You can throw a rock and hit 25 fantastic places to eat in the trendy 11th arrondissement. Since there’s so much going on there, in this post, I’ll be focusing exclusively on the area below Goncourt/Belleville, which I’ll feature in a separate post soon!
Before delving into addresses, you should know that there are two streets in this neighborhood that are particularly replete with excellent addresses: rue Paul Bert, and rue Saint-Sébastien. It’s hard to go wrong on either.
Coffee and Quick Bites
- My favorite croissant in all of Paris can be found at La Pâtisserie de Cyril Lignac (24 rue Paul Bert). (And trust me – I’ve tried a lot of them.)
- Coffee Spoune (36 Rue Saint-Sébastien) is a definite fave of mine for American-style filter coffee given its spacious dining room lined with books and super-delicious cakes.
- The ham-and-butter sandwich is also nicknamed Le Parisien, and you can get the very best one at Chez Aline (85 rue de la Roquette), made with the only Paris ham still made in Paris.
Modern Restaurants
- My current fave in Paris, bar none, is Le Saint-Sébastien (42 rue Saint-Sébastien). Just go there. Please.
- Au Passage (1 bis Passage Saint-Sébastien) is one of the original Paris small plates restaurants, and it’s still one of the best.
- I’m in love with Massale (5, rue Guillaume Bertrand) and its incredible je ne sais quoi.
- Septime’s (80 rue de Charonne) tasting menu is the stuff of legends for a reason.
- Badaboum (2 bis Rue des Taillandiers) is a nightclub-adjacent restaurant right near Bastille that I have quickly fallen in love with for its creative menu combos.
- Korus (73 rue Amelot) boasts a delicious tasting menu, and I often hang in the bar area for a glass of natural wine and a small plate or two.
- Martin (24 boulevard du Temple) is one of my Paris standbys: it’s not too expensive, it’s delicious, and it has small plates. Oh, and the wine menu is punny. A+.
- Martin also has a brother, the slightly more upscale Robert (32 Rue de la Fontaine au Roi). Just as tasty, but you get your own plate, so if you don’t like sharing, this is the spot for you.
- My sisters took me to Pharmacie (22 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud) for my bachelorette party, and they made the right decision. This restaurant (located, as its name suggests, in a former pharmacy) offers a modern spin on classic bistro cuisine.
- Seafood lovers: flock to Grive (18 rue Breguet), where products come straight from the Atlantic to your plate with no fuss whatsoever.
Bistros and Classic Restaurants
- Bistros are not all that in fashion these days, but there are a few I love, including Buffet (8 rue de la Main d’Or), opened by the team behind Au Passage.
- Another newish bistro I’m a huge fan of is Au Petit Panisse (35, rue de Montreuil), which boasts a bistro feel and a fresh, ever-changing menu.
- Celebrity chef Cyril Lignac has also added another great bistro to the neighborhood with Le Chardenoux (1 rue Jules Vallès), boasting lots of internationally-inspired, seafood-forward dishes in an old-school brasserie.
- Astier (44 rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud) is doing a nice job with revisited bistro classics and is particularly well known for its unlimited cheese platter.
- The neighborhood also boasts a few even more classic bistros, namely Bistrot Paul Bert (22 rue Paul Bert) and its sister restaurants L’Écailler du Bistrot right next door and le 6 Paul Bert at the end of the street. The first is a truly classic bistro boasting a great steak au poivre; the second is more devoted to seafood, especially raw platters, and the third is the most modern of the three. All are delicious.
Nightlife
- It’s super trendy, but it’s really worth it: Le Perchoir (14 Rue Crespin du Gast) offers craft cocktails and views over Paris. Just be aware that the lines to get in (or to get to the bar) can be absolutely insane if you don’t get there right when it opens.
- In a neighborhood where everything that opens seems to be extremely trendy, Pop-In (105 rue Amelot) is the perfect divey spot to temper all of that self-aware hipness.
- If your idea of a good night out includes wine and charcuterie, then you should be hanging out with me at Septime La Cave (3 rue Basfroi), the winebar outpost of the restaurant of the same name.
Did I miss any of your favorite 11th arrondissement spots? Let me know in the comments!