I was so tempted to gatekeep this sprawling café overlooking the Canal Saint-Martin… but lucky for you all, I like you too darn much. So here you go: my favorite café, which ticks pretty much every box you need for a local. It’s open all day every day; the service is genial, efficient, and friendly. And the food is really, really good. Is it a destination? Absolutely not – and that’s so not the point. It’s the kind of place you can reserve at, if you want to, but you can also saunter in at any time of day and eat well.
Tag: paris 10th
Eels Marries Daring and Delicious on its Generous Tasting Menu
This innovative fine dining restaurant in the 10th absolutely conquered both my palate and heart with its creativity and generosity.
Brasserie Bellanger Continues to Impress Me
Brasserie Bellanger is a go-to for good-quality bistro staples with a contemporary twist. While service can be wanting and the brasserie occasionally suffers for its popularity, the low prices and delicious food keep me coming back again and again.
Chez Ibo is Perpetuating a Long-Standing Turkish Tradition Deliciously
This may be Paris’ best kébab.
Le Petit Chardon Offers a Great Setting and Fine Food
Just steps from the picturesque covered Saint-Martin market sits le Petit Chardon, a neo-bistro with a relatively inexpensive menu of slight twists on bistro classics. It’s not the kind of place I would cross Paris for, but if you’re in the neighborhood and looking for a classic vibe with a beautiful dining room and a tiny terrace perfect for people-watching, it’s hard to do better.
ChoCho is Offering Truly Surprising, Delicious Small Plates
I live for moments when I discover a truly surprising restaurant, one where the flavors and textures actually make me think. After nearly 20 years in this industry, these moments are rare, and yet I lived quite a few at ChoCho.
For Excellent Roast Chicken, Head to Brasserie Bellanger
This neo-brasserie offers great iterations of French classics at reasonable prices in a fun, hip ambiance.
Hôtel du Nord Nearly Delivers a Lovely Bistro Experience in a Storied Setting
The appetizers are pitch perfect at this restaurant, and while I have some quibbles with the rest, the slight missteps can easily be overlooked, especially if you want to eat in this storied dining room or indeed at a table outside with a view of the Canal.
Bouillon Julien is Still Going Strong a Century In
Bouillon Julien is one of Paris’ original bouillons, offering inexpensive classic French fare. And unlike the néo-bouillons currently taking the city by storm, it’s far enough off the beaten track to avoid ultra-long lines or kitchen nightmares. And the Art Nouveau dining room so glorious.
Fellows’ Pasta Is Some of the Most Creative Out There
Fellows’ menu of reasonably priced house-made pasta is suffused with delicious international spins and flourishes, from harissa to za’atar to miso.