Experts think these are Paris’s best bistros
High-quality bistros are not always easy to spot in Paris, but these restaurants offer the traditional French dining experience diners crave.
You’ll feel like you’re in Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris when you dine at this classic French restaurant in the 11th arrondissement. White tablecloth-covered bistro tables are packed in so tightly you’ll be sitting nearly shoulder to shoulder with fellow diners. Daily wine offerings are scrawled on vintage mirrors. The côte de boeuf for two with golden frites and fried egg with truffles are delicious.
A husband and wife run this simply furnished spot in Belleville beloved by many of Paris’s best chefs. Chef Bertrand Grébaut of one Michelin star Septime is a fan. Raquel Carena does the cooking while her husband Philippe runs the front of the house. Diners can’t go wrong with any of the picks from the deep wine cellar filled with small producers and natural winemakers. The wine offerings pair perfectly with Carena’s soulful cuisine including tender suckling lamb shoulder and steak tartare.
Chef Yves Camdeborde’s sliver of a bistro is nearly impossible to book for dinner during the week when tables and prix-fixe meals are reserved for guests of his hotel Relais Saint-Germain. The good news is reservations are not accepted on the weekends when the restaurant serves a brasserie-inspired menu (expect to cue) and it's almost always possible to get in for lunch. If the weather’s fine, snag a bistro table outside looking out onto a pretty Left Bank street. Enjoy the most gourmet grilled cheese sandwich of your life—filled with truffles and Compté cheese—and a generous salad Niçoise.
Acclaimed chef Alain Ducasse owns this restaurant inspired by the cuisine of Lyon. First opened in 1890, the beautifully preserved interior features floral motif moldings, beveled mirrors and an elegant wooden staircase. Lyon, a region four hours southeast of Paris, is famous for its bouchons, casual restaurants that serve the typical food of the area such as sausages, duck paté and roast pork. Aux Lyonnais captures this spirit through its small menu featuring products of the region such as free-range chicken and coddled egg with wild mushroom.
This venerable establishment, opened in 1912, has the distinction of being the only bistro in Paris with a Michelin star. The restaurant’s décor: red velvet chairs, brass fixtures and engraved windows, harkens back to the Belle Epoque. And the traditional bistro cuisine including foie gras with toasted brioche and homemade cassoulet stays true to the cuisine served by the Petit family who owned Benoit for 93 years. All the most famous French vineyards are represented on Benoit’s wine list.
Many chefs and writers adore this Basque restaurant in the 7tharrondissement. I’ve found it a tad inconsistent. One night while the country pate was delightful, the pigeon I ordered came out cold and undercooked, and the prices are high for bistro fare. The personality of chef Stéphane Jego, who can often be heard bellowing from the kitchen, and the rice pudding with caramelized pecans served in a hefty portion to share are memorable.
This late-night bistro recalls the days when Les Halles was the biggest market in Paris and not a sprawling shopping center. Tables are covered with red and white checked tablecloths and wines are poured from giant casks. The menu is nothing fancy. Expect simple meat-centric dishes like bone marrow, steak frites and tartare.
The brasserie Au Pied de Cochon has attracted a well-heeled clientele including politicians and movie stars since opening in 1947. They come for the vast array of fresh seafood from oysters to langoustines (a hallmark of traditional bistors) and the late night hours. Au Pied de Cochon is famously open 24/7. The menu also features plenty of options for carnivores from tender confited pork, cooked for 19 hours, to entrecôte de boeuf with béarnaise sauce.
Travelers can find a taste of each regional French cuisine in Paris if they know where to look. Head straight to L’Ambassade D’Auvergne if you’re after the bountiful Auvergne and go hungry. The mountainous region in central France is known for its hearty and comforting cuisine. Dishes might include braised lamb shoulder, pork sausage with cornichons and aligot, a cheesy, garlicky potato purée. Don’t pass up silky chocolate mousse for dessert.
Brittany is best known for crêpes and apple cider, but the area located on a peninsula that juts into the Atlantic Ocean has much more to offer from briny oysters to creamy sea scallops. At Chez Michel native son Thierry Breton creates a four-course tasting menu nightly that celebrates the region's gastronomy. Expect dishes like scallop tartare with green apples and roasted John Dory and heartier game meats and pork rillettes. The spacious dining room featuring half-timbered ceilings and white plaster walls is undergoing a renovation. It will reopen at the end of March.
