Monocle’s guide to three must-try classic Paris bistros
Don’t leave the City of Light without a cosy supper at one of its charming bistros. Our resident expert will show you the way.
1.
Le Square Trousseau
The neighbourhood favourite
In the 12th arrondissement, near Aligre market, Le Square Trousseau feels at once breezily modern but in ways pleasantly unchanged since its opening in 1907. There’s a belle époque elegance to the bevelled glass, marble mosaics and Thonet chairs, while the menu features classics such as escalope de veau à la crème, steak tartare and crêpes Suzette, plus twists such as the toothsome miso-sesame salmon.
Overseen by Mickael and Laurence Jarno and chef Didier Coly, the restaurant’s reliability runs from the genial staff to the opening times: 08.00 to midnight every day. It’s also a place for all ages, where warmer days see children drawing in chalk (provided) on the pavement outside. The charming, hand-drawn pooch logo on the menu hints at a playful side that belies the effort that goes into the service here.
“I have now been in the kitchen for 40 years,” says Coly. “I started at age 16 as an apprentice in Corrèze and have been working with Le Square’s team for more than 15 years.” Coly’s recipe for success is simple. “It’s a very pretty, authentic bistro,” he says. “[We offer] homemade cuisine with a touch of modernity.”
1 Rue Antoine Vollon
Why it works
The mood at Le Square Trousseau changes with the seasons. In summer, the playground opposite rings with children’s laughter, while in winter, there is a retreat into the cosy interiors. It’s also different across the day, says chef Coly. “At lunchtime, the service is lively, attracting a loyal neighbourhood clientele,” he says. “In the evening, the atmosphere becomes cosy, with candles on every table.”
2.
Chez Georges
The cheerful host
A few steps from Place des Victoires, Chez Georges is the kind of bistro that reminds you why Paris will always be Paris. Run by the charming Jean-Gabriel de Bueil – a veteran of the city’s dining scene and a true guardian of bourgeois cuisine – this address is now his sole focus, and it shows.
The tone is set by the violet-ink menu, leather banquettes, white tablecloths, a pewter bar and large mirrors. The menu celebrates the great tradition of French home cooking, albeit at a standard seldom achieved by amateur cooks. Expect goose rillettes, parsley ham, veal liver with bacon, grilled sole and the beloved pavé du mail – peppery steak with a cognac-laced cream, plus fries.
The puddings are pure nostalgia: vanilla millefeuille, tarte Tatin with thick cream, profiteroles dripping in warm chocolate and a proper rum baba (there are many pale comparisons in Paris). The wine list leans towards burgundy and beaujolais, including De Bueil’s own Chénas Rouge Caillou. Unpretentious, warm and joyfully noisy, Chez Georges is a bastion in a changing city. It’s a type of restaurant of which few remain but those that do remind you of what it means to be Parisian.
1 Rue du Mail
Why it works
Paris is all about personality and Jean-Gabriel de Bueil provides that in abundance. “For my part, the only thing I try to do – with all humility – is to take things seriously without taking myself too seriously,” he tells Monocle. “And to stay true and in tune with the place, its history, its neighbourhood, its guests and the team.”
3.
La Poule au Pot
The nostalgic one
“Everything is guided by sharing,” chef Jean-François Piège tells Monocle, while welcoming us in under the burgundy awning of his beloved bistro. “The dish is placed in the middle, and everyone helps themselves – and then goes back for more.” At La Poule au Pot, sharing plates aren’t a new thing, nor presented as such. Instead, it’s an idea as old as the restaurant, which dates from 1935 and sits in the neighbourhood of Les Halles, long known, thanks to its market, as the city’s “belly”.
Piège took ownership of the restaurant with his wife, Élodie, in 2018 and the pair have sought to update rather than rewrite the rules of a remarkable institution that’s had only three owners in more than 90 years of service. The decor, which includes a zinc counter, mosaic floors and even the original wallpaper – plus unmistakable pink tablecloths and a painstakingly sourced collection of about 2,500 pieces of silverware – is almost as delicious as the food.
“The luxury here doesn’t lie in the drapes or the materials but in the time that we take to cook well and to bring pleasure to those who sit at our table,” says Piège with palpable pride before our French onion soup is served. “I like to say that I didn’t choose La Poule au Pot – it chose me. Élodie and I immediately knew that it was the perfect stage to express my deep love for French cuisine.”
9 Rue Vauvilliers
Why it works
Paris’s culinary reputation precedes it but it can be surprisingly difficult to tell a well-preserved and excellent old bistro from an OK one (of which there are many). La Poule au Pot has survived the many comings and goings of the restaurant scene through its consistency, the hard work of the staff and that most precious of things: knowing when the recipe doesn’t need changing as much as when it does. Bravo Jean-François, bravo Élodie.
Three Parisian bistros have shared beautiful festive recipes for you to make at home. Tap here to read them all and start noting the ingredients.
Read next: Monocle’s full city guide to Paris
