5 Best Restaurants in St-Germain-des-Pres, Paris

This quaint, casual bistro a few blocks from the Musée d'Orsay is open seven days a week and serves its own scrumptious versions of the deeply satisfying French classics like a country terrine, brandade de morue (a garlicky, salty cod and mashed potato dish) and blanquette de veau (a delicious, creamy veal dish). Desserts are also traditionally French and all delicious, especially the profiteroles (vanilla ice cream in a puff pastry with warm chocolate sauce) and the giant dollop of chocolate mousse.

A perennial favorite, this lively, unpretentious bistro is prized by expats and locals for its friendly atmosphere, consistently good food, solid wine list, and English-speaking staff. Dishes like pork belly with crushed potatoes or swordfish with fresh vegetables always hit the spot, especially when followed by decadent chocolate ganache infused with candied bergamot or poached peaches with white wine and sorbet.

This lively and popular brasserie is open from 8 am to 1 am every day, serving a copious morning breakfast, brunch on weekends, and an excellent full menu from noon until midnight of everything including cheese and ham boards to share, French onion soup, and an excellent burger. In keeping with the area's literary past and its name (Les Editeurs means "the publishers"), the book-lined space hosts monthly discussions with best-selling contemporary authors.

Picasso, Chagall, Sartre, and de Beauvoir, attracted by the luxury of a heated café, worked and wrote here in the early 20th century. Today you'll find more tourists than intellectuals, and prices are hardly aimed at struggling artists, but the outdoor terrace is popular with Parisians and great for people-watching.

Portraits of cows adorn the stone walls of this no-nonsense bistro near the Luxembourg Gardens, hinting at the kitchen's penchant for meaty cooking (Ferrandaise is a breed of cattle). Still, there's something for every taste on the market-inspired menu, which changes monthly and lists at least one fish, one poultry, and one vegetarian main. The dining room buzzes with locals who appreciate the friendly service and the inexpensive lunch menu although there are always diners eager to sample the copious €46 three-course prix-fixe dinner.