[Updated for 2023 ] For those times when you simply have more style than money, here are some Parisian restaurants that prove you can have taste without the compromise. Well, not too much, anyways…
Side note: we have excluded boulangeries because while the fresh, hot quiche eaten in a nearby park is a nice option that works in any neighborhood, we’re focusing on the real Parisian sit-down restaurant experience. Sometimes that means a sidewalk café, but that’s a good thing, right?

Ferrandi Paris
Ferrandi is something more than a restaurant — it’s actually a school. French School of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management to be exact, where hounders of students learn how to become *something* in the French culinary sphere. Obviously, where there’s smoke, there’s also a lot of food that is served to the guests of their two restaurants (Le Premier and Le 28), fully staffed by students. The menu changes daily, and the availability depends on the class that is working today (so you can have a french dinner, medieval dinner, dessert menu, wine pairing menu, you get it). Be sure to reserve in advance!
What’s nearby? Jardin du Luxembourg (arguably the most beautiful one in Paris) and great-views-providing Tour Montparnasse.
ADDRESS: 28 rue de l’Abbé Grégoire (6th arr.)
MÉTRO: Vaneau (line 10)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Jardin du Luxembourg / Odéon
PRICE: €€€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 49 54 28 00
DEETS: culinary school, chic but cheap, dinner, tea time
INSTAGRAM: @ferrandiparis (where sometimes they share their favourite recipes, so if you’re feeling up for a challenge, you can try to make some yourself)

Food Society
This is one of those places in Paris, where you can literally spend the whole day. Partially food-court, partially cultural space, it currently holds the title of the largest food hall in Europe (for like 20 minutes, I guess, but hey, we’re milking it while we can). Brunch? check. Mini markets with local arts and crafts or clothing swap? Check. Dance floor with DJs and drag queen shows? Check. Waiters and barmaids juggling bottles of wine or riding on a unicycles? Check. All that on top of 15 different restaurants with food from all over the world. Oh, and it’s also child friendly. All in all, you just can’t miss with this one.
What’s nearby? Who cares, you won’t want to leave anyway.
ADDRESS: 68 Avenue du Maine, (14th arr.)
MÉTRO: Gaîté — Joséphine Baker (line 13)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Montparnasse
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: hello@foodsociety.fr
DEETS: food court, versatile, events, boho, shopping, nights out, classy trendslut
INSTAGRAM: lefoodsociety.paris

Vantre
Apparently, in Old French, the word vantre meant « a place of enjoyment » (although none of us has actually studied that hard in school so it’s hard to confirm or deny); but the restaurant bearing this name definitely is worth checking out. Vantre combines classy with meat‑y (and French‑y on top of that). In this little place, just a few steps from Canal St. Martin you can enjoy modern version of traditional French haute cuisine that you will have difficulty to find anywhere else (We’re talking game meat here), prepared by their Japanese-French chef. There’s also a great selection of fish dishes, and more than 2 000 types of wine to choose from.
What’s nearby? Canal St. Martin, where you can walk stroll and enjoy the city lights (or grab a drink in one of the bars if all that wine somehow wasn’t enough).
ADDRESS: 19 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi (11th arr.)
MÉTRO: Goncourt (line 11)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Oberkampf / Folie-Méricourt
PRICE: €€€
HOW TO BOOK: contact@vantre.fr
NUMBER: +33 1 48 06 16 96
DEETS: chic and cheap, meat lovers, fish dishes for days, great wine selection,
INSTAGRAM: @restaurant__vantre

The Hood Paris
Part Brooklyn coffee house, part Asian canteen, all style and cheap AF for the quality, The Hood doesn’t scream “Hipster”; it is more like a soft strum on its guitar. You don’t go to France for an American coffee shop experience, but The Hood might be just different that any other locale. It has high quality coffee from a local brûlerie, delicious Asian street food (courtesy of an in-house French-Vietnamese chef) as well as a junkyard-chic decor of old signs, instruments asking to be played… Do we have to go on? In terms of food, it has appetizers like Vietnamese fried chicken and kimchi and portable entrees like bahn-mis, not to mention house-made condiments and unique weekly specials. Don’t miss your slice of delicious green sponge cake called Pandan — You deserve it. And depending on where you’re from, you most likely will not find most of this at home.
What’s nearby? Trendslut haven — Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud with beaucoup shopping, partying spots (like Le P’tit Garage dive bar and Fifty/Fifty cocktail bar)Guide to Bars + Clubs in Paris and so very few tourists.
ADDRESS: 80 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud (11th arr.)
MÉTRO: Parmentier (line 3) or Couronnes (line 2)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Oberkampf, Folie-Méricourt
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 48 04 82 46
DEETS: lunch, early dinner, coffee shop, Asian, street food, stop in if nearby, more style than money, vegetarian friendly, 11th arrondissement
INSTAGRAM: @thehoodparis

Bouillon Chartier
Founded in 1896, the Grands Boulevards location of the Bouillon Chartier restaurant resides in a preserved 19th century railway station. Ambiance at the Bouillon Chartier is critical. With its globe lights and gilded coat racks, the place simmers with a vintage vibe. The food, though inexpensive and unmistakably French, pales in comparison to the experience of the brutally efficient wait staff, the boisterous, crowded dining room and the conversations with strangers you will inevitably share a table with. Oui, here you can cross ‘les escargots’ off your list here — (six for €8) if you’re seeking the feeling of what you think French people eat (note: not really).
If you happen to be in the Montparnasse neighborhood, be sure to check out the much newer Chartier location, founded just the other day in 1903.
What’s nearby? The Passage Jouffroy; one of Paris’ most charming covered passages from the 1800s is near the Grands Boulevards location.
ADDRESS: 7 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre (9th arr.) / 59 Boulevard du Montparnasse (6th arr.) / 5 Rue du 8 Mai (10th arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Grands Boulevards, Montparnasse, Gare de l’Est
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: they take no reservations, but the line moves quickly
NUMBER: +33 1 47 70 86 29
DEETS: lunch, dinner, open daily, classic French, vintage, old school cool, more style than money, ambiance > food, worth the line
INSTAGRAM: @bouillonchartier

Bouillon Pigalle
The Bouillon Pigalle, founded in 2017, gets its name from, and dutifully represents, a classic, if not slightly bygone form of French dining called, you guessed it, bouillon – a mix of copious French classics like foie gras and beef bourguignon, a communal, jovial atmosphere and a comfortably small addition (check). Bouillon Pigalle is a successful revamp; slinging up chow as good as it is supernaturally inexpensive, paper placemats that clash beautifully with the suited-up waitstaff and a chic upstairs open-air terrace. Be sure to check out the aforementioned beef bourguignon or the oeufs mayonnaise.
What’s nearby? In the bottom of the 18th arondissement/ top of the 9th arrondissement, the original, Bouillon Pigalle (straddling Pigalle and Montmartre) is within walking distance of the Moulin Rouge, and Sacré-Cœur. The newest Bouillon –Bouillon Republique — is next to Place de la Republique, straddling the fauxhemian Canal St. Martin and le Marais neighborhoods in the 10th arrondissement.
ADDRESS: 22 Boulevard de Clichy (18th arr.) / 39 Boulevard du Temple (3rd arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Pigalle, Republique
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 42 59 69 31
DEETS: lunch, dinner, open daily, classic French, old school cool, more style than money, stop in if nearby, outdoor seating

Trois Fois Plus de Piment
Translated quite literally as “Three Times the Pepper,” this Sichuan Chinese restaurant is a bright, spicy and possibly dangerous gem amongst the sea of delicious (sometimes bland) Parisian food offerings. There’s nothing wrong with regular French food (quite the opposite, as the world knows), but if you’re craving the unique experience of food that physically hurts but is too delicious to stop eating, this is the place to be. Known for its flavorful pork dumplings and noodle soup (with handmade noodles), Trois Fois plus de Piment lets you choose your own pain by selecting a spice level from zero to five. With five locations, including sister restaurants Deux Fois and Cinq Fois de Piment, and easy online ordering, it’s worth checking out no matter where you are. For the record, I love spice but still can never go above 0.5—a mere one level above no spice,—without pain. You have been warned.
What’s nearby? The oldest residential building in Paris, the Nicolas Flamel house at 49 Rue de Monmorency, which dates back to the 1600s.
ADDRESS: 184 Rue Saint-Martin (3rd arr.) / 17 Rue Frederic Sauton (5th arr.) / 58 Rue des Mathurins (8th arr.) / 9 Rue Rodier (9th arr.) / 53 Rue de Montreuil (11th arr.) / 27 Rue Mouton-Duvernet (14th arr.) / 117 Rue de Tocqueville (17th arr.)
MÉTRO: Rambuteau (line 11)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Le Marais, Latin Quarter, Saint-Lazare, Rue Lafayette/Rochechouart, Faidherbe/Charonne/Aligre, Alesia, Batignolles
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 6 52 66 75 31
DEETS: lunch, dinner, closed Mondays, Asian, vegetarian friendly, worth the line, where the cool kids hang
INSTAGRAM: @plus.de.piment

Sapporo
Sapporo is a hip Japanese noodle bar located less than a block away from the Tuileries. Known for its fresh ingredients and large portions, it’s a little island of cheap in a sea of Dior and Chanel. Ramen dishes averaging at less than €12 each are the main draw, and if you snag a bar seat (which I recommend), you can watch the Japanese chefs prepare it right in front of you through the open kitchen. Be sure to also check out Sapporo 2 on rue Sainte-Anne in the heart of a Japanese restaurant hub.
What’s nearby? The Louvre, Place Vendôme and Palais Royal.
ADDRESS: 276 Rue Saint-Honoré (1st arr.) / 37 Rue Sainte-Anne (1st arr.)
MÉTRO: Tuileries (line 1)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Louvre-Rivoli
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 40 15 98 66
DEETS: lunch, dinner, open daily, Asian, Japanese, more style than money, outdoor dining, worth the line

Breizh Café
If you visit Paris you have to have crêpes, and if you are looking for good, inexpensive ones, you should probably stop by Breizh Café. Not only does their high quality, organic ingredients set them apart from the ever encroaching pack, but the chef’s Breton background and Japanese influence infuse the menu with an intriguing, cross-culture variety. Breizh Café features classic sweet crêpes, savory buckwheat crêpes called galettes, oysters, maki and artisan sparkling ciders. While the Marais Breizh Cafe is the original and busiest location, there are few other locations scattered across Paris including a cave-like cider bar in the Montorgueil neighborhood.
What’s nearby? Musée National Picasso Paris and the historic Marché des Enfants Rouges: the oldest food market in Paris.
ADDRESS: 109 Rue Vieille du Temple (3rd arr.) / 14 Rue des Petits Carreaux (2nd arr.) / 1 Rue de L’Odeon (6th arr.) / 112 Quai de Jemmapes (10th arr.) / 23 Rue Paul Bert (11th arr.) / 31 Rue des Batignolles (17th arr.) / 93 Rue des Martyrs (18th arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Haut Marais
PRICE: €€€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 42 72 13 77
DEETS: breakfast, brunch, dinner, open daily, crepes, Japanese, multiple locations
INSTAGRAM: @breizhcafe_fr

Bouillon Julien
The walls of the art nouveau treasure known as the Bouillon Julien are a bright seafoam green, and yet they somehow match everything. From stained glass ceilings to delicate murals on the walls, mahogany wood paneling to the mosaic tiled floor, the Bouillon Julien is dripping with class, and it’s not lightly considered one of the prettiest restaurants in Paris. On top of all that, they also manage to serve good, cheap French food with pretty much every kind of meat imaginable, including duck leg confit, calf’s head, pork muzzle and snails. There is also an extensive dessert list and a short but sweet cheese menu called “the last salty touch.”
What’s nearby? So many sidewalk bars absolutely stacked with 20 to 30-something Parisians that it will become evident there really are about 10 million members of humanity living in Paris and its suburbs.
ADDRESS: 16 rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis (10th arr.)
MÉTRO: Strasbourg-Saint-Denis (lines 4, 8, 9) or Château d’Eau (line 4)
NEIGHBORHOOD: St. Denis/St. Martin/Poissonniere/Paradis
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: they don’t take reservations
NUMBER: +33 1 47 70 12 06
DEETS: lunch, dinner, open daily, classic French, more style than money, posh, vintage, ambiance > food,
INSTAGRAM: @bouillonjulienparis

La Résidence
La Résidence is a restaurant-food truck combo inside the Ground Control complex. Ground Control is a former train station repurposed as a resto-bar park whose mission is to provide work for refugee chefs as part of the Refugee Food Festival, an organization that matches refugee cooks with careers. La Résidence is just one of several similar restaurants acting as a springboard into the French culinary world and it currently features West African cuisine from a Mauritanian head chef. The restaurant menu features dishes like roasted eggplant and chicken yassa, while the food truck outside offers Middle Eastern cuisine like falafel and shawarma.
What’s nearby? La Petite Ceinture, Paris’s own High Line-style former-train-tracks-turned-park, and, of course, Ground Control itself, which is worth a visit.
ADDRESS: 81 rue du Charolais (12th arr.)
MÉTRO: Gare de Lyon (lines 1, 14) or Reuilly-Diderot (line 8)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Cour St. Emilion/Bercy
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: it’s basically an indoor food truck with you’re-on-your-own seating
DEETS: lunch, dinner, West African
INSTAGRAM: @groundcontrolparis

Miznon
There are three Miznon locations in Paris with the original one located in the Marais (and the original original located in Tel Aviv). What differentiates Miznon from its surrounding Middle Eastern restaurants (including the cult favorite L’As du Falafel) is its focus on pita sandwiches rather than falafel and its strikingly vegetarian menu, which includes the popular roasted cauliflower alongside more traditional meat offerings of beef and lamb. Miznon is a bit pricier than its competitors, but it’s made up in quality of food and ambiance that is slightly more chic than your normal fast food joint. The menu is a giant chalkboard sign, the food is made right in front of you and the seating is usually scarce among the large crowds, so take what you can get, or take it to go.
What’s nearby? The charming Rue des Rosiers shopping + food district.
ADDRESS: 22 Rue des Ecouffes (4th arr.) / 3 Rue de la Grange Bateliere (9th arr.) / 37 Quai de Valmy (10th arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Palais Garnier/Grands Boulevards
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 9 71 34 53 84
DEETS: lunch, dinner, vegetarian options, Israeli, Middle Eastern, open daily, worth the splurge, worth the line, street food, where the cool kids hang
INSTAGRAM: @miznonparis

Chez Alain Miam Miam
Chez Alain Miam Miam is the Subway of Paris if Subway made custom crêpes in addition to sandwiches, and if each one were filled to the brim, handcrafted by a well-known, retired chef. Chef Alain Roussel’s creations look monstrous, but are actually very simple: choose your meat (or no meat), choose your vegetables, choose your cheese, choose whether you want it all in a sandwich or a crêpe, and prepare to be blown away. Tucked inside the Marché des Enfants Rouges, a covered food market in the Marais dating back to the 1600s, Chez Alain Miam Miam frequently has a long (but worth it) line which you can skip by arriving early or ordering ahead online or by phone.
What’s nearby? Bontemps tea salon for something sweet after.
ADDRESS: 26 Rue Charlot (3rd arr.)
MÉTRO: Temple (line 3), Arts et Métiers (lines 3, 11) or Filles du Calvaire (line 8)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Haute Marais
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: it’s a food stall in a market, you just show up
DEETS: breakfast, lunch, crepes, sandwiches, vegetarian options, worth the line, where the cool kids hang, street food
INSTAGRAM: @chezalainmiammiam

La Cantine Bretonne
La Cantine Bretonne, as the name suggests, is a crêperie dedicated to the cuisine of Brittany (Bretagne in French), a region in the upper-northwest of France. Home to cities like Nantes and a rich cultural history, Brittany is also known for its dark brown sarrasin (buckwheat) crêpes. La Cantine Bretonne takes this tradition very seriously, earning its reputation of authenticity and serving “the recipes of our grandmothers”: organic, savory buckwheat crêpes and their sweet counterparts as well as several Breton entrées. In addition to their calming pink and blue aesthetic, and their seasonally changing menu, La Cantine Bretonne also offers pear and apple ciders, an in-house store of Breton foodstuffs and a dessert menu worth indulging in even after the sweet crêpes.
ADDRESS: 22 bis rue de l’Ourcq (19th arr.)
MÉTRO: Ourcq (line 5) or Crimée (lines 5, 7)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Canal de L’Ourcq/La Villette
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 42 00 86 09
DEETS: open 8am-1pm, open daily, vintage, breakfast, lunch, crepes, gluten free options, stop in if nearby, outdoor seating, cool space, more style than money
INSTAGRAM: @lacantinebretonne

Café du Coin
The Café du Coin (coin as in the French word for corner, no matter how tempting it is to think otherwise) has two obvious attractions: the whimsical cartoon duck that presides over the restaurant’s door and the reasonably priced €19 lunch formules (prix-fixe menus are popular at French cafés) that people flock to in droves. More subtly, Café du Coin also offers inexpensive natural wine and an airy, terrace-like ambiance that few can replicate. The lunch formule at the Café du Coin includes an appetizer (usually a pizzetta), an entrée, most likely a visually pleasing and inventive combo of meat and bitter greens, and a homemade dessert. Though open for dinner, Café du Coin reverts into a wine bar in the evenings with only its signature pizzettas available to eat.
ADDRESS: 9 rue Camille-Desmoulins (11th arr.)
MÉTRO: Voltaire (line 9)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Bastille/Arsenal/Roquette
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 48 04 82 46
DEETS: lunch, open daily, neo-bistro, restobar, more style than money, where the cool kids hang, worth the line

Urfa Durum
Urfa Dürüm is a no-frills Kurdish sandwich shop that gets its name from dürüm, a flat bread cooked over a fire that the restaurant owner makes fresh at the front of the store. When we say no frills, we mean it. Your choice of meat (chicken, beef or lamb) is grilled, then placed in the dürüm with some sparse vegetables, then nicely rolled up and bam!, there’s your sandwich, have a nice day. No sauces, no fries and no need for them either. Urfa Dürüm has been tucked away in a small, wood-paneled storefront for over 15 years, and with sandwiches ringing in at around €6 each, it’s easy to see why. Save this spot for good weather as the seating is outside on wooden benches along the sidewalk next to a roiling crowd of young locals in one of the most hopping, up-and-coming (or up-and-already here, depending on your view) micro neighborhoods, the Petites-écuries hood. After your dürüm wrap, blow the cash you saved at any of the also inexpensive and packed bars around the corner, hidden away on Cour des Petit Ecuries.
ADDRESS: 58 Rue de Faubourg Saint-Denis (10th arr.)
MÉTRO: Château d’Eau (line 4)
NEIGHBORHOOD: St. Denis/St. Martin/Poissonniere/Paradis
PRICE: less than 10€
HOW TO BOOK: no reservations
NUMBER: +33 1 48 24 12 84
DEETS: lunch, dinner, sandwiches, street food, closed Sundays, Kurdish, stop in if nearby
INSTAGRAM: @urfadurummmm

Flam’s
Flam’s is a wildly successful chain restaurant that specializes in the Flammekueche. Okay, what’s that? Literally translated to “tarte flambée” in French, it’s a flatbread topped with creme-fraiche sauce, onions and bacon that’s cooked in the heart of a wood fire. Kind of like the Version Français of pizza. The Flammekueche is native to the Alsace region in northeastern France, which has a uniquely Franco-German hybrid culture and language. Flam’s serves the traditional Flammekueche alongside many variations, including beef, chicken, vegetarian and dessert options. They also insist that all their Flammekueche can be bacon-free. You don’t think “chain restaurant” when you think of Parisian dining and cultural exploration, but with four locations across Paris, a whopping €10 main dish and an offering you most likely have not heard of before, this is maybe the cheapest, most convenient way to accomplish all of that.
Note: not all of their locations are that charming. We recommend the one in the Passage des Panoramas, a covered passage that is pure, dream-like Paris.
ADDRESS: 11 Boulevard Montmartre (2nd arr.) / 62 Rue des Lombards (1st arr.) / 101 Rue Saint Lazare (9th arr.) / 32 Avenue du Maine (15th arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Opera Garnier/Grands Boulevards
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 42 21 10 30
DEETS: lunch, dinner, open daily, vegetarian options, classic French, worth the detour

Le Pantruche
Le Pantruche is a relatively new and hopping French bistro with a homey yet chic feel and an era-hopping classic aesthetic that manages to be simultaneously fancy and understated. The fancy comes from the chef’s prestigious background. The results being really cool food like oyster tartare with bright green cream of lettuce soup, handmade foie gras served with a layer of fat, nutmeg scented creams, delicious sauces and other not-so-commonly found foods. The understated comes from the price: a prix-fixe menu where a starter + entree or entree + dessert costs €19 at lunch, and all three cost €38 at dinner. Le Pantruche is a favorite among French locals and a pretty good reason for the rest of us to envy said locals, as if simply living in Paris wasn’t reason enough.
What’s nearby? Le Moulin Rouge and Sacré-Coeur.
ADDRESS: 3 Rue Victor Massé (9th arr.)
MÉTRO: Pigalle (lines 2, 12), Anvers (line 2), or Saint-Georges (line 12)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Rue Lafayette/Rochechouart
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 48 78 55 60
DEETS: lunch, dinner, closed Saturday & Sunday, vintage, worth the line, more style than money, where the cool kids hang, neo-bistro
INSTAGRAM: @le_pantruche

Le Jardin du Petit Palais Café
If you’ve ever picked up a guide book to Paris, which you probably have if you’re reading this, you might recognize the name Petit Palais. It’s an art museum on the Champs-Élysées, and while that’s all well and good for another time, the café inside the (free, BTW) museum is where it’s at. The food does not matter, nor does the interior restaurant part of the café. What matters is the tropical garden paradise that serves as the café’s courtyard terrace. But just to be clear, the food is quite good. It’s a plastic tray affair, but it’s good.
Tiny café tables are interspersed with palm trees, bushes, floral garlands and the stone columns upholding the walls of the palace. It’s quite a view, even by art museum standards, and worth the hefty ticket price to get in (again, free). Stop in for lunch as it closes early for private events, or go to enjoy an afternoon tea.
ADDRESS: 1 Avenue Dutuit Petit Palais (8th arr.)
MÉTRO: Champs-Élysées, Clemenceau (lines 1, 13)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Arc de Triomphe/Champs Élysées/Concorde
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: no reservations
NUMBER: +33 6 68 89 25 66
DEETS: lunch, open daily, more style than money, ambiance > food, old school cool, touristy but cool, worth the trip across town
INSTAGRAM: @petitpalais_musee

Blend
Blend sounds like a cliche name for a coffee shop, right? Surprise! It’s a burger joint! A popular gourmet burger joint actually, with five locations across Paris notorious for their veal and beef patties and their toppings-heavy burger concoctions, which can include everything from caramelized onion compote to 18-month aged artisan cheddar. They even have homemade buns and fries, and a special limited edition chicken sandwich. What’s truly special, however, is the declaration on their menu that everything has a deliciously comparable vegetarian version and, hold your breath, a baconless version too (truly a rare gem for us sans pork Parisians).
ADDRESS: 44 Rue d’Argout (2nd arr.) / 18 Rue Duphot (1st arr.) / 1 Blvd. des Filles du Calvaire (3rd arr.) /4 Rue de l’ancienne Comedie (6th arr.) / 15 Rue de Charonne (11th arr.)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Sentier/Covered Passages/Bourse
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: no reservations
NUMBER: +33 1 40 26 84 57
DEETS: lunch, dinner, American, worth the line, vegetarian options, open daily, 2nd arrondissement
INSTAGRAM: @blend

Brooklyn Pizzeria
The Brooklyn Pizzeria, self-proclaimed the “cheapest pizzeria in Paris,” with their €6 Margherita pizza, is a textbook example of a functioning identity crisis. They’re a Parisian restaurant serving organic Neapolitan pizza with names like “Cheesus Christ” and “Hot Like F*ck” in a venue that combines a breathtaking ivy-covered terrace with a borderline nightmarishly kitschy American interior, and somehow it all works beautifully. The life-sized yellow taxi cab and the trilingual blender of a menu only sell the bit that much more successfully. Plus, there’s a prix-fixe brunch menu on the weekends (your two options are a “healthy” brunch and an “American” brunch, we see you). So, whether you’re a homesick tourist or just really, really curious about the taxi cab, it’s worth stopping by any time of the day.
ADDRESS: 33 Boulevard Beaumarchais (3rd arr.)
MÉTRO: Bréguet-Sabin (line 5), Chemin vert (line 8) or Bastille (lines 1, 5, 8)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Haute Marais
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: online (only for groups of 15 or more)
NUMBER: +33 1 48 87 98 92
DEETS: lunch, brunch, dinner, pizza, open daily, American, Italian, worth the detour, vegetarian options, ambiance > food
INSTAGRAM: @thebrooklynpizzeria

Au Rendez-vous des Amis
Au Rendez-vous des Amis is a classic French diner with a homey feel located in the Marais. They serve classics like oeufs mayonnaise, duck confit and plenty of beef with a slight Asian influence. There is a special section of their menu dedicated to “sharing with friends,” featuring the likes of cheese plates and fried calamari.
What’s nearby? Le Centre Pompidou, Hôtel de Ville and Les Halles.
ADDRESS: 23 Rue Gabrielle (18th arr.)
MÉTRO: Abbesses (line 12)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Montmartre
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 1 46 06 01 60
DEETS: French, lunch, dinner, open daily, open late

Pierre Sang
Pierre Sang the restaurant gets its name from Pierre Sang the chef, a cool dude and minor celebrity (verified on Instagram) due to his appearance on Top Chef. The restaurant, a small plates-style meld of Korean and French cuisine, lives up to the blue-check hype and is probably one of the most affordable establishments in the Michelin guide. For about €20 (depending on how much wine you order), patrons can get a three course meal of fusion dishes like tempura zucchini with eggplant sauce, beef cheek with kimchi sauce or raclette with coconut sauce. There’s a theme and it’s delicious. Pierre Sang has several locations all over Paris, but plan ahead no matter which one you choose. Each day the place is usually packed.
What’s nearby? Le Marché des Enfants Rouges and L’Atelier des Lumières.
ADDRESS: 55 Rue Oberkampf (11th arr.) / 6 Rue Gambey (11th arr.)
MÉTRO: Parmentier (line 3)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Oberkampf /Folie-Mericourt
PRICE: €
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 9 67 31 96 80
DEETS: lunch, French-Korean fusion, open daily, small plates, in the Michelin Guide, where the cool kids hang, worth the line, more style than money
INSTAGRAM: @pierre_sang

Astair
Astair is a classy, shiny, upscale take on the old Paris brasserie with a wickedly timeless aesthetic. Located in the Passage des Panoramas, the oldest covered passageway in Paris, Astair takes advantage of its beautiful glass ceilings and marble walls by offering some chic “outdoor” dining. Inside, the restaurant is a salmon explosion of ’50s and ’60s-era inspired booths and barstools, and a show-stopping circular bar, all with an elegant, jazzy feel. In terms of food, Astair offers their reasonably priced, delightful takes on French classics, like octopus sauté à la provencale (i.e. with some combination of garlic, tomatoes and olive oil), “snail style” grilled sausage with aged mustard and warm goat cheese salad.
What’s nearby? Passage des Panoramas, Opéra Garnier and Grands Boulevards.
ADDRESS: 19 Passage des Panoramas (2nd arr.)
MÉTRO: Grands Boulevards (lines 8, 9) or Richelieu-Drouot (lines 8, 9)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Opera Garnier/Grands Boulevards
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
NUMBER: +33 9 81 29 50 95
DEETS: lunch, dinner, neo-bistro, open daily, cool space, vintage, posh, ambiance > food, more style than money
INSTAGRAM: @astair_paris

Canard & Champagne
Tucked away in the Passage des Panoramas, a beautiful and exciting covered passageway, Canard & Champagne is blunt in its mission—the French love duck and champagne, so why not just sell that? Their menu consists of duck confit, duck breast, (no, just a burger), a daily special, some sides and a surprisingly substantial dessert list. It’s simple, eclectic, inexpensive, delicious and in a great location.
What’s nearby? Museé Grevin, Palais Garnier and Galeries Lafayette.
ADDRESS: 57 Passage des Panorama (2nd arr.)
MÉTRO: Grand Boulevards (lines 8, 9) or Richelieu-Drouot (lines 8, 9)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Sentir/Covered Passage/Bourse
PRICE: €€
HOW TO BOOK: online
DEETS: brunch, lunch, dinner, closed Sunday & Monday, prefixed menus
INSTAGRAM: @canardetchampagne

Le Valentin Jouffroy
Le Valentin Jouffroy is a family-owned bakery and sandwich shop located in a covered passageway near the Grands Boulevards that specializes in Alsatian pastries. Grab an individual pastry to satisfy your sweet tooth or have a whole meal of croque monsieur or quiche. Still need a big, carb-fueled, American breakfast? Split a coffret petit déjeuner consisting of house-made jam, butter, two drinks, bread, bread and more bread with a friend. It may be the best €19 you’ll ever spend.
ADDRESS: 30 Passage Jouffroy (9th arr.)
MÉTRO: Grand Boulevards (lines 8, 9) or Richelieu-Drouot (lines 8, 9)
NEIGHBORHOOD: Palais Garnier/Grands Boulevards
PRICE: €
HOW TO ORDER: online
DEETS: breakfast, lunch, pâtisserie, open daily, sweets, quick stop