Breakfast, lunch and dinner: Dining in Paris

First: Breakfast

If you have an apartment, you may wish to just shop locally for breakfast “in house.” If you stay in a hotel, you can opt for the standard croissant, jam and coffee — but at 8-20€, that’s not a bargain, and can be tiring. Much more interesting than a typical hotel breakfast, and a better deal, will be found in almost any local cafe, salon de thé (tea room), or patisserie — or even a chain like Boulangerie Paul, with numerous locations. (Not to be confused with Restaurant Paul, on Place Dauphine, mentioned in the dinner section below.) Although we'd normally be reluctant to recommend a chain, we must admit that we enjoy the Paul site in the 6th arrondissement. People are lined up out the door to buy bread and pastries (always the sign of a fine boulangerie). Paul provides a great breakfast deal that includes fresh orange juice, fried eggs, bread, croissant, and coffee or chocolat chaud (amazingly thick and rich hot chocolate).
77 rue de Seine (at corner of rue Buci, 6th arrondissement). Métro: Odéon. Tel. 01.55.42.02.23.

(Another chain that we've enjoyed for breakfast is Le Pain Quotidien, with four locations in Paris.)

Then: Lunch

First, we will mention our approach to the idea of lunch. Generally, whether we are in Paris or the countryside, we try to find a place that will be interesting, "local," and satisfying — but that will not take more than about 90 minutes or two hours, and also will not make us too full. After all, we want to have dinner. Our lunch recommendations are set out below with this concept in mind. (A good alternative approach is to go all out and have a substantial lunch — maybe at a fine multi-starred restaurant, where the lunch tab often will be half to one-third of dinner — and then have a smaller dinner . . . .)

Mamie Gateaux. This delightful tea room and lunch location in the 6th arrondissement, usually filled 90 percent with women, has become our favorite lunch place. It's perfect for quiches and other savories, tartes and cakes before or after shopping at Au Bon Marché, a short walk away. If Mamie Gateaux is full (if you want a table for lunch you must arrive at least before 12:30; it closes at 18:00), another good place nearby — stylish, and with a wholly different atmosphere — is Cuisine de Bar (see below).

66 rue du Cherche-Midi (6th arrondissement). Métro: Rennes or Vanneau. Tel. 01.42.22.32.15.

Cuisine de Bar. Stylish and hip; we had a fine light lunch of tartines (open-faced toasted sandwiches) on great Poîlane bread from next door. (Open 8:30 to 19:00.)

8 rue du Cherche-Midi (6th arrondissement). Métro: Sevres-Babylon. Tel. 01.45.48.45.69.

Brasserie de l’ile St. Louis. This hundred-year old brasserie, overflowing with character, is one of our favorite “first-lunch-back-in town” places. Usually we split an omelet, salad, and the house Alsatian riesling. The brasserie’s terrace has a great view of the back of Notre Dame. The Ile St. Louis is a gem to stroll, especially late at night.
55, quai de Bourbon (4th arrondissement). Métro: Pont Marie (or walk from Notre Dame). Tel. 01.43.54.02.59. Open 12:00 noon-2:30 (lunch), 6:30-2:00 (dinner), closed Thurs. lunch, Wed., and Aug.

Other recommended places for lunch or afternoon “tea”:

Florence Finkelsztajn. This traditional Jewish boulangerie and traiteur (deli/caterer) has two shops, only doors away from each other in the charming rue des Rosiers area of the Marais. Florence serves Polish almond babkes, blini, and borscht. If there’s no place to sit, you can take your orders to go, and picnic in the nearby Place des Vosges.
24 rue des Ècouffes (4th arrondissement). Métro: St.-Paul. Tel. 01.48.87.92.85. Open 10:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (lunch), 3:00-7:00 p.m. (tea/early dinner), closed Wed. & Aug.

Mariage Frères. The firm is more than 140 years old, and offers more than three hundred kinds of tea served at lunch, brunch, and in the late afternoon. Tea bags are made by hand, the water is filtered, and tea is removed from the pot after it’s brewed, to avoid stewing. There’s a slightly snooty, albeit très elegante colonial France ambiance in the small dining room, which is decorated with original tea-related posters from 1930s. Numerous menu options are offered, including foie gras, small cut sandwiches on green bread, and salads. Make sure to visit the Musée de thé, up the narrow stairs.

30-32 rue du Bourg-Tibourg (4th arrondissement). Métro: Hôtel-de-Ville. Tel. 01.42.72.28.11. Open daily 11:30-4:00 (brunch/lunch), 3:00-7:00 (tea).

There are two other similar Mariage Frères locations in the 6th and 8th:

12 rue des Grandes-Augustins (entrance on rue de Savoie) (6th arrondissement). Métro: St.-Michel. Tel. 01.40.51.82.50. Open daily, 11:30-4:00 p.m. (brunch/lunch), 3:00-7:00 p.m. (tea).

260 rue du Faubourg St.-Honoré (8th arrondissement). Métro: Ternes. Tel. 01.46.22.18.54. Open daily 11:30-4:00 p.m. (brunch/lunch), 3:00-7:00 p.m. (tea).

Café Jacquemart-André. This is a beautiful café in a private museum housing a collection of Flemish, Italian Renaissance, and 18th-century French paintings. The café, once a formal dining room, is grandly decorated with tapestries, and a trompe l’oeil ceiling by Giambattista Tiepolo. Enjoy a brunch of smoked salmon, lentil salad, and various tarts.
158 boul. Haussmann (8th arrondissement). Métro: Miromesnil or St. Philippe du Roule. Tel. 01.42.89.04.91. Open daily, 11:30-5:30 p.m.

le 7 bis. Quite near the Jacquemart-André and Parc Monceau, we had a nice traditional lunch surrounded — elbow-to-elbow — by chatty local office workers.

7 bis Monceau (8th arrondissement). Métro: St. Philippe du Roule. Tel. 01.45.63.33.37.

Ladurée. This is one of the best tearooms in Paris. It was established in 1862. Arrive early and secure one of the two upstairs window seats overlooking the intersection of rue Royal and place de la Madeleine — or, as we did, settle for the middle small banquette table, from which two persons sit side by side looking out over the quaint room. This is also an excellent spot for Sunday brunch — you will notice multigenerational families having a good time out. If you return later at teatime you can try various pastries, superb chocolates, ice creams and sorbets, and almond macaroons or an assortment of four mini-macaroons. Ladurée also is known for its excellent bread, including elegant flûtes.
16 rue Royale (8th arrondissement). Métro: Madeleine or Concorde. Tel. 01.42.60.21.79. Open 8:30 a.m.-7:00 p.m., Mon.-Sat. (lunch/ brunch is served 11:30-3:30), Sun. 10:00-7:00 p.m.; closed Aug.

(There are a couple additional Ladurée locations, one in the 6th arrondissement, down the street from the Hotel du Danube.)

Finally: Dinner

(But what kind? Restaurant? Bistro? Brasserie?)

Although Paris has many excellent restaurants serving non-French fare, our list focuses on two main types of French cooking: (1) Restaurants and Bistros, and (2) Brasseries. What’s the difference between a restaurant and a bistro? More and more, less and less.

A restaurant traditionally is thought of as a full service establishment; a bistro is thought of as being smaller, faster, and less grand than a restaurant. And yet some restaurants are small in scale and scope, and some bistros seem quite grand in both respects. To some extent the difference is a state of mind, and neither is better than the other.

A brasserie is, traditionally, a beer hall, and it usually has a Alsatian connection. Brasseries often offer not only beer, but also white wines based on the Riesling and Gewurztraminer grapes, along with a full carte of other wine and spirits. Brasseries are often bright, vibrant, and loud, and they usually open earlier than restaurants and bistros. It is quite easy, and very enjoyable, to have a serious and full dinner at a brasserie, and many are fine places to enjoy large seafood platters on ice. The brasseries that we list below (separate from and after our listing of restaurants and bistros) are all traditional ones with stunning décor.

Restaurants and Bistros
(listed by arrondissement; our “top three favorites” are marked “►”)

1st Arrondissement

Restaurant Paul. It feels like the 1940s in this traditional establishment looking out to Place Dauphine, where you are likely to be dining next to lawyers and judges at lunch (the courts are nearby).
15 Place Dauphine (1rst arrondissement). Métro: Pont-Neuf. Tel. 01.43.54.21.48.

La Rose de France. This small and welcoming bistro offers sidewalk seating looking out to the quiet and beautiful place Dauphine, near the downstream tip of the ile de la Cite, and far from the noisy tourist crowds. (Also excellent for lunch.)
24, place Dauphine (1rst arrondissement). Métro: Pont Neuf/ Cite. Tel. 01.43.54.10.12.

Lescure. Although this cramped traditional bistro serves merely good but not great fare, the country ambiance and friendliness of the place (especially if you are seated at the back communal table) and the reasonably prices make it very enjoyable.
7, rue de Mondovi (1rst arrondissement). Métro: Concorde. Tel. 01.42.60.18.91.

Le Soufflé. As the name suggests, this place serves all species of soufflé. Rounding out the carte are numerous non-soufflé items, including beef and fish dishes, and seasonal appetizers such as white asparagus. For dessert, try the tarte fine aux pommes chaudes (a hot apple tart).
36 rue du Mont-Thabor (1st arrondissement). Métro: Concorde or Tuileries. Tel. 01.42.60.27.19. Open 12:00 noon-2:30 (lunch), 7:00-10:30 (dinner), closed Sun. & holidays.

► Au Gourmand. We enjoyed contemporary and inventive dining in a convivial setting. The manager and the waiter were friendly, appropriately chatty and professional, and both spoke perfect English. (See our full review on Tripadvisor.)

17, rue Molière (1rst arrondissement). Métro: Pyramides. Tel. 01.42.96.22.19.

3rd Arrondissement

Ambassade d’Auvergne. Here you will find hearty Auvergne fare, including of course aligot (potatoes with whipped with cheese and served with flourish). We prefer the cozy downstairs room, at the large table, instead of the more austere upstairs rooms.
22, rue de Grenier St-Lazare (3rd arrondissement). Métro: Rambuteau. Tel. 01.42.72.31.22.

Le Pamphlet. This is stylish and friendly place for contemporary Basque-inspired dining. (See our full review on Tripadvisor.) Tips: (1) we were in, and enjoyed, the small room to the left of the door (where there are four tables, seating ten). We soon heard loud America accents emanating from a large table in the main room, which made us glad we were not in there. (2) Although not quite up to that at Le Gaigne (nearby in the 4th), here’s another place with an interesting unisex bathroom and hand-washing area; maybe this is a new trend in trendy Marais restaurants?
38, rue Debelleyme (3rd arrondissement). Métro: Filles-du-Calvaire. Tel. 01.42.72.39.24.

4th Arrondissement

Benoit. Classic Lyonaise bistro cuisine is served in an elegant 1912 setting. Expensive, and when we were there, full of Americans enjoying business dinner tax write-offs.
20, rue St-Martin (4th arrondissement). Métro: Chatelet-Les-Halles/Hotel de Ville. Tel. 01.42.72.25.76.

Restaurant Louis Philippe. There is a traditional and cozy, cafe/wine bar on ground floor, with a nice enclosed sidewalk terrace. The restaurant dining room, up the narrow curled iron stairs, offers nice views of the bookinists on the Seine. 66, quai de l’hôtel de ville (4th arrondissement). Métro: Pont Marie. Tel. 01.42.72.29.42.

Mon Vieil Ami. Modern Alsatian cooking in a small room on the beautiful Ile.
69 rue Saint Louis en l’Ile (4th arrondissement). Métro: Pont-Marie. Tel. 01.40.46.01.35.

► Le Gaigne. Mickaël Gaignon, the young chef with an impressive cooking resume (see the restaurant’s web site), produces edgy and contemporary dishes in this tiny bistro (some might call it a "Bistronomique"). The titles for each dish are simple -- for example, to start, “Le Petit Pois” turned out to be a chilled sweet pea velouté (a velvety cream sauce made with stock, flour and butter), mackerel tartar and chorizo chips -- wow! We loved this place, and we are not alone. Soon after we posted a favorable review on Tripadvisor, Mark Bittman of the New York Times followed our lead(!) and listed it as his favorite of four highlighted "evolving style" bistros. This will make it important to reserve in advance for the next few months . . . .

12, rue Pecquay (4th arrondissement). Métro: Rambuteau. Tel. 01.44.59.96.72.

5th Arrondissement

Le Petit Prince de Paris. This lively bistro on a charming pedestrian street near the Sorbonne stays open very late to serve a mixed gay/straight customer base.
12 rue de Lanneau (5th arrondissement). Métro: Maubert-Mutualite. Tel. 01.43.54.77.26.

► Ribouldingue. Since dining here, we’ve joked about “that awful food” -- but we do so with tongue in cheek. Actually, we devoured offal -- tongue and cheek -- (beef and veal, respectively), as well as lightly sautéed lamb’s brains -- creamy and fantastic! Ribouldingue (we’re told the name translates to “binge”) caters to a certain crowd, but for the less adventurous at your table there are a few non-offal items on the menu, including a fairly regular-sounding fish dish. (See our full review on Tripadvisor.)

10, rue St-Julien le Pauvre (5th arrondissement). Métro: St-Michel. Tel. 01.46.33.98.80.

► Le Languedoc. This is our favorite neighborhood spot, the kind that many tourists may not find. We’ve had diner here many times since 2001. It’s off the track, but worth it. Start with the herring in olive oil. Then try the confit de canard, which must be ordered for two. The Dubois family has run this place for nearly 30 years — you will see mother, father and son (always in a blue shirt), helped by a burgundy-vested waiter who looks like Sidney Greenstreet.

64, Boul. de Port Royale (5th arrondissement). Métro: Le Gobelins. Tel. 01.47.07.24.47. Open 12:00 noon-2:30 (lunch), 7:00-10:30 (dinner), Note: Closed Tues. & Wed.

6th Arrondissement

L’ Epi Dupin. Another hopping bistro. If you don't book the later of the two seatings, you will hear many American accents.
11, rue Dupin (6th arrondissement). Métro: Sevres-Babylone. Tel. 01 42 22 64 56.

Le Procope. We found this venerable establishment serving traditional fare, which claims to be Paris’ first restaurant, to be over-the-top touristy. Arguably, it's worth a visit, however, especially if, as with us, someone else is paying.
13, rue de l’Ancienne Comedie (6th arrondissement). Métro: Odeon. Tel. 01.40.46.79.00.

Chez Dumont (Josephine). It feels like old Paris in this classic bistro, and yet, in a nod to modernity, one can order half dishes. 17 rue De Cherche-Midi (6th arrondissement). Métro: Duroc/ Falguiere. Tel. 01.45.48.52.40.

Ze Kitchen Galerie. Stylish, with a price to match.
4, rue des Grands-Augustins (6th arrondissement). Métro: St.-Michel. Tel. 01.44.32.00.32.

► Allard. Step back to the 1930s. The lamb shoulder, and duck with olives, are signature dishes. Expect many Americans, especially if dining before 8:30. Both rooms are traditional and cozy, but we prefer the smaller “front” room to the left as you enter -- in the middle of the kitchen!
41, rue St-Andre-des-Arts (6th arrondissement). Métro: Odeon. Tel. 01.43.26.48.23.

7th Arrondissement

Restaurant Chez Germaine. This is a tiny and simple neighborhood restaurant. There are seven tables, and you may have to/get to share yours with others (who, in this area, seem to include a fair number of Americans residing nearby). The menu includes roast beef, salmon, kidneys in cream, celery rémoulade, eggs with house-made mayonnaise, salt pork with carrots or lentils, beef tongue in tomato sauce (just like Mo’s French grandmother’s), and a great chocolate cake.
30 rue Pierre-Leroux (7th arrondissement). Métro: Vaneau. Tel. 01.42.73.28.34. Open 12:00 noon-2:30 (lunch), 7:00-9:30 (dinner); closed Sat. & Sun. and Aug.

8th Arrondissement

Les Ambassadeurs. Very expensive haute cuisine, but what an elegant room. (As at many super-starred establishments, the lunch menu is a relatively good deal.)
10, place de la Concorde (in the Hotel de Crillon, 8th arrondissement). Métro: Concorde. Tel. 01.44.71.16.16.

9th Arrondissement

Chartier. This is an impressively large and quite beautiful classic dining hall with rushed waiters serving inexpensive food of okay to good, but not great quality. The tab is figured by hand on the paper tablecloth. We agree that it should be experienced at least once (and we probably will return -- in a few years).
7, rue Faubourg Montmartre (9th arrondissement). Métro: Grandes Boulevards. Tel. 01.48.24.14.68.

10th Arrondissement

Café Panique. After many days of traditional restaurants, bistros and brasseries, we were looking for a clean and slightly edgy change of pace -- and we were not disappointed by this smart and classy neighborhood place in a contemporary art setting. (See our full review on Tripadvisor.)
12, rue des Messageries (10th arrondissement). Métro: Poissenniere. Tel. 01.47.70.06.84.

Chez Michel. After reading reviews from various trustworthy sources, we had high expectations for Chez Michel, but we were slightly disappointed. Part of that had to do with the service, which was a bit too fast for us, although we did not get the impression that they needed or expected to turn our table. Still, it was a friendly and convivial place, and our selections from the Breton-leaning 32 euro menu all were delicious. (See our full review on Tripadvisor.)

10, rue Belzunce (10th arrondissement). Métro: Poissenniere or Gare du Nord. Tel. 01.44.53.06.20.

11th Arrondissement

Astier. The great prix fixe dinner is one of the best high quality bargains in the city. There is no “menu,” but there are many selections for each course. This crowded place is quite plain, with a 1930s-1950s feel. You will be surrounded by locals and savvy tourists who have read reviews in the New York Times, etc., and are searching for something off the beaten track. After dinner an enormous tray of cheeses is left at your table long enough for you to take three to four ample samples. (But note: On a more recent visit it was not quite as good as before . . . .)
44, rue J.P. Timbaud (11th arrondissement). Métro: Oberkampf or Parmentier. Tel. 01.43.57.16.25. Open 12:00 noon-2:00 (lunch), 8:00-10:15 (dinner), closed Sat. & Sun. & last week of July and all of Aug.

12th Arrondissement

► Le Train Bleu. This is the most impressive train station restaurant we ever expect to see! It’s a sumptuous Belle Époque historic monument with very high ceiling murals depicting the southern destinations of trains that depart from the tracks below and behind the front door of the restaurant. Even if by some accounts the classic fare does not quite measure up, the setting and ambiance is not to be missed. Nor is the baba rhum for dessert (the bottle will be left at your table).
Gare de Lyon (12th arrondissement). Métro: Gare de Lyon. Tel. 01.43.43.09.06.

Les Zygomates. This charming Lyonnais bistro, far from the city center in a former 1930s butcher shop, serves classic fare such as foie gras with pine nuts, prawn raviolis, and rascasse (scorpion fish).
7 rue de Capri (12th arrondissement). Métro: Daumesnil or Michel Bizot. Tel. 01.40.19.93.04. Closed Mon. & Sat (lunch), Sun.

14th Arrondissement

La Cerisaie. A young chef and his wife cook and serve in this tiny and plain place with a southwest influence. Expect foie gras, pork from Gascony, and an excellent variation on “baba au rhum” — made with Armagnac. (Reservations required; if you reserve for an early seating, that is, before 8:30 p.m., you may be surrounded by Americans.)
70, Boul. Edgar-Quinet (14th arrondissement). Métro: Edgar-Quinet or Montparnasse Beinvenüe. Tel. 01.43.20.98.98. Closed weekends and Aug.

Régalade. This is a classic, crowded and cramped bistro. When we departed dinner, tres content, at about 11:30 p.m., there were many lined up and standing over us, waiting for our table.
49 avenue Jean-Moulin (14th arrondissement). Métro: Alesia. Tel . 01.45.45.68.58.

Le Dome. This traditional and expensive seafood restaurant/ brasserie has a clubby atmosphere.
108, boul. du Montparnasse (14th arrondissement). Métro: Vavin. Tel. 01.43.35.25.81.

15th Arrondissement

Bistrot d’Andre. This was the canteen of the former Citroen automobile plant that was located nearby until a few decades ago. The offerings, and the prices, still respect the long-departed local workers’ tastes, and budgets. The two friendly rooms overflow with Citroen mementos. 232, rue St-Charles (15th arrondissement). Métro: Ballard. Tel. 01.45.57.89.14.

16th Arrondissement

Challet des Iles. Getting there is half the fun: one takes a small boat to the island in the middle of this small lake in the Bois de Boulogne. Some complain that the classic French fare is costly and not up to the magical setting, but we loved it nonetheless.
Lac Inferieur du Bois de Boulogne (16th arrondissement). Métro: La Muette/ La Pompe. Tel.01.42.88.04.69.

18th Arrondissement

Au Poulbot Gourmet. This versatile neighborhood restaurant run by a woman chef offers two completely different menus: southern (country), and city. 39, rue Lamarck (18th arrondissement). Lamarck Caulaincourt. Tel. 01.46.06.86.00.

La Baignoire. This comfortable and hip neighborhood restaurant (“the bathtub”) is a close walk from the rue du Square Carpeaux apartment. We found it good, but not great.
151, bis rue Marcadet (18th arrondissement). Métro: Lamarck Caulaincourt. Tel. 01.53.41.63.04.

Le Diapson. Many laud the rooftop alfresco dining (and views) offered May-September, but we enjoyed the stylish street level dining room on a chilly fall evening. Modern and expensive Southwestern fare.
12-14, rue Joseph de Maistre (18th arrondissement). Métro: Abbesses/ Place de Clichy. Tel. 01.44.92.34.00.

Le Bouclard. A real neighborhood & local place focusing on great-grandmother's cooking. (Also offers a good-deal 20 Euro lunch menu.)

1 rue Cavallotti (18th arrondissement). Métro: Place de Clichy. Tel. 01.45.22.60.01.

Brasseries
(listed by arrondissement; our favorite is marked “►”)

2nd Arrondissement

Le Vaudeville. This stylish art deco establishment, located near the stock exchange, is part of the “Grope Flo” chain of traditional brasseries, and is noted for its seafood platters.
29, rue Vivienne (2nd arrondissement). Métro: Bourse. Tel. 01.40.20.04.62.

4th Arrondissement

► Bofinger. This bustling and glamorous Belle-Époque brasserie (essentially, a very fancy beer hall) near the Place de la Bastille has been around, in one form or other, for about 150 years. Enjoy platters of oysters or choucroute (Alsatian specials — excellent sauerkraut, sausages and grilled meats), washed down with the house Riesling and good red Rhônes brought by traditionally attired waiters. For dessert, try the crème brûlée made with Bourbon Vanilla. Note: This is not to be confused with the eight or so Le Petit Bofinger restaurants, which are smaller versions of this, the mother ship, located throughout the city. (Ask to be seated under the historic “coupole” — an interior and high stained-glass dome — but it’s a highly prized location, and you’ll have to reserve well in advance, unless you want to arrive around midnight, at which time you will probably be able to secure a seat there.)
5-7 rue de la Bastille (4th arrondissement). Métro: Bastille. Tel. 01.42.72.87.82. Open daily, 12:00 noon-3:00 (lunch), 6:30-1:00 a.m. (dinner).

5th Arrondissement

Brasserie Balzar. This brasserie, subject of a chapter in Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon, seems not to have suffered from transfer to management under the “Groupe Flo.”
49, rue des Ecoles (5th arrondissement). Métro: Cluny La Sorbone/ St-Michel). Tel. 01.43.54.13.67.

Marty. We’d walked past Marty a few times in years past, and we knew that it’s one of the few independent brasseries that has not been overtaken by the Groupe Flo. The airy rooms of this two-storey art deco hall with open staircases are indeed stylish and beautiful. The service, however, was spotty, and some of the items on the shellfish platter struck us perhaps not quite a fresh as we’d hope -- but maybe that’s because it was a Sunday? (See our full review on Tripadvisor.)

20, ave. les Gobelins (5th arrondissement). Métro: Les Gobelins. Tel. 01.43.31.39.51.

6th Arrondissement

Bouillon Racine. The ground floor room of this Belgian-influened brasserie (with great beer) is beautifully mirrored in the art nouveau style.
3, rue Racine (6th arrondissement). Métro: Cluny La Sorbone/ Odeon). Tel. 01.44.32.15.60.

Brasserie Lipp. Most reviews of this classic brasserie with a political pedigree stress the importance of being seated on the first floor, and not upstairs, in order to see and be seen. From our fine perch on the ground floor (but in the back) we were amused by the wall signs, possibly aimed at American women, advising that a “salad is not a meal.”
151, boul. St-Germain (6th arrondissement). Métro: St-Germain-des-Pres.) Tel. 01.45.48.53.91.

10th Arrondissement

Brasserie Flo. This classic brasserie, the namesake (if not flagship) of the “Groupe Flo” of historic brasseries, is located in a not-so-nice neighborhood.
7, cour des Petites-Ecuries (10th arrondissement). Métro: Chateau d’Eau. Tel. 01.47.70.13.59.

Terminus Nord. This classic brasserie, serving a traditional seafood platter among other dishes, is located across the street from the Gare du Nord.
23 rue de Dunkerque (10th arrondissement). Métro: Gare du Nord. Tel. 01.42.85.05.15.

Brasserie Julien. This is another art nouveau masterpiece, now run by the “Groupe Flo.” The neighborhood is not the best, but in a way that’s part of the magic of this place.
16, rue du Faubourg St-Denis (10th arrondissement). Métro: Strasbourg-St-Denis. Tel. 01.47.70.12.06.

14th Arrondissement

La Coupole. This huge, stylish, loud and festive brasserie still has a 1920s feel. Service can range from attentive and professional, to quite diffident. Great and fresh seafood platter; touristy, but fun.
102, bd. du Montparnasse (14th arrondissement). Métro: Vavin. Tel. 01.43.20.14.20 102.