Food Guide | 6 x food, lunch and drinks in Paris
The Cod House
If the stately boulevards, quaint neighborhoods and top-notch museums are not enough reason to travel to Paris for a weekend, then the more 40,000 restaurants might help. And let's just find out that the French clock strikes much more than classic brasseries and Grand Cafés. 6 x hotspots for lunch, drinks and dinner in the City of Lights.
From established names to brand new in-the-know places, six addresses that should be on anyone’s to-do list for Paris.
1. Holybelly 5
Behind the glass facade on Rue Lucien Sampaix lurks the hippest lunch spot in the 10th arrondissement. Holybelly is the brainchild of a French couple who discovered in Melbourne what Paris was missing: an all day breakfast and lunch place with fair quality products. From good coffees to tasty dishes that change with the seasons, always fresh and healthy. Items you’ll find on the menu all year round (and should be missed) are the fluffy pancakes and the 'sausage patty'. Holybelly doesn't take reservations so expect a queue - especially on weekends.
Holybelly, 5 Rue Lucien Sampaix - 10e arrondissement
2. L'Alcazar
If you didn't know that behind the steel doors on Rue Mazarine hid one of St. Germain's sexiest restaurants, you would probably walk past it. L'Alcazar is the type of restaurant that wows from the moment you step in. A stylish restaurant packed with tropical foliage on the ground floor, a mezzanine with cocktail bar above and a glass greenhouse as a roof. Expect French and Mediterranean delights, good wines, a crowd of yuppies, informal staff. Also, the Sunday brunches at Alcazar are told to be a hit.
L'Alcazar, 62 Rue Mazarine - 6e arrondissement
3. Popelini
Forget macarons and Choux pastries, the latest and tastiest French sin is the Popelini. A 30 gram creamy soft pastry filled with cream, wrapped in a crispy jacket and finished with a touch of praline or nougat, passion fruit, or vanilla from Madagascar. Or pretty much any flavor you could wish for. If there is such a thing as haute patisserie this is it. They’re sold at EUR 2.40 each. You will find the Popelini shops in the 3rd, 7th and 9th arrondissements.
Popelini, o.a. 44 Rue des Martyrs - 9e arrondissement
4. The Cod House
The people that brought us hit restaurants like Orient Extreme and Kinugawa now opened The Cod House. A buzzy restaurant-slash cocktail bar serving Asian tapas-style dishes. The menu is not really surprising (we see tempuras, edamame, the famous sushi rolls, sashimi and bao rolls), but the vibe of The Cod House makes up for it. As with all hip Parisian places The Cod House does not take reservations, but a cocktail or sake will ease the wait.
The Cod House, 1 Rue de Condé - 6e arrondissement
5. Marlette
Started as an organic bread and cake shop, it has since grown into an established breakfast and lunch hotspot in Montmartre and beyond (Marlette can now be found in four places across Paris). No matter how good the super foods, granola bowls, soups and (gluten-free) sandwiches might be, at Marlette you really just come for coffees (from Parisian roastery Coutume) and the delicious cakes.
Marlette, o.a. 51 Rue des Martyrs - 9e arrondissement
6. Buvette
Little sister of the widely acclaimed Buvette (West Village, Manhattan) in New York, the smaller Parisian version is a perfect translation of what a Buvette actually is: a place where people gather to drink. Wine in this case. Because besides an uncomplicated menu with healthy lunches, fresh juices, salads and genuine croque monsieurs et madame's, Buvette is above all just a very good and friendly wine bar. The heart of Pigalle. Speaking of cherries on the cake.
Buvette, 28 Rue Henry Monnier - 9e arrondissement
