The Grands Boulevards, passages and Les Halles
France > Paris > Eating and drinking > Restaurants > Grands Boulevards and Les Halles

Les Halles

GRANDS BOULEVARDS

Cafés and Bars

L'Arbre à Cannelle 57 passage des Panoramas, 2^e. Tucked away in an attractive passage, this salon de thé with its exquisite wood panelling, frescoes and painted ceilings makes an excellent spot to treat yourself to salads (from 10) and tarts both savoury and sweet (4.55). M° Grands-Boulevards. Mon–Sat till 6pm.

Fauchon 26 place de la Madeleine, 8^e. Swish salon de thé with plats du jour, sandwiches and mouthwatering pâtisseries – try the Darjeeling-tea tart – though at a price. M° Madeleine. Mon–Sat 8am–7pm.

Kitty O'Shea's 10 rue des Capucines, 2^e. A favourite haunt of expats, with excellent Guinness and Smithwicks. Live music on Sun at 9pm. M° Opéra. Daily noon–1.30am.

Restaurants

Chartier 7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 9^e, www.bouillon-chartier.com. Brown linoleum floor, dark-stained woodwork, brass hat-racks, clusters of white globes suspended from the high ceiling, mirrors, waiters in long aprons – the original decor of an early twentieth-century soup kitchen. Worth seeing and, though crowded and rushed, the food is not bad at all. Three courses for 15, and a bottle of wine from 5.80. M° Grands-Boulevards. Daily 11.30am–3pm & 6–10pm.

Le Grand Café Capucines 4 bd des Capucines, 9^e. A favourite post-cinema or -opera spot with over-the-top, belle époque decor and excellent seafood. Count on around 42 a head for three courses, not including wine. M° Opéra. Daily 24hr.

Au Petit Riche 25 rue Le Peletier, 9^e tel 01.47.70.68.68, www.aupetitriche.com. Long-established restaurant with a mirrored, early-1900s interior, serving solid French cuisine such as carré d'agneau roti aux épices and filet de sandre roti au Vouvray. A favoured haunt of bankers, especially at lunchtime. Menu at 22.50, menu enfant 11. M° Richelieu-Drouot. Mon–Sat 12.15–2.30pm & 7pm–12.15am.

PASSAGES AND PALAIS-ROYAL

Cafés and Bars

Le Bar de l'Entracte on the corner of rue Montpensier and rue Beaujolais, 1^er. Theatre people, bankers and journalists come for quick snacks of gratin de pomme de terre and Auvergnat ham in this almost traffic-free spot. Fills up to bursting during the intervals at the Palais-Royal theatre just down the road. Plats from 9. M° Palais-Royal-Musée-du-Louvre. Daily 10am–2am, except Mon when closes at 9pm.

Aux Bons Crus 7 rue des Petits-Champs, 1^er. A relaxed, workaday place that has been serving good wines and cheese, sausage and ham for more than eighty years. A carafe from 5; plate of cold meats from 9. M° Palais-Royal. Mon 9am–4pm, Tues–Sat 9am–11pm, closed Mon evening & Sun.

Café de la Comédie 153 rue St-Honoré, 1^er. Small, traditional café opposite the Comédie Française, complete with a mirror painted with theatrical scenes at the back. The tartines (open sandwiches) and croque monsieur are especially good. M° Palais-Royal-Musée-du-Louvre. Tues–Sun 10am–midnight.

Juveniles 47 rue de Richelieu, 2^e. Very popular, tiny wine bar run by a Scot. Wine from 13 a bottle; plats du jour around 11. M° Palais-Royal. Mon–Sat noon–11pm.

La Muscade 67 Galerie de Montpensier, 1^er. Smart but relaxed café-restaurant in the Palais Royal gardens serving excellent hot chocolate, a variety of teas and cakes (afternoon tea served 3–6.15pm), as well as more substantial plats du jour for 13.50. Seating in the gardens in summer. M° Palais-Royal-Musée-du-Louvre. Tues–Sat 9.30am–8.30pm, Sun 9.30am–7pm.

A Priori Thé 35 Galerie-Vivienne, 2^e. Classy little salon de thé in a charming passage. Tea and cakes, but more substantial dishes also available. M° Pyramides/Sentier. Mon–Sat 9am–6pm, Sun 12.30–6.30pm.

Restaurants

Baan Boran 43 rue Montpensier, 1^er tel 01.40.15.90.45. Delicious, authentic Thai cuisine served in simple surroundings. Mains cost around 12. M° Palais-Royal/Musée-du-Louvre. Mon–Sat noon–3pm & 7–11.30pm.

Le Dauphin 167 rue St-Honoré, 1^er tel 01.42.60.40.11. Just over the way from the Comédie Française, this old bistrot with its original Art Deco stained glass serves up inventive southwestern dishes. Specialities are the parrilladas (mixed grill) such as the rich and meaty parillada du boucher made up of steak, duck, chicken breast and sausage; veggies are catered for too with the parillada de la terre (tomatoes, courgette, aubergine, fenil, peppers and endives). Lunchtime menu (except Sun) 23, evening 34. M° Palais-Royal-Musée -du-Louvre. Daily noon–2pm & 7.30–11pm.

Foujita 41 rue St-Roche, 1^er tel 01.42.61.42.93. Quick and crowded, this is one of the cheaper but better Japanese restaurants, as proved by the numbers of Japanese eating here. Soup, sushi, rice and tea for 11 at lunchtime; plate of sushi or sashimi from 7. M° Tuileries/Pyramides. Mon–Sat noon–2.15pm & 7.30–10pm; closed mid-Aug.

Le Grand Colbert passage Colbert, rue Vivienne, 2^e tel 01.42.86.87.88. An elegant belle époque brasserie with high ceilings and swirly drapes. Bankers and theatregoers drop in for solid French cooking such as confit de canard and andouillette. Their all-day menu costs 25, including coffee. M° Bourse. Daily noon–3pm & 7.30pm–1am; closed mid-July to mid-Aug.

Le Grand Véfour 17 rue de Beaujolais, 1^er tel 01.42.96.56.27, [email protected]. The carved wooden ceilings, frescoes, velvet hangings and late eighteenth-century chairs haven't changed since Napoleon brought Josephine here. Considering the luxury of the cuisine, the lunchtime menu for 71 is a cinch. Go à la carte and the bill could easily top 200. M° Pyramides/Bourse. Mon–Fri 12.30–2pm & 7.30–10pm.

Higuma 32bis rue Ste Anne, 1^er tel 01.47.03.38.59. Authentic Japanese canteen with cheap, filling ramen dishes and a variety of set menus starting at 10. M° Pyramides. Daily 11.30am–10pm.

Le Vaudeville 29 rue Vivienne, 2^e tel 01.40.20.04.62. There's often a queue to get a table at this lively, late-night brasserie, attractively decorated with marble and mosaics. Dishes include grilled cod with truffle sauce and belle tête de veau. À la carte from 30; lunchtime formule 21.50. M° Bourse. Open daily 7am–2am.

SENTIER

Cafés and Bars

Le Café 62 rue Tiquetonne, 2^e. A hip, buzzing café, full of old travel posters, yellowing maps and African sculptures. Plats du jour 8. M° Les Halles/Étienne-Marcel. Mon–Sat 10am–2am, Sun noon–midnight.

Lina's Sandwiches 50 rue Étienne-Marcel, 2e (M° Étienne-Marcel); also at 8 rue Marbeuf, 8e (M° Alma-Marceau), 27 rue St-Sulpice, 6^e (M° St-Sulpice), 7 av de l'Opéra, 1^er (M° Pyramides), 30 bd des Italiens, 9^e (M° Opéra), 105 rue du Faubourg-St-Honoré, 8^e (M° St-Philippe-du-Roule). Excellent sandwiches, plus salads, soups, brownies and breakfasts – ideal for a window-shopping break. Mon–Sat 8.30am–4.30pm.

Le Tambour 41 rue Montmartre, 2^e. A colourful local habitués' bar, eccentrically furnished with recycled street signs, old paving stones and the like. A demi costs 2.60; hearty salads and snacks available. M° Sentier. Open 24hr daily.

Restaurants

Dilan 13 rue Mandar, 2^e tel 01.42.21.14.88. An excellent-value Kurdish restaurant. Beautiful starters, stuffed aubergines (babaqunuc), fish with yoghurt and courgettes (kanarya). Plats around 10. M° Les Halles/Sentier. Mon–Sat noon–2pm & 7.30–10.30pm.

LES HALLES AND CHÂTELET

Cafés and Bars

A la Cloche des Halles 28 rue Coquillière, 1^er. The bell hanging over this little wine bar is the one that used to mark the end of trading in the market halls. Today's noise is provided by the traffic on this busy corner, but you're assured of some very fine wines. M° Châtelet-Les Halles/Louvre. Open till 10pm; closed Sat eve & Sun.

Le Cochon à l'Oreille 15 rue Montmartre, 1^er. This classic little café-bar, with its raffia chairs outside and scenes of the old market on ceramic tiles inside, dates from the market days; the only thing that's changed is the opening hours. M° Châtelet-Les Halles/Étienne-Marcel. Mon–Sat 8am–7pm.

Self-Service de la Samaritaine Magasin 2, rue de la Monnaie, 1^er. On the tenth floor of their magasin principal. The view over the Seine is probably more of an attraction than the food, though that isn't bad for the price (8.50 plat du jour). M° Pont-Neuf. Open May–Oct Mon–Sat 9.30am–7pm, Thurs 9.30am–9pm.

Le Sous-Bock 49 rue St-Honoré, 1^er. Hundreds of beers – bottled and on tap (from 3.05) – and whiskies to sample, plus simple, inexpensive food. Mussels a speciality (from 8.90). Frequented by night owls. Prices go up after 7pm. M° Châtelet-Les Halles. Mon–Sat 11am–5am, Sun 3pm–5am.

Au Trappiste 4 rue St-Denis, 1^er. Numerous draught beers include Jenlain, France's best-known bière de garde, Belgian Blanche Riva and Kriek from the Mort Subite (Sudden Death) brewery – plus moulesfrites for 11 and various tartines. M° Châtelet. Mon–Thurs noon–2am, Fri–Sun noon–4am.

Restaurants

Le Gros Minet 1 rue des Prouvaires, 1^er tel 01.42.33.02.62. Relaxed, small restaurant with distinct charm. The menu centres on duck, including carpaccio de canard (very thin slices of raw duck), but there are plenty of alternatives on offer. Menu at 15.50, à la carte around 30. M° Châtelet-Les Halles. Mon–Sat 7.30–11.30pm, Tues–Fri noon–2pm.

L'Ostréa 4 rue Sauval, 1^er. First-class fish and seafood served in a simple, wooden-beamed room hung with fish hooks and model ships. Choose from herrings (7) served in one of six different ways, mussels (11) and fish mains (19). M° Louvre-Rivoli/Châtelet. Noon–2pm & 7–11pm; closed Sat lunchtime, Sun & Aug.

Au Pied de Cochon 6 rue Coquillière, 1^er. A Les Halles institution, this is the place to go for extravagant middle-of-the-night pork chops, Oysters and of course pigs' trotters. Seafood platter 33. Carte around 42. M° Châtelet-Les Halles. Daily 24hr.

La Robe et le Palais 13 rue des Lavandières St-Opportune, 1^er tel 01.45.08.07.41. Small, busy restaurant à vins serving traditional cuisine and an excellent selection of wines. Typical main courses include sea bream, boudin noir (black pudding), andouillette (tripe sausage), and steak. The two-course lunch menu is good value at 13.50, and large meat or cheese platters for 10 are also available. M° Châtelet. Mon–Sat noon–2pm & 7.30–11pm.

La Tour de Montlhéry (Chez Denise) 5 rue des Prouvaires, 1^er tel 01.42.36.21.82. An old-style Les Halles bistrot serving substantial food; always crowded and smoky. Carte from 38. M° Louvre-Rivoli/Châtelet. Open 24hr Mon–Fri; closed mid-July to mid-Aug.

La Victoire Suprême du Cœur 41 rue des Bourdonnais, 1^er tel 01.40.41.93.95. Vegetarian restaurant of the Sri Chinmoy variety – the Indian guru's photos and drawings cover the walls. The menu offers a wide range of tasty salads, quiches and plats du jour (8.20), all very wholesome. M° Louvre-Rivoli/Châtelet. Mon–Fri 11.45am–2.45pm & 7–10pm, Sat noon–4pm & 7–10pm.