This little restaurant tucked away in the heart of St Germain holds title of the best Latin American restaurants in Paris. It is full of noise and laughter and singing and the sun shines inside, even on the rainiest of nights. It is a great place to go with friends, share a couple of cheese dips and guacamole bowls to start, then follow by a chicken quesadilla or a burrito. Add a few one-liter margarita pitchers for 10 euros and you still will not come out paying more than 30 euros per person. If you can, save room for the creme caramel at the end. Call ahead to make sure you have a table.

Practical Information

Telephone: 00 33 (0)1 43 54 41 56
Address: 31, rue St Jacques, 75005
Metro: Cluny-La Sorbonne
Opening hours: noon-midnight every day
Average price: lunch: 8 euros/person; dinner: 15-30 euros/person

This is a cosy neighborhood bistrot owned by the welcoming Mr. Subhas with the help of the bubbly Aicha. On the menu is typical french fare with imagination and a solid wine list to match. Note that the ceiling moldings of 18th century boulangerie from which the restaurant was transformed. Definitely worth a stop over if looking for a non-touristy  place to grab a good lunch or dinner.

Practical Information

Telephone: 00 33 (0)1 42 52 30 36
Address: 51, rue du Mont Cenis, 75018
Metro: Lamarck-Caulaincourt, Jules Joffrin
Opening hours: lunch and dinner every day
Average price: lunch: 10-20 euros/person; dinner: 30-40 euros/person

One a little back street near Republique you will find one of the top secret addresses in Paris for gastronomic Lebanese cuisine.  The owners warmly greet every entering customer and are ready to answer any questions one may have about the dishes. The menu consists of mezzehes (warm and cold small dishes to be shared together) as well as main individual courses. Apart from the typical hummus and the baba ganouch, there are more exotic choices like the heavenly tender lemon lamb livers. The decor is refined, even if a little outdated. Reservations are highly recommended.

Practical Information

Telephone: 00 33 (0)1 42 08 09 08
Address: 6, rue Pierre Chausson, 75010
Metro: Jacques Bonsergent, Republique
Opening hours: lunch and dinner every day
Average price: lunch: 10-20 euros/person; dinner: 30-40 euros/person

This recently opened frenchified  burger place may not be the absolute best place for authentic burgers but it is a cosy place to go for a brunch, see and be seen, and reminisce about cold bud, cole slaw, carrot cake, corn flakes, etc. The uncharacteristically high percentage of small children in the restaurant adds to the relaxed atmosphere of what could otherwise be called another snooty bobo hangout together with the spontaneous blowing out of light fuses cheered on by the surprised guests.  Thumbs up for the decor, high school cafeteria-tasting coleslaw and quick service. Industrial-tasting carrot cake, though, wouldn’t be missed.

Practical Information

Telephone: 00 33 (0)1 40 15 03 27
Address: 39, rue Richelieu, 75001
Metro: Pyramides, Palais Royal
Opening hours: Monday-Saturday (soon Sunday)
Average price: 15-20 euros/person

Momoka is a tiny japanese restaurant ran by the very talented and dedicated Masayo and her several young assistants. Reservations are an absolute must and so is a big appetite ! This is because once you are seated in what might as well be her kitchen you will be presented with three menu options:  big, huge, and enormous! Depending on your choice, you will then  be offered a succession of salads, sashimis, stews and grilled meat and fish wonders, all distinctly of home-made flavor. It will be hard to pace yourself, so if at the end you do not have any room, even if you tried, for the airy green tea tiramisu, ask her to take it to go – it is absolutely to die for!

Practical Information

Telephone: 00 33 (0)1 40 16 19 09
Address: 5, Rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle ( to move on the same street in 2010 )
Metro: Trinité – d’Estienne d’Orves, St Georges
Opening hours: lunch Tuesday-Friday; dinner Tuesday-Saturday
Average price: dinner menu: 39, 49 or 69 euros per person; lunch: 28 euros per person

photo by http://kermoal.typepad.fr/dailyneuvieme/

On a cold  or rainy evening you want to comfort your soul and stomach…then go to this tiny new tavern. With its soft lighting, low ceilings, friendly relaxed atmosphere, Les Enfants Perdus are the children of the gentleman farmer. The team at work is young and laidback despite the starched uniforms. The kitchen timely churns out meticulously prepared and in most cases, revisited, french dishes on a menu that changes from season to season.

The brunch atmosphere is great, but better to call before you head out to reserve a table.

Practical Information

Telephone: 00 33 (0)01 81 29 48 26
Address: 9, Rue des Récollets , 75010
Metro: Gare de l’Est, Chateau d’Eau
Opening hours: 7/7: 12h – 14h30 & 20h-23h; Friday -Saturday: 20h-midnight; Sunday brunch: 12h-16h
Average price: dinner 30-40 euros per person; bottle of wine 27 euros
Website

Love it or hate it, Chez Jeannette is now a staple of Faubourg St Denis, so why not stop by if you have some shopping to do at Chez Jules epicerie or you’re just arriving from Gare du Nord or you’re visiting the old gates into Paris. This newly renovated bar/bistrot, which serves often as a backgrounds for photo shoots during interviews of Parisian actors and musicians, is great for a quick inexpensive lunch (try their salads!) and at night the hip locals spill over to the sidewalk chatting, flirting, drinking and smoking…so Paris!

Practical Information

Address: 47, Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis , 75010
Metro: Strasbourg St Denis
Opening hours: 8:00- 23:00 7/7j
Average price: 8 euros for lunch; 2 euros for a beer
Website

Betty is a lovely lady with a sunny disposition, her little restaurant is too! During the day the room is filled with light streaming through the gorgeous ceiling-reaching windows and Betty is seen running around and presenting the daily Portuguese-accented creations like black ink risotto and scallops or the Portuguese version of flan.

Practical Information

Tel: 00 33 (0)1 46 36 06 07
Address: 14, avenue du Pere Lachaise, 75020
Metro: Gambetta
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday: lunch and dinner
Average price: 3-course formula with a glass of wine 12,50 euros; 2- courses 10,50 euros.

Who can open a small restaurant on a nearly forgotten street with a few simple menu items, charge below average prices and make  every single customer walk out of the door satisfied? Gregory Marchand can. After a long time abroad, working with the likes of Jamie Oliver, he came back to Paris and set up shop in the bustling Montorgueil district. In his small restaurant he proposes fresh and flavorful meals to unpretentious crowds looking for a relaxed and delicious meal.

Reservations highly recommended!

Practical Information

Tel: 00 33 (0) 01 40 39 96 19
Address: 5, rue du Nil, 75002
Metro: Sentier
Opening hours: Tuesday-Saturday: noon-14h30 & 20h-23h
Average price: 2-course lunch menu 15 euros, 3-course dinner menu 33 euros

This four-star hotel is home to a haute-cuisine restaurant with a very original menu and 1 Michelin star. Michel Troisgros, a famed chef whose parents were the originators of French Nouvelle Cuisine, aptly composed a brief and exquisite menu and categorised all his creations according to taste. Here you can experience ZESTY “Fried frogs’ legs, spiced à la poudre du voyage”, PIQUANT “Red tuna, very lightly cooked, chanterelles and sorrel butter”, SHARP & BRIGHT “Grilled veal sweetbreads, olive and verjus sauce” or SWEET ”Apricot Dim-Sum, with a Southern jus”. The Lancaster is not a trendy place and may appeal to an older crowd but no one with a desire for an exceptional meal will be disappointed. Sunday Brunch on the terrace, 65 Euros, and worth every penny.

Practical Information

Tel: 00 33 (0) 1 40 76 40 18
Address: 7, rue de Berri, 75008
Metro: George V
Average price: 90 euros per person