What I did in Paris - updated!

[PeckhamRose]

Hubby's surprise birthday present if I can find his passport is to take him to lunch in Paris.

Don't speak French though we have been to Paris several times before, but can anyone recommend where best to have a fab lunch? We arrive 12.30 and leave 6ish so we do have time to walk a little.

Thanks for any recommendations!

[Indiana]

I really like Georges Restaurant which is on the top floor of the Pompidou Centre.

Fantastic views across the rooftops of the city, lots of glass so feels very open (you can sit outside in the summer) and have eaten there a few times and always impressed by the food and service. You can also have a wonder round some of the art exhibitions afterwards...

[PeckhamRose]

I LOVE this forum. Thanks Indiana! Sadly his birthday is 2 December but let's hope at least for dry day! I shall get a TimeOutParis and see what's what.

[TJ]

Head to The Marais or St Germain.

The main street (Vieille du Temple) of the Marais has so many amazing places . St Germain is so chichi you can pretty mauch go to any cafe and have a superb lunch.

My personal favorite is The Gamin de Paris in the Marais 51, rue Vieille du Temple, Paris

If you continue down the v du temple just before you get to the river on the right, there is a lovely place with a great garden... can't remember the name though....

Try this site.

http://www.paris-eating.com

[DaveR]

Believe it or not the Terminus Nord, directly opposite the Gare du Nord, is excellent. It is a genuine old style Paris brasserie, with the added bonus (for me at least) that it is owned by a guy/guys from Alsace so they also do fantastic choucroute. Off the train, straight in there for a good lunch, then a couple of hours to walk it off - perfect!

[RosieH]

If you're looking for preposterous levels of fabulousness, l'Espadon at the Ritz is sublime: it lives up to the hotel name and is very ritzy indeed, but the food is absolutely incredible, and the service puts paid to the notion of snooty Parisians, it's some of the best, if not the best, I've ever had anywhere, even in the face of my companion's complete refusal even to say please or thank you in French and his subsequent breaking of a glass in his over-enthusiastic spooning of the amuse-bouche.

It's bloody marvellous

[PeckhamRose]

Oh my goodness, what choices indeed. "Preposterous levels of fabulousness." How can one go wrong?

I shall make my choice very soon. 2 December, in actual fact! Hope it's sunny.

Smoking is still allowed in France in restaurants is it not? I am so out of date. I am allergic to it (smoke, not France) so hope I find a smoke free area. Just thought about that point.

[paragon]

Some amazing little places on Rue Saint-Louis. You can go for a lovely lunch and then get an ice-cream from on the little parlours and listen to some of the street entertainment. Also it is a nice walk if you get off the metro south of the seine, walk through the market and then over the bridge, past Notre Dame and then over to Il Saint Louis. Smoking is banned everywhere pretty much so you will be fine. Have a great time.

[EDOldie]

Last time I was there I went here Bofinger The service was friendly and efficient and I had a lovely lunch.

[Tatty Mum]

For me there is only one place:

Restaurant Chartier

7 RUE DU FAUBOURG MONTMARTRE 75009 PARIS

01 47 70 86 29

email : [email protected]

www.frommers.com/destinations/paris/D41208.html

However, it is closed between 3pm and 6pm so it depends how early youu can get there

[CamberwellOz]

I've been to Chartier. It's great but you do have to line up. A day in Paris? I'd go straight to the Batobus (only ?12) and see Paris from the water. It's lovely and is enclosed. You miss a lot of the crowds and it stops at all the big places. Every time I visit Paris I have to go to Hotel Angelina (226 Rue de Rivoli, Paris 75001, France). It is just up from The Louvre. They make the best cakes and hot chocolate I have ever tasted. They also do takeaway as well. It is great to be back in London, sitting down to a cup of coffee with the most amazing chocolate eclair known to man.

Damn... I'm off to look for cheap Paris tickets.

[PeckhamRose]

I booked on line - ?59 day return each.

PLEASE don't tell me how you might get it cheaper.

Not that rich so this is quite a big day for me.

Thanks so much for all your suggestions!

[Moos]

Maybe not for this trip, PR, I've been reliably told this hotel has a great bar for pre-dinner cocktails

Un website tr?s cheesy

[EmilyE]

Oh, I've only just seen this thread, so maybe it's too late, but I would recommend:

Chez Michel rue de Belzunce, or it's sister restaurant Chez Casimir, next door, both of which are a few minutes walk from the Gare du Nord. They are both great and have set menus at about 30euros.

Cafe Panique - 12, rue des Messageries, is about 10mins from Gare du Nord and is a small, contemporary feel place with a tiny kitchen that you can see into. Their lunchtime menu used to be a steal at about 20 euros.

The marais is great, and there is Chez Janou, rue Roger Verlomme, which does the best gratin dauphinois (creamy layered potato - thing) I have ever tasted and if you order chocolate mousse you get the whole bowl put on your table. The last time I was there I went into labour...! (don't worry, I was living in Paris at the time.)

I could go on for ever, but I suppose you only have one meal to think of!

Have a great time.

[PeckhamRose]

Our day in Paris, by Peckham Rose

For his Birthday, I always tell MrR to keep the day free and then a surprise day is had. This year was the day in Paris but I could not find his passport! So had to tell him the night before. This proved to be necessary for another reason, because as he is a photographer he had to choose which camera to take amongst his million of cameras.

Studied all of your suggestions for lunch, taking into account we had about 5 1/2 hours in Paris. Tuesdays Georges at Pompidou Centre shuts - that would have been first choice. So I decided to go for TJ's suggestion. Arrived at Gard du Nord, took a taxi to Vielle du Temple. Taxi stopped us outside Gamin de Paris. Gamin de Paris was shut. D'Oh! Found another lovely place nearby. Bottle of champagne with lunch - what the hell. The nearby photography museum shuts Tuesdays. D'Oh! Walked to Notre Dame and along the river, then got a taxi to Sacre Couer and wandered around Montmartre, had a coffee, walked to Gard du Nord, and came home!

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! We had a lovely day. LOVE this forum! (Edited for spelling and other nonsense.)