2 Best Restaurants in The Latin Quarter, Paris

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Thanks to its student population, the Latin Quarter caters to those on a budget with kebab shops, crêpe stands, fast-food joints, and no-nonsense bistros. Look beyond the pedestrian streets such as Rue de la Huchette and Rue Mouffetard for less touristy eateries preferred by locals. As you might expect in an area known for its gauche caviar (wealthy intellectuals who vote Socialist), the Latin Quarter brims with atmospheric places to linger over a tiny cup of black coffee.

Kitchen Ter(re)

$$$ | Latin Quarter Fodor's Choice

Michelin-starred chef William Ledeuil flexes his genius for France-meets-Asia flavors at this chic address—his third—a few blocks from Île St-Louis and Notre-Dame. Ledeuil is known and loved for his fearless pairings of bold and subtle flavors, like veal tartare pasta with crunchy peanuts and pungent bonito flakes or Thai beef soup with luscious Iberian ham, mushrooms, and sweet pear. Desserts are equally expressive and not to be missed. The affordable lunch prix-fixe menus are a fabulous deal.

French Fusion Fodor's Choice $$$ Prix-Fixe Lunch Dinner
26 bd. St-Germain, Paris, 75005, France
01–42–39–47–48
www.zekitchengalerie.fr
Known For
  • Asian-inflected contemporary French cuisine
  • Excellent-value lunch menus
  • Easy walk from many tourist sights
Restaurant Details
Closed Sun., Mon., and 2nd wk of Jan.

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Le Balzar

$$$ | Latin Quarter

Regulars grumble about the uneven cooking at Le Balzar, but they continue to come back because they can't resist the waiters' wry humor and the dining room's amazing people-watching possibilities. The restaurant attracts politicians, writers, tourists, and local eccentrics—and remains one of the city's classic brasseries: the perfect stop before or after a film in a local art-house cinema. Don't expect miracles from the kitchen, but stick to evergreens like snails in garlic butter, onion soup, traditional choucroute with sautéed potatoes, and baba au rhum for dessert.