Order: Radishes with butter, frisée aux lardons, sole meunière, le pavé du mail and profiteroles.
1 rue du Mail, 75002
Definitively the best pizza in Paris and arguably some of the best pizza outside of the city, too. Thin, crisp and shockingly easy to digest, there are six sourdough options listed on the menu and plenty of natural wine on tap or by the bottle. Sit at the tall wooden bar for prime people watching (the crowd is chic and the two rooms get packed and buzzy), and also to watch as each pizza gets shaped and topped. If you’re staying in the neighborhood, pop into nearby Cave Canaille for a glass before or after.
Order: The marinara (not on the menu but IYKYK), the Chef’s Choice pizza, salade verte and a negroni.
4bis avenue Jean Aicard, 75011
The chaotic charm of this wine bar meets ice cream parlour holds from after school/early apéro (it opens at 4pm) through post-dinner drinks and dessert (the gate rolls down at 11pm). No matter when you arrive, there will likely be a line to get in that ebbs and flows amiably around those enjoying their cones and cups on the sidewalk out front. Ice cream flavours rotate daily – though a scoop of the salt-tinged olive oil option is a perpetual favourite – and different wine bottles are opened all night long. Simply tell the team what you like and they’ll find the pour for you. The same team also has Le Rigmarole next door on rue du Grand Prieuré.
Order: A glass of pét nat and olive oil ice cream.
10 rue du Grand Prieuré, 75011 and a new addition at 40 rue Faidherbe, 75011
A family-run institution on rue de Belleville serving Laotian and Thai cuisine to neighbourhood regulars, chefs and tourists alike since 1985. The space and crowd are lively and the restaurant is open daily for both lunch and dinner (making it an especially good option for a Sunday or Monday, when many restaurants across the city are closed). Go with a group so you order everything that calls you, and if you can’t get in, pop next door to Ama Siam.
Order: Nem thadeua, crevettes mi-crues, sai oua (Laotian sausage) and mango sticky rice.
49 rue de Belleville, 75019
For baked goods and all things sweet
Panifacture, Niwa, Plaq, JJ Hings
For a quality caffeine fix
Dreamin’ Man, Klover, Recto Verso, Clove