Staying in the 10th with family

[Adrian York]

I'm going out with my family (wife, 2 relatively civilised teens, a 3 year old and my mum) to Paris this weekend and am looking for suggestions for high quality family friendly restaurants and food shops/markets in the 10th. Suggestions gratefully received.

Thanks

adrian

[Bux]

Depending on where you are in the 10th, you might also look at adjacent arrondissements. I haven't been in Chez Michel on rue de Belzunce iin years, but it still seems to get good mention in the forum. I'd also recommend traditional brasseries such as Flo and Julien. All three are mentioned in this thread on restaurants near the Gare du Nord.

[touaregsand]

This thread discusses a family staying in the 10th.

Are you taking the Eurostar?

[John Talbott]

Depending on where you are in the 10th, you might also look at adjacent arrondissements. I haven't been in Chez Michel on rue de Belzunce iin years, but it still seems to get good mention in the forum. I'd also recommend traditional brasseries such as Flo and Julien. All three are mentioned in this thread on restaurants near the Gare du Nord.

←

A couple of things: Yesterday, Zurban's Sebastien Demorand wrote that he tried to eat at Chez Michel recently and it was closed (I'm not sure why but check it out first) (I've always liked it and have eaten there as recently as Game Season 2004). Demorand then ate at its sister-place around the corner Chez Casimir which used to be great; it no longer is. And third, like Bux says, it depends where; there are two "Quartier" entries in Figaroscope here - the first about the area near the Gare du Nord 3 December 2003, the second The New France, 12 Feb 2003 (but both searches costs money). The Terminus Nord, one of the Flo brasseries Bux refers to, is where I go for good, simple, brasserie fare when say alighting from trains from the North. It's got a wonderful decor, food is not grand, but good for kids because of its flexible hours. Heck, from the 10th you can go anywhere (I ate with my 3 year old grandaughter everywhere for 2 months without a problem).

Edited by John Talbott for clarity.

Edited March 31, 2005 by John Talbott (log)

[Adrian York]

Thanks for the advice and the links to the threads. They are extremely useful ( as usual) and no I'm not going by Eurostar but driving. I'm very interested in exploring the ethnic food scene in Paris as well as seeing if I can sneak a table @ one of the top end places so I think it is going tombe a lot of fun.

[touaregsand]

I'm very interested in exploring the ethnic food scene in Paris as well

The best ethnic in Paris will be North African (both upscale and casual) and Vietnamese. I wouldn't bother with the other ethnic choices since you'll only be there for a weekend. I've never been to Chinatown in Paris, but I have been to the one in London. I suspect that they are comparable, maybe the one in Paris offers more choices. The Italian is okay. I wouldn't try Mexican at all.

Coming from London, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised with how affordable Paris can be.

[Ptipois]

The best ethnic in Paris will be North African (both upscale and casual) and Vietnamese. I wouldn't bother with the other ethnic choices since you'll only be there for a weekend.

←

The Paris Chinatown in the XIIIth is very large. It has many shops, big and small, and no open markets. It extends to the South (Ivry) and I suggest you take a look at it. Take the métro to Porte-de-Choisy or Porte-d'Ivry and then walk North, or to Tolbiac and go down the rue de Tolbiac until you reach a bit crossing. Then go South on either of the avenues.

The African market in Château-Rouge is quite interesting. It is quite close to the North African area in Barbès. There is a sizeable cluster or Sri Lankan shops around rue du Faubourg-Saint-Denis and La Chapelle, but it doesn't make much sense sending you there since you're coming from London.

If you're looking for goood "ethnic" food, I recommend Ménélik, a great Ethiopian restaurant on rue Sauffroy (angle avenue de Clichy). Go for dinner, they serve freshly-burnt coffee.

Edited April 1, 2005 by Ptipois (log)

[mzimbeck]

Have a wonderful time in the 10th - it's a great and fairly unsung Paris neighborhood. Its best feature is the Canal St. Martin, so be sure to get down there when the sun breaks through the clouds. You'll find the cement banks full of Parisians sharing a picnic and a bottle, or drinking good Belgian beer in plastic cups from Le Jemmapes (82 quai Jemmapes).

Head up the canal a bit where it widens into the Bassin de la Villette of the 19th and you can rent a kayak or watch the ping pong players on weekend mornings. Nearby, at Bar Ourcq, they provide folding chairs that you can set up along the canal with your drink. It's the northeastern version of Luxembourg Gardens, with throngs of people reading the paper, playing music, kids running, etc. There's also a movie theater along the banks with many english-language movies if anyone in your group needs to chill out for a while.

Back along the canal in the 10th, you might enjoy:

Chez Prune for a coffee or a drink. It's a bit of a (bobo/hipster) scene, but the setting along the canal can't be beat.

--Chez Prune

36 r Beaurepaire

La Marine for lunch or dinner. This is where we go when we need to please a lot of different tastes. A lot of seafood, but also meat and some vegetarian options on the chalkboard menu. Quite a beautiful setting, and the servers are patient and kind (if not overly welcoming by American standards).

--La Marine

55, quai de Valmy

Off the Canal, rue Sainte-Marthe is part of a warren of narrow winding and non-touristy streets in the 10th. There are many small bistrots and restaurants in the area, many of them specializing in ethnic cuisine. A pretty reliable french spot is Le Galopin, although word among the locals is that it's changed hands and gone downhill. Someone else mentioned that Chez Casimir has suffered the same fate, which may be true, but I've eaten there 3 times in the past couple of months and have always been pleased. They have a lovely rabbit terrine with tarragon and good monthly wines.

--Le Galopin

34, rue Sainte-Marthe

--Chez Casimir

6 r Belzunce

I've heard a lot lately about Tesoro d'italia for Italian cuisine, although I haven't tried it yet. It's at 49 Rue du Paradis.

Not far from you in the 11th is Bistrot Paul Bert. It's well-known among people who live here but I don't read about it much. A Time Out Paris food critic recommended it to me recently for a celebration. You'll need a reservation.

--Bistrot Paul Bert

18 r Paul Bert 75011

Tel: 01 43 72 24 01

Finally, if you want ethnic food you should get over to the 20th and the Belleville neighborhood. You'll find plenty by just walking along rue de Belleville (including street food and markets), but if you want a destination I highly recommend Krung Thep. It's a Thai restaurant and is always packed despite never (as far as I know) being written up. You'll need a reservation, which they will give away if you show up more than 10 minutes late. It's just off of rue de Belleville, and you can get there easily from the 10th using Metro line 2 or the 46 bus.

--Krung Thep

93 rue Julien Lacroix 75020

Tel: 01 43 66 83 74

Have fun, and I hope you write about your eating adventures when you return home.

--Meg

[Felice]

[A couple of things: Yesterday, Zurban's Sebastien Demorand wrote that he tried to eat at Chez Michel recently and it was closed (I'm not sure why but check it out first) (I've always liked it and have eaten there as recently as Game Season 2004). 

I think Chez Michel was just closed for vacation because Demorand wrote (roughly translated) "that will teach us to show up without a reservation during a holiday".

[touaregsand]

The Paris Chinatown in the XIIIth is very large. It has many shops, big and small, and no open markets. It extends to the South (Ivry) and I suggest you take a look at it.

I suppose large is relative. We had a discussion about Chinatowns around the world in the Chinese forum. General consensus was that the best ones are in California (obvious reasons of immigration). Paris and London ranked really low. But if the discussion were about Chinatowns in Europe, London and Paris would have ranked high.

Context, perspective and all that.

[Ptipois]

I suppose large is relative. We had a discussion about Chinatowns around the world in the Chinese forum. [...] Context, perspective and all that. 

←

My intent was not to play at "my Chinatown is bigger than yours".

You wrote that you haven't seen the Paris Chinatown; I live three metro stops away from it, and it is indeed very large (much larger than London's, anyway). Just try to experience it by grabbing your sneakers and walking around it. It covers one sizeable part of the 13e arrondissement, in a triangle inscribed between place d'Italie at the northernmost point, avenue d'Italie, the boulevard périphérique, and rue Nationale to the East, with some extensions towards rue de Patay. This would already be objectively a big piece of it, but if you add the growing extension to the suburban city of Ivry, and the second Chinatown at Belleville (smaller but busy), plus a tiny bit of one remaining around La Chapelle, and finally the original Paris Chinatown dating back from the 50's (rue du Temple/Arts-et-Métiers, this is a small one), that makes comparisons a bit pointless. And our friend is going to Paris anyway.

[touaregsand]

My intent was not to play at "my Chinatown is bigger than yours".

That wasn't my intent either. My intent was to offer a larger perspective to my statements regarding the Chinatown in Paris which I have never been to. I've walked Paris many times and I totally missed it. I do recall seeing a cluster of Chinese stores and eateries, so maybe I didn't miss it. I went to New York's Chinatown and walked by it without realizing what it was. But then again I'm from LA, where there are lots of little neighborhoods or areas that could easily be called Chinatown or Koreatown in other parts of the country, the world.

True the travelers are coming from London and will be in Paris. I have no idea whether or not the travelers have been to Chinatowns outside of Europe. If not, than it's worth a visit. If so, it's still worth a visit to get a glimpse of "ethnic" Paris. But considering my experiences with Chinese food in France and having read the posts in the Chinese forum regarding Chinatown in Paris and the quality of the food there, I don't know if it's worthwhile on a weekend trip. Whereas the North African and Vietnamese food is very good to exceptional.

EDIT: To clarify the last sentence.

Edited April 1, 2005 by touaregsand (log)

[Ptipois]

If our friends are still unaware of the relative smallness of Paris, they will indeed tend to stay in the 10th or maybe risk a foot into the 18th (just above) or 11th. But nobody comes to Paris for this, even for a weekend. Paris is too small to focus on one area only. Everything is either within walking distance or no more than 30 minutes away by métro.

I can vouch for it, both Paris "Chinatowns" are worth visiting. The accent is more Southeast Asian and Vietnamese than truly Chinese, but this is by no means a rule. Some restaurants in the 13th propose some good Chinese food, albeit a bit sloppy, but that's exactly how I experienced it in Shanghai. I didn't take part in the comparative discussion about the different Chinatowns but I know my place well enough, as well as the food one can find there, to recommend it safely.

However, Adrian actually wrote "in the 10th", so that's where my mention of the Southern Chinatown is truly irrelevant. If he's interested in "ethnic" food (and he didn't mention Chinese specifically), better stick to Belleville, in the 11e, or La Chapelle, or Château-Rouge and Barbès in the 18e, if his family is reluctant to cross Paris. The Ethiopian address I gave is indeed very good.

[chefzadi]

I lived/worked in London for a while. It's the most commercially cosmopolitan city I have ever been too. Amazing. There seems to be at least one restaurant that covers pratically every type of cuisine.

As for ethnic France has the best North African outside of North Africa (it's even better if you are invited to a home meal) and the best Vietnamese outside of Vietnam and Orange County, California.

There are other good ethnic places in Paris, but I don't think of them as something that can only be had in Paris as opposed to London. Nonetheless I would follow ptipois on her recommendations and Meg's.

[touaregsand]

Okay, my husband now tells me that I have indeed been to Chinatown in Paris. Both in fact. I know I've been living in LA too long now.