Paris restaurants

Where is good these days? Going in 3-4 weeks and we want to go somewhere that's absolutely top quality, the equivalent of St John or Dinner or one of the really great places in London. But it's all a bit bewildering and the guides are full of obvious tourist trap picks or dubious statements.

Where do people recommend? Not enormously expensive would be nice but we don't mind pushing the boat out for something incredible.

chez l'ami jean was pretty amazing when we went, would definitely recommend

and it wasnt crazy expensive - it looks kind of like a standard bistro, but then when the food comes it out its just next level. we had the a la carte but then once we saw how good everything was we immediately regretted not getting the tasting menu

This is exactly the sort of thing I want to hear. We're there two nights, so probably going for one reasonably cheap one and something more extravagant.

yeah check it out - im sure theres some pics of it on numerous food blogs, i think its become a bit of a destination place

http://www.lespapillesparis.fr/EN_index.html

A wine bar, not a restaurant, but very good - http://www.yelp.com/biz/les-caves-de-prague-paris

bars and restaurants anyone? clubs? staying in the marais area this weekend, sat till monday night.

somewhere good to go out at night would be cool, not necessarily rave based, but a decent lively late night bar.

going to les crocs as mentioned here on sat night: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/7bc76266-a0ea-11df-badd-00144feabdc0.html

i'm going @ end of march and would love some recs as well--midpriced interesting places for dinner and cool bars especially.

Le Dome du Marais is excellent, was there a few weeks ago. Also Chateaubriand is not too far. Frenchie was great too.

Le Taxi Jaune is a decent small midpriced restaurant, family run iirc.

I went to a wonderful place called Vivant in Paris -- I don't remember the neighborhood but it was GREAT.

will still rep for l'ami jean as i did up above

what's pantin like? rough?

going to P4K festival in nov and contemplating staying somewhere more central and travelling out. is the metro 24hr?

Chez L'Ami Jean was amazing, so glad I took the advice of this thread...

:) glad to hear you enjoyed it!

Gonna spend two night in Paris soon...any updates?

Updates needed, merci

where are you gonna be? & what are you looking for?

Forget exact location of hotel right now, but in Paris next week for 4 days. I am usually a cheap ethnic food type (wife is more willing to go more pricey contemporary gourmet), but could vary that upward for at least a meal or 2 of more "French" cuisine. Looking for a good Senegalese or Moroccan place.

Someone was touting me Japanese restuarant Guilo Guilo, but am not sure if I want that.

All food is "ethnic" food, I know.

am going to be in Paris a fair bit between now and Christmas so will be bookmarking this thread and will also try and bring some recommendations.

went to le gavroche on rue St Marc on a recommendation when I was there last - not a high end restaurant like its London namesake but an exceptionally good small restaurant that does fairly traditional bistro food with an excellent selection of wines. (I had herring and Sancerre, then an excellent steak frites with, um, a very nice red. and then some more of the red)

will try and get some non-french recommendations too, c.

jergins and i will be in paris december 15-17! if fizzles and/or others fancy some pints let us know on this thread!

le basilic was just about everything i hoped it would be. walking around the north end and stumbling on that place was a godsend.

bestrot paul bert (surprisingly on rue paul bert) is really excellent and pretty reasonable. id recommend pomze on boulevard hausmann p highly as well. also le petit prince in the 5th right by the sorbonne - it seems like it would be kinda corny but the food was excellent and they have the best creme brulee ive ever had

my fav Moroccan place in the city is Founti Agadir, at Censier-Daubenton in the 5th. was there a couple weeks ago. if that doesn't work then the Paris Mosque is a fun place to eat too.

for Ethiopian I always have a good time at Godjo, near the Panthéon.

close to Godjo, lunch at Louis Vins is a great deal. cash only.

those are all in the part of the city that I know best. and none are bank breakers.

obv L'As de Falafel is a cheap classic in the Marais. get it to go and eat in the Place des Vosges. pick up something sweet at Sacha Finkelstein while you're on the Rue des Rosiers.

oh and north of the Marais, Chez Nénesse is good. I've never gone for Thursday lunch but it's said that they have the best frites in Paris that day.

Pitzman is a good alternative to L'As de Falafel in the Marais - does a lot of good Kosher food, too.

there used to be a lot of terrific kosher North African restaurants in Belleville but they've been chased out by gentrification. I miss those places.

I'm a huge fan of Sunday oysters at Le Baron Rouge, just a few steps into the 12th, next to a great flea market.

highly recommend bistroy les papilles which is linked upthread

and also yeah you have to go to l'as du felafel even if it's v. obvious

In Bellevile La Cantine is good for cheap, delicious but unflashy meals (entree and plate for 12 euro)
Renee and Gabin is a great Kosher Tunisian also in Belleville

Restaurant Bouillon Chartier on the Rue du Faubourg Montmartre is reasonably priced classic French food. Lovely, huge space. Old school. Gets crowded and
there's often a wait to get in so early dining is prob your best bet if you want to avoid the queue.

I think René et Gabin is closed?

Can't figure it out from google yet.

Thanks all for the great ideas.

Does anyone know Le Porokhane (3, Rue Moret) or Chez Aida (48, Rue Polonceau -Metro Barbes or Chateau Rouge)? they are both Senegalese

No, I don't know either. I've been to Moussa l'Africain, near the Cité des Sciences up in the 19th, which is sort of a pan-sub-Saharan African restaurant. I thought it was great (the lemon crème brûlée and banana tarte tatin were fabulous) but I see that it gets kinda panned by reviews, so I dunno.

Kamukera is a good Afro-Antillaise place on the rue du Chevaleret, close to the BNF. I've eaten there several times, you can get some standard Cameroonian dishes but also some West Indian stuff. cheap too!

also in that area: I dearly love Auberge Etchegorry, a Basque restaurant near Les Gobelins. oh man I want to head up there since it's getting on dinner time! start with the rillettes; their spin on cassoulet is epic; but it's the gateau basque that I really love.

& I've eaten next to it, at La Touraine, more times than I can count, but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. mostly I go there for offal. good times, but nothing extravagant.

no René et Gabin was open last week when I was there!

Nice!

in a dresseur brasserie in grim Porte de Versailles right now. Liverpool v RM on tho which is creating an enjoyable atmosphere. ordered lamb and gratin dauphinois.

lxy - v possibly be around for pints. will post here.

that's dreadful rather than dresseur as it happens.

obv L'As de Falafel is a cheap classic in the Marais

this was my husband's favourite place to eat when he lived in paris years and years ago - it just so happened that the apartment we stayed at when we went back this year was practically around the corner, and it was the first place we ate at. i don't really like falafel but even i thought it was really good.

i don't really have any good recs though bc we ended up going to a lot of random places that were terrible.

(sic) and I were there last year and really enjoyed the eats we got at Le Marché des Enfants Rouges. It's a semi-open market with lotsa food vendors. He stood in line to get us Moroccan food while I went off to procure a bottle of wine. The family that owned the stall then escorted us to a table and poured the wine.

hi fizzles. let us know if you want to meet up! we will be in paris monday-tuesday-wednesday.

bollocks - wd've been good but I haven't been keeping up with ilx recently and missed this. got drunk with french office colleagues on Monday at a murky bar in the 15th a. just under the peripherique and had a dismal Vietnamese on Tuesday.

hope you had a good time!

one more night in paris tomorrow (friday jan 2) if you're around still/again

anyone got any recent tips for places to eat, or just things to do? going for the weekend - mainly going to just relax pre-christmas but any recommendations for things to see or unusual sites of interest would be good. i've been to the big main things over the years.

i'm staying near pigalle metro.

Next time I go to Paris I'm going to visit the Church of Notre Dame de Raincy - 20s modernist concrete, looks incredible.

Our household is on a bit of a Bauhaus kick at the moment and would definitely be heading for the show at the Musee d'Arts Decoratifs which looks vg.

From Bauhaus to steak house

Good advice.

haha, indeed.

South Pigalle is a popular neighborhood right now. Have you been to the Musée Gustave Moreau? If you like À Rebours then this is relevant to your interests. It's in south Pigalle.

ah I've never read that - I probably should!

Cool, thanks for the rec. Best frites sounds good! I'll add it to the list.

I was able to get a reservation at Verjus which sounds nice http://verjusparis.com/ but would gladly take any other recommendations in addition to the ones upthread.

not a restaurant, but i recommend cocktails in the bar at hotel maison souqet in pigalle. some of the best cocktails i've had - i was a guest so you may need to book, but it is extremely nice.

not romantic, but really fun and delicious and a good deal:

https://www.relaisentrecote.fr/

got a few recommendations from a couple of winemakers. haven't been to any of them yet, but will be in Paris in January probably, so will aim to check one or possibly two out:

Les Arlots, r. du Fauberg Poissonière (came v highly recommended)
Bistrot Paul Bert, and the nearby cousin, specialising in fish, L'Ecailler du Bistrot, both on r Paul Bert
Le Clown Bar, r Amelot

Those are all ones I’ve heard of but haven’t tried. Maybe I’ll try les Arlots over the vacances, that one sounds particularly nice and I live pretty close by.

L'Avant Comptoir (wine bar) is a little too popular but I always have fun every time I go. They opened a seafood centric version right next door (quieter, but they have some seating). I also really like Le Verre Vole for a super casual lunch (great selections of natural wines). There is also La Cave Paul Bert, but the vibe is a little too off for me. Les Campagnie des Vins Surnaturel (there is also one in NYC) has a lot more seating and also has an excellent wine list, some small foods, boho furniture.

Also, I feel like the Thai food is better in Paris than NYC. That could just be me though. For a bucket list splurge, I do think L'Arpege is worth it (the lunch cost especially).

I was there a month ago and Pottoka was really, really great.

Where do you go for Thai in Paris? I’ve never had it here though I nearly decided to go to a place on the canal for lunch today (made yaki udon at home instead cuz I got lazy). On Thursday I’ll be in the 13th most of the day so I was thinking of a Thai place down there too.

There are a several really good ones around where all the bars are in Place D'Italie. I also think Mme Shawn is fine (plus they have tofu if someone needs a veg friendly place).

yeah the 13th is probably where I gotta go. I teach there one evening a week but I’m rarely there for lunch

Oh wait, I am thinking of the wrong stop. Place D'Italie is too big, this one is smaller and had the spigots of natural water that you can fill your water jugs.

Maybe I am thinking of Corvisart nearby, but the general area is right. Also, Mme Shawn has a couple of locations.

going for two nights this week, staying in marais near place des vosges.

any food or other recs welcome - i have some familiarity with places i like but places that are good for dining solo would be nice too - i am not too squeamish about the atmosphere, a counter or bar is nice but not mandatory. Le Sot L'y Laisse sounds great - how is that if i'm solo?

any good cocktail bars?

Maybe try Sherry Butt? I’ve never been (I’m rarely in the Marais, just for falafel) but I’ve heard it’s good.

I should try l’Ambroisie sometime

le sot l'y laisse would be fine solo. you could even bring a book probably. it's in kind of a quiet area, not sure about cocktail bars around there.

i will have a marais suggestion just as soon as my wife comes downstairs.

I enjoyed cocktails at both Little Red Door and Experimental Cocktail Club, the latter in/near the Marais. IANParisian, just a tourist, so y'know pls ignore.

the lovely Emma B says Chez Janou in the Marais. though it can get busy.

ah that one came up in some of my searching. what i find difficult about paris, a bit like new york but moreso, is that you read a review of a place that says it's good, then check the website and the menu is sort of general french bistro, and then the google reviews are all 4.1 or 4.2.

this doesn't happen in london cos the average standard is so variable - and in nyc i can kind of gauge places more based on the english language and how much more branded and distinct they are. in paris i find myself comparing one bistro to another, it's p hard to read the clues. as a result i end up going classic and avoiding more modern places, not that i don't think they'd be good, more that it's hard to tell what's just some joker fucking around and what's actually interesting, i guess i don't fully get the food aesthetic of paris as a city. there seems to be some chasm between classic and wildly expensive michelin in which there's a wide range of other experimental cooking the quality or nature of which i'm unsure about.

I enjoyed cocktails at both Little Red Door and Experimental Cocktail Club, the latter in/near the Marais. IANParisian, just a tourist, so y'know pls ignore.

these look good - ty.

any really glaringly essential sights/museums i should actually see or things i should do? i am p bad at doing these, i often just go for long walks when on holiday. think i might go to the picasso museum but other than that i have some work to do in the day.

Used to like hanging out in the Marais but haven’t been there in decades so have nothing to add to whatever I may have posted further upthread /zingpost

ah i'll have a look - sorry

Oberkampf was a favorite neighborhood on my recent visit; ate at one of Pierre Sang's places there, didn't wow me as much as Pottoka but that was an unexpectedly high bar. The Sang was definitely a great atmosphere, you sit practically in the kitchen where two chefs put out like 6 courses while Madonna blasts on the stereo.

Also ate at L'Ami Jean, lunch at Guy Savoy, er I have to remember the others. L'Ami Jean was good but not my favorite (see above). Guy Savoy is like whatever I was on vacation and wanted to splurge on the cheap, i.e. 130 euro lunch menu. Which quickly escalated because drinks, of course.

Okay, used to love to hang out at Au Petit Fer à Cheval, named after its horseshoe-shaped bar, at 30 Rue Vielle du Temple. Looks like the proprietor Xavi now owns four restaurants in the area. Remember being pleasantly surprised to see his walk-on part in The Dreamlife of Angels, seems he has some other film credits as well as actor and writer.

I thought the cocktails at Pas de Loup were excellent, we went early when it was quietist and they were charming, we could have stayed all night. But we went to the Red House and drank more, also very good cocktails in a pubbier atmos. Then we walked to Le Sot L’y A Laisse ( thanks to Tracer) and fell a bit in love with the place.

Food recs in Paris are weird in part because Parisiens tend to eat quite locally, not straying much from their quartier or from where they work. And the Marais now is mostly a touristic quartier, so the recs will be more out of sorts.

There you go

i went to chez janou last night. it was great! i was there quite early but it was extremely busy, tourists eat early i suppose, my excuse was i travelled through lunch. initially it looked as tho i wouldn't get in but then the barman (possibly owner) said i'd be okay if i was happy to eat at the bar, which obv was what i wanted. ended up meeting a few people who were sitting beside me - the atmos generally was great, the barman was ridiculously rude to some people but once you braved his initial greeting it was all pretty genial. he was pouring free glasses of wine and stuff for us by the end. really great communal atmos and the food was nice, fairly classic stuff. thanks for the tip, tracer and emma b.

Is it rude to ask you if you specifically went to Paris to get some writing done? (read your trimming down a story tweets)

Asking because France has been extremely kind to me in this respect: I go away at least once a year on my own, to have a couple of good writing days, coupled with good food and an inspiring feeling. Paris is hard to beat when it comes to my specific needs that way, though it can be hard to ignore all the diversions. Was just wondering if your trip was of the same make more or less.

sort of a combo of things. my assignments for college are due on monday, it's nice to get away somewhere after xmas, and i didn't want to spend a week in my apartment trying to write, can be kind of cabin fever. also just nice to visit paris, food and wine etc. the change of scene was p good actually - kind of forced me to work in compact segments of time.

Yeah, that's the best. Cabin fever very much something bothering me when trying to write. I've plenty of time for blaming my home but in fairness it's me. Bonne chance, man.

ah that's great you had a good time at janou ronan. i haven't been there in years. i do remember a certain impressive surliness to the waitstaff, and the lovely emma b telling me that if you're rude back to them "the waiters sort of enjoy it" which i still have my reservations about. in any case it's quite rare to get a free drink in france so well done!

there was some free absinthe also - it was quite a friendly atmosphere until an extremely weird american joined in. when i said i was in paris for two days he said "that's awesome - well done you for choosing to give that gift to yourself"

last night i went to bistrot paul bert, it was full of other tourists, predictably enough, but the food was very good. really good steak tartare with salad and fries, steak, salad and chips all exemplary.

today with some time to kill near gare du nord i ended up trying this place: https://www.alexanderlobrano.com/restaurant-reviews/les-arlots-paris-a-stunningly-good-new-bistro-a-b/

it was fantastic - prob the best meal i had this time around. the menu was a lot more simple for lunch than in that article, i had an egg salad to start and onglet with potato gratin. the wine was mostly natural and the entire atmos and service was great. definitely worth a try for those of you using the eurostar.

ah that was the top recommendation i got from the winemakers I was talking to as well (les arlots have just started stocking their wine). will definitely try it when i'm out there next, hopefully at the end of the month.

Any good recommendations near Gare de Lyon or should I just trek in further towards Bastille/Charonne?

We just spent way too much time finding a public fontaine petillante. Totally worth it though. I should've had a party there.

There’s one in the Jardin d’Eole close to chez moi! There’s also one close to the BnF.

I went to the one near Chatelet. Although we mistakenly thought there was one near Republique (some weird thing on the map) so we were creepstering on anything that looked remotely like a fountain. Went to the one near the library F. Mitterand today.

Right BnF = bibliothèque François Mitterand

City is fun today! Just got back from Germany, and the streets are full of flags and songs.

Ah, that is the BnF! We had a little picnic by the quai de la gare today but it was way too sunny and already at 1pm it looked like it was going to be a madhouse soon. I realize that the thai restaurants I was trying to remember upthread are around Rue de la Butte aux Cailles. My spouse has been a sport about making sure I get my fill of foie, pulpo and pig ears this trip so I need to make sure he gets some tofu soon. He's super into the sparkling water fountains. We filled up my nalgene at them twice today and took pics.

That’s how you do it!

Going to be in Paris early December for a few nights, some really interesting recommendations from this thread (Les Arlots, Bistrot Paul Bert), anything else taken anyone's fancy since the last post?

I had a good experience at La Cave de Belleville this summer after hitting the Raviolis Nord Est. I am adding both to my set list of places I always go while in Paris.

This is probably lame, but the sushi is really mediocre where I live so we do go to the Matsuris in Paris and Lyon all the time, especially because of the La Fourchette 40% off deal. I love conveyor belt sushi.

Cool, I didn’t know we had conveyer belt sushi here! Are any of the locations in particular easy to get a seat at?

I find them all easy to get a seat at. But I also eat kind of early. I usually try to do 30 minutes after the lunch or dinner service starts so there is more stuff out on the belt. But you can also just order from the menu whenever. I think they all have slightly different menus.

I have absolutely never seen one full, but they also don't have the 30-40% off at primetimes I guess. You can see on la fourchette times when it's available.

Went to a place called Baieta (think it was in the left bank?) this summer and it knocked my socks off. Pricey but awesome. And another place called Petite Keller that was more boho and Asian fusion. Excellent as well.

La Fourchette is a great tool these days. I feel a little bad using the discounts at the Eritrean restaurant nearby, but on the other hand the discounts are how I found the place.

Yeah, i usually get embarrassed about groupon discount types of things but Matsuri is too pricey for the quality without it otherwise. And they are always really seamless in just putting the discount on. We used it to try an ethiopian restaurent near Jaures last time too.