A not very MECE guide to Paris
So many people have asked for recommendations to my home town, so I've compiled a not-very-elegant, will-definitely-need-updating list of where I like to eat, drink, go out, walk around in the city for you to enjoy, if you can brave the complete lack of formatting. Good luck!
Pricier restaurants
Le Georges @ Centre Pompidou: great view and amazing food, plus you get to walk around one of the true architectural wonders of Paris
Mimosa @ Hotel de la Marine: on place de la Concorde, with mimosa eggs as their specialty but a generally fresh and fun menu in a beautiful setting. Book your visit of the hotel's art collection when you go!
Derriere: my favourite restaurant in Paris, although that’s probably more for the décor than the food. If you go, ask to see the smoke room
Balagan: very fun Israeli restaurant where you shouldn’t plan on having to deep a conversation because the music is so loud (or maybe that’s the perfect setting for you? Who am I to judge?)
Chalet des iles: out of the way but it is beautiful, especially if the weather is nice. It turns into a bar late at night!
Shabour: very gourmet Israeli restaurant. Unbelievable if you have the patience to stay for all 6 courses
Ogata Paris: fancy Japanese restaurant. Very worth it and the building/interior deco, while not exactly my style, is just incredible
Frenchie: gastronomic restaurant by French chef Gregory Marchand, modern French cuisine with an awesome wine list
Normal range restaurants
Marzo: cute Italian restaurant
Capitaine: set 3-plate menu for lunch or dinner
Miznon: Israeli street food at the heart of the historic Jewish quarter. Not kosher but a wide variety of options!
Chocho: slightly vibey brasserie with a modern take on French classic dishes
Rech: upscale brasserie inside the maison de l’amerique latine, great for a long lunch
Tekes: vegetarian Israeli restaurant by the same chef as Shabour and Balagan
This part of the list isn’t short because there aren’t many, it’s just that, unless you’re in a tourist area, there are probably tons of local options. If I were you, I’d ask me for local recommendations.
Coffee, tea and pastries
Angelina’s: go for the hot chocolate, stay for the Mont Blanc pastry (and try not to nap after if you can!)
Berthillon: best ice cream in France and their shop is on the Ile St Louis, which is very worth visiting no matter what
La Duree: yes, ok, I know very cliche, but it’s true that they make the best macarons in the world. Would I lie to you??
Cedric Grolet: I’m pretty sure he’s all over Instagram, but he makes trompe l’oeil pastries that put the ‘is it cake?’ trend to shame. Go early because they tend to sell out after lunchtime!
Yann Couvreur: UNBELIEVABLE PASTRIES. Don’t tell me if you go. I’ll be too jealous.
Cyril Lignac: my mother’s favourite pastry chef in Paris, mostly due to his lemon tart which is meant to be the best in the world
Pierre Herme: another classic but their Ispahan is my favourite pastry
Mamiche: a new, cozy neighborhood boulangerie with great options
Drinks
Gentlemen 1919: good whisky cocktails in a speakeasy setting, although it’s a bit out of the way
Andy Wahloo: fun speakeasy with live music and an amazing range of cocktails, it’s also adjoined to Derriere (see: my favourite restaurant)
La Mezcaleria: very much does what it says on the tin
La mina de Carbon: also a speakeasy (see the trend?) and great cocktails
Bisou: hear me out, because they don’t have a menu, but they make custom cocktails
that have never disappointed me. And if you’ve ever seen my ordering a drink, you know that’s no small feat
Little red door: I’m pretty sure this bar has won awards. It’s unbelievably good
Le Barav: great wine bar
Septime la Cava: also great wine bar
Frenchie bar a vins: on the same street as Frenchie the restaurant, really great wine bar. Greg is very stringent with wine selection
Willi’s wine bar: very much an establishment, well placed if you’ve spent too long in the louvre and need to dumb yourself down with a great red. I can’t comment given it isn’t kosher but apparently they make great roast beef
For bar hopping: rue Princesse or rue des Gravilliers – the former if you want to hang out in the student part of the city to remind yourself of your glory days, the latter for some solid 30-something scene of hip French people
Evening activities
Duc des Lombards: possibly the best jazz bar in Paris but don’t take my word for it – I haven’t visited that many others
Rosa bonheur: outdoor bar / club scene
Globo: your classic dancing bar
Le Memphis: French club playing retro hits from our greatest (?) musical era, the 1970s. Truly a vibe
La mano: club mostly playing latin music, where you might run into a French actor you won’t know to recognize!
Bisou: slightly edgy club. Very fun and great music!
Palais Garnier: mostly the ballet area of the opera, if you’re into that kind of thing
Opera Bastille: for the singing performances, also if you’re into that kind of thing
Aux Bains Montorgueil: not an evening activity but, this list not being particularly MECE, I didn't really know where to slot in my favorite spa. Go for the hammam, stay for the pastries and decorations!
Museums
The Louvre: duh.
Musee de l’orangerie: situated in the Tuileries garden which are also very much worth walking around, the museum has a Monet collection to die for
Picasso museum: recently redone, in a neighborhood also full of cute shops and restaurants – so you should kill three birds with one stone!
Centre Pompidou: incredible architecture and generally great exhibitions
Ateliers Brancusi: very small, next to the Centre Pompidou, a nice palate cleanser
Rodin museum: a little out of the way but excellent collection
Musee d’Orsay: depends on the exhibition but a beautiful space
Bourse de commerce / Pinault collection: newly opened and an incredible private collection, not necessarily always very well curated
Fondation Louis Vuitton: out of the way because it’s in Boulogne but some of the best exhibitions I’ve seen in my life were there
Grand Palais / Petit Palais: decorated by Gustave Eiffel and usually great exhibitions
Areas to walk around
Montmartre: go see the Sacre-Coeur and climb the bane of every French smoker’s life, the butte de Montmartre. The view is worth it, and stop by the fabric shops on place Saint Pierre for some window shopping
Le Marais, in particular rue du temple, rue vieille du temple and rue des rosiers. You’ll get old Jewish quarter, current gay neighborhood and vintage shops all in one
Tuileries gardens: beautiful area, that’ll get you from place de la Concorde to the Louvre. Take the Pont des Arts or Pont Neuf for the full experience!
Luxembourg gardens: a very different part of town that, unless you know Paris, you may not naturally go to. I’d actually recommend walking from there to the Champ de Mars, from which you can walk to the Eiffel Tower, for maximum effect. If you really want to go all out, do that then walk up the champ de Mars until you get to the Trocadero. You’ll have seen the Eiffel Tower from all its best angles!
Canal St Martin: a cute little area on the water. During summer, go with a bottle of wine, some cheese, and make like the locals by having your aperitif on the canal
Republique: trendy, up-and-coming area with a ton of cute bars and cafes
Sentier: the historical fashion district, still has a ton of cute little shops
Palais Royal gardens: next to a great institution of French theatre (the Comedie Francaise) and with a beautiful installation by Daniel Buren, the garden is surrounded by cute shops, cafes and wine bars
Champs Elysees are a bit of a classic but overrated if you ask me – mostly international shops
Avenue Montaigne: the most expensive avenue in Paris! All the luxury shops are there
Bd Haussmann: especially if you’re in Paris around Christmastime, super worth going to see our ‘grands magasins’ and their incredible Christmas displays. The walk from the Palais Garnier through the galleries Lafayette etc. is very touristy but super fun!