7 Best Restaurants in Les Grands Boulevards, Paris

If this weren't one of Paris's most outstanding wine bars, the wait and the metal tractor seats might be a deterrent. Yet wine lovers would be hard-pressed to find a better venue for sampling a great list of French wines and inspired selections from Italy and Spain—every one of them sold by the bottle or glass—with superb tapas to match. Feast on yummy small plates like the "coleslaw" of citrusy calamari, black-olive coulis, and a sprinkling of pine nuts; bresaola with apples, spicy mizuna leaves, and dollops of creamy horseradish; and a wedge of Stilton served atop a paste of speculoos biscuits with poached pears and smoked walnuts. Get here right at 7 pm when the restaurant opens or shortly afterward to avoid waiting for a table.

A head-turning variety of luscious pastries, classic French breakfast sweets and breads, ice cream, chocolates, and homemade jams will tempt every sweet tooth at this charming bakery and tearoom. Tucked into the historic covered Passage Jouffroy, Le Valentin is a picturesque spot for breakfast, lunch, or teatime—or buy a box of irresistible French-Alsatian sweets to enjoy on the go.

This tiny gem of a coffee shop may not have the ambience of Paris's historic brasserie cafés, but it does have something you won't find in any brasserie in Paris—reliably excellent coffee served with care and enthusiasm. What's more, a small menu of delicious homemade sweets and sandwiches and salads at lunchtime pretty much covers all your restorative needs.

Once described as the "center of the civilized world," this grand café was a meeting place for the Belle Époque's glitterati. It's an elegant spot to enjoy a drink (or meal) in the shadow of the Opéra Garnier.

One of Paris's first bento-box cafés (it's also a Japanese grocer), this cozy spot on storied Rue Ste-Anne offers an array of delicious eats, from smoked eel and grilled salmon to crispy chicken, fried tofu, and yummy veggie sides like marinated seaweed—a house specialty—and sesame spinach. For a meal on the go, this is the place. It's small, cafeteria-style, and no-frills, and crowds can snake down the block, so get there by noon for lunch. Bento boxes are also great to go.

Set at a leafy crossroads on the lively Rue des Martyrs, this is a top pick in this vibrant neighborhood for a quick stop or to linger with a device. The coffee (roasted at their atelier-café Back in Black) is always good, as are the many other beverage options, both hot and cold, and the food—from healthy salads and sandwiches to yummy pastries—is exactly what's needed to get you revved up for your next Paris adventure.

Part of a stylish new chain proliferating around Paris, this sleek café inhabits the entrance of a formerly run-down historic passage couvert on the picturesque, and newly chic, Rue Richer—home of the Folies Bergère. Coffee lovers can enjoy their cuppa (or matcha, chai, and so forth) from velvet banquettes or high up on a balcony overlooking the soaring, light-filled space with a views down Rue Saulnier.