I've been here twice and really love it. I've only had the steak and frites but both times it was beautifully done. The restaurant is quaint yet large enough to handle many people. The staff is very good and the service is great. Great neighborhood to stroll in afterwards or go to bars afterwards. There is an Isabel Marant store across the street for the fashionistas. read more

Chez Paul - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

See all

We went to Chez Paul based on recommendations from my partner's boss at work. So we booked it and showed up on a Sunday night. And were promptly seated in some shitty corner of the restaurant. So that was a bad start. Then when we tried to order the wine we wanted, they didn't actually have it anymore. But she recommended a "similar" wine for about a tenth the price. Just because it was from the same region. So we found a different wine to order. We also ordered starters and mains. I ordered the French onion soup (because I was freezing cold) and my partner ordered the bone marrow. For mains, I ordered the fried pig's parts (tail, foot, head and ear I think), and my partner ordered the pork special. When the server came back with our wine, she attacked the cork like she was trying to slaughter a pig. It was frightening. She ended up breaking the cork up into the bottle, so we were picking cork out of our wine for the rest of the meal. Plus she shook the wine bottle so much that we definitely found it a bit cloudy and full of sediment at times. I mean, if you're going to serve old wine, you should know what to do with it. You should also serve it with nice glasses. Unfortunately, they didn't have those either. I mean this is France, people here should know how to serve wine. It turned out to be nice wine. And the food was really good too. My soup was rich and oniony, and the cheese toast on top was perfect. The marrow was also delicious. So was my fried pig and the pork chop. I can't fault the food at all. Although when we were close to running out of wine, we thought we might try to order more, but because our server was never around, our mains showed up so we just drank our last half glass with our mains. Mine was massive though and I couldn't finish it. After our mains she asked, "Tea or coffee?" How about some dessert? And some water? So she brings back the water, but never brings us a menu. After about ten minutes of sitting there, we decided to just go back and get gelato near the hotel. Luckily I managed to find our server on the way to the bathroom and get our bill. That came quickly enough. Anyway, I really can't recommend this place. I mean I know the service in France is bad, but this was just ridiculous. I mean they have great food (but can't really tell you about the dessert), but since they're so popular, they really don't seem to care about the customers. Maybe it's better if you're French. read more

Great place! We do not speak French and as soon as we were seated English menus were given to us and the wait staff spoke English to us; the waitress spoke English so it was easy to communicate. The portions were huge. My husband and I ordered our own French onion soups and we really should have just split one as the portions were huge. With just the soup we were full. For our entree we ordered the lamb leg for two and it was just ridiculously big. It came with beans and stuffed mushrooms. We hardly touched the beans as we were just super stuffed by this time. Definitely there was just no room for desert. This place is great for sharing several meals amongst family or friends. Very tasty too. Would recommend! read more

See all

Amazing Food. their menu is in French ONLY but our waitress was so sweet and helped us out. we had appetizer ( escargot foie gras and French Onion Soup), followed by main course (steak , rabbit, vegetarian pasta and white fish ). I thought I was going to stop after our dinner, but then I looked around and saw how yummy the dessert looked, I gave in. we ordered cream brulee and candied pear. Everything was so tasty and I believe I licked the plate clean. Definitely will revisit this restaurant again. read more

I ordered beef tartare, house red wine, with apple tarte & expresso for dessert. I had many disappointingly tough steaks in Paris and came to the conclusion the only beef good here are the raw ones. The tartare tasted buttery and tender. I did enjoy it, though I was close to use up all my tolerance for raw beef toward the end. Good dish never-the-less if you like this type of food. Apple tart was GREAT, and so was the expresso. A tip in choosing dessert in Paris: you can almost never go wrong with some type of fruit tart. Common ones are apple, pear, and strawberry. Tart this good are hard to find in US, but very common in Paris. My final bill was 34 euro. Not too bad for a multi-course meal with wine. Be warned: the menu is hand-written. I can barely recognize the hand writing, let along figuring out the french meaning. But I notice many people ordering steak with a large bone marrow on the side (but I am done with grilled steak in Paris). There is also a HUGE cut of bone-in lamb that looks great if you have at least 2 people in your party. I also saw a white fish dish that looks very good. I am a fan of duck confit in general, but did not try here. My waitress spoke a little English, enough to understand me when I don't know how to say the words in French. The space is VERY tight between tables, like many good Parisian restaurants. But it felt intimate instead of uncomfortable. I do recommend trying out this place. read more

I enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant, although the space is a bit crammed. I would advice to make reservations in advance to get a better table, but not necessary. We ordered the escargots for an appetizer, which was delicious. They came in a plate with a hole for each snail, and each hole was filled with pesto sauce. After finishing the snails, I suggest getting a piece of bread and dipping up the left over sauce from each snail. For main entree, we got a lamb which was supposed to be for 2, but would probably feed 4 people. It came with some interesting sides, like stuffed mushroom and grains, but the lamb itself was just okay. My other complaint is that service is very slow and the upstairs room is very hot. I would recommend the restaurant, but would advice to not order the lamb. read more

Chez Paul - Lamb - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

See all

If you are looking for a real Parisian bistro where the food, decor, and the service is as French as can be...look no further! The potatoes daphinoise are so light and fluffy, the white fish du jour melt in your mouth good, but to be sure you know this chef has a special relationship with butter. Don't come here on a diet. Do come and try the traditional tarte tatin with vanilla bean ice cream. The restaurant is always full later in the evening with locals and a few tourists who are in the know. Metro stop Bastille. Come early to be seated immediately. Prices very reasonable but we would come back if they were double. Perfect place to come before or after the Opera. On the mainline metro so convenient from almost all Paris. Bon appetite! Feel free to reach out to me with questions about each place or destination. I only write 5 star reviews to help you find the best each city has to offer. read more

Based on a random recommendation, we walked over to check out this restaurant... Wow were we pleasantly surprised by what we discovered! It is a throw back to your grandmothers days in Paris, complete with an old phone at the front with a constant stream of calls for reservations. Red checked napkins, sassy friendly staff, and a traditional French handwritten menu, make is a must for anyone visiting this magical city. read more

Chez Paul - The French speaking staff did their best to guide us through the menu and made the whole night an adventure! - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

See all

We came to Chez Paul for our last night in Paris because we wanted the bistro experience after several days of eating new, modern French food at places like Septime and Le Chateaubriand. The dining rooms were what you would imagine for a corner bistro in Paris with a distinct vintage feel and vibe. Our waitress suffered through our table's bad French but was still able to explain the specials and offer us some great wine. There were 6 of us, so we got to try a decent amount of the menu. There wasn't anything that stood out. Nothing was bad, but nothing was incredible. The one thing I do remember liking a lot was the french onion soup. Overall, we didn't have a super special experience here. read more

I was lucky enough to eat here before it became famous with the English-speaking folks because of some movie. Now this place is booked sometimes weeks in advanced, whereas before it was just call ahead a few hours before you drop in. Had rabbit somethingorother, it was amazing. My date had stake tartar and apparently loved it. Great wine selection, nice laid-back service, great conversational atmosphere. It was the first great meal in the city. read more

Overall, a nice place. This was our last meal in Paris and while I wouldn't say it was one of the signature meals of the trip, it was good. However, as the last meal, it unfortunately is being compared with the best I had in Paris, and I can't bring myself to give it 5 stars. I wasn't all that impressed with the onion soup. It seemed kind of bland to me. Watered down almost. Also, the cheese toast on top was poorly proportioned. There was like 3x as much cheese as bread. As we ate, excess cheese it just slid off the toast and floated in the soup. The escargots were decent, but I'd definitely had better. Same for the melon and prosciutto. Not bad, but not as good as other places. Entree wise, we had the duck confit, which was again, decent but not spectacular, the pot au feu which was good, and the steak tartare which was also good. None of the entrees were spectacular though. However, the steak and duck were accompanied by these perfect fried potatoes. Those were amazing. But it's potatoes and a side dish. Not worth giving 5 stars over. Tarte tatin was good. The creme fraiche served on the side had an interesting twang to it. I'd prefer just standard vanilla ice cream but it was good. So overall, 4/5. I wanted to really like this place and give it 5 stars, but it just didn't measure up to some of the better meals we had. But it's still good and I would have no qualms about going back. read more

Cute on the outside surly on the inside. The good. Steak was very very good. Wine affordable and good. The bad. Waited an eternity to get our order taken and then another eternity to get our food. Other diners came and went while we waited. Granted our French is terrible and we were 5 min late for our reservation, however our wait staff was surly. We made a mistake with our order and instead of just talking to us (waitstaff's English was great) they just kept bringing us different dishes. At the end of the meal we asked about a dish and were told we refused it. Ok so we're stupid but at least we're not rude. read more

Solid yet somewhat forgettable French Bistro in the Bastille. Of all our meals in Paris it is the one that I remember the least, other than the fact that a waiter spilled on my friend's coat and I had a pretty good beef stew with marrow. read more

Chez Paul - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

See all

Lovely little Parisian classic. Feels like you're really in a neighbourhood restaurant full of locals, although the Parisian friends who took me live miles away! I was in Paris for such a short time this trip that I decided to spoil myself - I had Foie Gras and creme brulee and not a lot else. The Foie Gras was perfect and served with lots of warm toasted bread and some rather delicious onion marmalade. The creme brulee was also exquisite and just what I needed to finish off the meal. Perfect little neighbourhood gem for when you are looking to escape the crowds of Bastille and the rue de la Roquette. read more

Delicious, scrumptious , filling and satisfying classic French food -- doesn't get more authentic and tasty than chez Paul !! read more

See all

A typical French bistrot with simple but delicious food. We had the bone marrow, foie grass and the lamb shoulder. Be aware that the portions here are very generous. We were in three and not able to finish the lamb entree. The waitress was very nice and helpful when ordering. Overall a very good experience and we highly recommend this place. read more

Chez Paul - The lalb shoulder - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

See all

After sending one of our undercooked steaks back twice(!), we were on the verge of walking out. And honestly, we should have. It was overall a truly pathetic meal and I'm so sad I wasted so much money there. The so called rave reviewed dauphinois potatoes were a few days old as seen on the layers of burnt and dry crust on top, underneath had not seen any butter and they were not creamy at all. While one of the steaks was cooked medium and was edible the fried potatoes that accompanied were incredibly dry and tasteless. We were in a lovely, old fashioned room upstairs that could have been a perfect atmosphere to distract from the meal, but the cigar and cigarette smoke from a private party behind a partition ruined our ambiance and even the delightful server said it was bothersome but the guests are friends of the owner so she could do nothing. She was the only saving grace to the evening- so lovely and sweet and she genuinely felt bad for our disappointing meal and the smoke. While I do expect such a travesty from tourist bistros this was unexpected and unfortunate. Chez Paul may have been a good place to dine once, it has obviously seen better days. Tired and overrated, there are much better options in the neighborhood. Give it a pass. It's not worth it. read more

See all

I love this place. This is one of my favorite places to eat. Each time I go to Paris I make it a point to eat here at least once, if not twice. My favorite dish is the steak tartare. Its got the right amount of seasoning to compliment the beef without overpowering the beef. The steak au poive is also good and the bone marrow is a perfect start to the meal. read more

This place was recommended to us by a stranger on a plane. The food is fabulous! Here's what we had: Rabbit (Bugs Bunny): Really tender and done right Duck (Daffy Duck): best duck confit I've had, however I've only tried a handful. The meat fell off the bone. Potatos were the same for both Bugs and Daffy. They were perfectly crisp. Fois Gras (Daffy's liver); wasn't what I expected. I had better at Bistrot Du Coin in Washington DC, but that is because they take the actual liver and sear it. Chez Paul's was a cut loaf. Steak (Ferdinand the Bull): the copious amounts of black peppercorn is awesome. Tender meat, cooked properly medium rare. The potatos dauphine are TO DIE FOR! Profiteroles: I asked the waitress her fave dessert, and this was it. I could see why. Oh...my....decadence in my mouth! The chocolate was pure and unprocessed and coated my mouth melding with the cream puff and ice cream, finished with the crunch of the toasted almonds. This was my fave. Creme Brulee and Creme Caramel: meh, get the profiteroles read more

Last time I went here March 2015, the service was terrible and the food was poorly prepared and extremely slow to arrive. What a disappointment! I had a piece of fish, haddock as I recall, that was so salty as to be inedible. I took a single bite and asked to return the dish. They took it back, but charged me anyway. I've had so many good experiences here, but won't go back after that meal. read more

I'd heard wonderful things about this place and I wanted to go for awhile. I went my last night of my honeymoon, last night in Paris and I very much regret that choice. When we asked for help with the menu, the server read the entire menu aloud to us, both entrees and plats (it is very long) loudly, like a performance, in French and English, even when we said we knew what we wanted. After that point, she didn't make eye contact with us again and basically ignored us (not the slow service is good service kind). Our server was so rude I'm not even commenting on the food because I have no idea what it tasted like. I guess we were the tourist scapegoats. read more

We didn't even get to eat here, so I have no clue whether the food is good. All I can say is that we entered and the place was almost empty. We asked if we could have dinner, and a pretty rude host pointed us to a table. I accidentally misunderstood and almost set at a different table and he rudely corrected me. They gave us menus, then left us there for 20 minutes without coming back. A phone was ringing loudly just next to us. At some point the light went off and the whole place went pitch black for a while. They managed to restore the power but nobody said a word, an apology, nothing. After a few more minutes being completely ignored (there was only one more party except us in the whole restaurant) we gave up and left. I don't even think they noticed or cared. They probably don't need or like customers. read more

it's a really beautiful classic style french restaurant but i was underwhelmed by everything. service, the menu, the dishes, the seating upstairs... the escargot was great, definitely savor the sauce with bread. i can read french fairly well and speak french... enough to get by for now, but i was with two non-french speakers and the menu is like handwritten, cursive, french... pretty much impossible to read. i guess i didn't read it carefully and ordered the wrong rabbit dish, as i was served cold, shredded rabbit ... which wasn't horrible but not what i was hoping to get.. my friend had tartare....... which was served in a really interesting way... and made with lots of ketchup... it ended up tasting like a raw hamburger because of that. my other friend had beef filet, which was good but thats always a safe dish. i could see how this place would be favored by the fluent/native french speaker as it is charming with its very traditional menu and decor.... i just wouldn't come here again. read more

What an amazing place! So happy my husband found this super authentic french bistro. The escargot we got for the appetizer is the best I've had. My husband ordered the steak and asked for a salad side instead of french fries and they didn't even charge more for it. But the winner of his meal was the bernaise sauce (wow) and the steak was cooked to perfection(my husband is an avid grill master and knows a thing or two about steak;) I ordered the steak tar tar and it was delicious and filling as well. Their house wine was also very generous and well priced. I see why this place was packed! So truly authentic and unpretentious. I literally want to go back to Paris just to try this place again and maybe sitting upstairs next time. They know what they're doing at Chez Paul! read more

Chez Paul - House steak with bernaise, house wine, steak tartar - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

See all

One of the best meals in Paris. It was like dining in an old French cottage. The food was tremendous! It was hard to read the menu as everything is in French, but ask the server to walk you through it. Our choices were peppered steak with tasty gratin potatoes, and grilled salmon with a delectable ratatouille of pasta, celery, carrots, broccoli stems and other veggies in a bechamel sauce. If I ever go back to Paris, I'll be sure to visit Chez Paul again. read more

Yes Chez Paul is on all the lists as an Authentic bistro experience, but I had a very average to poor dinner last night. Service was terrible even by Parisian standards of inattentiveness, slowness , and gallic shrugs--but more important the soup de onion --boring very little flavor. Pepper steak meh, potatoes a gratin undercooked, duck not bad--but for all the hype I think not. Trying Bistro Paul bert Tuesday--lets see, but for her paul buyer beware . read more

Great place to get the classics and not a terrible price. I wouldn't go back because it's just such a huge experience and I'm not sure when I'll be ready for that again - but I'm confident you would do well there. My advice is to order leisurely. read more

Excellent food, bustling, authentic ambience. Roasted bone marrow, rustic rillettes and patés, steaks and duck confit were fantastic. Sit by the street at one of those ubiquitous circular bistro tables for two, enjoy a carafe or two of wine and enjoy the people watching as the scene unfolds before you. Hop over to the rue de Lappe afterwards to check out the lively nightlife in Bastille. Service is efficient if not overly friendly, but hey, it's Paris. read more

Very good with an interesting decor, loads of opportunities to straighten paintings if that is your thing. Good menu with what I thought was an emphasis on meat. I started with the grilled marrow bone which was exceedingly good. I shall go again and can recommend a visit. read more

Chez Paul.....i could live here. in fact, i did live there for two awesome years. Jennifer et l'equipe Chez Paul....vous me manquez alors! I literally tried the entire menu and probably ate there 2-3 times a week. bone marrow (os à moelle), their gratin dauphinois and infact everything on their menu inspired me to live. bisous! read more

Classic French bistro. The portion sizes here were huge. I ordered the pot au feu (about 20 euros) and it was delicious. The pot they served the dish in was ridiculous. Huge chunks of chicken, beef, and bone marrow. The broth was served piping hot and was clean and nuanced. If I had more time in Paris, I would have tried a lot of their other dishes as well. read more

Chez Paul - Pot au feu - Bistros Near Me - Paris, 75

As I am not very fond of meat, this restaurant is not the obvious choice. I took the dish with seasonal vegetables and it was brilliant. It was exceptionally good. The staff had almost no english skills, but showed pictures and did their best to communicate anyway. We had no problem with this, they were very nice and serviceminded anyway. Good cocktails and beer. I would definitely go here again. read more

An amazing Bistro that has kept all the character and charm that it had when it opened in the 1940's. My French friend Mathias had highly recommended this restaurant on the corner of Rue de Lappe and Rue de Charonne (close to the Place de la Bastille) and the food and ambiance did not disappoint! As many have said, the foie gras is amazing as was my Filet de bœuf with sauce béarnaise! I'm a keen observer of who eats at a restaurant and I like one where locals predominate because they know what's good. As I looked around I was surrounded by Parisians with the occasional Americans (my wife and I) thrown in. Chez Paul delivers on many counts; excellent food, authenticity, the Crème brûlée vanille bourbon and did I say excellent food!! read more

A wonderful Parisian bistro. The perfect place to duck into on a cold day. Entrees were well prepared and reasonably priced, and the profiteroles were excellent. read more

This place is like a cosier version of Chartier with slightly higher prices and no line (at least tonight). Service was above average for Paris. Steak au poivre was excellent. read more

Great food, reasonably priced, and authentic French bistro fare. Menu is hard to read, even if you read French, as it is handwritten in curly-q script. As another reviewer mentioned, you might want to check out the menu online first, and bring a dictionary if not. The "special suggested wines" are not really very good, hence the price, so go for something for a few more Euros. Make reservations, as this is in the "Top 10 Paris" destinations book. Go later, around 9ish, and sit outside. Vraiment Paris! read more

Best meal we had during our stay in Paris, and very reasonably priced. Escargot was good, peppercorn beef, onion soup, and deserts were all excellent. Service was really friendly as well. read more

This was our second visit to this restaurant, the first was 3 years ago, which was an exceptional experience all around. This time, however, the visit was slightly tainted by unfriendly wait staff. We arrived in the Bastille area and walked around a bit before getting to Chez Paul mid-afternoon. We decided to sit outside and have a few beers to kill some time before dinner. A woman waitress came to our table and took our drink order without a smile. Fine. That's ok. But after finishing our drinks she never returned to ask if we wanted anything else. Also fine. Maybe that's how things are done there. Apparently her shift then ended and a man took over the task. But again no attention to us. So I took our empty beer glasses inside to the bar and asked for two more beers. He brought our beers outside to our table and a while later my wife went inside to use the restroom and asked when dinner hours begin. He told her any time, so after finishing our drinks went inside and asked for a table. Here's where the waiter proved himself as an arrogant asshole. Upon ordering my steak, he asked how I'd like it done, medium or rare. I replied medium-rare, to which he repeated agitatedly "medium or rare?" I just laughed it off and replied "ok, medium I guess." Another short pleasant waitress was in the room by this time, and she seemed to sense the awkward moment and explained that they don't do in-between doneness orders. Odd, but ok. When in Rome, right? Then my wife placed her order and asked what accompanied her dish. He replied with the French name of the side dish, which I don't remember. Let's say it was something like "chez le soi." She asked what that was and he replied "chez le soi is chez le soi" as if to say any idiot knows that. Ok, enough griping. I must say that this was the first encounter we experienced in Paris where we were met with this sort of attitude that I had feared was more common than it actually was. This jerk was the exception, not the rule. Additionally, the food was awesome. My steak was served with a pepper sauce that was out of this world. The profiteroles dessert was also excellent. Even if this jerk was our waiter, I would return again just because the food and atmosphere was so good (we struck up friendly conversations with French diners next to our table there on both occasions). One star deducted for jerk waiter. read more

I was here a few years back and the food was fabulous! Great service and just amazing food!! Note: You will have a better experience here if you spoke a little french. read more

How fortuitous! The hubby made reservations here thinking it was the Chez Paul we had been to on previous trips. I believe that one (near Luxembourg Gardens) is closed, but we were very fortunate to have stumbled upon this one. Old school Paris bistrot with a charming inside eating area and the requisite tables lining the sidewalk. The food here is simply delicious, though the portions border on the huge. read more