Paris is first and foremost associated with pastries — the flaky layers of a croissant, the precise macaron and a fresh baguette with a little cheese from the supermarket. But it has so much to offer lovers of savory food and restaurants as well, especially the classic French bistro: onion soup, chocolate mousse you dream about at night and a burger on a chic street corner.
In August, it gets a little more complicated: This is the big vacation season for the French, and some restaurants and bakeries, especially family-run businesses, are closed. Still, there is no reason to give up on Paris in summer. Here are six places, from savory to sweet, that stay open in summer and are worth keeping an eye on.
Until the wee hours of the night: Café Charlot
There are places that are always fun to return to, and Café Charlot is exactly that kind of place. You go there for the relaxed atmosphere and street-side seating, and also because you can arrive at 8 a.m. for coffee or a good brunch, at noon for a burger or Caesar salad, in the afternoon for a good glass of wine and in the evening to open a table with friends. Classic bistro menu, good service and always a pleasant place to sit. Open from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m., seven days a week.
Where to go for a Michelin chef: Frenchie Pigalle
There are quite a few Michelin-recommended restaurants where, alongside an expensive dinner menu, you can also find lunch at a particularly reasonable price. At Frenchie Pigalle, the restaurant of chef Gregory Marchand, the man behind the Michelin-starred Frenchie, you can eat at relatively sane prices for the genre even in the evening, but the real find is lunch: a set menu of a main course with either an appetizer or dessert for 25 euros, or all three for 30, Monday through Saturday.
Frenchie Pigalle: Lunch at a reasonable price
(Photo: Nitzan Kahana)
And it is worth taking all three, because of the selection of appetizers and because of the banoffee dessert. The menu is seasonal and changes, the beef tartare is a must-order and there is a vegetarian selection. The design is bright and inviting, the service relaxed and the place feels like it knows itself and is not trying to impress. Reservations are recommended.
Giant chocolate mousse: Chez Janou
A Provençal bistro a short walk from Place des Vosges, kind friends recommend with one clear instruction: Do not skip the chocolate mousse. The varied menu is rooted in Provençal cuisine, vegetarians will easily find something to eat, and it is a fun place to open a table with excellent dishes to share. Then comes the famous dessert: a huge clay bowl of chocolate mousse, spooned from it onto the plate at the table — a real show, and the taste lives up to the reputation. Open daily from noon to midnight. Reservations are recommended.
Provençal cuisine at Chez Janou
(Photo: Nitzan Kahana)
Wine Evening: Frenchie Bar à Vins
The wine bar from the Frenchie family on Rue du Nil is the place for an evening of ordering a few good bottles of wine alongside chef-driven dishes, at accessible prices and in a good atmosphere. The menu is seasonal and changes, but if the zucchini tartlet or the ragù with pasta sheets is on it, those are must-order dishes. The place does not take reservations, and at a busy evening hour it is better not to arrive with a large group — the wait will be long. Open every evening from 6:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., and open throughout the summer.
You must have the zuchinni tartlet at Frenchie Bar à Vins
(Photo: Nitzan Kahana)
Stalls that make you hungry: Bastille Market
Stalls piled high with vegetables, flowers, cheeses and cured meats that make you want to fill a basket and run to the kitchen to cook — alongside food stalls with dishes from around the world. The market stretches along Boulevard Richard-Lenoir to Place de la Bastille, and is a pleasant breather between rounds around the city. Not a destination to travel to especially, but if you are in the area, it is worth a stop. Open Thursdays from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and Sundays from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Bastille Market
(Photo: Nitzan Kahana)
Between macaron and croissant: The sweet classics
You cannot visit Paris without stopping at a pâtisserie, and these are the classics at their best, all with branches across the city:
Macarons at Pierre Hermé
(Photo: Nitzan Kahana)
Pierre Hermé — The rose, raspberry and lychee macaron has become one of the brand’s icons, alongside the Ispahan croissant, one of the city’s most distinctive croissants. The croissant is sold at a limited number of branches, including the one on Rue Bonaparte, and like any respectable croissant in the city, it is a morning item baked in limited quantities — so it is worth starting the day with it.
Macaron at Ladurée
(Photo: Nitzan Kahana)
Ladurée — Their classic purple-and-green box of macarons is an inseparable part of a visit to Paris. Anyone taking macarons home should think about quantities in advance, because you start eating them on the way. At the tea salon of the flagship branch on the Champs-Élysées, you can drink tea, coffee or a good hot chocolate alongside the famous Ispahan dessert.
Desserts from the new generation of Parisian pâtisserie at Yann Couvreur
(Photo: Nitzan Kahana)
Yann Couvreur — Desserts from the new generation of Parisian pâtisserie. Pastries with more innovation and creativity than the classics, a spectacular display window and any choice there will be excellent. The little fox logo on the desserts is the house’s signature.
- The writer is a lawyer, an expert in advancing social policy and the owner of ninieats.com, which features recommendation maps for restaurants around the world.