You've all heard of the Michelin-starred restaurants and can find your way to a Robuchon or Ducasse restaurant easily enough. But, for some yummy everyday restaurants, here are a few places I've tried and enjoyed.
F U N P L A C E S T O T R Y . . .
Fish La Boissonnerie: hands down, one of the best meals I've had while living in Paris. A wonderful quaint place, great atmosphere, delicious wine, walk home strolling down St. Germain. Doesn't get much better.
Chez Francis: a great French bistro atmosphere with wonderful food. The best roast chicken I've had in Paris. Plus you get a view of the Eiffel Tower...it never gets old to watch it sparkle at night : )
L'Arc: for the night when you want to feel like your coolest self and live it up, this is the place to go. The food will not disappoint, and the after hours club downstairs is too fun. A must for a fun girls night out.
Chez Omar: a couscous restaurant with great stewed vegetables and more meat than I can list! Great slow-cooked beef and lamb kabobs. Great to warm up on a chilly evening.
Fish La Boissonnerie: hands down, one of the best meals I've had while living in Paris. A wonderful quaint place, great atmosphere, delicious wine, walk home strolling down St. Germain. Doesn't get much better.
Chez Francis: a great French bistro atmosphere with wonderful food. The best roast chicken I've had in Paris. Plus you get a view of the Eiffel Tower...it never gets old to watch it sparkle at night : )
L'Arc: for the night when you want to feel like your coolest self and live it up, this is the place to go. The food will not disappoint, and the after hours club downstairs is too fun. A must for a fun girls night out.
Chez Omar: a couscous restaurant with great stewed vegetables and more meat than I can list! Great slow-cooked beef and lamb kabobs. Great to warm up on a chilly evening.
l'Ebuillante: pesco-vegetarian (hard to find in Paris) with great salads. Fun to sit outside and people watch on a summer night.
Hotel du Nord: the place looks tiny from the street, but it opens up into a fun hipster hangout with a delicious modern French menu. Kind of a pain to get to, but worth the travel.
Le 404: cool Maroccan place with tagine galore. If you have a big enough party it's fun to sit in the upstairs loft.
Christophe: Ruth Reichel has written about this tiny restaurant, so it's gotten more known in recent years but it still has the feeling that you've discovered this diamond in the rough. Always the same older guy waiting on the maybe 10 tables in this small place with a great wine list. Delicious French fare. (p.s. don't be put off by the website, it doesn't match the place)
7eme Sud: cute medeteranean place with great salads. Unlike many places, they are open between lunch and dinner.
Angelina: you may have heard of their famous chocolat chaud or montblanc, but this is my favorite brunch destination or place to have lunch with the girls. When you're in the mood to feel chic...Coco Chanel used to eat here, after all.
Le Bazar Egyptien: cool atmosphere to chill and get a bunch of plates to share. And smoke some hookah if you're so inclined ; )
Bound: one of those places that are more about the atmosphere than anything else, but super fun place to start out a night on the Champs Élysées...plenty of clubs in walking distance.
S W E E T T H I N G S . . .
Pierre Herme: hands down the best macaroons in Paris. If you can, try the different locations as they often carry different flavors. And, if you haven't tried macaroons in Paris...go. Now.
Patisserie des Reves: if you like French pastry, you will love this pastry shop. They reinvent traditional form and decorations in beautiful ways. The shop itself is something to see: the pastries are displayed on a tound, tiered table in the center of the shop with each cake covered by a lit glass dome suspended from the cieling. Yeah, it's as cool as it sounds.
Pozetto - gelato made fresh daily in the milanese style. Need I say more?
Jean-Paul Hévin - amazing chocolatier famous for his chocolate stilletto shoe. (Enough to make any girl gasp with delight!) Worth checking out the photos of how cocoa is cultivated in the upstairs tea salon on the rue Saint Honoré location.
Dalloyau - if you happen to be a fan of the Opéra cake, it was invented here in 1955.
