Paris in May
April 19, 2018 1:45 PM Subscribe
I'll be in Paris (6th arrondissement) with a friend for a couple of days this May. What should we do?
We like to avoid the more touristy things, but are fans of great food and drink (beer and cocktails), and general wandering about. Where do you like to eat, drink, and wander?
We like to avoid the more touristy things, but are fans of great food and drink (beer and cocktails), and general wandering about. Where do you like to eat, drink, and wander?
Best answer: The food at the Bouillon Racine is decent and not too expensive, and the setting is a spectacular Art Nouveau dining room. I've also had good meals at La Bastide Odéon in the 6th. The Relais Odéon isn't a bad place for a drink, though I'm not sure about cocktails. You could make a trek up to Harry's New York Bar for those.
France isn't really much of a beer country, but you could check out the Académie de la Bière for some Belgian beers.
Depending on how far afield you want to go, if the weather is nice you could take the Métro to Bastille (or walk, it's not very far), then either follow the Promenade Plantée, a linear park built on an old elevated train line, or walk north along the boulevards that cover the Canal St. Martin until it emerges just northeast of République, and follow the canal up to the Bassin de la Villette. Those are both nice walks. If you do the former, there's great ice cream at Raimo, off the Place Félix Eboué (métro Daumesnil, on line 6, which would take you back to Montparnasse).
posted by brianogilvie at 2:29 PM on April 19, 2018
France isn't really much of a beer country, but you could check out the Académie de la Bière for some Belgian beers.
Depending on how far afield you want to go, if the weather is nice you could take the Métro to Bastille (or walk, it's not very far), then either follow the Promenade Plantée, a linear park built on an old elevated train line, or walk north along the boulevards that cover the Canal St. Martin until it emerges just northeast of République, and follow the canal up to the Bassin de la Villette. Those are both nice walks. If you do the former, there's great ice cream at Raimo, off the Place Félix Eboué (métro Daumesnil, on line 6, which would take you back to Montparnasse).
posted by brianogilvie at 2:29 PM on April 19, 2018
Best answer: Le Comptoir 9 carrefour de l'Odeon, 75006 Paris, France (in the 7th) is a great place for dinner on some nights they have a pre-set dinner and other alacarte....both are great
posted by prk60091 at 2:58 PM on April 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by prk60091 at 2:58 PM on April 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Best answer: The 6th is a lovely place for people watching. There are plenty of tourists at the Jardin Luxembourg, but plenty of locals as well. Smaller gardens and statuary are everywhere in there. There's a little-known crepe district in the 14th, just to the south, on Boulevard Montparnasse. Also to the south is Cemitiere Montparnasse, much less visited than Pere Lachaise. Pont Neuf on the north edge is the oldest bridge in Paris, worth a look for sure. I've yet to have a really good beer in Paris that wasn't Belgian, and the wine is really the star, not cocktails. You'd have to do research, as most of the places I've been in have effectively the same list of whisky, port, etc.
posted by wnissen at 4:46 PM on April 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by wnissen at 4:46 PM on April 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: France, and Paris in particular, has a growing craft beer scene. Here are a lot of recommendations for bars/restaurants and stores that carry French beers. If you find yourself near the Centre Pompidou, I highly recommend stopping at La Cave à Bulles, which is a small beer shop; their staff is great at making recommendations. Also, Frog Revolution is a fun pub just off the Place de la Bastille (especially when there's live music); they advertise American-style food, but their beers are from France and other European countries.
posted by neushoorn at 10:27 PM on April 19, 2018
posted by neushoorn at 10:27 PM on April 19, 2018
Best answer: Le Comptoir 9 carrefour de l'Odeon, 75006 Paris, France (in the 7th) is a great place for dinner on some nights they have a pre-set dinner and other alacarte....both are great
posted by prk60091 at 2:58 PM on April 19 [+] [!]
Yes! And on either side of it are two tapas-style wine-bar kinda places (one seafood one meat) that are 'easier' to get in and out of.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:36 AM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by prk60091 at 2:58 PM on April 19 [+] [!]
Yes! And on either side of it are two tapas-style wine-bar kinda places (one seafood one meat) that are 'easier' to get in and out of.
posted by From Bklyn at 12:36 AM on April 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Go to L'As du Fallafel early on in your trip, then go back there every single day. It's that good.
posted by terretu at 2:42 AM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by terretu at 2:42 AM on April 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Best answer: Go to le Relais de l'Entrecôte on Saint Benoit for steak and fries. I don't think they take reservations, and I know if you line up 20 minutes or so before they open, you're seated immediately. Really good food, fun experience and they'll probably give you seconds whether you want them or not!
posted by cnc at 11:49 AM on April 20, 2018
posted by cnc at 11:49 AM on April 20, 2018
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Get as many macarons as you can.
Recommend you get a good guidebook and figure out where you want to eat in advance: the worst meals we had were because we didn't do that and just walked into a random place off the street.
posted by suelac at 1:58 PM on April 19, 2018