After Paul and I settled in to Paris and reclaimed our restaurant mojo we wound up finding a number of spots that we enjoyed while in Paris. All of them were great for various reasons - either the food reflected the art of food preparation and presentation or the service was super friendly, or the ambiance was unlike anything you could find anywhere else.
So, here they are! If you're able to try some of these suggestions the next time you are visiting Paris, please let us know what you think of them!
L'Ami Jean: Dining here gave us the experience we were hoping for in Paris - rich food that was fun to look at too. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is rustic with some graffiti cartoons of the owner and chef. L'Ami Jean also forced us to finally learn how to ask for a carafe of water! http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d714972-Reviews-L_Ami_Jean-Paris_Ile_de_France.html.
Ironically it's not far from where Julia Child lived when she was in Paris.
Breizh Cafe: When you want yummy buckwheat brunch crepes, this is the place to visit (a wonderful recommendation from our host Shaila). It's in the Le Marais, which is the neighborhood to stroll through on a Sunday... most other neighborhoods are shut up tightly on Sunday, but this area has a large Jewish population. http://www.breizhcafe.com/gb-breizh-cafe-paris.html
Firmin le Barbier: This intimate, very friendly spot is located in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower. The food is good although not revolutionary, but the wine is priced right and the service makes you feel like you're in your own home. We enjoyed two dinners here while in town. http://www.firminlebarbier.fr/#/accueil
La Regalade, Saint- Honore: Hands down my personal favorite. The combination of presentation, freshness, value and service had us coming here for a lunch and a dinner to enjoy thier very generous price-fix (35 euros) menu. Everything we ordered was wonderful. http://www.lebestofparis.com/best-restaurants-in-paris/la-regalade-saint-honore And it's close to the Louve, so it's in a great location too.
Kong: Designed by Philippe Starck... Paul and I went to a related restaurant when we were in Hong Kong (Felix). Outstanding atmosphere in the restaurant, and a super cute bar area too. If we could have had a drink upstairs in the restaurant we would have just done that, but we couldn't so we sprung for a dinner also (the food is good, but you come for the design). Oh, if you ask for the smoking section you'll be stuck in the back room and unable to enjoy the ambiance that makes this spot famous.
:-) http://www.kong.fr/
La Fontaine de Mars: Classic french food in a bistro setting (apparently visted by President Obama and Michelle on their last visit to Paris). We went on Mother's Day in France and we able to book a late afternoon table. http://www.fontainedemars.com/index.html
It was fun enjoying the meal with Erin and her mother, who happen to be in Paris to catch some of the French Open Tennis.
Da Moli: We were walking Abby around the nieghborhood one day and found this brand new spot around the corner from Shaila's house. Good pasta, pizza and salads and friendly service. No website yet, but the info is: 15 rue Molitor, 75016 Paris. Telephone: 01 46 51 05 08
Pho 14: Yummy Pho and appetizers at a great price. Yum, yum, yum....
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=13800682695115276593&q=pho+14+restaurant&hl=en&dtab=0&sll=48.84116,2.359498&sspn=0.034719,0.029888&ie=UTF8&ll=48.859972,2.292366&spn=0,0&z=13
Taverne de l'Arbre Secondary: Great cafe near the Louvre, which had nice salads (sometimes its a bit tough to just get a salad in Paris!). And they also had a sweet little Cafe Gourmond! http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=4601277032570188432&hl=en&dtab=0&ie=UTF8&ll=48.862431,2.34071&spn=0,0&z=18
Tips:
1. Make reservations as often as possible.
2. If you can't make reservations, show up at noon for lunch and at 7:00 or 7:30pm for dinner. You have a very good chance of getting in if you do this.
3. There is a huge asian community on Paris now that wasn't there 10 years ago (or maybe I didn't notice it). Particularly in the Opera area. You can get a lot of really good Pho, sushi, ect. But we've heard that the Chinese food is somewhat lacking.
So, here they are! If you're able to try some of these suggestions the next time you are visiting Paris, please let us know what you think of them!
L'Ami Jean: Dining here gave us the experience we were hoping for in Paris - rich food that was fun to look at too. The service is friendly and the atmosphere is rustic with some graffiti cartoons of the owner and chef. L'Ami Jean also forced us to finally learn how to ask for a carafe of water! http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d714972-Reviews-L_Ami_Jean-Paris_Ile_de_France.html.
Ironically it's not far from where Julia Child lived when she was in Paris.
Breizh Cafe: When you want yummy buckwheat brunch crepes, this is the place to visit (a wonderful recommendation from our host Shaila). It's in the Le Marais, which is the neighborhood to stroll through on a Sunday... most other neighborhoods are shut up tightly on Sunday, but this area has a large Jewish population. http://www.breizhcafe.com/gb-breizh-cafe-paris.html
Firmin le Barbier: This intimate, very friendly spot is located in the shadows of the Eiffel Tower. The food is good although not revolutionary, but the wine is priced right and the service makes you feel like you're in your own home. We enjoyed two dinners here while in town. http://www.firminlebarbier.fr/#/accueil
La Regalade, Saint- Honore: Hands down my personal favorite. The combination of presentation, freshness, value and service had us coming here for a lunch and a dinner to enjoy thier very generous price-fix (35 euros) menu. Everything we ordered was wonderful. http://www.lebestofparis.com/best-restaurants-in-paris/la-regalade-saint-honore And it's close to the Louve, so it's in a great location too.
Kong: Designed by Philippe Starck... Paul and I went to a related restaurant when we were in Hong Kong (Felix). Outstanding atmosphere in the restaurant, and a super cute bar area too. If we could have had a drink upstairs in the restaurant we would have just done that, but we couldn't so we sprung for a dinner also (the food is good, but you come for the design). Oh, if you ask for the smoking section you'll be stuck in the back room and unable to enjoy the ambiance that makes this spot famous.
:-) http://www.kong.fr/
La Fontaine de Mars: Classic french food in a bistro setting (apparently visted by President Obama and Michelle on their last visit to Paris). We went on Mother's Day in France and we able to book a late afternoon table. http://www.fontainedemars.com/index.html
It was fun enjoying the meal with Erin and her mother, who happen to be in Paris to catch some of the French Open Tennis.
Da Moli: We were walking Abby around the nieghborhood one day and found this brand new spot around the corner from Shaila's house. Good pasta, pizza and salads and friendly service. No website yet, but the info is: 15 rue Molitor, 75016 Paris. Telephone: 01 46 51 05 08
Pho 14: Yummy Pho and appetizers at a great price. Yum, yum, yum....
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=13800682695115276593&q=pho+14+restaurant&hl=en&dtab=0&sll=48.84116,2.359498&sspn=0.034719,0.029888&ie=UTF8&ll=48.859972,2.292366&spn=0,0&z=13
Taverne de l'Arbre Secondary: Great cafe near the Louvre, which had nice salads (sometimes its a bit tough to just get a salad in Paris!). And they also had a sweet little Cafe Gourmond! http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cid=4601277032570188432&hl=en&dtab=0&ie=UTF8&ll=48.862431,2.34071&spn=0,0&z=18
Tips:
1. Make reservations as often as possible.
2. If you can't make reservations, show up at noon for lunch and at 7:00 or 7:30pm for dinner. You have a very good chance of getting in if you do this.
3. There is a huge asian community on Paris now that wasn't there 10 years ago (or maybe I didn't notice it). Particularly in the Opera area. You can get a lot of really good Pho, sushi, ect. But we've heard that the Chinese food is somewhat lacking.
Loved the cafes in Paris and the fact that it's build to miniaturise humans around the Eiffel Tower.
ReplyDeleteFrom one extreme to the other really.