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Lively bistros and daring contemporary restaurants bring unexpected exuberance to the otherwise sedate streets around the Eiffel Tower. Because money is rarely an object in this area, you can find everything from top-notch contemporary restaurants that draw foodies to nostalgic bistros that appeal to aristocratic residents with comfort-food cravings.
It's hard to say if this bright, congenial café on a quiet street a few blocks from the Champs de Mars feels more like a neighborhood fixture or a chic wine-centric bistro. Scrumptious fare focuses on crowd-pleasing dishes like delicate pumpkin beignets; roast pork with sweet potatoes and arugula, pear, and hazelnut salad; or a juicy bacon burger. Live jazz on Saturday draws a fun Parisian crowd, and the wraparound sidewalk terrace is lovely in warm weather.
Chef Tomy Gousset, who learned his skills in some of the city's most prestigious kitchens, flies solo at this wildly popular bistro, which won its first Michelin star in 2019. The appealingly spare dining room is an excellent backdrop for some truly dazzling dishes that taste every bit as sublime as they look. Best of all, despite being one of the best tables in the neighborhood, it's not overly expensive.
The otherwise unexciting 15e arrondissement is home to much-lauded chef Ludivine Merlin and her Basque-inspired recipes. Basque cooking is known for its bold flavors and generosity, and the choices at Afaria are no exception. Crisp-skinned duck breast with balsamic-fig vinegar (for two) is served dramatically, inside a ceramic roof tile, with the accompanying potato gratin perched on a bed of twigs. Big chunks of spoon-tender, slow-cooked pork from Gascony come in an earthenware dish with cubes of roasted celery root. Tapas are served at a high table near the entrance, and there's a large-screen TV for rugby matches.
To see what well-heeled Parisians eat these days, book a table at this chic little bistro run by Jacques Lacipière as soon as you get to town. The contemporary dining room is unusually comfortable, but it's the excellent, well-priced cuisine du marché that has made this spot a hit. The sophisticated fare sometimes features Salers beef and green asparagus, roasted lobster with mushroom risotto, and game in season. House-made desserts could include citrus terrine with passion-fruit sorbet or caramelized apple mille-feuille with hazelnut ice cream. The €45 prix-fixe dinner menu, featuring dishes with distinct haute-cuisine touches, is one of the city's great bargains.
At this most retro of brasseries that's constantly teeming with life, everything screams Paris, from its tiled floors and bentwood chairs to its moleskin banquettes and giant mirrors. Even though it's located off the tony Rue du Bac, it still feels every bit the down-to-earth neighborhood stalwart that it is. Uniformed waiters deftly deliver your order and whisk away your empties, whether you’re there for an espresso or staying for lunch or dinner. The menu of brasserie classics remains one of the more authentic in Paris: think fat, buttery escargots; buttery steak with crispy frites; lush steak tartare; homemade duck terrine; and billowy mousse au chocolat for dessert. The café also serves a classic Parisian breakfast. All-day hours (from 7:30 am until 10:30 pm) are a big bonus and the sidewalk terrace is the best in the neighborhood.
The red-checked tablecloths and the jovial maître d' at this authentic southwestern French bistro near the Invalides might seem like a tourist trap until you realize that it's just as popular with food-loving locals and top French politicians as it is with foreigners. Everything on the menu is hearty and delicious, if not especially refined—don't miss the gooey help-yourself chocolate mousse. The best way to start a meal here is with the "chariot" of starters, everything from lentil salad to ratatouille; just point to the ones you want. Classics among the main courses are duck confit with sautéed garlic potatoes, cassoulet, and game dishes in winter.
Come for the early sitting at this buzzing bistro (reservations are essential) specializing in solid French "bistronomic" fare and you'll often discover the dining room filled with more than a few tourists—the waiters speak English perfectly. The dining room excels in such French comfort foods as leg of lamb, warm Puy lentil salad, roasted quail, and a scintillating rum-soaked baba au rhum, not to mention the namesake dish of velvety bone marrow. Service can be brusque, with waiters plunking even the higher-priced bottles of wine on the table without waiting for the customer to swill and slurp. Still, these problems seem to be minor, judging by the ever-crowded tables. The restaurant's popular wine bar, La Cave de l'Os à Moelle, across the street on Rue de Lourmel, serves a bargain prix-fixe menu for €31.
