5 Best Restaurants in Montmartre, Paris

Five minutes by foot from the Anvers métro station, the well-kept secret Braisenville has been serving inventive small plates to locals for more than a decade. “Casual gourmet” sums up the wood-fired-oven fare, the lively ambience, and the friendly, unfussy service that patrons experience as they share dishes like raw scallops in a maracuja vinaigrette with red meat radish and Granny Smith apple or crispy quail with umeboshi, romanesco cabbage tabbouleh, and currants. The three-tiered menu (vegetarian, sea, land) offers something for everyone, and the chef’s selection (five plates, €59) is a sure bet; the excellent paired wines (five glasses, €33) are worth the extra splurge.

With a name that translates to "lemons and oysters," this compact oyster bar—a notable addition to Pigalle's thriving food scene—is the perfect stop for a casual apéro of succulent oysters (imported daily from coastal France) and a glass of crisp vin blanc. But don't resist the urge to stay for dinner: the wildly creative chef (also a chef at the beautiful Hotel Rochechouart next door) presents beautiful small seafood dishes (think cured sardines, crab rolls on brioche, and house-smoked salmon) flecked with fresh flowers and herbs.

Though everyone talks about the "new Montmartre," exemplified by a wave of chic residents and throbbingly cool cafés and bars, the old Montmartre is alive and well at the untrendy-and-proud-of-it Mascotte. This old-fashioned café-brasserie—which dates from 1889, the same year that saw the opening of the Tour Eiffel and the Moulin Rouge—is a local favorite. Loyalists come for the seafood platters, the excellent steak tartare, the warming potée auvergnate (pork stew) in winter, and the gossip around the comptoir (bar).

This "bistronomic" (think "bistro" and "gastronomic") outpost set in a classic Art Nouveau--era bistro—complete with romantic mosaics and a marble bar that made it a favorite meeting place of the Surrealists—draws a lively food-centric crowd that's wild about chef Charleyne Valet's tasty shareable plates. Bistro favorites include egg parfait with smoked potato mousse and sunchoke chips, a delicious riff on grandmère's lentil soup, or haddock with raisins and almonds all served with a small but deftly curated selection of natural wines.

This photo op–ready corner café draws a quirky mix of hipsters, artists, and discriminating tourists. The food is good and includes classics like steak tartare and escargots from Burgundy. For a weekday lunch, check the ardoise (slate blackboard) for the daily special. If you're craving a taste of home, the excellent cheeseburger comes with a heap of crispy fries.