Dining Information

Eating and drinking are among Paris's chief delights, as they are in the country as a whole. The capital offers a tremendous variety of cuisines: as well as regional French cooking, notably from the southwest, you can sample Senegalese, Caribbean, Thai, eastern European and North African cuisine, among others. There's also a huge diversity of eating and drinking establishments: luxurious restaurants in the traditional style or elbow-to-elbow bench-and-trestle-table jobs; spacious brasseries and cafés where you can watch the world go by while nibbling on a baguette sandwich; or dark, cavernous beer cellars and tiny wine bars with sawdust on the floor offering wines by the glass from every region of France. You can take coffee and cakes in a chintzy salon de thé , in a bookshop or gallery, or even in the confines of a mosque. Bars can be medieval vaults, minimalist or postmodern design units, London-style pubs or period pieces in styles ranging from the Swinging Sixties to the Naughty Nineties.

It's true that the old-time cheap neighbourhood cafés and bistros are a dying breed, while fast-food chains haveburgeoned at an alarming speed. Quality is also in decline at the lower end of the restaurant market, particularly in tourist hotspots. Yet, however much Parisians bemoan the changing times, you'll find you're still spoiled for choice, even on a modest budget. There are numerous fixed-price menus ( prix fixe ) for under €12.20, particularly at lunchtime, providing staple dishes; for €22.87 you'll have the choice of more interesting dishes; and for €30.49, you should be getting some gourmet satisfaction.

Restaurants
au Babylone 13 rue de Babylone, 7e tel 01.45.48.72.13 Mº Sèvres-Babylone.
Mon-Sat lunch only; closed Aug. Lots of old-fashioned charm and culinary basics like rôti de veau and steak, plus wine on the €15.24 menu.

Le Bourdonnais 113 av de la Bourdonnais tel 01.47.05.47.06. Mº École-Militaire. Daily noon-2.30pm & 8-11pm.
A gem of a restaurant and a high-class one at that. À la carte costs upwards of €60.98, but there's a superb midday menu including wine for €36.59, and an evening menu at €51.83.

Chez Germaine 30 rue Pierre-Leroux tel 01.42.73.28.34. Mº Duroc & Mº Vaneau. Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm & 7-9.30pm, Sat noon-2.30pm; closed Sun & Aug.

A simple, tiny and unbelievably cheap restaurant, with a midday €7.62 menu and evening €9.91 menu, including wine; the carte costs up to about €13.72.

Aquarius 2 40 rue Gergovie, 14e tel 01.45.41.36.88. Mº Pernety. Mon-Sat noon-2.15pm & 7-10.30pm.
Imaginative vegetarian meals served with proper Parisianbustle. €9.91 menu midday.

Le Berbère 50 rue de Gergovie, 14e tel 01.45.42.10.29. Mº Pernety. Daily lunchtime & evening till 10pm.
Very unprepossessing decor-wise, but serves wholesome, unfussy and cheap North African food. Couscous from €7.62.

La Coupole 102 bd du Montparnasse, 14e tel 01.43.20.14.20. Mº Vavin. Daily 8.30-1am.
The largest and perhaps most famous and enduring arty-chic Parisian hang-out for dining, dancing and debate. After 11pm, menu at €21.04 including wine, or carte from €25.92. Dancing Tues 9.30pm-4am, Fri & Sat 9.30pm-5am (€15.24 and Sun 3-9pm (Sun €12.20).

au Rendez-Vous des Camionneurs 34 rue des Plantes, 14e tel 01.45.40.43.36. Mº Alésia. Mon-Fri lunchtime & 6-9.30pm; closed Aug.

No lorry drivers any more, but good food for under €15.24; menu at €10.98 and a quarter of wine for under €3.05. Wise to book.

Restaurant Bleu 46 rue Didot, 14e tel 01.45.43.70.56. Mº Plaisance. Tues-Sat lunchtime & evening until 11pm.
Excellent, high-class cooking in a small and well-tendedrestaurant. The three-course menu du marché is €19.82, or else you can choose the speciality truffade (mashed potato and sausage) amongst others from the à la carte menu for €26.86.

N'Zadette M'Foua 152 rue du Château, 14e tel 01.43.22.00.16. Mº Pernety. Daily 7pm-2am.
A small Congolese restaurant, with tasty dishes such as maboké (meat or fish baked in banana leaves). Reservationsrequired at weekends. Menu at €12.96, à la carte around €18.29.

Da Attilio 21 rue Cronstadt, 15e tel 01.40.43.91.90. Mº Convention & Mº Porte-de-Vanves. Mon-Sat till 9.30pm.
Close to the Parc Georges Brassens. Unprepossessing decor and run-of-the-mill food, but very friendly service and a great atmosphere. Different Italian specialities each day; plats du jour €7.62.

Le Bistrot d'André 232 rue St-Charles, 15e tel 01.45.57.89.14. Mº Balard. Mon-Sat noon-2.45pm & 7.45-10.30pm.
A reminder of the old Citroën works before the Parc André-Citroën was created, with pictures and models of the classic French car. Great puds: midday menu €9.91, otherwise around €21.34.

Le Café du Commerce 51 rue du Commerce, 15e tel 01.45.75.03.27. MºÉmile-Zola. Daily noon-midnight.
A two-storey restaurant that's been catering for le petit peuple for over a hundred years. Still varied, nourishing and cheap fare. Formules €13.26 and €17.53; carte around €22.11.

Sampieru Corsu 12 rue de l'Amiral-Roussin, 15e. Mº Cambronne. Mon-Fri lunchtime & 7-9.30pm.
Decorated with the posters and passionate declarations of international socialism, this restaurant provides meals for the homeless, unemployed and low-paid. The principle is that you pay what you can and it is left to your conscience how you settle the bill. The minimum requested is €6.86 for a three-course meal with wine. However poor you might feel, as a tourist in Paris you should be able to pay more. The restaurant only survives on the generosity of its supporters, and it's a wonderful place.

Student restaurant 156 rue Vaugirard, 15e. Mº Pasteur.

Auberge Etchegorry 41 rue Croulebarbe, 13e tel 01.44.08.83.51. Mº Gobelins. Mon-Sat till 10.30pm.
A former guinguette on the banks of the Bièvre, this Basque restaurant has preserved an old-fashioned atmosphere of relaxed conviviality, and the food's good too. Menus from €19.82.

Chez Gladines 30 rue des Cinq-Diamants, 13e tel 01.45.80.70.10. Mº Corvisart. Daily 9am-2am.
This small corner bistro is always welcoming. Excellent wines and dishes from the southwest; the mashed/fried potato is a must and goes best with magret de canard . Around €18.29 for a full meal.

Lao-Thai 128 rue de Tolbiac, 13e tel 01.44.24.28.10. Mº Tolbiac. Daily except Wed 11.30am-2.30pm & 7-11pm.
Big glass-fronted resto on a busy interchange. Finely spiced Thai and Lao food, with coconut, ginger and lemongrass flavours. Midday menu at €7.09, otherwise, around €18.29.

Phuong Hoang Terrasse des Olympiades, 52 rue du javelot, 13e tel 01.45.84.75.07. Mº Tolbiac; take the escalator up from rue de Tolbiac. Mon-Fri noon-3pm & 7-11.30pm.

Vietnamese, Thai and Singapore specialities, with menus at €7.62, ?10.67 and €12.20. If it's full, try Le Le Lai or New Chinatown nearby.

Student restaurant 105 bd de l'Hôpital, 13e. Mº St-Marcel.

Le Temps des Cerises 18-20 rue Butte-aux-Cailles, 13e tel 01.45.89.69.48. Mº Place-d'Italie & Mº Corvisart. Mon-Fri noon-2pm & 7.30-11pm, Sat 7.30-11pm.

A well-established workers' co-op with elbow-to-elbow seating and a different daily choice of imaginative dishes. Lunch menu at €8.84 and evening menus starting at €17.99.

L'Assiette 78 rue Labat, 18e tel 01.42.59.06.63. Mº Château-Rouge. Closed Wed evening & Sun.
A bit out of the way, but very friendly, with delicious champignons forestières, chocolate charlotte and a surprising beetroot sorbet starter. An extraordinarily good-value €14.94 menu.

Fouta Toro 3 rue du Nord, 18e tel 01.42.55.42.73. Mº Marcadet-Poissonniers. Daily except Tues 7.30pm-1am.
A tiny, crowded, welcoming Senegalese diner in a very scruffy alley northeast of Montmartre. No more than €10.67 all-in. Be prepared for a wait unless you come at 8pm or after 10.30pm.

au Grain de Folie 24 rue La Vieuville, 18e tel 01.42.58.15.57. Mº Abbesses. Daily 12.30-2.30pm & 7-11.30pm.
A simple, cheap and friendly vegetarian restaurant, with just the sort of traditional atmosphere that you would hope for from Montmartre. Gratin and fruit compote for €8.38, menu €15.24.

Marie-Louise 52 rue Championnet, 18e tel 01.46.06.86.55. Mº Simplon. Tues-Sat lunchtime & evening until 10pm; closed Aug.

A bit of a trek north, but the excellent traditional French cuisine at this renowned restaurant is definitely worth the journey. Menu at €19.82, otherwise around €27.44.

au Port de Pidjiguiti 28 rue Étex, 18e tel 01.42.26.71.77. Mº Guy-Môquet. Tues-Sun lunchtime & eve until 11pm; closed Jan.

Very pleasant atmosphere and excellent food. It is run by a village in Guinea-Bissau, whose inhabitants take turns to staff the restaurant; the proceeds go to the village. Good-value wine list. Menu €15.24; à la carte around €18.29.

au Virage Lepic 61 rue Lepic, 18e tel 01.42.52.46.79. Mº Blanche & Mº Abbesses. Daily except Tues 7pm-2am. Simple, traditional fare in a noisy, friendly atmosphere created by the singers - in the French/Parisian idiom. Small, smoky and very enjoyable. Around €15.24.

Le Relais Savoyard 13 rue Rodier, cnr rue Agent-Bailly, 9e tel 01.45.26.17.18. Mº Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, Mº Anver & Mº Cadet. Mon-Sat until 9.30pm; closed Aug.
At the back of a very ordinary local bar; very good three-course meal for €17.53.

La Table d'Anvers 2 place d'Anvers, 9e tel 01.48.78.35.21. Mº Anvers. Mon-Fri noon-2.30pm & 7.30-11.30pm, Sat 7.30-11.30pm.

This is one of the city's best restaurants, whose chef is renowned for his original combinations. The menu at €38.11 gives a good taste of his skills; the full experience of four plats , cheese and two desserts will cost you €99.09.

Les Amognes 243 rue du Faubourg-St-Antoine, 11e tel 01.43.72.73.05. Mº Faidherbe-Chaligny. Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm & 7.30-10.30pm; closed Mon lunch, Sun & two weeks in Aug.

Excellent, interesting food in a very popular place. Booking essential. Menu at €28.96, otherwise well over ?38.11.

Astier 44 rue Jean-Pierre-Timbaud, 11e tel 01.43.57.16.35. Mº Parmentier. Mon-Fri until 10pm; closed Aug, two weeks in May & two weeks at Christmas.
Very successful, popular restaurant, with simple decor, unstuffy atmosphere and fresh, refined food. Booking essential. Menu at €21.34.

Bistrot du Peintre 116 av Ledru-Rollin, 11e tel 01.47.00.34.39. Mº Ledru-Rollin. Mon-Sat 7am-2am, Sun 10am-8pm. Small tables jammed together beneath Art-Nouveau frescoes and wood panelling. Traditional Parisian bistro food, with plats du jour from €9.45.

de Bourgogne 26 rue des Vinaigriers, 10e tel 01.46.07.07.91 Mº Jacques-Bonsergent. Mon-Fri lunchtime & evening till 10pm, Sat lunchtime only; closed Aug.

Homely, old-fashioned restaurant; dinner around €12.19.

Chez Prune 36 rue Beaurepaire, 10e tel 01.42.41.30.47. Mº Jacques-Bonsergent. Mon-Sat 7.30am-1.45am, Sun 10am-1.45am.

Lovely location for casual canal-side dining. Creative assiettes (starting at €6.10) guaranteed to tempt both meat-eaters and vegetarians, and a romantic place to sip a glass of wine orindulge in a dessert. Plats in the ?8.38 to €12.20 range.

Les Cinq Points Cardinaux 14 rue Jean-Macé, 11e tel 01.43.71.47.22. Mº Faidherbe-Chaligny & Mº Charonne. Mon-Fri noon-2pm & 7-10pm; closed Aug.

An excellent, simple, old-time bistro, still mainly frequented by locals. Prices under ?9.15 for lunch, and under €15.24 in the evening.

L'Ébauchoir 43-45 rue de Cîteaux, 12e tel 01.43.42.49.31. Mº Faidherbe-Chaligny. Mon-Sat until 11pm.
Good bistro fare in a sympathetic atmosphere. Best to book for the evening. Midday menu for €10.06; carte €22.87 upwards.

Flo 7 cours des Petites-Écuries, 10e tel 01.47.70.13.59. Mº Château-d'Eau. Daily until 1.30am.
Handsome old-time brasserie where you eat elbow-to-elbow at long tables, served by waiters in ankle-length aprons. Excellent food and atmosphere; good-value menus, including wine, at €21.04 and €27.29.

La Fontaine aux Roses 27 av Gambetta, 20e tel 01.46.36.74.75. Mº Père-Lachaise. Tues-Sat till 10pm; closed Sun evening, Mon & Aug.

Small, beautiful restaurant with first-rate menus: midday €18.29 and evenings ?25.91, both including kir royale , wine and coffee.