French in Paris

Charles Compagnon's open-plan neo-bistro, Asian-inflected cooking, no reservations, all-day kitchen.

The 1932 bistro classique, Ducasse-stewarded since 2013.

Half-punk, half-precise, the natural-wine small-plates bistro that rewrote the 11e in 2011.

Gaël Orieux's quiet Michelin star, sustainable fish only, fifteen years running.

The 11e's reference bistro, steak-frites, soufflé, white tablecloths and zero affectation.

1864 Belle Époque brasserie under a stained-glass dome, choucroute, plateaux de fruits de mer, full theatre.

1906 Art Nouveau room on the Left Bank, Chartier's brother house, listed.

1919 Place des Ternes brasserie, Laura Gonzalez interior, three-time MOF écailler.

Alsatian choucroute, landmarked Art Nouveau, the Académiciens' lunch.

1895 Saint-Lazare brasserie, Niermans mosaics, listed since 1989.

1927 Trocadéro tea-room, marble tables, white aprons, view across to the Tower.

A Provençal bistro hiding behind Place des Vosges, and the city's largest pastis collection.

Stéphane Jégo's Basque-Breton bistronomie since 2004, riz au lait that built a pilgrimage.

The bistro mythology lives at #32 rue du Vertbois, controversial, expensive, irreplaceable.

Hemingway's table, a piano bar, and the steak that bears his name.

1889 Abbesses brasserie, shellfish counter, Cantal charcuterie, no Montmartre theatre.

1902 Art Nouveau brasserie on Ledru-Rollin, Mucha frescoes, listed interior, honest cooking.

The tiny bistro between Saint-Sulpice and Luxembourg, Fooding-prize winner.

The bistronomy capital of Paris, on the Carrefour de l'Odéon.

Palais-Royal arcade institution since 1784, historic monument with a kitchen in transition

A turn-of-the-century café preserved without irony, zinc bar, red banquettes, all-day terrace.

The soufflé restaurant of the 7e, behind Le Bon Marché.

Canal Saint-Martin's natural-wine institution, 400 references, plates from the kitchen behind the bottles.

The Académie française's secret canteen, in Voltaire's own building.

Christian Constant's cast-iron-pot canteen on rue Saint-Dominique.

The Bernard Loiseau group's Michelin-starred Palais-Bourbon canteen.

Open-fire Marais bistro where côte de bœuf is grilled in front of you on a wood hearth.

Eric Trochon's industrial bistronomy on rue de Seine.

Tomy Gousset's Michelin-starred neo-bistro near the Esplanade.

Adeline Grattard's bistro reincarnation, Franco-Cantonese cooking after Yam'Tcha proper closes

William Ledeuil's Southeast-Asian-French cuisine, Michelin-starred since 2008.