I’d love some recent tips on places in Paris (i was there a couple years ago but still.) i’ve got a few high-end names already, but would like a few more cafes/bistrots, etc. We’ll be in the Marais for 9 days but will be wandering about the City. Dinners and lunches needed. Happy to stumble upon gems, but always helps to get a few recs… Thanks in advance, promise to report back.
This is what I’m looking at so far:
Septime
Le Bistro du Dome
AG
Papillon
Chez Dumonet
La table d’Aligre
Boutary
Ze Kitchen Galerie
Bistrot Paul Bert
L’Autre
L’Auberge Caf
Lobster Bar
Baratin
Quedubon
Breizh Cafe
We had dinner at Le 6 Paul Bert a few years ago. It was very good, and my cousin who always stays in that neighborhood, also likes it. You can Google for the menu. I wasn’t all that impressed with Ze Kitchen Galerie, but that meal was quite a long time ago, so I’m probably not the best judge of the meals there now. Last year, we ate at the Breizh Cafe after a trip to the Picasso Museum (a must). Their crepes are very, very good.
a couple of places (mostly bakeries) we went to when we visited include:
Breizh cafe. their crepes are great, but their other products (pork rilettes, duck pate etc) are also quite excellent and keep for a long long time (unrefrigerated). we took them on a trekking trip to ladakh and opened them after 3 weeks, and they were amazing
the bakeries and patisseries we went to include: ble sucre, jacques ganin. Both were excellent
some other places culled from chowhound and HO are listed here:
Is this a relation of Le Dome? I had a fabulous birthday dinner at Le Dome once, I like going to the historical places. On the same trip I went to Breizh Cafe on a day and time their web site said they were open, but they weren’t. A call ahead for reservations is recommended.
I also enjoyed Rue Cler and dined at one of the many restaurants in the area.
For a great neighborhood bistro, I would highly recommend Au Bon Coin in the 5th. (My report here. )
Other favorites from that visit: l’Assiette (wonderful traditional cassoulet), Les Tablettes Jean Louis Nomico (outstanding lunch value–58E for entree, plat, cheese, dessert, coffee, and 1/2 bottle of wine–and everything is impeccable and delicious), and of course Ze Kitchen Galerie.
Been to Ze kitchen gallery a few years ago, I liked my meal, but my dining mates didn’t seem to be too impressed it’s Franco Asian fusion. Problem is you will start to compare with the original Asia cuisine, I.e. Thai, Chinese and could find the original cooking better than the fusion version. You need to be open minded.
Breizh Café is a good choice for crepes and galettes, choice for ciders are great (Bordelet is one of my favorites) Don’t forget to visit the grocery shop a few steps away from the restaurant, the butter and cookies from Bordier is a heaven.
Septime, don’t forget to reserve weeks before.
Baratin was good cooking, simple and let the product shine, good choice.
I’m now on vacation and with the Malaysian heat, my head is slow and empty for recommendations.
When will you be in Paris? What type of cooking you like? I hope it is not too late for the reply.
i leave next Wednesday! i have a rez for Septime, for lunch, and one for Saturne. i’m now trying to make one for Bistrot Paul Bert. I’m now not sure if i want to make any more reservations before we get there, as I’d like to leave room for spontaneity. But i do want to try Bistro du Dome, and Breizh Cafe is still on the list.
i love every kind of cooking, but i mostly want to focus on French, not fusion, so I probably won’t try Ze Kitchen. thanks for that.
If you like bistrot food, I would suggest also Chez L’ami Jean by chef Stephane Jégo, if you can squeeze in your eating schedule. You will see the chez very seriously working and yelling at his people. Be sure you ask for a table close to the kitchen (Paul Bert is great, L’ami Jean has a touch that I like personally, and of course, their riz au lait is sublime) - Don’t forget to reserve, weekdays lunch or dinner is easier than weekend.
Saturne is a good choice, it was my birthday meal last year. I think we took the bigger carte blanche menu. They have a great selection of natural wine.
Breizh Café, you can just reserve the same day. You are right about spontaneity…
IMHO, while i love modern French, Le Baratin is the real deal. Top product and execution. Plates are deceptively simple looking but require the hand of an expert like Raquel to make them look easy.
Keep in mind that a lot of great chefs have their day off eating at Baratin, this explains all. (Some people said they had met Pierre Hermé…)
Talking about eating with chef in restaurant, we had Éric Fréchon and his friends eating at a table next to us in l’Ami Jean a few years ago. Chef Stéphane Jégo was testing new dishes, and asked Fréchon for his opinion all the time.
I suggest you booked both places, you can always call to cancel if you don’t feel like.
Paris is a place that without reservation, it’s difficult to eat well in places that has good reputation on especially Friday, Sat and Sunday, because most places are tiny (around 30-50 seats). I will try to post a review on l’Ami Jean that we had in July tonight or tomorrow. (Duh, catching up with all the meals, need to find the photos!) Personally, I will rate L’Ami Jean over Paul Bert (2nd) and Le Baratin (3rd).
Since we just came back from our “food” vacation, actually there were times, we weren’t particularly hungry, but we went anyway, but eating a smaller portion, or even asking for doggy bag if we couldn’t finish… Don’t forget to take something to help digesting…
Wait, i thought doggy bags were a no-no in France! i was very sick (bad oysters) in Lyon in 2014, and my sister and i had reservations at Daniel et Denise, and i made myself go, but when the food came, i couldn’t even look at it. i left my poor sister to eat alone, went back to the hotel. but first i asked one of the maitre-d’s if it would be possible to take the food home - a full plate i hadn’t touched because i was very ill. she said yes. however, when it came time for my sister to leave, they wouldn’t let her. The manager told her “no, this is France.”
i’ve always assumed you can’t do doggy bags in France, and especially in Paris, so i never ask any more. Has that changed?
Also, is it still frowned upon to share a meal? When i was in France (not Paris) in 2014, my sister and i would each order a prix fixe, and invariably it would be too much food.
thanks for any advice you can give on this front…
as for booking and cancelling, my phone doesn’t work there without wifi, so i would be limited to cancelling only when i’m in the apartment, and i don’t want to limit ourselves. so, maybe on our first few days there, i’ll call around to some of these places and see what’s available. but really, even if they’re not places with a stellar reputation, i had very good meals almost everywhere we ate, places that we just stumbled into. we used the TripAdvisor app for ratings, and found it surprisingly useful. and, for instance, one day in Paris we walked by a well-respected place (name escapes me now) and were able to make a rez for the next night. so i’m hoping we’ll get lucky!
Some places you have reserved, like Septime, you shouldn’t worry about big portion, beware that you will leave the place still feeling hungry, you need to eat enough bread.
Many places allow a 2 courses meal, an entry and a main dish or just a main dish and a dessert. If it’s not a menu, but à la carte, it’s possible you just order a main dish and that’s all. But if you see a fixed price menu is cheaper than just 1 main dish, you will change your mind…
Of course, if you only want to eat a salad and nothing else, you will be frowned at…
