Paris bistros: the French classics to try.

The Paris bistro with the JARI community.

What to order, how to spot a real bistro, at what price: ask the community and the JARI pros.

Bistro, brasserie or restaurant?

• Bistro: small, convivial, short menu, traditional French cooking, gentle prices.
• Brasserie: bigger, all-day service, seafood platters, choucroute.
• Restaurant: more formal, often pricier. For "real" everyday French food, aim for the bistro.

The dishes not to miss.

• Steak-frites, entrecôte (state the cooking: bleu, saignant, à point, bien cuit).
• Beef bourguignon, blanquette de veau, duck confit.
• Starters: œuf mayo, gratinéed onion soup, leeks vinaigrette.
• For the curious: snails, steak tartare.
• Dessert: crème brûlée, tarte Tatin, profiteroles.

Our go-to bistros.

• Bouillon Pigalle (22 bd de Clichy, 18th) — the cheap classic: œuf mayo at ≈€2, beef bourguignon. No booking, queue up.
• Le Bistrot Paul Bert (18 rue Paul Bert, 11th) — the benchmark steak-frites and Paris-Brest. Book.
• Chez Georges (1 rue du Mail, 2nd) — a bistro of old, white cloths, sole meunière, kidneys.
• Le Comptoir du Relais (9 carrefour de l'Odéon, 6th) — Yves Camdeborde's bistronomy.
• Chez Denise – La Tour de Montlhéry (5 rue des Prouvaires, 1st) — old-school, huge portions, open late.
• L Ami Jean (27 rue Malar, 7th) — generous cooking and the famous giant rice pudding.

Spotting a real bistro (avoiding traps).

Good signs: a handwritten daily blackboard, a short menu, a simple room, a French-only menu. Bad signs: photos of dishes, a long multilingual menu, a tout on the pavement, an ultra-touristy spot.

Prices, no surprises.

• Lunch set menu (starter + main, or main + dessert): €18–25, the best value.
• Dish of the day: fresh and smart.
• A pichet of house wine (25 or 50 cl): far cheaper than a bottle.

The codes to know.

• Service hours: lunch 12–2pm, dinner about 7:30–10pm. Outside those, the kitchen is closed — brasseries fill the gap.
• Tap water is free: "une carafe d'eau, s'il vous plaît".
• Service is included (no obligatory tip).
• Book for dinner: good bistros are small. More: Social codes and etiquette in France.

JARI tip.

The plat du jour is the safest bet. A pichet + the lunch menu = a proper French meal for about €25. Spot more bistros near you.

Useful links.

• Réserver — TheFork