Giving away your secret!

April 6, 2007 9:53 AM

[ParisRestaurantFilter] Dinner in Paris! I'm looking for someones secret spot for dinner in paris. My significant other and I both like food but we're not fans of having to dress up (too much). This tends to work out well here in SF but not sure if its the same in the city of lights.

Bonus points for something walking distance from the Latin Quarter.

posted by bitdamaged to Food & Drink (22 answers total)

You need to be more specific. What kind of food do you want? How much do you want to spend? Are you adventuresome in food or do you want something familiar? Do you mind smoke?

If you tell me some of your favourite places in SF I can try to give you specific recommendations. But with no info, let me suggest Le Caveau do Palais. It's a lovely brasserie restaurant on the Ile de la Cite, somewhat casual and very French. The food is not exciting or original, but if you want to have a fabulous duck confit with perfectly cooked potatoes, this is the place. It's something like Le Bistro Central in SF, only a lot better. Not a place for a special night out, but a discovery for good simple French cooking.

I have some other suggestions on my blog.

Paris is slightly more formal in dress than San Francisco. Only the fanciest places restaurants require ties for men, but in any decent place a man should wear proper trousers (not jeans) and a proper buttondown shirt with a collar.
posted by Nelson at 10:27 AM on April 6, 2007

I loved this teeny place called Gaspard de la Nuit in the Marais. Not very formal or fancy, just excellent, reasonably priced food and wine. Go for the menu of the day - it's much less expensive and just as yummy.
posted by walla at 10:32 AM on April 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

There's great food in the Marais. My wife and I ate a bunch of times at L'As du Falafel, 34 rue des Rosiers. No dress code, very good food.
posted by BackwardsCity at 10:41 AM on April 6, 2007

It's been a few years since I have been, so I can't give any specific recommendations (malhereusement), but any Hachette or Michelin guide will list tons of casual but excellent hideaways in the Latin Quarter. Of course there are tons of casual but crappy hideaways in that area as well, so it's definitely good to check out the ratings first.

The Latin Quarter and Pigalle/Montmartre will typically be casual (though there are exceptions, e.g.: la Tour d'Argent, perhaps the stuffiest restaurant in all of Paris is not far from the QL if not actually in it), the 11th will be hip/cool, but restaurants in other neighborhoods will be dressier.
posted by psmealey at 10:41 AM on April 6, 2007

Response by poster: Sure I tend to be pretty openminded in SF

some of my favs

Andalu
The Slanted Door
Foreign Cinema
Emmy's Spaghetti shack.
Chez Papa
H&M

Adventuresome is fine. My Girlfriend tends to lean more towards authentic ethnic food.
posted by bitdamaged at 10:42 AM on April 6, 2007

Response by poster: Oh as too price, I don't want to break the bank but I don't want to wear a tie either so I'm hoping these go hand in hand.

I guess the best answer is "reasonable"
posted by bitdamaged at 10:50 AM on April 6, 2007

L'as du Falafel has fantastic falafel. It's good for a break from French food.
posted by walla at 10:57 AM on April 6, 2007

My two favorites in Paris:

Chez L'Ami Louis.

Brasserie Lipp.

I've dined at each restaurant (both pricey, but worth it) in casual attire. I've worn jeans (during lunch) at Brasserie Lipp, but not at Chez L'Ami Louis (where I've worn nice slacks and a button-down shirt).
posted by ericb at 11:01 AM on April 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

Auberge de Jarente. It's a Basque place that is informal, it's super-good, it's got a cheap prix fixe with wine included that was something like 25 euros per. It's in the 4th on the rue de Jarente.
posted by norm at 11:10 AM on April 6, 2007

Not on the Left Bank but if you wish to wander Montmartre . . . Le Refuge des Fondues is casual, fun, cute, and inexpensive. It's been a few years since I've been there but in three visits I never failed to enjoy myself and meet interesting people.
posted by donovan at 11:14 AM on April 6, 2007

My wife and I ate at Le Florimond, it was awesome. It's a good idea to make a reservation there, but only because it's small not because it's stuffy. We were dressed well, but I'm confident that there isn't a dress code. The evening was so good that I kept their business card and recommend it to everyone I know.

Address:
19, av. de la Motte-Picquet

Tel.
01 45 55 40 38

Metro stop:
Ecole Militatire
posted by oddman at 11:33 AM on April 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

I found the garden seating at this place in Clichy to be quite charming. The food was nice as well, though I remember that much less clearly than the garden (which is the picture on the not very informative web page). There is a small hotel attached to the place as well.
posted by mandymanwasregistered at 11:47 AM on April 6, 2007

Wandering around Paris we stumbled in to Les Editeurs, a very laid back bookstore that's also a restaurant. Great food, and a very cool atmosphere without being excessively touristy or expensive.
posted by mikw at 12:11 PM on April 6, 2007

Places in the latin quarter aren't really that dressy, but they do tend to be a bit overpriced, and I haven't encountered any particularly yummy places there.

L'As du Falafel, 34 rue des Rosiers
SOooooooooooo good for Falafel!!!!

There's a pretty casual Italian Restaurant called "Little Italy" at the Etienne Marcel metro stop that's really good at 92 rue Montorgueil, 2nd arrondissement.

Le Petit Jocyelyn (I'm pretty sure that's the name) is a Creperie in Montparnasse, on either Rue Odessa or Rue Montparnasse off of Boulevard de Montparnasse. If you want a taste of Breton, this place is sooo good for a Crepes/Cider meal, and very casual.
posted by Packy_1962 at 12:25 PM on April 6, 2007

Whatever you do, steer clear of

Gaya Rive Gauche (one star restaurant of Pierre Gagnaire)
L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon (one star restaurant of Joel Robuchon)

unless, of course, you want to spend 350 $ on overpriced food.

L'Epi Dupin (Rue Dupin, 6e arrds) is very good, but very cramped; three course dinner for about 33 €.
posted by NekulturnY at 12:33 PM on April 6, 2007

A Parisian friend highly recommends Le Caveau Francois Villon as an essential restaurant experience in Paris on a reasonable budget. It's in a 15th century vaulted basement with a roving guitar player serenading the diners. Prix fixe is 26 €. Not actually in the French Quarter, nor the Left Bank for that matter, but a quick walk across the Pont Neuf.
posted by dreaming in stereo at 12:53 PM on April 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

La Varangue is a tiny, tiny restaurant where I had the best food of my life. Located on a small side street, it has 5-6 tables and the menu is posted on a chalkboard out front each day. The kitchen is part of the dining room, and you can watch as Philippe cooks your meal, and then brings it to you.

My friend and I were doing our laundry at the laundromat next door when Philippe came over to us and invited us in for a glass of wine. We ate there that night and the next, and probably would have eaten there a third night if we hadn't been heading out of town. This was in 2003, so you may want to make sure he's still there.

La Varangue
"Philippe's Restaurant"
27, rue Augereau
75007 Paris
01 47 05 51 22
posted by SlappyPeterson at 12:57 PM on April 6, 2007 [1 favorite]

If you don't mind a short trip or a longish walk, check out Chez Janou (3e arrondissement), just north of the Places des Vosges at the corner of the rue des Tournelles and the rue Roger Verlomme. Good Provençal food at reasonable prices, and over 50 different kinds of pastis. It can be very noisy inside but the terrace is calmer (and heated). I lived upstairs from it for a couple months in the summer of '04 and ate there several times in 04-05. It has been discovered, though, which is often a prelude to a decline in quality. Au Bascou, on the rue de Bretagne, is another good place that's not too fancy. Expect to pay 35-50 Euros per person depending on what you order to drink.
posted by brianogilvie at 1:30 PM on April 6, 2007

Le Petit Prince de Paris
12, rue de Lanneau
Paris, France 75005
01 43 54 77 26

In the 5e so not too far, but it's worth a metro ride if it's as I remember. So Parisian, great food, helpful (some-English-speaking) waiters--but very few tourists. Super cozy and bistro-elegant, but fancy dress not necessary.

Go. Really. You won't regret it.

Also, if you desire a tea time or a terrific brunch, go to A Priori The:
35, Galerie Vivienne
Paris, France 75002
01 42 97 48 75

The Galerie Vivienne is one of the prettiest in Paris. Close enough to the Louvre to do both at once. Lovely place and great tea. I miss Paris!
posted by CiaoMela at 3:40 PM on April 6, 2007

Bellagio in Paris is the best Italian restaurant (outside Italy) I have set foot in. Fantastic bustling atmosphere, not stuffy and one of my most enjoyable eating experiences in France. It's not near the Marais, but you'd be there in 10 minutes on the metro. You should book - there was a queue out the door and down the street for a table both times I visited, a testament to the quality of the food.
posted by fire&wings at 5:15 PM on April 6, 2007

Rôtisserie du Beaujolais 19, quai de la Tournelle
If I remember correctly it is the more casual restaurant of a fancy pants chef. Doesn't matter - it is super yummy. For what it's worth we have the exact same taste in San Francisco restaurants.
I also like Le Petit Zinc - 11 rue Saint-Benoit.
and
La Rôtisserie d'en Face 2 rue Christine
All in the 5th or 6th if I remember correctly. No need to get too fancy at any of them,
posted by Wolfie at 10:34 PM on April 6, 2007

Le Bofinger, Place de la Bastille. Second Brasserie Lipp on St Germain.
posted by madstop1 at 7:45 PM on April 8, 2007