5 Best Restaurants in Around the Eiffel Tower, Paris

Don't let its veneer of a mere neighborhood café mislead you—this is one of the most sought-after tables in the 7e arrondissement and a great option after a visit to the Musée d'Orsay just a few steps away. Jean and Roxane Sévégnès have transformed it into a restaurant Parisians adore, focused on seasonal dishes with a southwest flair that mix traditional recipes, like tripe, tête de veau (veal brains), or that hard-to-find favorite vol au vent (truffled sweetbreads with chicken and spinach in puff pastry) with a contemporary touch. A list of well-chosen wines, including natural and organic choices, and gentle prices for the quality make this a good choice, whether you happen to be in the neighborhood or not. Be sure to reserve, especially at dinner.

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.

A lofty space between the Musée Rodin and the Bon Marché makes this the perfect pit stop. Look for healthy salads, sandwiches, snacks, desserts, and a delicious cup of any kind of coffee drink that takes your fancy. The meticulously sourced beans are freshly and lovingly roasted on the premises.

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.

A quiet residential street shelters one of Paris's great neighborhood bistros, which retains its moleskin banquettes, blackboard menus, and small wooden tables where you'll touch elbows with your neighbors. Expect fresh market ingredients in a gastronomic menu that's liberal with deluxe details. A typical meal might include vegetable soup with foie gras and cream, truffle tagliatelles, panfried scallops in crab sauce or axoa de veau (a Basque veal sauté), and a vanilla soufflé with cherry jam. All this plus a great choice of wines by the glass keep happy regulars filling the dining room. Prix-fixe menus start at €32 at lunch.