bistro has been around for decades and has been a favorite of everyone fortunate enough to be in the know. We had a fantastic lunch (prix-fixe for slightly more than 20 euros), with perfect service and incredibly fresh, beautifully prepared cuisine.
Le Pamphlet, 38, rue Debelleyme, Paris 3, (01.42.72.39.24. Fantastic food, if a bit on the pricey side, with prix-fixe menu only. Beautifully appointed, with a very romantic atmosphere.
L’Escale du Liban, 1, Ferdinand Duval, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.42.74.55.70. Just a few minutes from the studio, on a small street that parallels rue de Rivoli, this new Lebanese establishment offers very tasty, generous and reasonably-priced portions of middle-eastern fare in a sparkling and airy setting.
Chez Paul, 13 rue de Charonne, Paris 11 (the other side of Bastille) (tel.) 01.47.00.34.57. A very lively (i.e., usually incredibly crowded), old-fashioned bistro with a great atmosphere and good food. A good friend recommended this one to us and we’ve been back a number of times despite the crowds.
Le Café des Musées, 49 rue de Turenne, Paris 3 (tel) 01.42.72.96.17. A recent find for us, and just a 10-minute walk up the rue de Turenne past the Place de Vosges, this quintessential Paris bistro has been around for ages and is deservedly renowned. It is written up in The Ultimate Guide to Paris’s 102 Best Restaurants, where the author declares, “If only every café in Paris served food this good and reasonably priced.” They offer a prix-fixe lunchtime formule for 17 euros that changes daily. An unprepossessing exterior (probably why we’ve walked past it for years) but the interior is utterly charming. Excellent all around!
Café Ginger, 9, rue Jacques Coeur, Paris 4 (tel) 01.42.72.43.83. A relatively new addition to the vegetarian scene, Café Ginger is a wonderful, small, wholly organic vegetarian (vegan?) place very close to Bastille. Reservations strongly advised as it fills up quickly.
Monjul, 28, rue des Blancs Manteaux, Paris 4 (tel.) 01 42 74 40 15. A recent favorite within walking distance of the studio. Here’s what one reviewer says about it: “FABULOUS ! « I’ve never tasted anything like this in my life » This is what you’ll say when they’ll bring you the first dish – Every detail of every meal looks like a work of art. Foie gras mousse served on a black tile, bœuf Bourguignon that looks like chocolate cake, salmon and beef together, chocolate and pistachio delirium… Every single meal is an experiment.” And here’s another: “The food is delicious, the staff is wonderful, the decor is great… and it’s only 29€ for 3 courses. Even better deal for lunch 3 courses at only 18 € and 2 courses for 14 €. If you are served a line of red powder with a straw, don’t be alarmed – it’s not the French version of cocaine but tomato powder to sip... creative and funny! Monjul has opened in May 2007 and it’s already one of the Marais Top 10 restaurants. Talented Chef Julien Agobert and his team will surprise you like no one else ever did before. Be sure you book to get a table!”
Le Hangar, 12, impasse Berthaud, Paris 3 (tel.) 01.42.74.55.44. Right across from the Pompidou center tucked into a little alley by the doll museum. A wonderful little neighborhood restaurant, with everything homemade and fresh. Charming service and very fair prices. The perfect place to go after visiting an evening exhibit at Pompidou.
Le Coude Fou, 16, rue Bourg-Tibourg, Paris 4, (tel) 01.42.77.15.16. Open for lunch and from 17.00. And old-time Marais favorite of locals and visitors alike. Two lunch formules either 3 courses or two. Good selection of value for money wines from the South of France.
Chez Jenny, 39, blvd. du Temple, Paris 3 (tel.) 01.42.74.75.75. An understated Michelin one-star restaurant specializing in Alsatian cuisine. Excellent food and very good service.
Le Petit Bofinger, 6, rue de la Bastille, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.52.72.05.23. Right across the street from its famous "mother" restauraunt, Bofinger (the oldest brasserie in Paris), with food just as good and considerably cheaper. Kind of funky art deco décor—not as elegant as Bofinger's belle epoch space but attractive and worthwhile nonetheless, and not nearly as much of a three-ring circus as the “mother” restaurant across the street. Good value prix-fixe menu.
Chez Marianne, rue, des Hospitaliéres St.-Gervais, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.42.72.18.86. A fun place serving reasonably priced Eastern European and Middle Eastern near rue de Rosiers. Lots of tables outdoors for casual summer dining. It can get very crowded on a warm evening, so arrive early.
L’Alivi, 27, rue Roi de Sicile, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.48.87.90.20. We really enjoy this little Corsican gem. It’s in a beautiful space, with even a few tables for outdoor dining in nice weather. The prices are reasonable and the food first-rate.
Le Loir dans la Thérière, 3, rue des Rosiers, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.42.72.90.61. For good reason, this is one of the most popular salons de té in the area. It serves very nice light lunches, and you can lounge comfortably in armchairs and sofas.
Au Gourmet de l'Isle, 42, rue Saint Louis-en-l'Ile, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.43.26.79.27. (Metro Pont-Marie) A gorgeous little restaurant in an ancient beamed building, offering good food at reasonable prices right on the main street of Isle-St.-Louis.
Le Dôme du Marais, 53, bis rue des Francs-Bourgeois, Paris 4 (tel.) 01.42.74.54.17. In an incredible space, a dome with soaring ceiling (described as a “neo-baroque theatre” in one book), this restaurant serves very elegant, freshly-prepared food. Lunch is 23 euros including a glass of wine, and dinner is around 28 euros.
Auberge Nicholas Flamel, 51, rue de Montmorency, Paris 3 (tel.) 01.42.71.77.78. (Metro Rambuteau) One of the oldest houses in all of Paris, so worth going just for the historical significance, but also has good food at fair prices for the elegant ambience.
Restaurant les Caves St. Gilles, 4, rue St. Gilles, Paris 4 (tel) 01.48.87.22.62. One of the best Spanish restaurants around, always lively and crowded.
Restaurant Le Marché, 2 Place du Marché Sainte-Catherine, Paris 4 (tel) 01.42.77.34.88. A decent restaurant in Place du Marché St. Catherine, one of the prettiest little squares in Paris, right across the boulevard from us. They have a very nice terrace, where you can have a relaxed lunch or dinner, and they are willing just to serve you a drink if you arrive late in the evening and want to enjoy the warm summer air.
L’Epi Dupin, 11 Rue Dupin PARIS 6 (tel.) 01 42 22 64 56. OK, so this isn’t in or around the neighborhood as all of the above are, but I felt I had to include it as it’s probably our favorite restaurant in Paris. We’ve never had a bad meal here, though it’s not cheap: around 35 euors for a 3-course prix-fixe menu (with quite a few choices) that changes daily. (Lunch is the better deal, but doesn’t have as many choices.) You definitely need to reserve well in advance, but it’s worth it!
For some good vegetarian suggestions around Paris: http://nwfolk.com/vegparis.html