FOOD & DRINK
This list was last updated in 2019 so some lists may no longer be in business. We’ll be updating the list after our next trip to Paris!
Restaurants
Auberge Nicolas Flamel
51, rue de Montemorency
Tél: 01 42 71 77 78
Named for 14th century alchemist Nicolas Flamel, it is the oldest auberge in Paris and classified as an historic monument. The food is creative, tasty and of good quality. Staff are helpful and welcoming.
Les Bougresses
6, rue de Jarente
Tél: 01 48 87 71 21
Métro: St Paul
Casual ambience, friendly and helpful service, good food. There is a great value 3 course set price menu for 24 euros. Somewhere you’ll enjoy coming back to.
Le Bulldouge
20, rue Rambuteau
Tél: 01 40 27 90 90
Don’t let the name put you off! This popular neighbourhood café-brasserie serves very good traditional food. Service is professional and welcoming. It’s named for the owners’ bulldog, Elliot.
Camille
24, rue des Francs Bourgeois
Tél: 01 42 72 20 50
Consistently good local bistro where you can enjoy breakfast, lunch or dinner and receive a warm welcome from the friendly English-speaking staff.
Chez Janou
2, rue Roger Verlomme
Tél: 01 42 72 28 41
A restaurant specialising in the cuisine of Provence and its beverages (there are over 80 Pastis). Food and service are both good and the restaurant is decorated with old posters advertising the films of Marcel Pagnol.
Chez Nenesse (Mon–Fri only)
17, rue de Saintonge
(cnr of rue de Poitou) 75003 Paris
Tél: 01 42 78 46 49
Roger and Chantal Leplu took over Chez Nénesse in 1998. They are committed to retaining the original 1960s décor and have also retained the name, which recalls its previous owner, Ernest. It is a family-run business that provides a warm welcome, friendly service and very good food. Thursdays is frites day. You need to book.
Claude Colliot
40, rue des Blancs Manteaux
Tél: 01 42 71 55 45
Open for lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Quiet, elegant and with wonderful food. You can order a la carte or follow the ‘Chef’s Suggestions’ menu. The service is friendly and helpful.
Le Connetable
55, rue des Archives
Tél: 01 42 77 41 40
The restaurant is on the 1st floor above the wine bar. The rustic décor has a certain charm and the 24 euro three course prix fixe menu and à la carte menu provide plenty of choices in traditional French cuisine and very good value. Service is friendly (although can be slow) and staff members speak some English.
Le Felteu
15, rue Pecquay
Tél: 01 42 72 14 51
Virtually just across the road, Le Felteu provides large servings of traditional French fare and happy service. The food is very good and very reasonably priced and the décor is c.1950s. It is very popular so you need to book. Cash only.
Le Gaspard de la Nuit
Métro: Bastille (exit rue St Antoine)
6, rue des Tournelles
Tél: 01 42 77 90 53
Open 7 days a week from 19:00 to 00:00.
You’ll always receive a warm welcome at this lovely bistro. The food is traditional, freshly cooked and of high quality. You can choose from an à la carte menu, daily specials or the €30 two course menu. There are English menus and staff members speak good English. You can book online via the website www.legaspard.fr
Glou
101, rue Vieille du Temple
Tél: 01 42 74 44 32
Named for the sound wine makes when being poured from a bottle—glou glou glou. This small bistro is popular among food writers and its food is fresh and ofhigh quality. There is a good wine list and service is friendly and welcoming.
Le Pharamond
24, rue de la Grande Truanderie
Tél: 01 40 28 45 18
http://www.pharamond.fr/uk/history/index.html. You can use this to make a booking.
This restaurant dates back to 1832. It was renovated just prior to the 1900 World Exhibition and still retains many of the beautiful features of this décor, including carved timbers and painted mirrors.
Its specialties are ‘tripes à la mode de Caen’ (tripe Caen style) and ‘andouillettes’ (chitterlings–tripe sausage). The menu offers a good mix of traditional and contemporary dishes The prix fixe menu is excellent value, especially given the restaurants’s beautiful interior. Be sure to book.
Le Potager du Marais
22, rue Rambuteau
Tél: 01 42 74 24 66
This has a communal dining table and serves vegetarian versions of traditional French cuisine.
Robert et Louise
64, rue Vieille du Temple
Tel: 01 42 78 55 89
You need to go early in the evening to have a chance of getting a table. The menu features red meat in various forms. The house specialty is a giant côte de boeuf for two that’s cooked over an open-fire.
Salento
47, rue du Temple
Tél: 01 42 71 06 11
Good local Italian restaurant. It’s small, has good quality food and pleasant, helpful (even if sometimes slow) service.
Suan Thaï
35, rue du Temple
Tél: 01 42 77 10 20
Open 7 days a week: 11.00–15:30,
18:00–23:30.
Chefs use traditional recipes from the Isane region in north-east Thailand to produce authentic Thai food. Recommended by Michelin.
Le Taxi Jaune
13, rue du Chapon
Tél: 01 42 76 00 40
Metro: Arts et Metiers
Mon–Fri: 12:00–15:00, 20:30–22:30.
Bookings required.
Small bistro, where chef, Otis Lebert, is dedicated to providing quality French cuisine with a modern twist. The €16,50 formule at lunchtime is excellent value.
We loved the apartment! Perfectly decorated and appointed! It was very cosy despite the weather outside. We loved returning to our ‘oasis’ in the evening. All of your books and magazines were very helpful and fun to read.
Cafés, tea rooms & casual dining
Breizh (Breton for ‘Brittany’)
109, rue Vieille du Temple
Tél: 01 42 72 13 77
Breton-born owner Bertrard Larcher opened this and a number of other creperies to give people the chance to try modern version of traditional Breton crepes. Customers can also enjoy the traditional Breton drink lait ribot and one of Breizh’s large choice of beers and ciders.
La Carette
25, Place des Vosges
Tél: 01 48 87 94 07
La Carette first opened in 1927 near the Trocadéro and in 2009 opened this branch in the Place des Vosges. It is a patisserie/tea-room and also a restaurant. Very nice pastries and good service.
Le Loir dans la Théière
3, rue des Rosiers (far end right)
This place is cosy and very popular for afternoon tea or a light lunch. It’s known for its cakes and tartes (but not for its service) and is packed out on weekends.
Mariages-Frères
30, rue du Bourg-Tibourg
Tél: 01 42 72 28 11
Established in 1854, Mariages-Frères is famous for its teas. The tea list provides a huge range of choices and there are many pastry temptations too.
Le Pain Quotidien
18, rue des Archives
Tél: 01 44 54 03 07
This is part of an international chain, which we have found to have consistently good food and helpful staff. It’s a great place for a light meal and it has menus in English. As the name suggests, you can also buy your daily bread here.
Rose Bakery
30, rue Debelleyme
Tél: 01 49 96 54 01
Started by an English/ French couple, this is a patisserie/eatery in a long narrow space. It has the pastry counter and kitchen on the left side and tables in a corridor on the right. Many staff are native English speakers and coffee is much better than the usual Parisian fare. It serves a range of healthy savoury dishes and salads and is the place to go if you’re nostalgic for scones, sticky date pudding; bacon and eggs …
Terres de café
14, rue Rambuteau
Tél: 01 42 78 49 79
Great coffee including flat whites!
We have absolutely loved our stay in Paris and the Marais Louise has been an important part of making our stay so special. The apartment has been spacious, warm and well-appointed and in the perfect location. We have loved the local shops, eateries and museums. This has been a wonderful base from which to explore. Our favourite spots have included the Hure bakery, the Pompidou Centre, the Place des Vosges and various small fashion boutiques. The larger shops such as Zara, Sephora and BHV have been easy to walk to. We look forward to coming back to the Marais Louise in the future.
Somewhere special
Le Cercle, (2nd arrondissement)
6, rue Etienne Marcel
The restaurant is located within a beautifully decorated English-style private club, where members have access to a space to hold business meetings.
At night, the general public can dine in the restaurant, where well-established guest chefs each offer an interpretation of the ‘French gastronomic meal’ inscribed on the World Heritage List. Menus, costs and the number of sittings vary according to the presiding chef.
The website http://www.leclubducercle.fr/ publishes the names of the chefs coordinating the meals on specific dates and also the menus they offer. You can then book online. We enjoyed a wonderful meal here from chef Gérard Cagna in December 2014 and will be keen to return next year.