Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
PARIS' OLDEST RESTAURANT & CAFE
St-Germain claims both the city's oldest restaurant and its oldest cafe.
nelle, 6e; lunch/dinner menus from €23/36; noon-2pm & 7-11pm; Sèvres-Babylone)
Paris' oldest
restaurant hides behind an iron gate that's been here since it opened in 1680, when
wine merchant Georges Rameau served food to the public to accompany his wares.
Classical decor and cuisine (onion soup, foie gras, duck, lamb and unexpected de-
lights like truffled asparagus) make it worth a visit above and beyond its history.
menus from €29/36; 11.30am-midnight Sun-Wed, to 1am Thu-Sat; ; Odéon)
The city's oldest
cafe welcomed its first patrons in 1686, and was frequented by Voltaire, Molière and
Balzac. Its chandeliered interior also has an entrance onto the 1735-built glass-roofed
passageway Cour du Commerce St-André. Along with house specialities like coq au
vin, calf's-head casserole in veal stock, and calf kidneys with violet mustard, it serves
its own sorbets and ice creams, which it's been making here since 1686 too.
St-Germain
DELICATESSEN
JSFP TRAITEUR
9.30am-8.30pm; ; Mabillon)
Brimming with big bowls of salad, terrines, pâté and other prepared delicacies, this deli is a
brilliant bet for quality Parisian 'fast food' such as quiches in a variety of flavour combina-
tions (courgette and chive, mozzarella and basil, salmon and spinach…) to take to a nearby
park, square or stretch of riverfront.
FRENCH TAPAS
L'AVANT COMPTOIR
€3-7; noon-midnight; Odéon)
Squeeze in around the zinc bar (there are no seats and it's tiny) and order off the menu sus-
pended from the ceiling to feast on amazing tapas dishes like Iberian ham or salmon tartare
croquettes, duck-sausage hot dogs, blood-sausage
macarons,
and prosciutto and artichoke
waffles with wines by the glass in a chaotically sociable atmosphere.
