Emily In France Exclusive 🇫🇷 My 5 "Back Pocket" Restaurants in Paris

From the desk of an expat.

In a January edition of the New York Times’ “Where to Eat” newsletter, Nikita Richardson wrote that “Being the Restaurant Friend™ is a gift and a curse.” And I have to agree. A perennial people-pleaser, I always want to help friends and clients find the restaurant that’s going to best suit their needs – and I’m forever worried I’m not quite meeting their expectations.

Part of the problem is one of scope. Paris is home to more than 44,000 restaurants, and while not all of them are commendable, many of them are. The difficulty is only magnified by a lack of specificity in the request. I can't tell you how many times people have asked me to recommend “a great place to eat in Paris” with no further details, leaving me to try to guess: Do they want fine dining or a simple bistro? Do they want to trek across Paris to the 20th, or would they rather something within walking distance of their home or hotel? It’s for these people that I maintain a (totally free!) list of my top 20 restaurants in Paris, updated nearly weekly, with my go-to picks for classic French, contemporary cuisine, fine dining, and international tables in Paris.

But for those looking for something a bit more tailored… you’ve come to the right place. The more specific the request, the more my brain lights up with glee, tabulating my top tables and zeroing in on the perfect spot in the ideal neighborhood that also happens to be open on a Monday and serve a vegetarian main that isn't some sort of sad, 23-euro market plate or gloopy coquillettes-and-truffle dish.

With that in mind, here are my responses to five real-life restaurant requests. Feel free to drop yours in the chat and see a response in an upcoming free newsletter!

Where can I go to dinner with four people with 24 hours’ notice?

This was the question Richardson had been tasked with answering, the one that spurred her newsletter response in the first place. Luckily, in Paris, it’s a bit easier to answer than in New York. Restaurant reservations here have definitely become more of a must of late, but it’s still not impossible to get into many top restaurants the day of – or even hours before. So to make this question a bit more challenging for myself, I upped the stakes: Where, I asked myself, would I send a group of four without a dinner plan on a Saturday night? The answer, of course, was somewhere that doesn't take reservations at all – and somewhere I absolutely love. Le Relais de l’Entrecôte (15, rue Marbeuf, 75008).

This tried-and-true staple of the dining scene is known for its no-reservations policy and no-choice menu: salad garnished with walnuts and served with a zippy mustardy dressing, followed by not one but two helpings of entrecôte steak served with a pile of crispy frites and a secret, delicious sauce. The efficient waitresses still dressed in classic black-and-white ask you just two questions when you sit down: Would you like wine? and How would you like it cooked? (The steak, not the wine. Obvs.)

Is it touristy? Absolutely. Do I love it anyway? Again… absolutely. And if you're starved for choice, remember that where there’s none on the savory side of things, there’s loads when it comes to sweets, with a full bar of pastries and desserts, each more delicious than the next.

If steak isn't your thing, a good runner-up is the no-reservations bouillon Le Petit Pharamond (24, rue de la Grande Truanderie, 75001), located in a gorgeous building with exposed beams and private, pocket dining rooms. The criminally low prices can make the lines here a bit long, but luckily, you’re free to grab an apéro at the bar next door while you wait, and one of the (slightly harried) servers will come grab you when your table is ready. I highly recommend the tripe (honestly never thought I’d write that sentence), which has been made according to the same recipe since 1832.

I’m traveling with kids. Where should I eat?

Brasserie des Prés (6, Cour Du Commerce Saint-André, 75006) is one of several members of the Nouvelle Garde, a restaurant group seeking to bring a slightly younger approach to the old-school brasseries. And while my first experience was a bit uneven, I’ve found much to love at this maximalist spot.

It’s tough to beat the setting of this restaurant located down the cobbled Cour du Commerce Saint-André, just steps from Paris’ oldest café, le Procope, and a few blocks from Notre Dame. Kids will love the glugging water pitchers in the shapes of various animals, not to mention the chunk of Paris’ medieval fortifying wall on full display in the dining room.

When it comes to the menu, well-executed French classics are the mot d'ordre, with kid-friendly options like sausage with mashed potatoes, croque monsieur (basically a fancy grilled ham-and-cheese sandwich), and house-made ice cream for dessert. Grown-ups will love the maximalist leek-vinaigrette or the diminutive appetizer portions of my favorite French onion soup in the city. Plus, if traveling with little ones mean you need to find a meal at a weird hour, this brasserie has a shorter service continu menu served all day long, featuring not just the aforementioned leek, soup, and sausage, but steak tartare with house-made fries and delicious ice cream sundaes.

If you're looking for a similar vibe on the right bank, sister restaurant Brasserie Bellanger (140, rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75010) is an awesome option, and on weekends, their roast chicken and fries to share is the perfect thing for little ones to pick at while Mom and Dad split some well-earned wine.

Where can I eat well near the Eiffel Tower?

This could seem like a tricky question, but luckily, I’ve got three spots I love within spitting distance of Paris’ most-visited monument.

Subscribe to read on and discover my favorites for vegetarians and spots with a view I actually like.