Grands Boulevards Paris – All our local tips

Café Delaville is a well known and trendy “grand café” in the heart of the Grands Boulevards district. A perfect place for an afternoon or early evening drink.

The atmosphere is trendy but no-nonsense, and the very originally decorated interior adds to the active and frivolous feeling. Often they have live music (DJ) from 20:00 to midnight.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Café Delaville | Bars | Beer € 3.00
34, Boulevard Bonne Nouvelle | Grands Boulevards | +33148244809
Mon – Sat 11:00 – 02:00, Sun 12:00 – 02:00

Although slow food is more to my preference, the length of my break tells me that fast food is my only option at lunchtimes. When I need to eat quickly, what could be better than food that not only rapidly appears on the table but is also both healthy and nutritous?

The e-Top restaurant has been open for less than 6 months, and despite the somewhat awkward name, this Asian kitchen is already pulling in streams of lunchtime visitors. Being near my place of work it has become my unofficial canteen, and looking around at fellow customers, it seems like I’m not the only one to use it this way.

From 12 o’clock the clean, modern space slowly fills up, and plates of stir-fried rice, meat and noodles and big, piping hot bowls of soup are brought to the tables. Conversation fills the room and the windows begin to steam up as the hungry crowds tuck into their fresh, spicy dishes. After a quick coffee, a rapid glance at the watch and a rush back to work.

Don’t forget to pick up one of the sweets at the counter to keep you going through the afternoon!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
e-Top | Snacks, Restaurants (Asian) | Large Bowl of Noodle Soup € 7.50
40 Rue St Georges | Grands Boulevards | +330145262289
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 22:00

If you have theater plans for the night but no tickets yet, the Kiosk at Madeline is perfect. It sells the remaining seats of most theaters for low prices.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Kiosque billets Madeleine | Theaters
Place de la Madeleine | Grands Boulevards
Tue -Sat 12:30 – 20:00, Sun 12:30 – 16:00

Le Truskel is the solution to the sometimes tricky problem of where to go in Paris after midnight. It is not difficult to find bars or clubs that are open late in the city, but with the night scene being rather scattered, it is worth taking the time to find a place that is both festive and wallet friendly. Le Truskel is one of the few venues that won’t try to transport you back to 1985 and charge you 10 Euros for a beer. The entrance is even free!

I sometimes go to the Truskel at the end of a night out with friends whilst at other times it will be because of what they have scheduled. Early in the evening live sport events are shown on big screen TVs, then as the crowds arrive DJs spark up mostly rock and indie tunes.

Up and coming bands play regularly and touring bands often pop-in for surprise after concert acoustic sets or DJ slots. Recent visitors have included Jarvis Cocker, Bloc Party, Pete Doherty and the Cold War Kids (videos available on their MySpace page!). In fact, it’s a venue where you are never sure what you will see – or who you will meet!

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Le Truskel | Bars | Pint of Beer € 6.00
12 Rue Feydeau | Grands Boulevards
Tue – Sat 20:00 – 05:00

The streets surrounding the Galeries Lafayette and Printemps department stores are frighteningly bereft of worthwhile places to eat, but unfortunately this also happens to be the district in which I work! It is a reasonable assumption to make that many visitors to Paris may also find themselves in this area and hungry, and if they want to avoid overpaying for the underwhelming there is only one place to go in my opinion – Lou Cantou.

The restaurant has been in existence since the 1920s giving it a charm which is mostly missing from the area. A sign outside gives an indication of the offer, advertising an anti-crisis lunchtime three-course menu for €14.00.

I would not call the food gastronomic, but it is honest and traditional, and better than most of the surrounding establishments where you’ll struggle to find just one dish for €14.00.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Lou Cantou | Restaurants (French) | 3 course lunch menu € 14.00
Cité d’Antin | Grands Boulevards | +330148747515
Mon – Sat 12:00 – 15:00

Between Palais-Royal and Gare de l’Est, there are about 20 covered passages that testify to a certain era of Parisian history, when upper classes looked for elegant “streets” to walk, to shop and at the same time to be sheltered from bad weather. Mostly built in the early 19th century, these passages were the ancestors of our modern shopping centres.

Passage Brady is one of these, and probably the most exotic. Connecting Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis with Turkish restaurants to Boulevard de Strasbourg, with its theatres and African hairdressers, it’s mostly occupied by cheap Indian and Pakistanese restaurants, the firsts of which were founded in the 1970’s by immigrants from Pondicherry, a former French territory in India.

Fragrances of spices and incense escape from exotic food stores and make this lively and colourful place very attractive to visitors.

Going South on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis, near the arch (Porte Saint-Denis), you will find another example of such passages. Passage du Prado, an L shape, less exotic and preserved, still has a certain charm, and is a good place if you need cheap clothes, to rent Bollywood DVDs, a cheap haircut or if you want to mix with the local crowd and try Mauritian cuisine in one of the numerous fast-food outlets of the passage.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Passage Brady (& Prado) | Relaxing, Shopping, Restaurants (Indian) | Haircut € 6
Passage Brady | Grands Boulevards
24 hours daily

Since most ethnic restaurants in Paris adapt the seasoning of their food to a local taste it has been very difficult to find Indian food in the city that packs the punch of spices that I’m looking for, until I found the Passage de Pondicherry. Located on Passage Brady, a covered street packed with Indian restaurants and grocery stores, this restaurant stands out from the rest as the best value for the money and the widest variety of delicious dishes.

As the name suggests, this restaurant does in fact provide a veritable passage to delicious Indian cuisine at reasonable prices. Lunch menus start at less than ten euros but for the best variety opt to pay more and get the sixteen euro lunch menu which includes a starter, choice of naan, main dish, rice and desert. You definitely won’t leave hungry.

The menu offers a wide range of choices from all across India and also comes with a handy guide to gauge the level of spices in a dish, with tiny chili peppers next to each menu item. No chili peppers, and the dish will be relatively mild – up to three and your taste buds will be on fire!

Their traditional naan bread is the best I’ve had in the city and comes to the table fresh from the oven. For main dishes, my favorites are the butter chicken that is warm, creamy and delicious or the masala chicken that is quite spicy and well seasoned. Passage de Pondicherry is a great spot to satisfy all your Indian food cravings.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Passage de Pondicherry | Restaurants (Indian) | Average Lunch menu € 10.00
84 Passage Brady | Grands Boulevards | +330153346310
11:30 – 00:00 daily

It’s impossible to resist one of masterpieces of confectionary of Patisserie Arnaud Delmontel, located at the pleasant Rue des Martyrs (see the Rue des Martyrs article).

A look in the shop window will tell it all, or otherwise the queue on Sunday mornings. The shop won the 2007 first prize for the Best Baguette in Paris, adding to its fame.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Patisserie Arnaud Delmontel | Shopping, Snacks
39 rue des Martyrs | Grands Boulevards | +33148782933
Wed – Mon 07:00 – 20:30

An all time favorite in terms of character combined with extremely reasonable prices.

Chartier, located in a small street just around the corner of the Grands Boulevards, is a large canteen-like space on several levels. It breathes the many generations of Parisians that have been here for a simple but enjoyable lunch or dinner.

Before entering the door you may have to wait some time as it is always crowded, but do not let yourself be put of as the turnaround time is really quick and the place is big. Everything here goes fast, although once seated you can take your time.

The menu is very diverse but simple. No haute cuisine, simple steaks, fish, vegetables etc. What else do you need? Perfect place and experience if you have other activities later that evening such as cinema or theatre.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Restaurant Chartier | Restaurants (French) | Menu € 20.00
7, rue du Faubourg montmartre | Grands Boulevards | +33147708629
11:30 – 23:00 daily (Kitchen closes at 22:00)

The principal argument of Le Syphax is that it serves probably the cheapest drinks in Paris over the longest period of time (the happy hour lasts all evening!), but it is also a bar that has managed to create an agreeable atmosphere of its own.

The spirit of the bar has nothing to do with the neutral clean interior, but comes rather from the groups of students who have adopted the venue as their own. With the average age under 25, and a lack of posturing and posing in the bar, conversations are quick to spark.

I use it as a place to begin an evening, a place to wind down from work and warm up for the next destination, but others may well find that they unwittingly spend the whole evening in the bar.

I hesitate to describe the place as a venue to go to if you want to meet a young Parisien(ne), but it is a place any visitor can go and feel relaxed. And when people are relaxed, making new friends is that much easier!

Le Syphax does also operate as a restaurant during the day, but although the prices are again very reasonable, a combination of daylight and office worker suits quickly strip the bar of its chilled night-time atmosphere.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Syphax Cafe | Bars | Pint of Beer (18:00 – 02:00) € 3.00
26, Rue de Chateaudun | Grands Boulevards | +330148784645
10:00 – 02:00 daily

Tribal Café offers one of the best atmospheres for a bar in Paris. Located near the “Turkish” neighbourhood (you have to pass under a porch on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis), not in a very busy street, you have only little chance to end there by chance.

Mostly frequented by students or tourists looking for a bargain, its reputation has grown thanks to its cheap beers (the basic pint costs only € 3.50) and the free food offered! Indeed a plate of moules-frites (mussels with fries) will accompany your drinks on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while on busier Fridays and Saturdays, Tribal offers a plate of couscous.

More than just a deal for eating for free, the mussels/couscous deal makes the ambiance particular and actually reminds of how most French people conceive their dinner parties, ie where the “apéro” (apéritif) is actually longer and far more important than the dinner itself.

Indeed, since only seated people will be served food, Tribal gets crowded by 19:00 – 20:00, but food is served later, by 21:00 – 22:00 and beer is cheap, so spending time on the comfortable sofas of Tribal Café will resemble a long apéro before a quickly swallowed – but decisive for your stomach! – dinner…

The big octagonal tables are also great for socializing: small groups are generally asked to share a table with bigger ones, and the relaxed atmosphere of the place will do the rest.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Tribal Café | Bars, Restaurants (Couscous, Mussels) | Pint of Amstel € 3.50
3 Cour des Petites Ecuries | Grands Boulevards | +33147705708
17:00 – 02:00 daily

Lavinia is one of the best and largest wine shops of Paris. This is not a small boutique or cave but a real temple of wine.

The staff is helpful and knowledgeable and will point you out where to find the Merlot, Sancerre or Porto you are looking for.

The shop offers many possibilities for wine tastings. Not only do they have an internal cafeteria (upstairs) but you can also book wine courses and group tastings.
Upstairs you also find an impressive selection of whiskeys (locked of course) and it needs no mention that the Champagne region is also well represented.

Details about this spot (Show on map)
Wine shop Lavinia | Shopping
3, boulevard de la Madeleine | Grands Boulevards | +33142972020
Mon – Sat 10:00 – 20:00