Paris
Where I actually send people who visit Paris
This list is biased towards places I go back to rather than places that photograph well. Where something is touristy, I say so.
Restaurants
- Picotte, 42 Rue de Malte, 75011: a nice way to taste French specialities including the DOM-TOM. Tourist-friendly and a bit pricey.
- Qasti, 205 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003: great Lebanese food.
- Le Petit Commines, 16 Rue Commines, 75003: pricey, interesting menu, great wine pairing. On the touristy side.
- Colchide, 97 Rue des Poissonniers, 75018, and 79 Rue des Martyrs, 75009: Georgian cuisine, and one of my favourite restaurants for the price.
- Clamato, 80 Rue de Charonne, 75011: probably the best oysters and fish in Paris. No bookings, so arrive at opening.
- Orgueil, 6 Rue Popincourt, 75011: bistronomy at the front, a hidden gastronomic room of about twelve seats at the back with a fixed multi-course menu. Book the back room ahead for an occasion.
- Oui Mon Général, 14 Rue du Général Bertrand, 75007: a solid Left Bank bistro.
Japanese
- Neko Ramen, 6 Rue de la Grange Batelière, 75009: solid ramen.
- Hando, 14 Rue de Bretagne, 75003: handrolls. Other branches around the city.
- Kintaro, 24 Rue Saint-Augustin, 75002: a Japanese canteen near Rue Sainte-Anne, and what Japanese people actually eat, as opposed to sushi, which they nearly never do.
- Happatei, 64 Rue Sainte-Anne, 75002: okonomiyaki and takoyaki, a great and under-known speciality.
- I am still looking for a Korean place worth recommending.
Italian
- AVE Pizza Romana, 90 Rue de la Folie Méricourt, 75011: thin, crispy, properly Roman.
- Giorgio, 21 Rue de Charonne, 75011: pizzeria with a festive retro-futurist, Italo-disco thing going on.
Crepes and galettes
- Breizh Café: a small chain and the dependable answer. Buckwheat galettes done properly, a Breton-Japanese slant to the fillings, and a serious cider list. Several branches around the city.
- Rue d’Odessa and Rue Montparnasse, 75014: the slightly shabby creperies along these two streets are the cheap answer. Take whichever has space.
Bakeries
- La Panifacture, 104 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011: the best pain suisse chocolat in Paris, and a flan with a flaky, undulating crust. Ancient flours, natural starters, queues on weekend mornings.
Food halls
- Ground Control, 81 Rue du Charolais, 75012: food court, bars, a radio station and exhibitions, in disused SNCF hangars near Gare de Lyon.
Coffee
- The Beans on Fire, 7 Rue du Général Blaise, 75011: on a cute square, busy with families since they banned cars on it.
- Raf, 61 Rue de Vaugirard, 75006: good coffee, nice room.
- Terres de Café: several shops across the city, all good. 14 Rue Rambuteau (75003), 40 Rue des Blancs Manteaux (75004), 67 Avenue de la Bourdonnais (75007), 33 Rue des Batignolles (75017), plus one in Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
- Junction, 101 Rue de Charonne, 75011: good coffee, great snacks and toasts for brunch. Best in summer when the terrace is out.
Bars
Beer
- Les Cuves de Fauve, 64 Rue de Charonne, 75011: speciality beer for people who take it seriously. Pricey.
- WAB, We Are Brewers, 16 Boulevard Jules Ferry, 75011: chill brewery.
- Brussels Beer Project: nice owners, good food, thirty-odd home-made beers on rotation. Two taprooms: 47 bis Rue Bichat, 75010, on the Canal Saint-Martin, and 1 Rue de Bruxelles, 75009, in Pigalle.
Cocktails
- Stolen Moon, 4 Rue Gambey, 75011: very cosy, and probably my favourite cocktail bar in the city.
- Little Red Door, 60 Rue Charlot, 75003: less charming, still a solid choice if you are nearby.
Wine
- Le Barav, 6 Rue Charles François Dupuis, 75003: simple, affordable, and the advice is good.
- La Quincave, 17 Rue Bréa, 75006: smaller, cosy, very nice owners, and on the south side, unlike most of my recommendations.
- La Compagnie Saint Germain, 7 Rue Lobineau, 75006: fancy bottles, very pricey, great mood and decor. Book ahead.
Museums and monuments
- Musée des Arts et Métiers: amazing for any geek or scientist, and it needs a lot of time.
- Le Louvre: a must-see. You can dodge the Mona Lisa. Take the time for the statue yards instead.
- Le Panthéon, Notre-Dame and the Sainte-Chapelle are all worth the stop.
- Arc de Triomphe: go up around sunset, for the views and for the photos.
- Maison Poincaré: a mathematics museum. Not for everyone, but interesting if it is for you.
The longer list
Suggestions I have collected and kept, mostly from colleagues who know the city better than I do: Institut du Monde Arabe (go up to the rooftop at minimum), Fondation Cartier, Le 104, Bourse du Commerce and the Pinault collection, Fondation Louis Vuitton, Fondation Henri Cartier-Bresson, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Lafayette Anticipations, Musée Carnavalet for the history of Paris, Musée de Cluny for the Middle Ages, Maison de la Culture du Japon, Musée du Quai Branly, Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Musée Guimet for Asian art, Palais de Tokyo, Pavillon de l’Arsenal and the Cité de l’architecture for architecture, and the Jeu de Paume for photography. Le Marais is full of galleries you can simply walk into, and so is the stretch between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Seine.
Day trips
- Chantilly: train, then a twenty-minute walk, and you are at the château. Worth a full day.
- Fontainebleau: château and forest, with a Napoleon museum inside the castle.
- Giverny: Monet’s gardens. Interesting, but you need a car.
Tips
- The metro app exists now and I find it unreliable. The rechargeable Navigo card is the better answer: it takes you anywhere except the airport, which needs an extra fare.
- Staying a week and using public transport to and from the airport? Buy the weekly pass on day one and stop thinking about it.
- Uber works fine. Check Bolt too, it is often cheaper.
- Do not book a hotel outside Paris. The RER is a pain and the towns along it are much less pleasant than the price difference suggests.
- Seine cruises can be lovely. Do not eat on them: the food is poor and overpriced. Cruise during the day, then go to an actual restaurant.
