When I’m looking for restaurant tips, I always check in with Lindsey Tramuta from the Lost In Cheeseland website. Or I look in the book she wrote, The New Paris, which sits on my coffee table.
But this time I emailed her instead. I had to get right to the source! “Dear Lindsey, what are the best restaurants on the Left Bank?” I wrote.
Luckily, she responded, so I added all her new tips to her previous recommendations for the Right Bank from her season two appearance on The Earful Tower podcast (listen below).
So what do we have left? The top restaurant tip for all 20 arrondissements of Paris. Here we go. And to be clear, all 20 are from Lindsey, as are all 20 explanations 🙂
1st arrondissement: Balagan
“It’s Israeli and run by the Experimental group. Two incredible chefs, with a lively vibe – like a piece of Tel Aviv right in Paris (and it’s more affordable than you might think).”
Address: 9 Rue d’Alger, 75001.
2nd: Frenchie
“It’s a classic, Chef Gregory Marchand transformed the whole rue du Nil street. And if you can’t get a seat, there’s Frenchie wine bar as a back up across the street.”
Address: 5 Rue du Nil, 75002
3rd: Le Mary Celeste
“Come here for a great cocktail and wine bar mixed with oysters and seafood.”
Address: 1 Rue Commines, 75003
4th: Tie between: Miznon/Grand Coeur
“Miznon has beautiful pita sandwich roasted cauliflower just incredible, and go to Grand Couer if you want to go more formal for some beautiful food.”
Addresses: Miznon – 22 Rue des Ecouffes, 75004
Grand Coeur – 41 Rue du Temple, 75004
5th: Kitchen Ter(re).
“Check out William Ledeuil’s excellent pasta-focused restaurant. Pasta doesn’t mean Italian, however, so be prepared for dishes with beautiful southeast Asian inflection.”
Address: 26 Boulevard Saint-Germain, 75005
6th (tie): L’Avant Comptoir
Head to Yves Camdeborde’s always-buzzing wine and nibble counter near Odéon.
Address: 3 Carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006
“For something less traditional, I recommend Niébé, a wonderful restaurant for Brazilian and African soul food.”
Address: 16 Rue de la Grande Chaumière, 75006
7th: Bistrot Belhara
“An upscale bistro with absolutely wonderful service and a touch of formality without the stuffiness of fine dining.”
Address: 23 Rue Duvivier, 75007
8th: Le Doyen
“It has three Michelin stars and it’s run by chef Yannick Alleno. This one’s for listeners who want a special occasion.”
Address: 8 Avenue Dutuit, 75008
9th: Le Pantruche
“It’s not a new restaurant, but it’s a classic – and it’s very well done.”
Address: 3 Rue Victor Massé, 75009
10th: Holybelly
“The new Holybelly is a smooth-running ship, there’s lots of space and it’s great food.”
Address: 5 Rue Lucien Sampaix
SIDE NOTE: We had Nico from HolyBelly on The Earful Tower here (listen below)
11th: Astier
“This place is an institution and good for getting very classic French food.”
Address: 44 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011
12th: Dersou
“This place is beautiful, modern and slightly Asian-infused with cocktail pairings as an options.”
Address: 21 Rue Saint-Nicolas, 75012
13th: Pho14
“Among all of the Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants, the must-visit is Pho14, a veritable pho institution.”
Address: 129 avenue de Choisy, 75013
14th: Le Severo
This place is “a destination for carnivores”, says Lindsey.
Address: 8 Rue des Plantes, 75014
15th: O’Coffeeshop
“Rather than provide a traditional restaurant, I’m going to say O’Coffeeshop, a specialty coffee shop and canteen that serves up delicious salads, sandwiches and soups alongside devastatingly good desserts and top rate coffee.”
Address: 23 Rue de Lourmel, 75015
16th: Les Grand Verres
“This is in the Palais Tokyo by the team behind Candelaria and Mary Celeste. It just opened, but you can go for a cocktail if you can’t stay for dinner.”
Address: 13 Avenue du President Wilson, 75016
17th: Papillon
“It’s a mid-range restaurant with really beautiful food.”
Address: 8 Rue Meissonier, 75017
18th: Il brigante
“Go here for the pizza, it’s extraordinary.”
Address: 14 Rue du Ruisseau, 75018
19th: La table d’Hugo Desnoyer
“It’s all steak, he’s a butcher with two restaurants.”
Address: 33 Avenue Secrétan, 75019
20th: Le Grand Bain
“This is from English chef Edward Delling Williams who does a Sunday roast. Great to go for a glass of wine.”
Address: 14 Rue Denoyez, 75020
So there you have it. Plenty of good tips there from Lindsey. Bet you’re salivating already.
Little known fact, here at The Earful Tower we’ve gathered all the restaurant, bar, cafe, and tourist tips from all the past guests and put them in a mammoth guide to Paris.
So if you like Paris tips, check out The Earful Tower’s Guide to Paris.
The Earful Tower’s Guide to Paris
It’s here! After six seasons of making The Earful Tower podcast and 100+ expert guests, I’ve finally put together the ultimate guide to Paris.
€19.99
And as usual, please subscribe to the podcast to hear new episodes every Monday, and follow on Facebook and Instagram to join The Earful Tower community.
And don’t forget to check out Lindsey’s work too.
Fab list!
Thanks Sheree 🙂
Excellent recommendations as usual…xx kerrin and Leia…
On the 17th, try Coretta next to the new Clichy-Batignolles park. The food and ambiance is superb!
Will check it out!