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Eating in Paris

The Parisian eating scene is kept at a rolling boil. Entire books (and lives) are dedicated to the subject. Paris is France's wine and cuisine melting pot. While it lacks a style of its own (only French onion soup is truly Parisian), it draws from the best of France. Paris could hold a gourmet's Olympics and import nothing.

Parisians eat long and well. Relaxed lunches, three-hour dinners, and endless hours of sitting in outdoor cafés are the norm. Local cafés, cuisine, and wines become a highlight of any Parisian adventure — sightseeing for your palate. Even if the rest of you is sleeping in a cheap hotel, let your taste buds travel first-class in Paris. (They can go coach in London.)

You can eat well without going broke, but choose carefully — you're just as likely to blow a small fortune on a mediocre meal as you are to dine wonderfully for €20. By following the suggestions offered below, you'll have a better dining experience.

Breakfast

Petit déjeuner (puh-tee day-zhuh-nay) is typically café au lait, hot chocolate, or tea; a roll with butter and marmalade; and a croissant — though more hotels are starting to provide breakfast buffets with fruit, cereal, yogurt, and cheese (usually for a few extra euros, and well worth it). While breakfasts are available at your hotel (about €8-14), they're cheaper at corner cafés (but no coffee refills; see also "Café Culture," below). It's fine to buy a croissant or roll at a bakery and eat it with your cup of coffee at a café. Better still, some bakeries offer worthwhile breakfast deals with juice, croissant, and coffee or tea for about €3 (for example, consider the chain of bakeries called La Brioche Dorée). If the urge for an egg in the morning gets the best of you, drop into a café and order une omelette or œufs sur le plat (fried eggs). You could also buy or bring from home plastic bowls and spoons, buy a box of cereal and a small box of milk, and eat in your room before heading out for coffee.

Picnics

Great for lunch or dinner, Parisian picnics can be first-class affairs and adventures in high cuisine. Be daring. Try the smelly cheeses, ugly pâtés, sissy quiches, and minuscule (usually drinkable) yogurts. Local shopkeepers are accustomed to selling small quantities of produce. Try the tasty salads to go and ask for une fourchette en plastique (a plastic fork).

Gather supplies early for a picnic lunch; you'll probably visit several small stores to assemble a complete meal, and many close at noon. Look for a boulangerie (bakery), a crémerie or fromagerie (cheeses), a charcuterie (deli items, meats, and pâtés), an épicerie or magasin d'alimentation (small grocery store with veggies, drinks, and so on), and a pâtisserie (delicious pastries). For fine picnic shopping, check out our street market recommendations in the Shopping chapter. While wine is taboo in public places in the United States, it's pas de problème in France.

Supermarchés offer less color and cost, more efficiency, and adequate quality. Department stores often have supermarkets in the basement, along with top-floor cafeterias offering not-really-cheap but low-risk, low-stress, what-you-see-is-what-you-get meals. For a quick meal to go, look for food stands and bakeries selling take-out sandwiches and drinks. For an affordable sit-down meal, try a crêperie or café.

In stores, unrefrigerated soft drinks and beer are half the price of cold drinks. Milk and boxed fruit juice are the most inexpensive drinks. Avoid buying drinks to go at streetside stands; you'll find them far cheaper in a shop. Try to keep a water bottle with you. Water quenches your thirst better and cheaper than anything you'll find in a store or café. I drink tap water in Paris and use that to refill my bottle. You'll pass many fountains on Paris streets with good water (but if it says non potable, it's not drinkable).

For good lunch picnic sites, consider these suggestions. The Palais Royal (across the place du Palais Royal from the Louvre) is a good spot for a peaceful, royal picnic, as is the little triangular Henry IV Park on the west tip of Ile de la Cité. The pedestrian pont des Arts bridge, across from the Louvre, has unmatched views and plentiful benches. For great people-watching, try the Pompidou Center (by the Homage to Stravinsky fountains), the elegant place des Vosges (closes at dusk), the gardens at the Rodin Museum, and the Tuileries and Luxembourg gardens.

Café Culture

French cafés (or brasseries) provide budget-friendly meals and a relief from museum and church overload. Feel free to order only a bowl of soup and a salad or plat (main course) for lunch or dinner at a café.

Cafés generally open by 7:00, but closing hours vary. Unlike restaurants, which open only for lunch and dinner, meals are served throughout the day at cafés — making them the best option for a late lunch or an early dinner.

It's easier for the novice to sit and feel comfortable when you know the system. Check the price list first, which by law must be posted prominently. You'll see two sets of prices; you'll pay more for the same drink if you're seated at a table (salle) than if you're at the bar or counter (comptoir). At large cafés, outside tables are most expensive and prices can rise after 22:00.

Your waiter probably won't overwhelm you with friendliness. Notice how hard they work. They almost never stop. Cozying up to clients (French or foreign) is probably the last thing on their minds.

The standard menu items (generally served day and night) are the croque-monsieur (grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich) and croque-madame (croque- monsieur with a fried egg on top). The salade composée (kohm-poh-zay) is a hearty chef's salad. Sandwiches are least expensive, but plain unless you buy them at the boulangerie (bakery). To get more than a piece of ham (jambon; zhahm-bohn) or chicken (poulet; poo-lay) on a baguette, order jambon- or poulet-crudité (crew-dee-tay), which means garnished with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, and so on. Omelets come lonely on a plate with a basket of bread. The daily special — plat du jour (plah dew zhoor) — is your fast, hearty hot plate for €10–16. At most cafés (though never at a restaurant), feel free to order only appetizers — which many find lighter, more fun, and more interesting than entrées. Regardless of what you order, bread is free; to get more, just hold up your breadbasket and ask, "Encore, s'il vous plaît."

House wine at the bar is cheap (about €3 per glass, cheapest by the pitcher — pichet, pee-shay), and the local beer is cheaper on tap (une pression, oon pres-yohn) than in the bottle (bouteille, boo-teh-ee). France's best beer is Alsatian; try Kronenbourg or the heavier Pelfort (even heavier is the Belgian beer Leffe). Une panaché (pan-a-shay) is a refreshing French shandy (7-Up and beer). For a fun, bright, nonalcoholic drink of 7-Up with mint syrup, order un diablo menthe (dee-ah-bloh mahnt). Kids love the local lemonade (citron pressé; see-trohn preh-say) and the flavored syrups mixed with bottled water (sirops à l'eau; see-roh ah loh). The ice cubes melted after the last Yankee tour group left.

If you order coffee or tea, here's the lingo:

Coffee
Tea

By law, the waiter must give you a glass of tap water with your coffee if you request it; ask for "un verre d'eau, s'il vous plaît" (uh vayr doh, see voo play).

Tipping

Virtually all cafés and restaurants include a service charge in the bill (usually 15 percent, referred to as service compris or prix net), but it's polite to round up for a drink or meal well-served. This bonus tip is usually about 5 percent of the bill (e.g., if your bill is €19, leave €20). In the rare instance that service is not included (the menu states service non compris), tip 15 percent. When you hand your payment plus a tip to your waiter, you can say, "C'est bon" (say bohn), meaning, "It's good." If you order your food at a counter, don't tip.

Restaurants

Choose restaurants filled with locals, not places with big neon signs boasting, We Speak English. Consider your hotelier's opinion. If a restaurant doesn't post its prices outside, move along.

Restaurants open for dinner around 19:00, and small local favorites get crowded after 21:00. To minimize smoke and crowds, go early (around 19:30). If a restaurant serves lunch, it generally begins at 11:30 and goes until 14:00, with last orders taken at about 13:30. If you're hungry when restaurants are closed (late afternoon), go to a café; they serve all day.

Beware: Many restaurants close Sunday and Monday.

If you ask for the menu (muh-noo) at a restaurant, you'll get a fixed-price meal. Menus, which offer three or four courses, are generally a good value if you're hungry: You get your choice of soup, appetizer, or salad; your choice of three or four main courses with vegetables; plus a cheese course and/or a choice of desserts. Service is included (service compris or prix net), but wine and other drinks are generally extra. Restaurants that offer a menu for lunch often charge about €5 more for the same menu at dinner.

Ask for la carte if you want to order à la carte like the locals do. Request the waiter's help in deciphering the French. Go with his or her recommendations and anything de la maison (of the house), as long as it's not an organ meat (tripes, rognons, andouillette). Galloping gourmets should bring a menu translator; the Marling Menu Master is excellent. The Rick Steves' French Phrase Book, with a Menu Decoder, works well for most travelers. The wines are often listed in a separate carte des vins.

In France, an entrée is the appetizer and le plat is the main course. Le plat or le plat du jour (plate of the day) is the main course with vegetables (usually €10–16). If all you want is a salad, find a café instead. By American standards, the French undercook meats: rare or saignant (seh-nyahn) is close to raw; medium or à point (ah pwan) is rare; and well-done or bien cuit (bee-yehn kwee) is medium.

Parisians are willing to pay for bottled water with their meal (eau minérale; oh mee-nay-rahl) because they prefer the taste over tap water. If you prefer a free pitcher of tap water, ask for une carafe d'eau (oon kah-rahf doh). Otherwise, you may unwittingly buy bottled water. To get inexpensive wine at a restaurant, order table wine in a pitcher (un pichet; pee-shay), rather than a bottle (though finer restaurants usually offer only bottles of wine). If all you want is a glass of wine, ask for un verre de vin (uh vehr duh van). A half-carafe of wine is un demi-pichet (uh duh-mee pee-shay), a quarter-carafe (ideal for one) is un quart (uh kar).

To get a waiter's attention, simply say, "S'il vous plaît" (see voo play) — please.

Parisian Cuisine

There is no Parisian cuisine to speak of. The principal advantage of dining in Paris is that you can sample fine cuisine from throughout France. Many restaurants specialize in a particular region's cuisine (in this book, I list restaurants specializing in food from Provence, Burgundy, Alsace, Normandy, Dordogne, Languedoc, and the Basque region). So be a galloping gourmet and try a few of these regional restaurants.

The French eat dinner in courses, rather than all on one plate. For general, classic, anywhere-in-France dishes, consider these suggestions:

First Course (Entrée)

Soupe à l'oignon: Hot, salty, and filling, French onion soup is a beef broth served with cheesy bread croutons floating on top.

Salade au chèvre chaud: A mixed green salad topped with warmed goat cheese and toasted bread croutons.

Salade niçoise: While famous as a specialty from Nice, this classic salad is served throughout France. There are many versions, though most include a base of green salad topped with green beans, boiled potatoes (sometimes rice), tomatoes, anchovies, lots of tuna, and hard-boiled eggs.

Crudités: A mix of raw and lightly-cooked, fresh vegetables usually including grated carrots, celery root, tomatoes, and beets, often with a hefty dose of vinaigrette dressing. If you want the dressing on the side, say, "La sauce à côté, s'il vous plaît" (lah sohs ah koh-tay see voo play).

Escargots: Snails cooked in parsley-garlic butter. You don't even have to like the snail itself. Just dipping your bread in garlic butter is more than satisfying. Prepared a variety of ways, the classic is à la bourguignonne (served in their shells).

Huîtres: Oysters served raw any month and delivered fresh from nearby Brittany. This food is particularly popular at Christmas and New Year's, when every café seems to have overflowing baskets lining the storefront.

Pâtés and Terrines: Slowly cooked ground meat (usually pork, though chicken and rabbit are also common) that is highly seasoned and served in slices with mustard and cornichons (little pickles). Pâtés are smoother than the similarly prepared, but more chunky terrines.

Foie gras: Rich and buttery in consistency, this pâté is made from the swollen livers of force-fed geese (or ducks, in foie de canard). Spread it on bread with your knife, and do not add mustard to this pâté dish.

Main Course (Plat Principal)

Coq au vin: This Burgundian dish is chicken marinated ever so slowly in red wine, then cooked until it melts in your mouth. It's served (often family-style) with vegetables.

Bœuf bourguignon: Another Burgundian specialty, this classy beef stew is cooked slowly in red wine, then served with onions, potatoes, and mushrooms.

Steak: Referred to as pavé, bavette, or entrecôte, French steak is usually thinner than American steak and is always served with sauces (au poivre is a pepper sauce, une sauce roquefort is a cheese sauce).

Steak tartare: This wonderfully French dish is for adventurous types only. It's very lean, raw hamburger served with spices (usually Tabasco, onions, salt, and pepper on the side) and topped with a raw egg.

Gigot d'agneau: Leg of lamb served in many styles, often with white beans. The best lamb is pré salé, which means the lamb has been raised in salt-marsh lands (like at Mont St. Michel). Confit de canard: This Southwest favorite is duck that has been preserved in its own fat, then cooked in its fat, and often served with potatoes cooked in the same fat. Not for dieters.

Saumon: You'll see salmon dishes served in various styles. The salmon usually comes from the North Sea and is always served with sauce, most commonly a sorrel sauce.

Cheese Course (Le Fromage)

In France, the cheese course is served just before (or instead of) dessert. It not only helps with digestion, it gives you a great opportunity to sample the tasty regional cheeses. There are more than 400 different French cheeses to try. Most restaurants will offer a cheese platter from which you select a few different cheeses (three is average). Those most commonly served in Paris are brie de Meaux (mild and creamy, from just outside Paris), Camembert (semi-creamy and pungent, from Normandy), chèvre (goat cheeses with a sharp taste, usually from the Loire), and Roquefort (strong and blue-veined, from south-central France).

If you'd like a little of several types of cheese from the cheese plate, say, "Un assortiment, s'il vous plaît" (uh ah-sor-tee-mahn, see voo play). If you serve yourself from the cheese plate, observe French etiquette and keep the shape of the cheese. To avoid being gauche, politely shave off a slice from the side or cut small wedges.

Dessert (Le Dessert)

Crème brulée: A rich, creamy, dense, and caramelized custard.

Tarte tatin: This is apple pie like grandma never made, with caramelized apples cooked upside down, but served upright.

Mousse au chocolat: Chocolate mousse.

Ile flottante: This lighter dessert consists of islands of meringue floating on a pond of custard sauce.

Profiteroles: Cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream, smothered in warm chocolate sauce.

Tartes: Narrow strips of fresh fruit, baked in a crust and served in thin slices (without ice cream).

Sorbets: Known to us as sherbets, these light, flavorful, and fruity ices are sometimes laced with brandy.

Coffee (Café)

If you order espresso, it will always come after dessert. To have coffee with dessert, ask for "café avec le dessert" (kah-fay ah-vehk luh day-sayr).

Eating in Paris

My recommendations are centered around the same three great neighborhoods listed in the Sleeping chapter; you can come home exhausted after a busy day of sightseeing and find a good selection of restaurants right around the corner. And evening is a fine time to explore any of these delightful neighborhoods, even if you're sleeping elsewhere.

To save piles of euros, review the budget eating tips above and restaurant recommendations below. Remember that service is almost always included (so little or no tipping), and consider dinner picnics (great take-out dishes available at charcuteries).

The Rue Cler Neighborhood

The rue Cler neighborhood caters to its residents. Its eateries, while not destination places, have an intimate charm. My favorites are small mom-and-pop places that love to serve traditional French food at good prices to a local clientele. You'll generally find great dinner menus for €20–30 and plats du jour for around €12-15. Eat early with tourists or late with locals.

Closer to Ecole Militaire, between Rue de la Motte Picquet and Rue de Grenelle

$$$ Le Bourdonnais, boasting one Michelin star, is the neighborhood's intimate gourmet splurge. You'll find friendly but formal service in a plush and very subdued 10-table room. Micheline Coat, your hostess, will treat you well (€40 lunch menu, €63 dinner menu, daily, 113 avenue de la Bourdonnais, tel. 01 47 05 47 96).

$$$ Café de l'Esplanade, the latest buzz, is your opportunity to be surrounded by chic, yet older and sophisticated Parisians enjoying top-notch traditional cuisine as foreplay. There's not a tourist in sight. It's a sprawling place — half its tables with well-stuffed chairs fill a plush, living-room–like interior, and the other half are lined up outside under its elegant awning facing the street and car park. Dress competitively, as this is the place to be seen in the 7th arrondissement (€20 plats du jour, plan on €45 plus wine for dinner, open daily, reserve ahead — especially if you want a curbside table, non-smoking room in the back, bordering Les Invalides at 52 rue Fabert, tel. 01 47 05 38 80).

$$$ Léo le Lion — small, softly lit, and traditional, with velvet booths — is well respected by locals. Expect to spend €45 per person for fine à la carte choices and wine (closed Sun, 23 rue Duvivier, tel. 01 45 51 41 77).

$$ Save Le Florimond for a special occasion. Locals come for classic French cuisine like grandma used to make, served with care in an intimate setting — and so should you. Since it's a neighborhood favorite, it's best to reserve ahead. Friendly English-speaking Laurent will take good care of you (€32 menu, closed Sun, good and reasonable wine selection, non-smoking, 19 avenue de la Motte Picquet, tel. 01 45 55 40 38).

$$ Thoumieux, the neighborhood's classy, traditional Parisian brasserie, is a local institution and deservedly popular. It's big and dressy, with formal but good-natured waiters. They serve a €14 lunch menu, a €31-33 dinner menu (3 courses with wine), and really good crème brulée (daily, 79 rue St. Dominique, tel. 01 47 05 49 75).

$ Café du Marché, with the best seats, coffee, and prices on rue Cler, serves hearty €10 salads and good €11 plats du jour for lunch or dinner to a trendy, smoky, mainly French crowd. This easygoing café is ideal if you want a light dinner (good dinner salads) or a more substantial but simple meal. Arrive before 19:30; it's packed at 21:00. A chalkboard lists the plates of the day — each a meal (Mon–Sat 11:00–23:00, closes at 17:00 on Sun, at the corner of rue Cler and rue du Champ de Mars, at 38 rue Cler, tel. 01 47 05 51 27). In 2005, they plan to open a pasta restaurant next door.

$ Le Comptoir du Septième is owned by the Café du Marché folks and offers similar dishes and prices with better (but smoky) indoor seating (daily, 39 avenue de la Motte Picquet, at Ecole Militaire Métro stop, tel. 01 45 55 90 20).

$ Petite Brasserie PTT is popular with postal workers, offering traditional café fare at reasonable prices next to the PTT (post office) on rue Cler (closed Mon, opposite 53 rue Cler).

$ Café le Bosquet is a vintage Parisian brasserie with dressy waiters and a classic interior or sidewalk tables on a busy street. Come here for a bowl of French onion soup, a salad, or a three-course menu (€18) and mix it up with waiters Didier and Antoine. Vegetarian dishes are possible — ask (closed Sun, many choices from a fun menu, the house red wine is plenty good, corner of rue du Champs de Mars and avenue Bosquet, at 46 avenue Bosquet, tel. 01 45 51 38 13).

$ La Terrasse du 7eme is a sprawling, happening café with outdoor seating (good for people-watching) and a living room-like interior with comfy love-seats. The owner is particular about his food — and it shows (daily until 02:00, no fixed-price menu, great salade niçoise, they'll make a vegetarian plate on request, at Ecole Militaire Métro stop, tel. 01 45 55 00 02).

Between Rue de Grenelle and the River

$$$ Altitude 95 is in the Eiffel Tower, 95 meters (about 300 feet) above the ground (€21–31 lunches, €50 dinners, dinner seatings daily at 19:00 and 21:00, reserve well ahead for a view table; before you ascend to dine, drop by the booth between the north/nord and east/est pillars to buy your Eiffel Tower ticket and pick up a pass that enables you to skip the line; tel. 01 45 55 20 04, fax 01 47 05 94 40).

$$ At L'Affriolé, you'll compete with young professionals for a table. This small and trendy place is well deserving of its rave reviews. Menu selections change daily, and the wine list is extensive, with some good bargains (€32 menu, closed Sun-Mon, 17 rue Malar, tel. 01 44 18 31 33).

$$ Au Petit Tonneau is a souvenir of old Paris. Fun-loving owner-chef Madame Boyer prepares everything herself, wearing her tall chef's hat like a crown as she rules from her family-style kitchen. The small dining room is plain and doesn't look like it's changed in the 25 years she's been running the place. Her steaks and lamb are excellent (allow €28 for 2 courses, €35 4-course menu, open daily, can get smoky — come early, 20 rue Surcouf, tel. 01 47 05 09 01).

$$ Le P'tit Troquet is a petite place taking you back to Paris in the 1920s, gracefully and earnestly run by Dominique. The delicious three-course €29 menu comes with fun, traditional choices (closed Sun, 28 rue de l'Exposition, tel. 01 47 05 80 39).

$$ La Casa di Sergio is the place for gourmet Italian cuisine served family-style. Only Sergio could make me enthusiastic about Italian food in Paris. Sergio, a people-loving Sicilian, says he's waited his entire life to open a restaurant like this. Eating here involves a little trust...just sit down and let Sergio spoil you (€26–36 menus, open daily, 20 rue de l'Exposition, tel. 01 45 51 37 71).

$$ La Fontaine de Mars is a longtime favorite for locals, charmingly situated on a classic, tiny Parisian street and jumbled square. It's a happening scene, with tables jammed together for the serious business of good eating. Reserve in advance or risk eating upstairs without the fun street-level ambience (allow €40 per person with wine, open nightly, where rue de l'Exposition and rue St. Dominique meet, at 129 rue St. Dominique, tel. 01 47 05 46 44).

$$ Chez Agnès, the smallest restaurant listed in this book, is not for everyone. Small and flowery, it's truly a family-style place. Engaging, eccentric, but sincere Agnès (with dog Gypsy at her side) does it all — in her minuscule kitchen, and serving, too — without a word of English. Don't come for a quick dinner; she expects to get to know you (€23 menu, closed Mon, 1 rue Augereau, tel. 01 45 51 06 04).

$ Café Constant is a tiny, two-level place that feels more like a small bistro, serving reasonably priced dishes in a lively setting. Though new, it has already established a loyal clientele (closed Sun, corner of rue Augereau and rue St. Dominique, next to recommended Hotel Londres Eiffel).

$ La Varangue is an entertaining one-man show featuring English-speaking Phillipe, who ran a French catering shop in Pennsylvania for three years, then returned to Paris to open his own place. He lives upstairs, and clearly has found his niche serving a Franco-American clientele who are all on a first-name basis. The food is cheap and basic (don't come here for a special dinner), the tables are few, and he opens early (at 17:30). Norman Rockwell would dig his tiny dining room (€10 plats du jour and a €14.50 menu, closed Sun, always a veggie option, 27 rue Augereau, tel. 01 47 05 51 22).

$ L'Ami Jean is the place to go for excellent Basque specialties at fair prices — and everyone knows it. You must call ahead (try for an early reservation, when most Parisians won't dine), or join the crowd on the sidewalk and wait. The chef has made his reputation on the quality of his cuisine, not on the dark, simple decor (closed Sun-Mon, 27 rue Malar, tel. 01 47 05 86 89).

$ Le Toulouse is a cheap and easygoing food store-restaurant serving southwest French cuisine (featuring duck, cassoulet, and hearty salads) in a modern setting (closed Sun, 86 rue St Dominique, tel. 01 45 56 04 31).

$ Restaurant la Serre is reasonably priced and worth considering (plats du jour €11–15, closed Sun-Mon, good onion soup and duck specialties, 29 rue de l'Exposition, tel. 01 45 55 20 96, Margot).

Picnicking

The rue Cler is a moveable feast that gives "fast food" a good name. The entire street is clogged with connoisseurs of good eating. Only the health-food store goes unnoticed. A festival of food, the street is lined with people whose lives seem to be devoted to their specialty: polished produce, rotisserie chicken, crêpes, or cheese.

For a magical picnic dinner at the Eiffel Tower, assemble it in no fewer than five shops on rue Cler. Then lounge on the best grass in Paris (the police don't mind after dusk), with the dogs, Frisbees, a floodlit tower, and a cool breeze in the parc du Champ de Mars.

Asian delis (generically called Traiteur Asie) provide tasty, low-stress, low-price take-out treats (€6 dinner plates, the one on rue Cler near rue du Champ de Mars has tables). There's a Greek deli with outdoor seats on rue Cler across from Grand Hôtel Lévêque. The elegant Fauchon charcuterie offers mouthwatering meals to go (open daily until 23:00, at Ecole Militaire Métro stop). Real McCoy is a little shop selling American food and sandwiches (closed Sun, 194 rue de Grenelle). There are small late-night groceries at 186 and 197 rue de Grenelle (open nightly until midnight).

Breakfast

Café la Roussillon serves American breakfasts for €7.50 and a dynamite Sunday brunch for €15 (daily, at corner of rue de Grenelle and rue Cler, tel. 01 45 51 47 53). The Pourjauran bakery, offering great baguettes, hasn't changed in 70 years (20 rue Jean Nicot). The bakery at 112 rue St. Dominique is worth the detour, with classic decor and tables where you can enjoy your café au lait and croissant.

Nightlife

This sleepy neighborhood is not the place for night owls, but there are a few notable exceptions. Café du Marché and its brother, Le Comptoir du Septième (both listed above), hop with a Franco-American crowd until about midnight, as does the flashier Café la Roussillon (nightly, at corner of rue de Grenelle and rue Cler). O'Brien's Pub is a relaxed Parisian rendition of an Irish pub (77 avenue St. Dominique).

The Marais Neighborhood

The trendy Marais is filled with locals enjoying good food in colorful and atmospheric eateries. The scene is competitive and changes all the time. Here is an assortment of places — all handy to recommended hotels — that offer good food at reasonable prices, plus a memorable experience. For maximum ambience, go to the place des Vosges or place du Marché Ste. Catherine (several places listed below in each of these squares).

Dining on Romantic Place des Vosges

$$$ Ma Bourgogne is a good match for the classy place des Vosges, boasting a certain snob appeal. You'll sit under arcades in a whirlpool of Frenchness as bowtied and black-aproned waiters serve you traditional Burgundian specialties: steak, coq au vin, lots of French fries, escargot, and great red wine. Service at this institution comes with food but few smiles (€32 menu, open daily, dinner reservations smart, no CC, at northwest corner at #19, tel. 01 42 78 44 64).

$ Café Hugo, named for the square's most famous resident, sits across the square. It serves the same arcade ambience for less (standard café fare like onion soup, omelets, and salads from €6-10; €13 plats du jour; open daily).

$ Nectarine, next to Café Hugo, is a peaceful teahouse serving healthy salads, quiches, and inexpensive plats du jour both day and night. Its fun menu lets you mix and match omelets and crêpes (daily, 16 place des Vosges, tel. 01 42 77 23 78).

Dining near the Bastille

$$$ Brasserie Bofinger, an institution for over a century, is famous for fish and traditional cuisine with Alsatian flair. You're surrounded by brisk, black-and-white-attired waiters in plush rooms reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties. The non-smoking room is best — under the grand 1919 coupole. You'll see boys shucking and stacking seafood platters out front before you enter. Their €33 three-course (with wine) menu is a good value (daily and nightly, reservations smart, 5 rue de la Bastille, don't be confused by the lesser "Petite" Bofinger across the street, tel. 01 42 72 87 82).

$$ Chez Janou, a Provençal bistro, tumbles out of its corner building and fills its broad sidewalk with happy eaters. At first glance, you know this is a find. But don't let the crowd intimidate you — inside and out, it's relaxed and charming. The style is French Mediterranean, with an emphasis on vegetables (€14 plats du jour that change with the season, open daily, two blocks beyond place des Vosges at 2 rue Roger Verlomme, tel. 01 42 72 28 41).

$$ L'Impasse, a relaxed bistro on a quiet alley, serves an enthusiastically French, €28 three-course menu. Françoise, a former dancer and artist, runs the place con brio (closed Sun, 4 impasse de Guéménée, tel. 01 42 72 08 45). Françoise promises anyone with this book a free glass of byrrh — it's pronounced "beer," but it's a French port-like drink. The restaurant is next to a self-serve launderette (open nightly until 21:30 — clean your clothes while you dine).

$$ Bistrot les Sans Culottes, a zinc-bar classic on lively rue de Lappe, serves traditional French cuisine with a proper respect for fine wine (€25 3-course menu, closed Mon, 27 rue de Lappe, tel. 01 48 05 42 92). Stay out past your bedtime. Eat here. Then join the rue de Lappe party.

$ Café de la Poste is a tight little place serving good €12-14 plats du jour from a small but reliable menu; go early, as it gets smoky (closed Sun, near place de la Bastille at 13 rue Castex, tel. 01 42 72 95 35).

$ Au Temps des Cerises, a très local wine bar, is fun for its colorful lunch of cheese or cold meats with good wine (Mon–Fri until 20:00, closed Sat–Sun, at rue du Petit-Musc and rue de la Cerisaie).

$ Vins des Pyrénées is a younger, livelier place with fun ambience, inexpensive meals, some smoke, and a reasonable wine list (daily, 25 rue Beautreillis, tel. 01 42 72 64 94).

Dining Closer to Hôtel de Ville

$$ Au Bourguignon du Marais, a small wine bar-bistro south of rue de Rivoli, is a place that wine-lovers shouldn't miss. Gentle English-speaking Jacques offers excellent Burgundy wines that blend well with his fine, though limited, selection of plats du jour. The escargots were the best I've had, and the dessert was...délicieux (allow €35-45 with wine, closed Sat–Sun, call by 19:00 to reserve, 52 rue Francois Miron, tel. 01 48 87 15 40).

$$ Le Fou d'En Face, with dynamite ambience inside and out, is a wine-focused restaurant run by an amiable fellow who loves his lot in life. It's on a small square barely off rue de Rivoli near the recommended Hôtel de Nice. Try the pot-au-feu (beef stew-€19), and test the superb wine selection (closed Sun, 3 rue du Bourg-Tibourg, tel. 01 48 87 03 75).

$$ Le Colimacon is a romantic little place twirled around its spiral stairs (colimacon). They offer two-course (€18) or three-course (€23) menus of traditional cuisine, including magret de canard aux fruits de saison — duck breast with a sauce of seasonal fruit (closed Tue, reservations required, 44 rue Vieille du Temple, tel. 01 48 87 12 01).

$ BHV Department Store's fifth-floor cafeteria provides an escape from the busy streets below, nice views, and no-brainer, point-and-shoot cafeteria cuisine (Mon-Sat 11:30-18:00, closed Sun, at intersection of rue du Temple and rue de la Verrerie, one block from Hôtel de Ville).

$ Petite Gavroche is a charmingly basic place offering dirt-cheap French cooking (€9 plats du jour, 15 rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie, tel. 01 48 87 74 26).

Dining in the Heart of the Marais

$$$ L'Excuse, one of the neighborhood's top restaurants, is a good splurge for a romantic, dressy evening in a hushed atmosphere with lounge-lizard music. The elegant nouveau cuisine focuses on what's fresh, with plates that are petite but creative and presented with panache (€37 menu, cheaper at lunch, closed Sun-Mon, reserve ahead, request downstairs — ideally by the window, 14 rue Charles V, tel. 01 42 77 98 97).

$$ On place du Marché Ste. Catherine: This tiny square, just off rue St. Antoine, is an international food festival cloaked in extremely Parisian, leafy-square ambience. On a balmy evening, this is clearly a neighborhood favorite, with five popular restaurants offering €20–30 meals. Survey the square and you'll find French-style bistros (Le Marché, Au Bistrot de la Place, both open daily), a fun Italian place (no outdoor tables), a popular Japanese/Korean restaurant, and a Russian eatery with an easy but adventurous menu. You'll eat under the trees surrounded by a futuristic-in-1800 planned residential quarter.

$$ L'Enoteca is a high-energy, half-timbered Italian wine bar-restaurant serving reasonable Italian cuisine (no pizza) with a tempting antipasti bar. It's a relaxed, open setting with busy, blue-aproned waiters serving two floors of local eaters (allow €30 for meals with wine, daily, across from L'Excuse at rue St. Paul and rue Charles V, 25 rue Charles V, tel. 01 42 78 91 44).

$ Camille, a traditional corner brasserie, is a neighborhood favorite with great indoor and sidewalk seating. White-aproned waiters serve €9 salads and very French plats du jour for €15 to a down-to-earth but sophisticated clientele (daily, 24 rue des Francs Bourgeois at corner of rue Elzévir, tel. 01 42 72 20 50).

$ Piccolo Teatro is where vegetarians should go for a good, inexpensive meal. Friendly British expatriate Rachel will take care of you (daily, near rue des Rosiers, 6 rue des Ecouffes, tel. 01 42 72 17 79).

$ L'As du Falafel serves inexpensive Jewish cuisine on plastic plates, with bustling ambience or to go (day and night until late, closed Sat, €6 "special falafel" is great, 34 rue des Rosiers).

$ Several hard-working Chinese fast food places are along rue St. Antoine, great for a €6 meal.

Picnicking

Picnic at peaceful place des Vosges (closes at dusk) or on the Ile St. Louis quais (see below). Stretch your euros at the basement supermarket of the Monoprix department store (closed Sun, near place des Vosges on rue St. Antoine). Two small grocery shops are open until 23:00 on rue St. Antoine (near intersection with rue Castex).

Breakfast

For an incredibly cheap breakfast, try Hilaire boulangerie-pâtisserie, where the hotels buy their croissants (coffee machine-€0.70, cheap baby quiches, 1 block off place de la Bastille, corner of rue St. Antoine and rue de Lesdiguières).

Nightlife

The best scene is the dizzying array of wacky eateries, bars, and dance halls on rue de Lappe. This street is what the Latin Quarter wants to be. Just north of the stately place de la Bastille, it's one of the wildest night spots in Paris. Sitting amid the chaos like a van Gogh painting is the popular, time-warp Bistrot les Sans Culottes (see above).

Trendy cafés and bars — popular with gay men — also cluster on rue Vieille du Temple, rue des Archives, and rue Ste. Croix de la Bretonnerie (close at about 02:00). Rue de Rosiers bustles with youthful energy. Le Vieux Comptoir is tiny, lively, and just hip enough (off place des Vosges at 8 rue de Birague). Vins des Pyrénées is young and fun (see above). La Perla is full of Parisian yuppies in search of the perfect margarita (26 rue François Miron). The Quiet Man is a traditional Irish pub with happy hour from 16:00 to 20:00 (5 rue des Haudriettes).

Ile St. Louis

The Ile St. Louis is a romantic and peaceful place to window-shop for plenty of promising dinner possibilities. Cruise the island's main street for a variety of options, from cozy crêperies to Italian (intimate pizzeria and upscale) to typical brasseries (several with fine outdoor seating facing the bridge to Ile de la Cité). After dinner, sample Paris' best sorbet. Then stroll across to the Ile de la Cité to see an illuminated Notre-Dame. All listings below line the island's main drag, the rue St. Louis-en-l'Ile. Consider skipping dessert to enjoy a stroll licking the best ice cream in Paris.

$$ Le Tastevin is little mother-son run place serving top-notch traditional French cuisine with white-tablecloth, candlelit elegance under heavy wooden beams. The menus start with three courses at about €30 and offer plenty of classic choices that change with the season to ensure freshness (daily, good wine list, 46 rue St. Louis-en-l'Ile, tel. 01 43 54 17 31; owner Madame Puisieux speaks just enough English, while her son tends the kitchen).

$$ Nos Ancêtres les Gaulois and La Taverne du Sergeant Recruteur, next door to each other on rue St. Louis-en-l'Ile, are famous for their rowdy, medieval cellar atmosphere. They serve all-you-can-eat buffets with straw baskets of raw veggies (cut whatever you like with your dagger), massive plates of pâté, a meat course, and all the wine you can stomach for €36-38. The food is just food; burping is encouraged. If you want to eat a lot, drink a lot of wine, and holler at your friends while receiving smart-aleck buccaneer service, these food fests can be fun. Nos Ancêtres les Gaulois, or "Our Ancestors the Gauls," has bigger tables and seems made-to-order for local stag parties (daily from 19:00, at #39, tel. 01 46 33 66 07). If you'd rather be surrounded by drunk tourists than locals, pick La Taverne du Sergeant Recruteur. The "Sergeant Recruiter" used to get young Parisians drunk and stuffed here, then sign them into the army (daily from 19:00, #41, tel. 01 43 54 75 42).

$$ La Brasserie de l'Ile St. Louis is situated at the prow of the island's ship as it faces Ile de la Cité, offering purely Alsatian cuisine (try the choucroute garni for €17), served in Franco-Germanic ambience with no-nonsense brasserie service (closed Wed, no reservations, 55 quai de Bourbon, tel. 01 43 54 02 59).

$ Café Med, closest to Notre-Dame at #77, is best for inexpensive salads, crêpes, and light €12 menus in a tight but cheery setting (daily, limited wine list, tel. 01 43 29 73 17, charming Eva SE). There's a similar crêperie just across the street.

Riverside Picnic

On sunny lunchtimes and balmy evenings, the quai on the Left Bank side of Ile St. Louis is lined with locals who have more class than money, spreading out tablecloths and even lighting candles for elegant picnics. Otherwise, it's a great walk for people-watching.

Ice Cream Dessert

Half the people strolling Ile St. Louis are licking an ice cream cone, because this is the home of les glaces Berthillon. The original Berthillon shop, at 31 rue St. Louis-en-l'Ile, is marked by the line of salivating customers (closed Mon-Tue). It's so popular that the wealthy people who can afford to live on this fancy island complain about the congestion it causes. For a less-famous but at-least-as-tasty treat, the homemade Italian gelato a block away at Amorino Gelati is giving Berthillon competition (no line, bigger portions, easier to see what you want, and they offer little tastes — Berthillon doesn't need to, 47 rue St. Louis-en-l'Ile, tel. 01 44 07 48 08). Having some of each is a fine option.

The Luxembourg Neighborhood

Sleeping in the Luxembourg neighborhood puts you near many exciting dining and after-hours options. Because my hotels for this area cluster around the Panthéon and St. Sulpice Church (see Sleeping chapter), I've organized restaurants the same way. Restaurants near the Panthéon tend to be calm, those around St. Sulpice more boisterous; it's a short walk from one area to the other. Anyone sleeping in this area is close to the inexpensive eateries that line the always-bustling rue Mouffetard. You're also within a 15-minute walk of the grands cafés of St. Germain and Montparnasse (with Paris' first café, and famous artist haunts; see "Les Grands Cafés de Paris," below).

Near the Panthéon

$$ Les Vignes du Panthéon, on a quiet street a block from the Panthéon, is a homey, formal, traditional place with a zinc bar, original flooring, white tablecloths, and soft ambience. It serves a mostly local clientele and will make you feel you're truly in Paris (allow €28 for à la carte, closed Sun, English menu posted outside, 4 rue des Fossés St. Jacques, tel. 01 43 54 80 81).

$$ Terra Neva, a few doors up from Les Vignes du Panthéon, has a privileged position on a broad sidewalk along a peaceful street with views to the Panthéon's facade. Join the loyal clientele for Italian specialties. Two can easily split the big antipasti (ask for mozzarella with it) and each get a pasta main course for a total of about €22 per person (closed Sun, limited and pricey wine list, 18 rue des Fossés St Jacques, tel. 01 43 54 83 09). That other Italian place across the street (with one letter difference in name) serves more basic, cheaper pizzas and pastas.

$$ Restaurant Perraudin is a welcoming, family-run, red-checkered-tablecloth place. Gentle M. Rameau serves classic cuisine bourgeoise with an emphasis on Burgundian dishes. The decor is classic turn-of-the-century, with big mirrors and old wood paneling (bœuf bourguignon is a specialty here, €28 menus, closed Sat-Sun, between the Panthéon and Luxembourg Garden at 157 rue St Jacques, tel. 01 46 33 15 75).

$ Le Soufflot is my favorite outdoor café between the Panthéon and Luxembourg Garden, with a nifty library-like interior and outdoor tables on a wide sidewalk with point-blank views of the Panthéon. The cuisine is café-classic: salads, omelets, and plats du jour (daily, a block below the Panthéon on the right side of rue Soufflot as you walk toward Luxembourg Garden, tel. 01 43 26 57 56).

$ Le Volcan, a few blocks behind the Panthéon, has a wood floor, wood-counter-cozy front room, and a reasonable menu with dinners from €16 (10 rue Thouin, tel. 01 46 33 38 33).

On Rue Mouffetard

Lying several blocks behind the Panthéon, rue Mouffetard is a conveyer belt of comparison-shopping eaters with countless budget options (many Greek). Come here to join the fun parade of diners, and for less expensive meals (you get what you pay for). This street stays up late and likes to party (particularly place de la Contrescarpe).

$ Café Delmas, at the top of rue Mouffetard on picturesque place de la Contrescarpe, is the place to see and be seen. Come here for a before- or after-dinner drink on the broad outdoor terrace, or for typical café cuisine (salads-€12, plats-€15, great chocolate ice cream, open daily).

$ Le Jardin d'Artemis is one of the better values right on rue Mouffetard, serving traditional French specialties with a Greek touch in a cozy setting (no outside tables, €17–26 menus, closed Tue, 34 rue Mouffetard, tel. 01 45 35 17 47).

$ Cave de la Bourgogne serves reasonably priced café fare at the bottom of rue Mouffetard, with picture-perfect tables on an raised terrace and a warm interior (specials listed on chalkboards, open daily, 144 rue Mouffetard).

$ Le Jardin des Pates is popular with less-strict vegetarians, serving pastas and salads at fair prices (daily, near Jardin des Plantes, 4 rue Lacépède, tel. 01 43 31 50 71).

Near St. Sulpice Church

$$$ Au Bon Saint-Pourcain is to be saved for a special night. Soft lights and a few outside tables greet passers-by, while those who duck inside become part of the club. Reserve ahead for this tiny place that serves traditional cuisine, hiding on a quiet lane between St. Sulpice Church and the Luxembourg Garden (à la carte only, allow €45 per person with wine, daily, 10 bis rue Servandoni, tel. 01 43 54 93 63).

$$ Chez Diane is an antique bistro on the same street a block closer to Luxembourg Garden serving French classics with a light hearted spirit (menus from €26, closed Sun, 25 rue Servandoni, tel. 01 46 33 12 06).

Rue des Canettes and Rue Guisarde: For an entirely different experience, roam the streets between the St. Sulpice Church and boulevard St. Germain, abounding with restaurants, crêperies, wine bars, and jazz haunts. Find rue des Canettes and rue Guisarde, and window-shop the many Franco-Italian places. Every place does a brisk business, and it's hard to distinguish one from the other. Brasserie Fernand is lined with tiny tables packed with folks enjoying €10-15 plates of traditional French food (closed Sun, 13 rue Guisarde, tel. 01 43 54 61 47). For crêpes, try La Crêpe Rit du Clown (Mon-Sat 12:00-23:00, closed Sun, 6 rue des Canettes, tel. 01 46 34 01 02). And for a bohemian pub with a cigarette-rolling gang surrounded by black-and-white photos of the artsy and revolutionary French Sixties, have a drink at Chez Georges (cheap drinks from time-warp menu upstairs, cool little street-side table nook; downstairs for mostly gay jazz dance cellar, open 14:00-02:00, closed Sun-Mon and in Aug, 11 rue des Canettes).

Elsewhere in Paris

Along the Canal St. Martin

Escape the popular tourist areas and enjoy a terrific canalside experience. Take the Métro to place de la République and walk down rue Beaurepaire to the Canal St. Martin. There you'll find two cafés that are as cool as it gets. They're both fun, with similarly reasonable prices; you decide: $ Chez Plume (canal ambience in and out, well-prepared food, €8 salads, €12-15 plats; daily, 71 quai de Valmy, tel. 01 42 41 30 47) or $ La Marine (closed Sun, 2 blocks to the right as you leave Chez Plume, 55 bis quai de Valmy, tel. 01 42 39 69 81).

Near Opéra Garnier

$ Bouillon Chartier is a noisy, old, classic eatery. It's named for the bouillon it served the neighborhood's poor workers back in 1896, when its calling was to provide an affordable warm meal for those folks. Workers used to eat a la gamelle (from a tin lunch box). That same spirit — complete with surly waiters and a cheap menu — survives today. With over 300 simple seats and 15 frantic waiters, you can still see the napkin drawers for its early regulars (€15 menus, daily 11:30-15:00 & 18:00-22:00, west of the Opéra Garnier near boulevard Poissonniere, 7 rue de Faubourg-Montmartre, Mo: Bonne-Nouvelle, tel. 01 47 70 86 29).

Montmartre

Montmartre is extremely touristy, with many mindless mobs following guides to cancan shows. But the ambience is undeniably fun, and an evening up here overlooking Paris is a quintessential experience in the City of Light. Along the touristy main drag (and just off it), several fun piano bars serve reasonable crêpes with great people-watching. More eateries are mentioned in the Montmartre Walk chapter.

$$ Restaurant Chez Plumeau, just off the jam-packed place du Tertre, is a touristy yet cheery, moderately priced place with great seating on a tiny characteristic square (€28 menu, elaborate €15 salads, closed Wed, place du Calvaire, tel. 01 46 06 26 29).

$ L'Eté en Pente Douce hides under generous branches below the crowds on a classic neighborhood corner, with fine indoor and outdoor seating, €10 plats du jour and salads, veggie options, and good wines (daily, 23 rue Muller, many steps below Sacré-Cœur to the left as you leave, down the stairs below the WC, tel. 01 42 64 02 67).

Dinner Cruises

Several companies offer dinner cruises on the Seine. While touristy, they offer a unique chance to dine as illuminated Paris floats by. Prices vary from €35–125 depending on the "elegance" and drinks you require. Your hotel will have brochures and can reserve, though you might save by contacting the cruise companies directly.

$$$ Bateaux Parisiens Tour Eiffel has €90 cruises, including a three-course meal with champagne, red and white wine, music, and dancing (nightly, port de la Bourdonnais, Mo: Trocadéro, tel. 01 44 11 33 44, www.bateauxparisiens.com).

$$ At "Quai 55," the boat Capitaine Fracasse offers a basic €35 dinner cruise (daily in summer, closed Mon, boats depart from middle of pont Bir-Hakeim — 1 bridge downriver from Eiffel Tower, Mo: Bir-Hakeim, tel. 01 46 21 48 15, www.quai55.com).

Les Grands Cafes de Paris

Please see "Café Culture" (above) for tips on Parisian cafés.

History of Cafés in Paris

The first café in the Western world was in Paris — established in 1686 at Le Procope (still a restaurant today, see below). The French had just discovered coffee, and their robust economy was growing a population of pleasure-seekers and thinkers looking for places to be seen, to exchange ideas, and to plot revolutions both political and philosophical. And with the advent of theaters like the Comédie Française, the necessary artsy, coffee-sipping crowds were birthed. By 1700, more than 300 cafés had opened their doors; at the time of the Revolution (1789), there were over 1,800 cafés in Paris. Revolutionaries from Jean-Paul Marat and Napoleon to Salvador Dalí enjoyed the spirit of free-thinking that the cafés engendered.

Café society took off in the early 1900s. Life was changing rapidly, with the Industrial Revolution and wars on a global scale. Many retreated to Parisian cafés to try to make sense of the confusion. Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Igor Stravinsky, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, James Joyce, Albert Einstein, Jean-Paul Sartre, Gene Openshaw, and Albert Camus were among the devoted café society. Some virtually lived at their favorite café, where they kept their business calendars, entertained friends, and ate every meal. Parisian apartments were small, walls were thin (still often the case), and heating (particularly during war times) was minimal, making the warmth of cafés all the harder to leave.

There are more than 12,000 cafés in Paris today, though their numbers are shrinking. They're still used for business meetings, encounter sessions, political discussions, and romantic interludes. Most Parisians are loyal to their favorites and know their waiter's children's names. And with the recently approved 35-hour workweek, most will have even more time to linger longer over their café crème.

Here's a short list of grand Parisian cafés, worth the detour only if you're not in a hurry or on a tight budget (some ask outrageous prices for a shot of espresso). Think of these cafés as museums. Try to understand why they matter just as much today as they did yesterday.

Grand Cafés by Neighborhood

St. Germain-des-Prés

Where the boulevard St. Germain meets rue Bonaparte (Mo: St. Germain-des-Prés), you'll find two famous cafés (both open daily). Les Deux Magots offers great outdoor seating and a warm interior. Once a favorite of Ernest Hemingway (in The Sun Also Rises, Jake met Brett here) and of Jean-Paul Sartre (he and Simone de Beauvoir met here), the café is today filled with international tourists. Le Café de Flore, right next door, feels much more local, hip, and literary — wear your black turtleneck. Pablo Picasso was a regular at the time he painted Guernica. The smoky interior is popular with Europeans.

For scenic outdoor seating and the same delightful view for less, skip these places and set up for coffee or a light lunch at Café Bonaparte (big salads, from Les Deux Magots go 1 block down rue Bonaparte toward river). You're further from the large boulevards, but still in the thick of this pleasant café-sitting area.

Paris' first and most famous, Café le Procope lies an enchanting five-minute stroll away. This place was a café célèbre, drawing notables such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Honoré de Balzac, Emile Zola, Maximilien de Robespierre, Victor Hugo, and two Americans, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson (beautiful restaurant and café but average cuisine, daily 10:00–24:00, 13 rue de l'Ancienne Comédie, tel. 01 40 46 79 00). To reach this café from Café Bonaparte, walk down rue de l'Abbaye, then continue onto rue de Bourbon-le-Château. Veer left on the picturesque rue de Buci (more cafés), and turn right just after crossing rue de l'Ancienne Comédie. Go up the passageway at 59–61 to find Le Procope.

Boulevard du Montparnasse

An eclectic assortment of historic cafés gathers along the busy boulevard du Montparnasse near its intersection with boulevard Raspail (Mo: Vavin). Combine these historic cafés with a visit to the Luxembourg Garden that lies just a few blocks away, down rue Vavin (next to Le Select).

La Coupole, built in the 1920s, was decorated by aspiring artists (Fernand Léger, Constantin Brancusi, and Marc Chagall, among others) in return for free meals. It still supports artists with regular showings on its vast walls. This cavernous place feels like a classy train station, with grand chandeliers, velvet booths, brass decor, and tuxedoed waiters by the dozen (an unappealing modern glass building towers above). Bring your friends and make noise. The food is fine, but that's not the reason you came (€34 menu includes half-bottle of wine, open daily, restaurant serves food from 12:00 until the wee hours, come early to get better service and less smoke, 102 boulevard du Montparnasse, tel. 01 43 20 14 20).

Le Dome, right at the intersection of boulevard Raspail and boulevard du Montparnasse, offers a dramatic contrast to the party atmosphere of La Coupole. Smaller, more elegant, and refined in every way, with green leather booths and polished wood paneling, this place makes me want to dress up and look better than I do. While La Coupole is not known for its cuisine, Le Dome is. Come here for a splurge dinner (figure €60 per person with wine, open daily, 108 boulevard du Montparnasse, tel. 01 43 35 25 81).

Le Select, a more relaxed and traditional café, was popular with the more rebellious types...Leon Trotsky, Jean Cocteau, and Pablo Picasso loved it. It feels more conformist today, with good outdoor seating and pleasant tables just inside the door — though the locals hang out at the bar further inside (€10–12 salads, €16 plats, open daily, 99 boulevard du Montparnasse, across from La Coupole, tel. 01 45 48 38 24).

Avenue des Champs-Elysées

Ladurée is the classic 19th-century tea salon/restaurant/pâtisserie on Paris' grandest boulevard (open daily, a block below avenue George V at #75). Its interior is right out of the 1860s. Wander around...you can even peek into the cozy rooms upstairs. A coffee here with a selection of four little macaroons is très élégant. The bakery makes traditional macaroons, cute little cakes, and gift-wrapped finger sandwiches.

Fouquet's, a block uphill, opened in 1899 as a coachman's bistro. It gained fame as the hangout of France's WWI biplane fighter pilots — those who weren't shot down by Germany's infamous "Red Baron." It also served as James Joyce's dining room. Today, it's pretty stuffy — unless you're a film star. The golden plaques at the entry are from winners of France's film awards (like the Oscars), the Césars. While the intimidating interior is impressive, the outdoor setting is Champs-Elysées great, with pay-for-view espresso (€4.60). Fouquet's was recently saved from foreign purchase and eventual destruction when the government declared it a historic monument (open daily, 99 avenue des Champs-Elysées, Mo: George V).

Near the Louvre

Within a short walk of the Louvre, you'll find melt-in-your-chair cafés (Mo: Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre).

The staunchly Parisian Café le Nemours, serving pricey but good light lunches, is tucked into the corner of the Palais Royal adjacent to the Comédie Française (leaving the Louvre, cross rue de Rivoli and veer left). Elegant with brass and Art Deco, and with outdoor tables under an arcade two minutes from the pyramid, this place makes a great post-Louvre retreat (open daily, 2 place Colette, tel. 01 42 61 34 14).

Café Marly is the très trendy place to go for a pricey drink with in-your-face views of the Louvre pyramid (floodlit at night), from outdoor tables on the courtyard or more discreet tables under the arcade (daily 8:00-02:00, €14 club sandwiches, €17 hamburger, €4.50 espresso).

On Place de la Concorde

Hôtel Crillon's four-star elegance can be yours for an afternoon. Considered the most exclusive (and expensive) hotel in Paris (and the last of the great hotels to be French-owned), this is the place to experience château life. Wear the best clothes you packed, arrive after 15:00, let the bellhop spin the door, and settle into the royal blue chairs in the salon du thé (€9 for a pot of tea or double café au lait, €30 for high tea served daily 15:30–19:00 with a live harp serenade, 10 place de la Concorde). You'll be surrounded by famous people you won't recognize.

At Gare de Lyon

Le Train Bleu is a grandiose restaurant with a low-slung, leather-couch café-bar area built right into the train station for the Paris Exhibition of 1900 (which also saw the construction of the pont Alexandre III and Grand and Petit Palais). It's a simply grand-scale-everything experience with over-the-top, belle époque decor that speaks of another age — when going to dinner was an event, a chance to see and be seen, and intimate dining was out. Forty-one massive paintings of scenes along the old rail lines tempt diners to consider a short getaway. Many films have featured this restaurant. Reserve ahead for dinner, or drop in for a drink before your train leaves (€45 menu, €7 beer, €4.50 espresso, open daily, up the stairs opposite track L, tel. 01 43 43 09 06, www.le-train-bleu.com).

Honorable Mention

Café de la Mosque, behind the Jardins des Plantes and attached to Paris' largest mosque, beams you straight to Morocco, with North African tearoom decor and a full menu to match (daily 9:00-24:00, 39 rue Geoffroy St. Hilaire, tel. 01 43 31 38 20).

Café la Palette on le Left Bank, a few blocks across the river from the Louvre. Over 100 years old, this real place feels unaffected by the passage of time.