Image by Frédéric Moussaïan

Finding a good snack in Paris is not so easy, most of them being just like one another, with classic kebabs, panini, and crêpes, and, in some areas, really abusive prices.

Thankfully, Kaza Maza is an exception. Located in the very popular area near the Panthéon and Rue de la Montagne Sainte-Geneviève, where many local students and young tourists have nights out, Kaza Maza offers excellent Lebanese sandwiches at attractive prices (even if they recently raised), considering their quality and the area.

The sandwich list is divided in three clear sections: meat sandwiches; cheese sandwiches; vegetarian sandwiches (all cheese sandwiches are vegetarian too), each category having a choice of 4/5 options. It’s also possible to have, as an appetizer, just a falafel or a meatball and obviously, oriental pastries, like baklavas, are also available.

The few chairs and a counter are for those who just aim to have a food break between two pints in neighbouring pubs. But the place is mostly for take away, and sandwiches are always delivered in a thin plastic bag in order to eat them comfortably and not pour all the hummus over one’s clothes while eating on the run to catch the last metro.

In the daytime, and only during the weekends, I recommend enjoying the food in the Jardin Carré, the garden of the Ministry of Research, one minute walk along Rue Descartes (entrance at number 11 of this street).

Note: there’s another Kaza Maza (same menu, same prices) at 16 rue d’Odessa, in Montparnasse area.

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Kaza Maza | Snacks | Sandwich from € 4.40
1 rue de l’Ecole Polytechnique | Quartier Latin
11:00 – 00:00 daily (later on weekends)

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Paris

Image by Frédéric Moussaïan

With its two screens showing only “Latin” films (ie films from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Latin America, and more rarely Romania), and its dance-floor upstairs hosting latin dances classes, Le Latina cinema has become over the years an inevitable place for latin cultures’ enthusiasts wishing to watch an Almodovar film downstairs while hearing the noise of High Heels on the floor above…

In 2009, Le Latina was slightly renamed in Le Nouveau Latina (The New Latina), and it slightly changed too, even if it keeps its strong Latin identity. Most of the films are still from Latin countries, but the programming is broader now, and also includes international auteur cinema (with a preference for films about homosexuality: we’re in the deep heart of the Marais), midday thematic cycles, and midnight cult films on Saturdays (very rare in Paris).

The first floor has been renovated and is now Le Salon Rouge, a very cosy tea salon (open from 14:00 to 21:00) which also hosts a small store selling DVDs, film posters and books about cinema. If you add photography / drawing exhibitions and tango classes on Monday evenings (beginner / intermediate / free practise), it makes Le Nouveau Latina the perfect multidisciplinary space for modern “Latin lovers”…

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Le Nouveau Latina | Art & culture, Cinemas, Coffee & tea, Snacks
20 rue du Temple | Marais/Bastille | +33142466271
11:30 – 00:00 daily

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Image by Pierre BISMUTH

If you go to Paris, you’ll be obliged to visit the Opera district, not the one in Bastille, but the Garnier Opera, the original, just because it is at a footstep from the famous Department Stores, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps.

And, when exhausted by the kilometers you will walk, trying to find the perfect suit or the right skirt, you will end up to get very hungry! Unfortunately, in this area of Paris, there are plenty of restaurants, but often very expensive, and often very bad! I know it, as I worked in the neighborhood for some time.

So, if you want to have a real good lunch from Brittany, or just a snack, you can try this “creperie”, run by the wife of a friend of mine, who of course comes from Brittany !

With 2 menus, starting at 9.50 euros, you will have some really good French pancakes, very tasty and very fresh as your meal is made right in front of you.The salted pancakes are crispy, light and not dry, but the sugared ones are soft and tasty, just as we like them!

You have the choice to be seated or to take away, if you just want a snack. Surely a good place to know if you want to eat good and well cooked pancakes, cheap and in the heart of the shopping district of the City.

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KREP | Snacks, Restaurants (Pancakes) | 2 pancakes & drink € 11
11, rue Lafayette | Grands Boulevards | +33148783987
Mon – Fri 9:00 – 19:30, Sat 11:00 – 19:00

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Image by Tamara Mesaric

If passing nearby, you can not walk away without perceiving Boulangerie Monge. The line, specially on the weekends will attract your attention and curiosity. When you get nearer and see the glass window it will be decided, the dilemma of waiting or not will be resolved.

There a lots of different cakes, that taste amazing (ex. tarte au chocolat-praliné) although it is primarily a bakery and not patisserie.

The stars are however in the form of bread products – different sort of baguettes and breads let you experiment with the variety. The owner announces that they use 100 % pure flour and cocoa and for the health food minded there is a choice of Bio products.

The chocolate rolls (escargot), lemon, almond and pistachio rolls are speciality of this place, if you ask me. Fair amounts of chocolate in a roll, make it a delightful bakery-cookie hybrid.

One of the attractive details about Boulangerie Monge is that you can see, the bakers making bread through the shop window . When you see them during the day you can buy it immediately, but if you pass early at the morning, you’ll be obliged just to watch and buy at the opening time which can be a difficult wait.

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Le Boulanger de Monge | Snacks | Escargot € 1.35
123, rue Monge | Quartier Latin | +33143375420
Tue – Sun 07:00 – 20:30

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Image by Tamara Mesarić

Salle à Manger is a pleasant place to stop if you are in the Rue Mouffetard.

Want to contemplate the historic or symbolic significance of the area or just to eat well, Salle à Manger gives you both.

Rue Mouffetard, where Salle à Manger is located, dates back to Roman times when Paris was called Lutetia. Later it became a commercial thoroughfare and today it is a mix of tourist attractions, restaurants and small food shops. When not overcrowded it is amusing, though my advice would be to take your time when choosing a restaurant.

Salle à Manger is a budget-friendly restaurant with two terraces, the second of which is the most interesting with a view of the St. Médard church (whose oldest parts date from the 15th century, though the church has stood in the same place since the 11th), situated in the middle of an open-air food market. The scenery is reminiscent of the Middle Ages when markets were often found in front of religious edifices. Street artists sometimes add to the experience.

“The Dining Room” is a brunch-oriented restaurant, with large and delicious salads that are prepared with care. The apple crumble is especially good, also available to take away. With a mild ginger flavour it is worth trying.

If you prefer to eat inside, the atmosphere is exactly as its name suggests – as cosy as a dining room.

And if the sun should make an appearance, the second terrace is bathed in sunshine during the morning and the early afternoon.

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La Salle à Manger | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Brunch € 15.00
138 rue Mouffetard | Quartier Latin | +33155439199
08:30 – 19:30 daily

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Image by Tamara Mesarić

These 2 cafés one across the other are one of the most popular local coffee shop around Bastille.

They have an interesting mixture of artefacts and pictures, as well as tranquil ambiance during the day makes it a place you feel good at.

Sometimes too boboish and a bit pretentious, nevertheless it has a charm.

When I came to Paris, at the beginning I was surprised that if you are by chance hungry at 16:00. it’s difficult to find a restaurant with kitchen opened. With time I saw that Parisians really respect the eating time table, so do the restaurants. With Le cafe de l’Industrie, it’s not the case. The kitchen is open all day around and the food is really good. The menu is bistro-range, with mainly French dishes.

In the right Industrie, a cat who is a household institution, will convince you, you have chosen well.

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Le Café de l’Industrie | Coffee & tea, Snacks | Brunch € 20.00
16/17 rue Saint Sabin | Marais/Bastille | +33147001353
09:30 – 02:00 daily

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Image by Pierre BISMUTH

Now it is the time to visit a typical French bistrot located in the thirteen district of Paris, just in front of the Seine. “Chez Lili et Marcel” is a restaurant, but also a bar, a snack and a very friendly spot where you can have a drink before or after going to a concert at Bercy.

The decor is from the beginning of the XXth century, the room being all made out of wood, with old furnitures, telephones and books. It seems to me that it is open 24 /7, but it should be closed after 02:00.

In the morning, you can have a continental breakfast, with French toasts and marmalade, or “croissant” or “pain au chocolat” and coffee.

At noon, during lunchtime, it is very crowded, as the restaurant has a big terrace where one can sit in the sun during spring and summer. The meat is really good and one of their specialties are the Lili’s (or Marcel’s) Burger or the plancha, which is a big piece of beef served with salad and french fries.

During the afternoon, you can try a tea or coffee and in the evening, of course you can have the same that at noon, or choose a big tartine or a big salad, even if it is after midnight with draugth beer or a glass of wine.

OK, it is not the most exclusive spot ever, but if you want to eat for less than 20 euros, it’s a place to know.

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Chez Lili et Marcel | Bars, Snacks, Restaurants (Meat) | Main dish & Coffee € 15
1, Quai d’Austerlitz | Chinatown/Denfert | +33145850008
08:00 – 02:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Paris

Image by Frédéric Moussaïan

Guidebooks generally advise that Rue des Rosiers (Marais) is a great – and historical – place for a falafel. But these delicious vegetarian sandwiches have been popping up in all neighborhoods, and the Left Bank also has good falafel stores. Located in the pedestrian streets near Saint-Michel, Maoz is one of these.

While in Rue des Rosiers, sandwiches are usually made like in an assembly line formation, at Maoz, you have the choice of which vegetables accompany your chickpeas balls: indeed, the waiter only gives you a pita filled with 5 falafels (fried aubergines or hummus can be added, paying 0.60 € extra), then you’re free to fill it up at the salad bar (picture), with carrots, beetroots, olives etc. and different sauces.

There’s a great science involved in falafel-filling!!! If you want your falafel to be homogeneous, move one or two balls to the top and then mix the vegetables between the other balls, mixing the fresh (vegetables) and the dry (falafels) together.

If you can resist a one-minute-walk before biting into your sandwich, I really advise to enjoy it in Square Viviani, which not only offers benches and a lawn with a great view on Notre-Dame, but also hosts the oldest tree in Paris and a free water fountain (spring/summer), which can be a great help, if you added too much sauce from the second row of the salad bar (the hot ones).

Another Maoz, at 36 rue Saint-André-des-Arts (5 minutes towards Odéon), also sells cheap vegetarian couscous and soup in winter.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Maoz | Snacks | Falafel sandwich € 4.90
8 rue Xavier Privas | Quartier Latin | +33143263600
11:30 – 00:00 daily

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Paris

Image by Adam Roberts

I’m far from being a chocoholic, and normally have no problems resisting the temptations of the exuberant window displays of the traditional Paris chocolatier. My tastes are more geared towards the simple and natural, and I find the pralines and ganaches offered by most establishments to be over-rich and slightly sickly.

Via Chocolat is a different kind of establishment though, being a showroom (or Cho’room as they describe themselves) for a constantly changing selection of the best independent chocolate producers in the country. The showroom is simple and slick, with photos of the producers being more visible than the chocolates themselves which are hidden secretly away in sliding drawers.

The chocolates are sold in a wide range of box sizes, with staff making a selection according to your personal preferences. Some are infused with teas, fruits or flowers, some have a slight kick of chilli or ginger whilst others offer a twist of the truly original, such as a warm aroma of honey or a crunch of salt. They feel homemade when you bite into them, the thin crust cracking and giving way to smooth, whipped centres.

As well as the individual chocolates, bars are also available ranging from classic strong dark chocolate to the astonishing ‘aperitif’ bar which is packed with popcorn, nuts and dried tomatoes!

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Via Chocolat | Shopping, Snacks | Tablet € 3.00
5 Rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle | Montmartre/Clichy | +33145261273
Tue – Fri 13:00 – 19:30, Sat 10:30 – 20:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Paris

Image by Adam Roberts

It’s always great to have a nice local bar, but even better when that bar has a fantastic art deco interior! The team at Le Rubis have only been in place for a year, but they have already successfully regenerated an establishment that was hidden for years behind a dull contemporary decor.

Sitting at the bottom of an atypical 1930s building, it now provides a stylish sparkle to the district. The main feature is a curved island bar at the centre of the bar, but the ruby-red walls and bench seats also bring a certain warmth and cosiness to the venue.

The friendly owners will also make you feel welcome, especially if you are a fan of music, for example at one of their ‘apero picnic rock n roll’ events on Friday or Saturday evenings. Many other events are planned in the coming months, but you can also just go along for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea or for a cocktail in the evening!

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Le Rubis | Bars, Coffee & tea, Snacks, Restaurants (French) | Beer € 2.50
140 Rue Saint Maur | Belleville/Nation
Mon – Thu 08:00 – 20:00, Fri – Sat 08:00 – 02:00

Copyrights Spotted by Locals Paris