French in Paris

Greg Marchand's 2e bistro that rewrote the neo-bistro template in 2009.

Bertrand Grébaut's 11e neo-bistro that reset the gravitational centre east in 2011.

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.

1890 Lyon-bouchon-style bistro, under the Dumant family from 2025, after Ducasse

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

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.

Jean-Marc Notelet's chalkboard bistro, spice-forward cuisine du marché near l'Étoile.

Belle Époque tiles, marionette-sized kitchen, neo-bistro cooking, opposite the Cirque d'Hiver.

1883 Belle Époque seafood brasserie, Rostang family, daily-port-sourced fish.

The Goncourt Prize restaurant since 1914, Place Gaillon institution under chef Romain Van Thienen

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

Pauline Séné's Top Chef-pedigreed bistronomy at the more ambitious end of rue Paul Bert.

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

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

Cyril Lignac's classified-monument bistro, fish-forward menu in an 1894 zinc-and-mosaic room.

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

Franck Baranger's bistronomy benchmark, Bib Gourmand on a Pigalle backstreet.

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

Vegetable-driven neo-bistro with a 400-bottle wine list and savoury-leaning desserts.

The Levha sisters' Franco-Filipino neo-bistro under a hand-painted ceiling on rue Saint-Maur.

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

Candlelit 9e dining room, reborn under chef Lucie Boursier-Mougenot.

Eric Trochon's industrial bistronomy on rue de Seine.

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