The French are renowned for their fine cuisine, so eating out in Paris is a real gastronomic experience, although it needn’t be an expensive affair. There are plenty of good quality restaurants that serve excellent dishes at reasonable prices and you’ll have no trouble finding somewhere good to eat by simply wandering around and browsing the menus of the numerous cafes, restaurants and bistros, particularly around place du tetre in Montmartre, place St Michel in the Latin Quarter and the main square in St Germain-des-Prés. The set menus or formules often represent the best value – it’s possible to get a good three-course meal for as little as 20€.
Au Virage Lepic on rue Lepic is a charming bistro serving delicious traditional French dishes. Paris is home to many Tunisian, Moroccan and Algerian immigrants and there are numerous excellent North African restaurants such as Bistro de la Sorbonne on rue Toullier, which is always busy and noisy with a friendly atmosphere.
The French are real carnivores and the concept of vegetarianism is practically unheard of. Even dishes that aren’t meat-based often have animal ingredients such as meat stock, so eating out can be tricky for vegetarians. The best bet is to go to a proper vegetarian restaurant, of which there are a few in Paris. Try Au Grain de Folie on rue de la vieuville, La Petite Légume on rue des boulangers, or Le Grenier de Notre Dame on rue de la bûcherie.
Cafes and Bars
Paris is the original café society. There’s nothing better than sitting on a pavement terrace sipping a café au lait or glass of wine and watching the world go by. Almost without exception, the cafes and bars have extensive coffee, beer and wine menus and often serve delicious snacks and light meals as well.
The cafes in the Quartier Latin and St-Germain-des-Prés are wonderfully hip and bohemian and many have been the haunts of famous Parisian literary, artistic and intellectual figures, such as LesDeux Magots and Flore on place St-Germain-des-Prés.
Montmartre has some excellent traditional cafes such as Café Montmartre and Café de la Paix, and down by Pont Neuf in the Île de la Cité there’s a delightful little wine bar called Taverne Henri IV.
Some of the trendiest bars are to be found in the fashionable Marais, such as Lizard Lounge on rue du bourg-tibourg. The Marais has also become a popular area for gay nightlife, and one of the liveliest gay bars is l’Amnesia on rue vieille du temple.
