Paris restos

We wrote this up for the PiA blog.

Part 2: Some favorite restaurants

It's no mystery that you can eat at any point on the price range in Paris, from a truly yummy 4€ sandwich from the neighborhood boulangerie, to 3-star, 5-course extravaganzas.  Our tastes (and budget) tend to run waaaaay below the top end of the range, and for a nice night out we've found several great neighborhood places with 3 courses for around 30-35€.

First, a note about sources.  At this point my french is good enough to read the Parisian restaurant reviews, and the blogs in french.  But from the start four years ago, I was utterly reliant on english-language blogs, plus Zagat, Michelin, and the surprisingly interesting Time Out Paris Eating & Drinking Guide (last edition sadly 2007).  Here are some of our favorite other on-line sources.

• Paris by Mouth - Thankfully, several of our favorite bloggers and other Paris food sources have joined forces at this new website, launched this month!
• eGullet France forum - A huge, reliable source of what's new, what's tired, and what's timeless in Paris (and France) dining.
• John Talbott - First found him on the eGullet forum, but he's a treasure trove of info on Paris dining.
• Le Fooding - putting the fun back in eating in Paris.

Now, on to those great 30-35€ menus we love for a night out.  Sadly, our top top fave is currently awaiting its grand reopening, but it's worth the wait.  And while we can't make guarantees, we've never had a disappointing meal from any of these spots.

Our top 5 (in order):

• Spring, location tba, 75001 - check their blog or visit the wonderful boutique to keep up.  That's Calvin having a boudin blanc at the boutique!
• Frenchie, 5 rue du Nil, 75002 - great quality fresh cooking by a Frenchman with international experience.  Very hard to get in right now.
• Afaria, 15 rue Desnouettes, 75015 - superb southwestern French, with a completely different tapas-style menu at the table d'hôte in the bar.
• Le Grand Pan, 20 rue Rosenwald, 75015 - a la plancha, plus good wines by the carafe.
• (japanese) Shiki, 53 rue Gallieni, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt - fab bento and other japanese, with a french accent.

The next 15 (random order):

• Au Bon Accueil, 14 rue de Monttessuy, 75007 - lovely neighborhood spot, with a few tables on the sidewalk with a Tower view.
• La Cantine du Troquet, 101 rue de l'Ouest, 75014 - no reservations, no fuss, super food from Christian Etchebest (Le Troquet, Grand Pan)
• Jadis, 208 rue de la Croix-Nivert, 75015 - new bistro with great buzz.
• Le Beurre Noisette, 68 rue Vasco de Gama, 75015 - off the beaten path, but worth the trip for the food & wine choices.  Plus, the Chef taught a PiA class!
• La Ferrandaise, 8 rue de Vaugirard, 75006 - nice bistro, relatively untouristy for that neighborhood.
• L'avant Goût, 26 rue Bobillot, 75013 - another neighborhood place, with very good menus & interesting wines.
• La Cordonnerie, 20 rue Saint Roch, 75001 - classic, ancient resto built into the wall of St Roch.
• (chinese) Shan goût, 22 rue Hector Malot, 75012 - creative chinese with french accents.
• L'Agrume, 15 rue des Fossés Saint-Marcel, 75005 - tons of buzz, we went once and liked it but haven't made the trip back.  Quality menus.
• (korean) Soura, 7 rue Ernest Cresson, 75014 - best Korean we've had in Paris.
• L'Os a Moëlle, 3 rue Vasco de Gama, 75015 - great value bistro with super-fresh multi-course menus.
• (table d'hôte) La Cave de L'Os a Moëlle, 181 rue de Lourmel, 75015 - family-style dining in the wine bar of the owner's bistro.
• L'Agassin, 8 rue Malar, 75007
• Christophe, 8 rue Descartes, 75005 - you know you want to try calves' brains, and you won't regret it.
• Le Relais d'Entrecôte, several locations - nothing but excellent steak & fries, and totally worth the splurge for it.

These two are pricier, but excellent and not over-the-top pricey.  That said, we hit yam'Tcha before it got its star so it might have gone further up ...

• (underground) Hidden Kitchen - you have to reserve to find out the location, and the 10-course menu will be a surprise and delight.
• (pricier) yam'Tcha, 4 rue Sauval, 75001 - innovative french-asian with wine and/or tea pairings.  Great, though a little over my head (and palate) honestly.

Of course, we can't always eat like that, or it would be constant crises de foie and crises de fonds.  When we're staying close and still want to eat well, here are some faves within a few steps of our axis of activity, the Cambronne / Dupleix / Theatre area.  Again, our top 5 (here in random order):

• Au Goût Dujour, 12 rue Beaugrenelle, 75015
• La Gauloise, 59 ave de la Motte-Piquet, 75015
• (korean) Manna, 44 rue de Lourmel, 75015
• La Véraison, 64 rue de la Croix Nivert, 75015
• Le Florimond, 19 ave de la Motte-Piquet, 75007

And 7 more:

• Le Troquet, 21 rue François Bonvin, 75015
• La Gitane, 53bis ave de la Motte-Piquet, 75015
• L'Alchimie, 34 rue Letellier, 75015
• (korean) Mani, 15 rue Violet, 75015
• Le Sept-Quinze, 29 ave de Lowendal, 75015
• (indian) Le Palais de Raja-Maharaja, 21 rue d'ouessant, 75015
• La Blanche Hermine, 5 rue de Pondicherry, 75015

Not in our neighborhood, or really worth a special trip, these are restos we've been to and can recommend, so keep them on your list when you find yourself in their coin.  

• (chinese) Mirama, 17 rue Saint-Jacques, 75005
• (japanese) Higuma, 163 rue Saint-Honoré, 75001
• La Réserve de Quasimodo, 4 rue de Colombe, 75004
• L'Auberge Aveyronnaise, 40 rue Gariel-Lame, 75012
• L'As du Fallafel, 34 rue des Rosiers, 75004
• Aux Trois Petits Cochons, 31 rue Tiquetonne, 75002
• (japanese) Aki, 11bis rue Sainte-Anne, 75001
• (laotian) Lao Lane Xang, 102 & 105 ave d'Ivry, 75013
• L'Eté en Pente Douce, 23 Rue Muller, 75018

We can not live on food alone, nor on food & wine: sometimes we need a good beer.  No, Kronenburg and 1664 don't count.  We're American, and believe it or not, there's GREAT beer in the US and you just can't find it here.  You can dig a bit and find decent Guiness and superb Belgians, however, which hit the spot.

• Academie de la Bière, 88bis blvd de Port-Royal, 75005 - simply the best beer bar in Paris, plus excellent moules frites and charcuterie.
• Autour du Moulin, 88 rue Lepic, 75018 - unpretentious neighborhood spot with a view down the hill.
• Connolly's Corner, 12 rue de Mirbel, 75005 - best Guiness in the city.
• L'Express de Lyon, 1 rue de Lyon, 75012 - new find, with 10 Belgians on draft at good prices, and football on the TV.
• (dive) Highlander Pub, 8 rue de Nevers, 75006 - when you need a cheap beer, late night, fight, or all three.

Here are a few acceptable cafés among the many we've visited.  Note, for me a café has to have decent coffee, not the usual dreck Café Richard shot of espresso so desultorily served at most places.

• (coffee shop) Gocce di Caffé, 25 passage des Panoramas, 75002
• (bar/café) 1 av George V, 1 ave George V, 75008
• (coffee shop) Miroglio Caffe, 88 rue Saint Martin, 75004
• (salon de thé) L'Heure Gourmande, 22 passage Dauphine, 75006
• La Mosquée, 39 rue Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 75005

Let's finish off on a sweet note.  Pastries are nice and even necessary, but sometimes you need a good gelato.  Everyone seems to love the Berthillon ice cream, so it's here, but in our world nowhere near as good as Grom so do check it out!

• Grom, 81 rue de Seine, 75006
• Berthillon, 31 Rue Saint-Louis en l'Ile, 75004
• Raimo, 59-61 blvd de Reuilly, 75012