We’re off to Paris in June. My husband goes there regularly and wants to try some sub saharan cuisine. ANy recommendaitons? Also any favorite Lebanese that are a little more creative than standard mezze offerings?
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For sub-Saharan African cuisine in Paris I’d recommend Chez Mama in the 10th arrondissement. They have amazing dishes from West and Central Africa with really fresh, vibrant flavors. The peanut stew is awesome. It’s very cozy and welcoming in there too.
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Thank you ! Are you at all familiar with restaurants in Marseille too?
Yeah, you can check out La Cuisine de Raba ̈a for delicious Lebanese food. The mezze platter is wonderful for sampling smaller dishes. I also really enjoyed Zari by Mar couscous - they give the traditional North African couscous a creative twist by incorporating Mediterranian influences. The lamb tagine was meltingly tender. Marseille has such a rich multicultural food scene. I think you’ll find some great options there to complement your Paris trip. 
I just looked up Chez Mama and couldn’t find it. There is Chez Mamane, which is a North African restaurant, but no Chez Mama with Subsaharan food in the 10th. Would you have more information about the place?
An earnest question since Subsaharan food in Paris has become hard to come by lately, since several good Beninese and Togolese restaurants have been closing one after the other. The more bobo, Time-Out-friendly places like Waly Fay are of no interest, and finding good African food requires some digging.
However there’s always the excellent Afro-Caribbean Corossol at the Marché des Enfants Rouges, good Senegalese food at 25, rue Léon in the 18th, and Ivoirian Koyaka Kitchen on rue Myrha, nearby.
For Lebanese, that cuisine is not so well represented in Paris as it used to be some 20 years ago. Hommos is sourced out of a can and the pastries are made with cashews, not almonds. Still there’s excellent home-style Lebanese food at Karim Haidar’s Les Mots et le Ciel in the 15th. A restaurant that is somewhat tricky to get into: lunch is around a Table d’hôtes upon reservation, and dinner is possible if you reserve as a group of at least 8 people. On Wednesdays the place is open until 10:30 PM.
Thanks Sarah sounds delicious
