France
Discovered this very good restaurant and winebar on the way back to Gare Du Nord. Its only 10 minutes on foot from checking in for the return Eurostar journey to London.
A godsend! Calm, pleasant environment with extremely tasty meals and wine. The serving staff were pleasant and helpful.
We will be back!
www.restaurantalbion.com/
80 rue de Faubourg Poissonniere, 75010 Paris
+33(0)1 42 46 02 44
Google map: bit.ly/LwJYDN
This is a wonderful 'literary wine bar' in the Marais, that hosts readings and performances. They have a solid list of 'by the glass' wines and space in the back to relax.
www.cafeine.com/
31 Rue Vieille du Temple, 75004 Paris, France
+33 1 48 04 71 60
Google map: bit.ly/tgwuYx
On the buzzing Rue Faubourg Saint-Denis, this bar is a lively and fun local. It's opposite the now uber-trendy Chez Jeanette, but offers a much more chilled out and party atmosphere than its neighbour. And much friendlier staff! Prices are reasonable, the music is great and you can even order a curry from the many Indian restaurants in Passage Brady next to door and have it served to you in the bar!
Always packed with young locals, this is the bar (and street) that the dispels the myth that Paris's nightlife is dead.
46 Rue Faubourg St Denis, 75010, Paris
+33(0)1 44 79 06 42
Google map: bit.ly/kR5Gkd
I have to say I think the Why Bar deserves a spot on any 'best cocktail bars' list. The owner makes some top notch cocktails, including creative and deconstructed cocktails at reasonable prices. It's a real find as far as cocktail bars go in Paris.
www.whyparis.fr/
60 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, 75001
+33(0)1 40 26 47 63
Google map: bit.ly/kWHZET
Young, trendy, euro-trash Irish style pub (although they seem to display a flag for every nationality). Large screens show French and international football during the day with a chilled atmosphere and after-dark funky DJs host what may be the only indie night in Paris. Certainly the cheapest - it's free and runs 'til 5am! Drink prices are student-friendly, and what's more, they play regular host to 'after-shows' for the likes of Bloc Party, Interpol and other massive bands.
12 Rue Feydeau. Nearest Metro is Bourse (line 3)
Amazing place in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre. There's a nice terrace with a view of the Louvre pyramid. Nice cocktails and club sandwich but you go there for the location not really for the food.
93 rue Rivoli
+33 149260660
Found a good website for finding a restaurant in Paris… other websites seem only to have telephone numbers but this one provides maps and a great online booking service which is unusual for Paris but great for us Brits who like to plan ahead.
Friendly, cheap café on the side of the bassin de la villette. Not too 'bobo'. Drinks are cheap, you can help yourself to snacks - chorizo, crisps, marmite (yes, really!).
In summer you can borrow a set of balls to play pétanque. Has been non-smoking for years before the smoking ban.
68 quai de la loire, metro jaurés, 75019
barourcq.free.fr/
This is a funky little bar in Montmartre. It's got a laid back atmosphere, lots of comfy cushions, quirky décor and possibly the best mosaic decorated toilet in Paris!
Drinks are reasonable for Paris, this place is well worth stopping in at, on your way up the back streets to Sacré Coeur. Open 4pm - 2am.
24 rue Durantin, Montmartre, on the corner of rue Durantin and rue Burq. Nearest metro: Abbesses
+33 1 42 54 88 08
The sites during the day, then Lily La Tigresse at night! A respectable seedy bar right in the heart of the tourist red light district. It has become a popular, and quite trendy, night-spot, and they have started charging an entrance fee on busy nights.
Set on two levels, you quite often catch a glimpse of the topless dancers passing from one level to the other via a ladder resembling something seen in a fire station. Meanwhile the beat pumps away, but not too obtrusively.
98 rue Blanche
75009 Paris
Harry's Bar in the opera quarter has to be the most unique bar I've ever been to. It has entertained many famous people over the years, well worth checking into!
When you've finished at the Louvre, shopping for haut couture or antique jewellery, drop into the bar at the Hotel de Vendome and let the charming and knowledgeable staff make arrangements for the rest of your day, whatever your budget - and desires.
They know every nook and cranny of the city and will send you off feeling like you have had the five-star experience without any of the cost - it worked for me.
Failing that, hop on the metro to Pte de Clignancourt for the fabulous street market. Saturday to Monday 7am to 7.30pm.
A nice Left Bank bistro, Le Nemrod is in the Rue du Cherche Midi, just around the corner from the Bon Marche.
Good value for lunch or just a coffee or a pichet of wine - good for Beaujolais. A great place for classic Auvergnate cuisine.
51,rue du Cherche-Midi
75006
tel: 00 33 1 45 48 17 05
Organic bar and restaurant. Excellent vegetarian and non vege food. Good if you are a vege and non vege couple. Very reasonable for centre of Paris too. Also organic grocer next door.
47 bd St Germain, 75005, Paris. M. Maubert-Mutualite.
Tel: 01 44 07 36 99
This bar is on the 33rd floor of the hotel and overlooks the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower. Fantastic views. You can watch the Eiffel Tower sparkle while having a glass of your favourite wine.
The hotel is near to the Porte Maillot metro station, you can't miss it
Traditional bar/restaurant. Atmospheric and reliable - immortalised by Juliet Binoche in Kieslowski's Trois Couleurs. Open every day from 8.30 (great coffee and croissants) and all day and evening.
Corner of rue Mouffetard and rue de l'Arbalète; nearest metro: Censier-Daubenton
A beautifully decorated, trendy, yet unpretentious bar just off the well-trodden Rue Oberkampf. Great music, delicious cocktails and arguably the most beautiful man in the world works behind the bar towards the end of the week. Wonderful local atmosphere, but completely welcoming. Paris doesn't get any sweeter than this.
4, Rue Neuve Popincourt; Metro: Parmentier or Oberkampf; Bus: 96
When I was a happy Sorbonne student, me and my "Amphithéâtre" mates used to meet up at this hidden but crowdy pub after class. Drinks are cheap, the landlord's pitbull doesn't bite and the setting is great. Inside, the Pantalon (Trousers) looks like a microscopic Parisian street where all customers can leave their artistic touch or simply stick their chewing gum under the table. Happy hour between 17h30 and 19h30. Open at 10 am till 2 am, everyday.
Le Pantalon, near the Panthéon 7, rue Royer Collard 75006. RER or Métro Luxembourg. Tel:01 40 51 85 85
It is a cafe where they do brilliant cocktails or pints of beer for 4.50 euros from 7pm til 9pm. The waiters are charming and friendly and with each drink you order they bring a dish of delicious olives and another of peanuts. Whisky Dewalis were especially good, with a whole fruit salad balanced on top!
We were particularly grateful after the appallingly rude behaviour of the staff at Brasserie Lipp, down the road, our original intended destination.
164 Boulevard St Germain
In a street shyly hidden from tourists unless you're returning home after a late one on the Grands Boulevards. Part of this small bar is celtic open-plan, for the usual wide-screen-loving rugby shirts. After 10 pm, the dj turns the turntables on for indiebeatpunkdiscomodeighties music (it's the name of one of the nights). A rare delight for French students looking for a pub "comme a Londres". The crowd's a mixture of self-styled fashion throwbacks and relaxed trendsetters, in an alcohol-fuelled (try the vodka-caramel) but relaxed atmosphere.
10-12, rue Feydeau, 75002: 00 33 (0)140265997: Metro Bourse/Grands Boulevards
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