In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Among the places named by the most independent sources are Bistrot des Tournelles in the Marais, Bistrot Paul Bert in the 11th and, for bread and pastries, Du Pain et des Idées, Boulangerie Utopie and Mamiche. Book Septime three weeks ahead, because it opens reservations every morning at 10:00. Bouillon Chartier and the Café de Flore take no reservations, and Du Pain et des Idées, Septime, Juveniles and La Bourse et la Vie are closed at weekends. Near the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre, pick from the short lists below rather than the nearest terrace. If you would rather have someone else choose, a guided tasting walk does it for you: see Paris food tours.
📊 The evidence behind this guide. Nothing here is ranked on one visit. This pass reads 35 sources, 15 in French and 20 in English, naming 617 places: the judged guides (Le Fooding, Gault&Millau and the City of Paris’s baguette prize), magazines and newspapers, food blogs, 8 YouTube channels and 15 Reddit threads. 199 places are named by two or more independent sources. Every entry below carries its own count and its English and French split. Evidence rebuilt 30 September 2026 · How the guides are made
Book ahead, or turn up
- Book weeks ahead: Septime (reservations open every day at 10:00, three weeks out), Le Jules Verne and Parcelles, which The Infatuation says takes no walk-ins.
- Book for dinner: Bistrot des Tournelles, Café des Ministères, Allard, Le Bon Georges, Bofinger, La Rôtisserie d’Argent, Le Cheval d’Or and La Tour d’Argent. Bistrot Paul Bert takes bookings by phone only.
- Walk in: Bouillon Chartier and the Café de Flore take no reservations, and Le Petit Vendôme does not book its sandwiches. The Petit Bouillon Pharamond seats you with or without a booking, and Bouillon Pigalle takes bookings and has a queue for anyone without one.
- Open every day: Allard, Bofinger, La Fontaine de Mars, Au Pied de Cochon, Le Cyrano and the three bouillons.
Bistros and brasseries: steak frites, onion soup and boeuf bourguignon
A bistro is a small neighbourhood restaurant with a short, chalkboard menu; a brasserie is larger and serves through the day. The three dishes visitors ask for are steak frites (steak and chips), soupe à l’oignon (onion soup under melted cheese) and boeuf bourguignon (beef stewed in red wine). For steak, go to Bistrot Paul Bert, Le Bon Georges or Au Bœuf Couronné. For onion soup, go to Au Pied de Cochon, Bouillon Pigalle or the Petit Bouillon Pharamond, where it is €4.00. For bourguignon, Le Cyrano serves it with chipotle.
Bistrot des Tournelles
Marais, 4th · 6 rue des Tournelles · dinner only, every day · Cited by 10 sources (7 English, 3 French) · book a table
Order the steak au poivre (steak in a peppercorn sauce), the cordon bleu or the œufs mayonnaise, which the restaurant lists; Time Out adds the andouillette, a coarse chitterling sausage, with matchstick fries. The room is a retro bistro of antique mirrors and framed photographs, and Le Fooding named it best bistro in its 2023 guide. It serves dinner only, 19:00 to 23:00. The Infatuation says reservations open a month ahead and that the tables still free tend to be the last seating, at 22:45.
Bistrot Paul Bert
11th · 18 rue Paul Bert · Tuesday to Saturday, lunch and dinner · Cited by 9 sources (6 English, 3 French) · the restaurant’s site
Order the steak au poivre with fries and finish with the cheese plate. The room is loud and full of French locals, with leather banquettes in a former butcher’s shop. It has been open since 1997 and takes bookings by phone only, on +33 1 43 72 24 01, and serves from 12:00 to 14:00 and from 19:30 to 23:00.
La Fontaine de Mars
7th, by the Eiffel Tower · 129 rue Saint-Dominique · every day, lunch and dinner · Cited by 6 sources (4 English, 2 French) · book on SevenRooms
The kitchen cooks the south-west of France: chicken with morels and cassoulet (a white-bean stew with sausage and confit) are its own signature dishes. The room has old mouldings and red leather benches, and in summer an arcaded terrace on a small square with a fountain. Lunch starts at noon and dinner runs to 23:00 every day. A Reddit user asked about eating near the tower names it. You can also book by phone on +33 1 47 05 46 44.
Au Pied de Cochon
Les Halles, 1st · 6 rue Coquillière · 08:00 to 05:00, every day · Cited by 6 sources (4 English, 2 French) · book a table
Order the onion soup, which Paris Eater’s onion soup list and a Reddit user name. Gault&Millau describes a brasserie that has served without a break since 1947, with late-19th-century décor and waiters in black and white, for market workers, night owls and tourists alike. What matters is the hours: it serves from breakfast until five in the morning, so it works when nothing else is open.
Au Pied de Cochon on rue Coquillière, Les Halles. Photo: GFreihalter, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Le Bon Georges
9th · 45 rue Saint-Georges · lunch and dinner · Cited by 5 sources (5 English) · book a table
Order the steak, which a Reddit user singles out, and let the menu, which changes with the season, guide the rest. The Infatuation calls it a maximalist bistro with big prices, and the wine list runs to about 2,000 references by the restaurant’s own count. Lunch is 12:00 to 14:30 and dinner 19:00 to 22:30. Online booking closes a few hours before service, though the restaurant says a table sometimes frees up. All five sources naming it are in English, which suggests it is known mainly to visitors.
Le Cyrano
17th, near Place de Clichy · 3 rue Biot · 09:00 (10:00 at weekends) to 02:00 · Cited by 5 sources (5 French) · book a table
Order the veal-and-pork terrine with pickles, or the boeuf bourguignon made with chipotle and candied sweet potato. Madame Figaro describes both dishes and calls the restaurant an institution of the Clichy district, a former brothel that became a haunt of the Surrealists, and you sit elbow to elbow at a big counter. Every source naming it is French: it is known to residents rather than visitors, and it sits away from the main sights.
Café des Ministères
7th · 83 rue de l’Université · closed Saturday and Sunday · Cited by 4 sources (2 English, 2 French) · book a table
Order the vol-au-vent (a puff-pastry case of sweetbreads and chicken in a truffled sauce), the boudin noir (black pudding), the cassoulet or the tête de veau (calf’s head). Gault&Millau, which gives it two toques, names all four; The Infatuation adds the stuffed cabbage. The dining room is compact and popular with people who work in politics nearby. It is closed at weekends, serves lunch and dinner Tuesday to Thursday, dinner only on Monday and lunch only on Friday, and takes online bookings.
Allard
Saint-Germain, 6th · 41 rue Saint-André-des-Arts · every day, lunch and dinner · Cited by 4 sources (2 English, 2 French) · book a table
Order the frog legs, the confit duck foie gras or the duckling with olives, which the restaurant calls its emblematic dishes, and the rum savarin for dessert. The room has a zinc counter, tiled floors, period tapestries and red velvet banquettes, and the restaurant belongs to the Maison Ducasse group. On weekdays there is a lunch menu of starter, main and dessert for €34. It serves lunch from 12:00 to 14:00 and dinner from 19:00 to 22:00.
Au Bœuf Couronné
19th, near the Porte de Pantin · 188 avenue Jean Jaurès · Cited by 4 sources (3 English, 1 French) · book on SevenRooms
Order the beef: Condé Nast Traveller names the onglet with shallot sauce and home-made fries, one of seven cuts of 20-day dry-aged steak. It calls the restaurant the last of the old meat houses of the former slaughterhouse district, with three dining rooms of red velvet banquettes and photographs of prize cattle, and says it is worth the trek out to the 19th. Book, and allow for the journey.
Bofinger
Bastille, 4th · 5-7 rue de la Bastille · every day, including Sunday · Cited by 4 sources (4 English) · book a table
Order the seafood choucroute (sauerkraut with fish and shellfish, the Alsace dish) or the crêpes Suzette flamed at the table, as Condé Nast Traveller does. A forum user advises asking for the main room when you book, for the grand brasserie interior. It serves lunch and dinner every day, with dinner until midnight, and on Sundays from noon to 23:00.
Parcelles
Haut Marais, 3rd · 13 rue Chapon · closed Saturday and Sunday · Cited by 7 sources (5 English, 2 French) · book a table
Order the stuffed cabbage with minced pork and foie gras, The Infatuation’s example of a daily-changing menu of French classics with clever touches, or the gnocchi with sage butter that Condé Nast Traveller names. Le Fooding dates the address to 1936. It serves lunch from 12:00 to 14:00 and dinner from 19:00 to 22:00, Monday to Friday. The Infatuation says it takes no walk-ins and releases tables two weeks ahead; a Reddit user says four weeks. Lunch is easier.
Bouillons: cheap meals
A bouillon is a large, fast-moving dining room of the kind that opened in 19th-century Paris, serving classic French dishes at low prices. The three below are named by the most sources.
Bouillon Chartier
Grands Boulevards, 9th · 7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre · 11:30 to midnight, every day · Cited by 6 sources (3 English, 3 French) · the restaurant’s site
A Reddit user ordered snails, duck confit and steak frites, with dessert, a beer and a carafe of wine, for about €40 for two people. The restaurant says starters start at €1 and mains at €7, and promises a proper meal for under €20. The room is the draw: another Reddit user says people go to Chartier once for the décor and warns of a longer wait than at Pigalle. Its site says it has served a good meal at a modest price for over 120 years. Service is non-stop and there are no reservations.
The main dining room of Bouillon Chartier on the Grands Boulevards. Photo: Benoît Prieur, Wikimedia Commons, CC0.
Bouillon Pigalle
Pigalle, 18th · 22 boulevard de Clichy · noon to midnight, every day · Cited by 6 sources (4 English, 2 French) · the restaurant’s site
Order the egg mayonnaise, the onion soup or the snails, the three dishes its own site names first. Paris Zigzag says it put the bouillons back in fashion. It takes bookings, and the site says those without one face a long queue.
The queue outside Bouillon Pigalle on boulevard de Clichy. Photo: Thomon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Petit Bouillon Pharamond
Les Halles, 1st · 24 rue de la Grande Truanderie · 11:45 to midnight, every day · Cited by 4 sources (3 French, 1 English) · the restaurant’s site
Order the onion soup at €4.00, six snails in parsley butter at €9.90, or the œufs mimosa at €3.90, from the menu on its site on 30 September 2026. It has occupied this address since 1832 and adds Norman touches to the bouillon card, and Paris Zigzag calls it the oldest of the Paris bouillons. You are seated with or without a booking, and it serves continuously from 11:45 to midnight.
Bakeries and pâtisseries: croissants and baguettes
Most Parisians buy bread and breakfast at a boulangerie (bakery) and cakes at a pâtisserie; many shops are both. The four below are named by the most sources.
Du Pain et des Idées
10th, Canal Saint-Martin · 34 rue Yves Toudic · closed Saturday and Sunday · Cited by 8 sources (6 English, 2 French) · the bakery’s site
Order the croissant, the escargot (a coiled sweet roll) and the signature bread, as Mark Wiens does. Founded in 2002, it makes a short list of organic, slow-fermented breads by hand, in a shop with painted ceilings and patinated marble. Three YouTube creators and Vogue France name it. It is closed on Saturday and Sunday, so plan it for a weekday breakfast.
Boulangerie Utopie
11th · 20 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud · Cited by 8 sources (6 English, 2 French) · the bakery’s site
Order the croissant, which Everyday Parisian names the best in the 11th, or a pain au chocolat. Every loaf and viennoiserie (the croissant family) is made on a sourdough base, and each weekend the bakers add one new bread, one new viennoiserie and one new pastry. You can order online before 14:00 and collect from 08:00.
Mamiche
9th and 10th · 45 rue Condorcet and 32 rue du Château d’Eau · Cited by 8 sources (5 English, 3 French) · the bakery’s site
Order a croissant or a pain au chocolat, which Paris Mag includes on its pain au chocolat list, or a lunchtime sandwich. The bakers knead the sourdough by hand every day, and a separate Mamiche Traiteur on rue Bouchardon sells prepared dishes. HiP Paris dates the first shop to 2017.
Stohrer
2nd, Montorgueil · 51 rue Montorgueil · Monday to Saturday 08:00 to 20:30, Sunday 08:00 to 20:00 · Cited by 5 sources (5 English) · the pâtisserie’s site
Order the baba au rhum, which its founder invented. Stohrer says it was founded in 1730 by Louis XV’s pastry chef, that it is the oldest pâtisserie in Paris and that its decor is listed as a historic monument. The other classics are the puits d’amour (a cream-filled pastry) and the religieuses. It is open seven days a week.
The Stohrer shopfront at 51 rue Montorgueil. Photo: Tangopaso, Wikimedia Commons.
The baguette. The City of Paris judges a Grand Prix de la baguette each year. The 2026 prize, on 26 February, went to Le Fournil Didot at 103 rue Didot in the 14th, with B&S Nation in the 12th second and L’Écrin Gourmand in the 12th third. Two of the top ten are in the 5th, near the Latin Quarter, at 28 rue Monge (Guyot Ferreira) and 16 rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques (Moderne Rabineau), and one is in the 7th at 112 rue Saint-Dominique (Laurent B.).
A special dinner
Septime
11th, Charonne · 80 rue de Charonne · closed Saturday and Sunday · Cited by 7 sources (7 English) · book online
The autumn menu is a tasting menu at both services: five courses at lunch for €85 and seven at dinner for €135, with wine pairings at €60 and €75. Time Out labels it the most romantic restaurant in Paris and describes weathered wood tables, blackened steel and dim light. What matters is the booking: reservations open every day at 10:00 for the next three weeks. If you cannot get a table, Time Out suggests the bar, Septime La Cave, for wine and small plates. It serves lunch from 12:15 to 14:00 and dinner from 19:30 to 23:00, Monday to Friday.
Le Jules Verne
7th · 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower · every day · Cited by 6 sources (4 English, 2 French) · the restaurant’s site
The restaurant says it won its second Michelin star in 2024, and Gault&Millau gives it three toques. Condé Nast Traveller recommends the lunchtime set menu, in which the main course arrives as three smaller plates. The room sits 125 metres up, reached by a private lift. It serves lunch from 12:00 to 13:45 and dinner from 19:00 to 21:00, and smart dress is required. Paris by Mouth says it is hard to book, so reserve well ahead.
La Tour d’Argent
5th · 15 quai de la Tournelle · Tuesday to Saturday · Cited by 3 sources (2 English, 1 French) · the restaurant’s site
The dining room is on the sixth floor, overlooking the Seine, Notre-Dame and the Île Saint-Louis, and Gault&Millau gives it three toques. The chef reinterprets the house’s emblematic recipes, and Paris by Mouth singles out the cellar for wine lovers. It serves lunch from 12:00 to 14:00 and dinner from 19:00 to 21:00, Tuesday to Saturday.
Le Grand Véfour
Palais-Royal, 1st · 17 rue de Beaujolais · Cited by 3 sources (3 English) · book on SevenRooms
Order the sea bass terrine with miso, chervil and black cardamom, which Condé Nast Traveller names. Paris by Mouth says the dining room opened in 1784 and has been revived under the chef Bruno Doucet, and the restaurant’s site lists Napoleon, Victor Hugo and Colette among its guests. Dinner runs from 19:00 to 22:00 Sunday to Wednesday and to 22:30 Thursday to Saturday.
The dining room of Le Grand Véfour in the Palais-Royal. Photo: Zairon, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Le Cheval d’Or
Belleville, 19th · 21 rue de la Villette · dinner, Monday to Friday · Cited by 5 sources (4 English, 1 French) · book on SevenRooms
Order the scallop dumplings or the mapo tofu tortellini, as Condé Nast Traveller does. The Infatuation says its red shopfront has stood since 1987, and Le Fooding gave it best feast of the year in its 2024 guide. The restaurant lists dinner from 19:00 to 21:00, Monday to Friday, and The Infatuation says online reservations are released two weeks ahead at 19:00.
Near the big sights
Eiffel Tower, 7th
- La Fontaine de Mars: south-west cooking a few steps from the tower.
- Le Jules Verne: the restaurant inside the tower.
Le P’tit Troquet
7th · 28 rue de l’Exposition · closed Sunday and Monday · Cited by 2 sources (2 English) · book a table
Order the honey-glazed lamb shank or the beef in red wine gravy; mains run from €25 to €28 on its menu on 30 September 2026. The room is small and rustic, decorated with folk crafts. A Reddit user and a Rick Steves forum user recommend it, and another Reddit user who followed the advice said the meal was good. It serves lunch and dinner Tuesday to Thursday, lunch and then dinner from 18:30 on Friday, and dinner only on Saturday.
Le Bistrot des Fables
7th · 139 rue Saint-Dominique · every day · Cited by 4 sources (2 English, 2 French) · the restaurant’s site
Order the beef tartare with fresh fries. Madame Figaro describes walls that once housed a Cyril Lignac restaurant, a high-flying wine list and a very French menu. The bistro opens every day from 07:30 to 23:00, and you book by phone on +33 1 47 53 73 34.
Louvre and Palais-Royal, 1st and 2nd
Paris by Mouth says the blocks immediately next to the museum are full of tourist traps, and that a short walk in almost any direction finds better food.
Juveniles
1st · 47 rue de Richelieu · Monday to Friday · Cited by 4 sources (3 English, 1 French) · the wine bar’s site
Paris by Mouth names this wine bar with bistro food its top pick near the Louvre. The restaurant opened in 1987 with a focus on Sherry and was among the first in Paris to buy English cheeses from Neal’s Yard. Order from the short menu, which listed veal with smoked aubergine caviar on 30 September 2026. It serves lunch from noon to 13:30 and dinner from 19:00 to 21:30, Monday to Friday only.
La Bourse et la Vie
2nd · 12 rue Vivienne · Monday to Friday · Cited by 4 sources (3 English, 1 French) · the restaurant’s site
The chef Daniel Rose runs a classic bistro in green and grey velvet, and Paris by Mouth names the pot-au-feu, a beef and broth stew, and the aged steak frites. At lunch there is a plat du jour for €23; at dinner, starters from €18 and mains from €34. It is open Monday to Friday, lunch from 12:00 to 14:00 and dinner from 19:00.
Le Petit Vendôme
2nd, Opéra · 8 rue des Capucines · Monday 09:00 to 16:00, Tuesday to Saturday 09:00 to 01:00, closed Sunday · Cited by 5 sources (4 English, 1 French) · the restaurant’s site
Order the jambon-beurre, which Time Out says is made with ham on the bone, pork cracklings and Saint-Nectaire cheese; there is a sit-down menu too, from andouillette to duck confit. The sandwiches are sold from 09:30 and cannot be booked, and Time Out describes queues for them during the day.
- Au Pied de Cochon, Les Halles: open from 08:00 to 05:00.
- Le Grand Véfour, Palais-Royal: dinner in a room that opened in 1784.
Notre-Dame and the Latin Quarter, 5th
La Rôtisserie d’Argent
5th · 19 quai de la Tournelle · every day, lunch and dinner · Cited by 4 sources (2 English, 2 French) · book a table
Order the roast chicken or the roast duck, both cooked on the rotisserie in the open kitchen, or start with the egg mayonnaise or the beef tartare. The room has checked tablecloths and red leather sofas, and in summer a terrace on the quay with Notre-Dame as the backdrop. It is the younger sister next door to La Tour d’Argent. It serves lunch from noon to 13:45 and dinner from 19:00 to 21:45, every day.
- La Tour d’Argent: the dinner with the view of the cathedral.
Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 6th
Paris by Mouth says the tourist-facing blocks here are full of mediocre restaurants, so choose by name. Allard is a bistro named by four sources.
Café de Flore
6th · 172 boulevard Saint-Germain · 07:30 to 01:30, every day · Cited by 4 sources (3 English, 1 French) · the café’s site
Everyday Parisian recommends it, with Les Deux Magots, as a classic café for people-watching. Its site lists farm chicken, wing or leg, with green salad. It takes no reservations.
Les Deux Magots
6th · 6 place Saint-Germain-des-Prés · 07:30 to 01:00 · Cited by 5 sources (5 English) · the café’s site
The other classic café, on the square by the abbey church, with a terrace facing it; its site lists breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch menus and has a booking page. A Reddit user counts it among the more touristy spots.
Marais and Montmartre
- Bistrot des Tournelles and Parcelles are in the Marais.
- Bouillon Pigalle, on the boulevard de Clichy, is the practical meal at the foot of Montmartre.
Breizh Café
Marais, 3rd · 109 rue Vieille du Temple · 09:00 to 23:00 · Cited by 7 sources (7 English) · book a table
Order the galette (a savoury buckwheat pancake) with cured ham, egg and Comté, and a glass of dry cider, as Condé Nast Traveller suggests. All seven sources naming it are in English, and some name the Saint-Germain branch rather than this one. A Reddit user calls it a chain and prefers a Breton crêperie on rue du Montparnasse; another recommends Le Petit Josselin.
Where to go next
If you would rather be led, Paris food tours compares the Marais, Montmartre, Saint-Germain and Latin Quarter walks and their prices. The sights these meals sit beside are in the 3-day itinerary and the 4-day itinerary, and the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower have their own pages: Louvre tickets and Eiffel Tower tickets. The Marais, Saint-Germain and Montmartre are also areas to stay: see where to stay in Paris and where to stay in Le Marais. For the rest of what to book, see what to book before you go.
Common questions
Do I need to book a restaurant in Paris?
For the bistros on this page, yes for dinner, and weeks ahead for a few. Septime opens reservations every day at 10:00 for the next three weeks, and Bistrot Paul Bert takes bookings by phone only. Bouillon Chartier and the Café de Flore take no reservations at all.
What time do restaurants serve in Paris?
Most bistros serve lunch from noon to about 14:00 and dinner from about 19:00 to 22:30, and several on this page seat their last table at 21:00 or 22:00. Brasseries and bouillons serve through the afternoon: Bouillon Chartier from 11:30 to midnight, Au Pied de Cochon from 08:00 to 05:00 and the Café de Flore from 07:30 to 01:30.
Where can I eat well near the Eiffel Tower?
La Fontaine de Mars, Le P'tit Troquet and Le Bistrot des Fables are bistros in the 7th arrondissement near the tower, and Le Jules Verne is on its second floor. All four are on this page with their hours.
Where can I eat well near the Louvre?
Juveniles and La Bourse et la Vie are bistros north of the museum, and both close at weekends. Le Petit Vendôme, near the Opéra, sells jambon-beurre sandwiches across the counter with no booking.
Is a food tour a better way to eat in Paris?
It is the alternative if you would rather not choose. A tour is a walk of two to three and a half hours through one neighbourhood with a tasting at each stop. The Paris food tours page compares them and their prices.
