Eat

Places worth planning a day around

Paris has thousands of restaurants. These aren't all of the good ones. They're the ones I find myself recommending.

Coffee

Paris has plenty of beautiful cafés. For specialty coffee, these are the ones I actually seek out.

Clove Montmartre · 18e € Probably my favorite coffee in Montmartre. Maps ↗

Sevenly Heart Marais · 4e € Where I stop in the Marais, usually halfway through a walk south. 36 rue Quincampoix, 75004 Maps ↗

Telescope Palais-Royal · 1er € Tiny, serious, and one of the places that set the standard for coffee in this city. Maps ↗

Breakfast & brunch

Breakfast is usually a small affair here. Traditionally it's an espresso, a croissant, and a cigarette if you smoke. If you want more than that:

Breizh Café Montmartre · 18e €€ Book ahead Proper Breton galettes and crêpes. Fill up before the hill. 93 rue des Martyrs, 75018 Maps ↗

Le Charonne Bastille · 11e €€ Book ahead Where I'd go for brunch, which is one of the few meals Paris does on the weekend. Maps ↗

Boulangerie Utopie Oberkampf · 11e € A bakery that treats bread as something to experiment with. The black sesame baguette is the one people come for. Maps ↗

Otherwise start your day at a café rather than a boulangerie. They have croissants too, and you get somewhere to sit.

Lunch

Les Enfants du Marché Marais · 3e €€ Walk in A counter inside the Marché des Enfants Rouges. Sit at the bar, order what they tell you. Maps ↗

L'As du Fallafel Marais · 4e € Walk in Get a falafel sandwich, then walk it off toward Place des Vosges. Maps ↗

Dinner

Have one great classic French dinner, and one that tells you where Paris is now.

Le Bon Georges Saint-Georges · 9e €€€ Book ahead One of my favorite upscale classic French bistros, and a good introduction to a certain kind of Paris dinner. Maps ↗

Early June Canal Saint-Martin · 10e €€ Walk in Currently one of my favorite tables in the city. Great food, natural wine, good service. No reservations, just a waitlist. Turn up in person when they open and they'll try to find you a time later that night. Be polite and patient. Maps ↗

Hôtel du Nord Canal Saint-Martin · 10e €€ Book ahead Right on the quay, with tables out under the parasols. Go for where it is as much as what's on the plate. Maps ↗

Au Bourguignon du Marais Marais · 4e €€ Book ahead Burgundy from end to end, the food and the list both. Ask for the terrace. Maps ↗

Le Relais de l'Entrecôte Saint-Germain-des-Prés · 6e €€ Walk in Steak frites and nothing else. There's no menu to read, they just ask how you want it cooked, and the second helping arrives without you asking. Maps ↗

Bouillon Chartier Grands Boulevards · 9e € Walk in A vast belle époque dining room, waiters in waistcoats, and the bill written on the paper tablecloth. Go at 6pm, before the line forms and while the room is still calm enough to look at. Maps ↗

Le Bon Bock Montmartre · 18e €€ Book ahead A Montmartre restaurant I like a lot. Good food, and it happens to have natural wine too. Maps ↗

Bouillon Chartier, from the balcony

Something sweet

Berthillon Île Saint-Louis · 4e € The Paris ice cream classic. Eat it walking along the river. Maps ↗

Cédric Grolet Opéra · 2e €€ Expect a line The trompe-l'œil fruit that everyone photographs. Worth it once, and go early. Maps ↗

Plaq Sentier · 2e €€ Chocolate made from the bean in the back of the shop. Buy bars to take home, and drink one there. Maps ↗

Bachir Marais · 4e € Lebanese ice cream coated in crushed pistachios. The achta is the one to get. Maps ↗

Carette Place des Vosges · 3e €€ If the weather turns cold, this is where I'd stop for a hot chocolate. Maps ↗

LaCrèma Latin Quarter · 5e € Small-batch, seasonal flavors, and a local feel. Maps ↗

The € marks are relative, not exact: one is everyday, three is an occasion. Some of these came to me from friends; the chain of recommendation is part of the charm.

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