Le Cambodge doesn’t take reservations, and Parisians of all shapes and sizes regularly wait up to 2hrs for a table. You’d think Lady Gaga was in town; by the time the restaurant opens, the line at the door is already 20 ft. long. We recommend that you arrive 30min. or so before opening time, so as to secure a table on the terrace or in the more secluded dining room—and avoid wandering around the 10ème at night. Incredibly, Le Cambodge is not overrated. This is some of the best Asian food in Paris, and the plentiful main courses will only run you €9.50-13.
République. Entrées €3-10.50. Plats €9.50-13. Vegetarian plates €8.50-11.50. Desserts €4.50-5.50. Hours can vary day to day, giving locals a leg-up on early opening notices. Generally, however, M-Sa noon-2pm and 8-11:30pm.
Bastille
With as many kebab stands as people, Bastille swells with fast-food joints. But the diverse neighborhood also boasts a number of classy restaurants with an ethnic touch, many of which are cheaper than those in the more central arrondissements. The most popular haunts line the bustling rues de Charonne, Keller, de Lappe, and Oberkampf. In terms of food, the 12ème is a generally affordable arrondissement, where casual establishments serve a variety of cuisines, from North African to Middle Eastern to traditional French. Most of the better places are on side streets, scattered throughout the neighborhood. On rue du Faubourg St-Antoine there’s a slew of nice but overpriced restaurants competing with cheap fast-food spots; the Viaduc des Arts hosts a couple of classy terrace cafes where designers take up residence.
CAFE DE L’INDUSTRIE
15-17 rue St-Sabin
CAFE
01 47 00 13 53
There’s a reason that podunk cafes specialize in coffee, but the menu at this one will make you forget it. Funky 20-somethings retreat in this always bustling, kind of dark spot, enjoying the extensive, fairly priced menu. The 3-course formule is a steal (€10.50); the chocolate cake is nothing short of divine (€3).
Breguet-Sabin. Plats €8-14. Desserts €2.50-6. Open daily 10am-2am.
LE BAR À SOUPES
33 rue de Charonne
SOUP BAR
01 43 57 53 79 www.lebarasoupes.com
It may not have the most personality in the world, but it does have some of the best soups in Paris. Making them fresh daily, the chef commits to creatively combining flavors like leeks and curry or zucchini and ginger. The salad and dessert selection is less spectacular.
Ledru-Rollin or Bastille. Takeout available. Soups €4.90-5.90. Formule midi includes soup, bread roll, salad, dessert or cheese plate, wine, iced tea or coffee. Open M-Sa noon-3pm and 6:30-11pm.
MORRY’S BAGELS AND TOASTS
1 rue de Charonne
BAGELS
01 48 07 03 03
Trust the French to make bagels fancy; bold statements like the magret de canard (bagel with guacamole, cream cheese, and sundried tomatoes (€5.80) and the foie gras (self-explanatory; €6) are daring but delicious.
Bastille. Bagels with coleslaw €3-6. Desserts €1.50-3.35. Open M-Sa 8:30am-7:30pm.
Butte-aux-Cailles and Chinatown
Unbeknownst to many a tourist, the 13ème is a haven for funky, fun and affordable restaurants. Bump elbows with locals over papier-mached tables in the crowded Butte-aux-Cailles, or enjoy the unfathomable delights of Chinatown’s many Asian restaurants. Eating on a budget never tasted better, especially in Paris.
MUSSUWAM
33 bld. Arago
AFRICAN
01 45 35 93 67 mussuwam.fr
The new kid on the block, Mussuwam offers Senegalese cuisine in an area dominated by Southern French restaurants. Creole music, chocolate brown walls, and a colorful decor creates an ethnic feel. Fresh juices (€5) are a highlight of the tropical menu.
Les Gobelins. Plat du jour €15. Open M-Sa noon-3pm and 7-11:30pm, Su 11am-3pm.
Montparnasse
LE TROQUET
21 rue François Bonvin
SPANISH, FUSION
01 45 66 89 00
This place is worth budgeting for; if you have to eat at sweaty kebab takeout spots for a week, or even two weeks, to afford this, just do it. The food is simply sublime, and the prices are extremely reasonable given the quality. Original recipes developed under the supervision of master chef Christian Ethebest have their origins in traditional Basque cuisine, specifically from the Béarn region. Unlike some other super-gourmet restaurants you may have indulged in, the portions here are hearty. We recommend the caviar d’aubergine or the Basque charcuterie platter, which are both to die for. For main courses, go with the joue de cochon in red-wine sauce. The desserts are beyond tasty too. Menus change every three weeks, but the aforementioned items tend to make frequent come-backs. The service here is super professional and friendly. Could be tough for handicapped travelers, since the dining room is very small and tightly packed. Expect long waits.
Sevres Lecourbe, off of Boulevard Garibaldi. Dinner formule €32. Tasting plate €40.50. Wine €23-77.50 per bottle. Midi entrée, plat, or plat-dessert combo €26. Open Tu-Sa 12:30-2pm and 7:30-11pm.
LE DIX VINS
57 rue Falguiere
TRADITIONAL
01 43 20 91 77
Located on a side street uphill on bld. Pasteur from the Metro stop, Le Dix Vins serves terrific traditional French cuisine at a reasonable price. This is undoubtedly a fine dining experience. In 2010, the restaurant won a prize from the prestigious Confrerie Gastronomique de la Marmite d’Or for its cuisine. Located on a quiet street, the restaurant’s front windows open up on warm days, and air wafts through the two tightly packed dining rooms. The food is divine, but when we visited the chef told us to write down a few recommendations. For starters, try the artichoke hearts with foie de veau, then order the filets de rougets à la Normande for your first course. For dessert, the chef proposes the tartin de poires with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The menu switches up periodically, but don’t hesitate to ask the gregarious waiter for more suggestions. Technically wheelchair accessible, but it could be a bit tricky space-wise.
Pasteur.
Passy and Auteuil
Like everything in the 16ème, most dining options are on the pricier side, but the food is of the highest quality. If you’re willing to spend a little more, the splurge is definitely worth it. Budget-friendly ethnic restaurants are clustered on rue Lauriston.
LES FILAOS
5 rue Guy de Maupassant
AFRICAN
01 45 04 94 53 www.lesfilaos.com
The first joint in Paris to specialize in Mauritian cuisine, Les Filaos provides an ethnic touch to the 16th restaurant scene. Delicious punches (€5) are made fresh behind the straw hut bar. Curries (€15-16) can be made as spicy as you like and are topped off with fresh fruit for dessert. Octopus is an island specialty. Saturday night features live Mauritian dancers.
Rue de la Pompe. Prix-fixe lunch €19.50, dinner €30. Open Tu-Su noon-2:30pm and 7-10:30pm.
LE SCHEFFER
22 rue Scheffer
BISTRO
01 47 27 81 11
With red-checkered tablecloths, walls papered with posters, and an almost entirely local clientele, Le Scheffer is as authentic as French bistros get. Slightly tipsy diners chat loudly over the din of clattering plates and shouting waiters. Plats include fois de veau with honey vinegar (€15) and beef haddock (€15).
Trocadero. Entrees €15-20. Open M-Sa noon-2:30pm and 7:30-10:30pm.
Batignolles
If residents had to make a pilgrimage into central Paris every time they wanted a good meal, no one would live in the 17ème. Thankfully, good restaurants are a dime a dozen here, and the diverse population that lives here make for a wide array of choices, from ethnic to French to vegetarian.
LE MANOIR
7 rue des Moines
CAFE
01 46 27 54 51
A true neighborhood favorite, Le Manoir is popular with the kind of cool, fun Parisians you’d want to hang out with. Local parents meet their c
hildren in front of the cafe’s red awning to pick them up after school. The waiters here are so friendly you’d think there was a catch. When a certain intrepid Let’s Go researcher left her computer in her nearby apartment, the young waitress offered to watch her drink for her while she ran home to get it—even though the researcher hadn’t paid yet. The menu is comprized of local standards, and is particularly well-known for its salads (€11).
Brochant. Free Wi-Fi. Plats €13. 2-course menu midi €12. Salmon tartare €13.20. Open daily 7:30am-2am.
LA FOURNÉE D’AUGUSTINE
31 rue des Batignolles
TRADITIONAL
01 43 87 88 41
It’s no mystery why La Fournée d’Augustine won Paris’s medaille d’or in 2004. Luring in customers with the delicious aroma of freshly baked pastries, this boulangerie is everything you thought Paris would smell like: butter, chocolate, and heaven in general. The wide selection of desserts is reasonably priced (cakes €4; pain au chocolat €0.80). Fresh sandwiches (€3-4) and other lunch options are also available. The storefront can be hard to spot, so look for the white, wooden tiles painted with lilacs, and follow the smell.
Rome. Donuts €0.60. Loaf of brioche €4.60. M-Sa 7:30am-8pm.
Buttes Chaumont
L’ATLANTIDE
7 av. Laumière
NORTH AFRICAN
01 42 45 09 81 www.latlantide.fr
A relatively hard-to-find type of restaurant in Paris, L’Atlantide practices true North African gastronomy, using meats and spices coming directly from the mountains of North Africa. If you can stand a lot of Oriental-rug patterning (rugs, tablecloths, and waiters’ aprons are all coordinated), you’ll get a nice hearty plate of couscous you won’t forget.
Laumière. Entrees €5.50-10. Couscous €11-19.50. Plats €13-19.50. Wine €12.50-22. 50. Open daily 7-10:30pm, Sa-Su 12-2:30pm.
Belleville and Père Lachaise
Belleville doesn’t compare to the 19ème in terms of food quality. It would behoove you to to hop on the Metro for lunch after your Cemetery visit.
LA BOLÉE BELGRAND
19 rue Belgrand
CRÊPERIE, CAFE
01 43 64 04 03
Across the street from the Gambetta Metro exit, La Bolée Belgrand is a modest crêperie boasting American portions. A local crowd people watches through lace curtains and from outdoor tables while enjoying heaping crêpes and galettes. The La Totale, with cheese, eggs, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms, ham, bacon and salad, is a particular favorite.
Gambetta. 10% off takeout. Galettes €7.50-9.50. Crêpes €5-7. Glaces €5.50-7.50. Open Tu-Sa noon-2:30pm and 7-10:30pm.
NIGHTLIFE
Île de la Cité and Île St-Louis
Far from a party spot, the islands are a bit of a nightlife wasteland. Still, there are a few overpriced brasseries that are worth a stop. The bars are a lot more fun and a lot less expensive on either side of the bank, in the neighboring 4ème and 5ème respectively.
LE LOUIS IX
25 rue des Deux-Ponts
CAFE, BRASSERIE
01 43 54 23 89
The place where the isle’s men go to drink, probably because it has the cheapest beer around. As unpretentious as it gets in this neck of the woods.
Pont Marie. Wine €3.50-4.60. Beer €3.80-5. Open daily 7:30am-8:30pm.
Châtelet-Les Halles
BANANA CAFE
13 rue de la Ferronerie
BAR, GLBT
01 42 33 35 31 www.bananacafeparis.com
Situated in the heart of one of Paris’s liveliest areas for nightlife, Banana Cafe is the self-declared most popular GLBT bar in the 1er—and rightly so. The club suits a wide range of clientele, ranging from the somewhat reticent and straight patrons who occupy the outdoor terrace, to the pole dancers stationed outside on nice days. During the summertime, there’s always some kind of hot deal on beer or drinks, and the party regularly spills out onto the rue de la Ferronerie. Head downstairs for a piano bar and more dancing space. There are weekly theme nights; “Go-Go Boys” takes place every Thursday through Saturday from midnight to dawn.
Châtelet Cover F-Sa €10; includes 1 drink. Beer €5.50. Cocktails €8. Happy hour pints €3, cocktails €4. Open daily 5:30pm-6am. Happy hour 6-11pm.
LE REX CLUB
5 bld. Poissonnière
CLUB
01 42 36 10 96 www.rexclub.com
Definitely the place to be if you’re looking to get down on the floor or rock out to a phenomenal DJ set. The club hosts top-notch DJs spanning pretty much any type of music that young people would have the slightest desire to dance to. The crowd is full of students, but due to the high quality of the DJs, there aren’t too many Euro-trashy teenagers here. The large sweaty dance floor is surrounded by colorful booths.
Bonne Nouvelle. Cover €10-15. Cocktails €9-11. Open W-Th 11:30pm-6am, F-Sa midnight-6am.
The Marais
There are as many bars and clubs in the Marais as people. It’s indisputably the center of Paris’s GLBT nightlife scene, and fun and fashionable men’s and women’s bars and clubs crowd rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie. Hotspots with outdoor seating are piled on top of one another on rue Vieille du Temple, from rue des Francs-Bourgeois to rue de Rivoli. The places on rue des Lombards have a rougher and more convivial—though often touristy—atmosphere. The scene in the 3ème is a little more laid-back—for the most part, women (and men, too) can leave their stiletto heels at home. There are a number of GLBT bars in the area on and around rue aux Ours, rue Saint-Martin, and rue Michel Le Comte, but mostly casual bars do live music, especially around the Pompidou.
ANDY WAHLOO
69 rue des Gravilliers
BAR
01 42 74 57 81 www.andywahloo-bar.com
Everything here is a twist on something else. Andy Wahloo, which means, “I have nothing” in a certain Moroccan dialect, serves delicious and ambitious cocktails (€10-14) to a fashionable Parisian clientele in an open courtyard and dark bar. The stop sign tables and paint-can chairs are pushed aside for dancing later in the night. The incredibly attractive clientele will probably catch you staring.
Arts et Métiers. A good place to wait for a table at 404. Cocktails €10-14. Open Tu-Sa 5pm-2am.
RAIDD BAR
23 rue du Temple
GAY BAR, CLUB
01 42 77 04 88
If you want a penis or just want to see one, come here. Sparkling disco globes light up the intimate space, as do the muscular, topless torsos of the sexy bartenders. After 11pm, performers strip down in glass shower cubicles built into the wall (yes, they take it all off every hour on the hour starting at 11:30pm). Notoriously strict door policy—women are not allowed unless they are outnumbered by a greater ratio of (gorgeous) men.
Hôtel de Ville. Beer €4. Cocktails €10. Open M-Th 5pm-4am, F-Sa 5pm-5am, Su 5pm-4am. Happy hour 5-9pm for all drinks, 5-11pm for beer.
STOLLY’S
16 rue Cloche-Perce
BAR
01 42 76 06 76 www.cheapblonde.com
This small Anglophone hangout takes the sketchy out of the dive-bar and leaves behind the cool. The €13.50 pitchers of cheap blonde beer ensure that the bar lives up to its motto: “hangovers installed and serviced here.” Come inside, have a pint, and shout at the TV with the decidedly non-trendy, tattoo-covered crowd. Occasional live music.
St.Paul. On a dead-end street off rue du Roi de Sicile. Cocktails €6.50-8. Happy hour cocktails and pints €5, pitchers €12. Open M-F 4:30pm-2am, Sa-Su 3pm-2am. Terrace closes at midnight. Happy hour 5-8pm.
Latin Quarter and St-Germain
Nightlife is a bit stronger in the fifth arrondissement; plenty of pricey bars and jazz clubs line the main streets and boulevards around St-Michel. What better way to walk off a few beers than a stroll down the promenade along the Seine? The 6ème is more of a bar and student-centered nightlife scene.
LE CAVEAU DE LA HUCHETTE
5 rue de la Huchette
&nbs
p; JAZZ BAR
01 43 26 65 05 www.caveaudelahuchette.fr
In the past, the Caveau was a meeting place for secret societies and directors of the Revolution; downstairs, you can still see the prison cells and execution chambers occupied by the victims of Danton and Robespierre. WWII brought American soldiers, bebop, and New Orleans jazz to the establishment. Now an eclectic crowd of students, tourists, and locals comes prepared to listen, watch, and participate in an old-school jazz show in this affordable, popular club.
St-Michel. Live music 10pm-2am. Cover M-Th €12, F-Sa €14, Su €12, students €10. Beer €6. Cocktails €8. Open M-W 9:30pm-2:30am, Th-Sa 9:30pm-dawn, Su 9pm-2:30am.
LE WHO’S BAR
13 rue Petit Pont
BAR
01 43 54 80 71
Let's Go Europe 2011: The Student Travel Guide Page 58