Chez Paul

I recently dined at Paul Chez restaurant in Paris and had an exceptional experience. The food was truly remarkable, showcasing the rich flavors of French cuisine. I started with the beef tartar, which was fresh, expertly seasoned, and presented beautifully. It set a high bar for the rest of the meal. For my main course, I opted for the steak, and it did not disappoint. The steak was cooked to perfection—tender, juicy, and full of flavor. The accompanying sides complemented the dish well, enhancing the overall dining experience. The wine selection at Paul Chez was also impressive. Our server recommended a wonderful red wine that paired perfectly with both the tartar and the steak, adding an extra dimension to our meal. The ambiance of the restaurant was charming and cozy, making it a perfect spot for a relaxed dinner. The service was attentive and friendly, contributing to a pleasant and memorable evening. One minor downside was that the dessert menu was somewhat limited, but given the quality of the main dishes, this was a minor flaw. Overall, Paul Chez offers excellent food and a delightful dining experience. I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Paris. Rating: 8.5/10

It was wonderful to have a nice dinner with. Potato was really tasty, so hard to finish all food you have ordered. I think 4 person - 2 starter / 3 main dishes / 2 dessert / 1~2 bottle of wine to share would be perfect and enough. For sure, foods in here is wonderful.

A good restaurant for French dinner. Baked snails had a nice butter flavor. Beef tartar was my favorite. Red wine pear with vanilla ice cream was an excellent dessert.

Service was good. They ignored me just the right amount. Nice atmosphere, outside. The pepper steak was excellent, perhaps a tad less tender than I would like, and the sauce was very peppery, but flavorful. The potatoes surprised me with flavor and creaminess. The goat cheese and salad was a delightful combination. I am pretty tough generally on the traditional brasserie/bistrot. Here is a great find. I will be back

We had a lovely dinner here. We made reservations in the afternoon for an 815 dinner. We looked at the menu online, but we ended up ordering other things than what we planned because everything looked so good. We decided on the lamb shoulder for 2, onion soup gratinee, stuffed rabbit, and of course escargot! We appreciated the house wine as well. All the servers we so friendly and attentive. They made us laugh many times. Would recommend, would go back again!

Good authentic French food, but there may be a little bit of a wait. We tried steak tartare, duck conflit, rabbit rillettes, and Bordeaux wine. It was all good but we did wait over 1 hour for the main course. I think it was forgotten. Servers were kind about it and apologized, even offered dessert on the house!

Old traditional restaurant recommended in lonely planet and another book 📕 about Paris. Deco is nice. The food is good but not wow good.

We enjoyed our dinner very much, sitting outside. Food was good but not superb. Staff friendly and not too pushy. House wine of fair quality. Steak grilled with perfection, burger a little too heavy. All in all, a safe option for a nice dinner.

This place was AMAZING.. I recommend the crème brûlée for dessert. * Btw my 8yo daughter wrote this review!

We had a great experience here! The wine was amazing (but it is everywhere) and the French onion soup was really good but there was a random mushroom in it which was a little scary for someone with a mushroom allergy. The creme brûlée was EXCELLENT. We didn't have to wait at all and I appreciated that the manager was really watching out for her customers (as she made me move my bag from a chair so it wouldn't get stolen). It gave me the perfect classic dinner in Paris (outside along a sidewalk) experience. My friend wasn't super impressed with the tartare and the foie gras wasn't buttery enough but my steak was cooked perfectly and the béarnaise sauce complemented it well.

This has always been my favorite restaurant in Paris and 23 years later, it still is. In 2000 I stayed in the Bastille for over a month. A friend of my husbands told us that we must eat here. We did and went back numerous times. I even spent New Years 2001 here and that was quite an all night extravaganza with some of the best food . Chez Paul is a truly authentic French Restaurant. It has all those French delicacies I don't eat. Froi Gras, Rabbit, Duck, but what I will eat is just as exceptional today as it was in the past. Escargot - is the best. It's not to rich and every bite is perfect. Onion Soup - fresh with the perfect amount of cheese and French bread. Herring Fillets - marinated in oil and served with warm potatoes. To die for! I only came for lunch on this trip and I wish I could have eaten more. The owners are still there and working and everything about eating here brought back so many memories. I highly recommend if you're in Paris and want something not touristy, and an absolutely fabulous meal...go to Chex Paul. You will not be sorry

3 1/2 stars This restaurant is incredibly popular and I wonder why. I used to live in Paris and friends visiting would ask to go there and it seems that 20 years later it's stil going strong. Anyway, after my last visit, same feeling, what is the buzz about? The decor is basic, service so-so because the staff is crazy busy and the food just fine. The duck confit was dry, the garlic on the potatoes mostly raw and overwhelming. My sardines were good but the veggies that came with them boring. It's also true that in this area of Bastille you mostly find bars and clubs, very few restaurants, so not much competition. That might explain partly their popularity.

The worst meal I have had in Paris in 50 years. Not going to justify anything else on this disgusting place.

Great Parisian neighborhood bistro. Fun and sassy staff. Great ambiance - legit spot. A must visit. Then promenade the alley next to the restaurant on your way to the Bastille!

Run the other way! Literally the worst food that I've ever had! We forced ourselves to eat what we could and my family and I were immediately sick afterwards. If I could give it zero stars I would.

Great atmosphere, we recieved a warm family welcome, food was plentiful & delicious. Poirette! Great service

Excellent food and charming French bistro experience. We were the only non-Parisians in the restaurant!

A quaint but charming place not too far from the city centre. We felt like regulars in this neighborhood gem, with friendly staff, delicious and affordable food. If you love authentic French atmosphere, this is the place for you. We went during the quieter hours, after lunch and before 3 pm, just in time to get the daily special menu (which ends at 3pm), which we highly recommend as (great) value for money. The onion soup was good and hearty, perfect for chilly days. We got three different desserts (creme brulee, tarte tatin and a pear pie) and they were all excellent.

One of my favorites in Paris....cool setting and food that never disappoints. Check it out while you are there!

We were super disappointed after this restaurant was recommended by a local. We ordered the bone marrow as a starter and that was a big mistake. The flavor was terrible and it was pure fat. Next to be served was rabbit roulette. It looked like a can of tuna had been plated! Also terrible. The duck confit was dried out and tough. The potatoes were also dried out. I will say our server was pleasant and attentive. We did not have a reservation, but he still seated us. As he cleared our table he commented that the rabbit roulette was no good. Thanks for the tip! We paid our bill and said thank you, but we will not return. I wouldn't normally take the time to post such a unflattering review, but I feel if you are only in Paris for a short time, skip Chez Paul.

Some places are fun even if the food is not great, just because the service is fun and the ambiance is lively. I have one serious concern regarding Chez Paul but I am writing this to highlight both the wonderful points and to warn about places that may be popular but also not properly adhering to proper temperatures and food handling practices; this particular warning applies to EVERY place. Chez Paul is a few blocks from Bastille, in a lively neighborhood with not shortage of bars and bistros, so when my friends and I settled on giving this place a try it was because the location offered wonderful streetlife entertainment, old world charm, and the place was packed with a mix of locals and visitors. Six escargots for under 10 Euros were done perfectly with bubbling butter, parsley, and garlic, and toasted baguette for dipping. The steak tartare at 18 Euros was obviously machine ground as opposed to knife cut, and this was the dish that gave my friend diarrhea all night long. Having eaten three steak tartares during my 2 weeks, I knew not to order this one when I saw the plates coming out of the kitchen, but my friend was craving the dish so ignored my warning. ANY machine cut/ground steak tartare is a dangerous bacteria breeding ground because no one cleans the machine after every grind, so you are grinding any meat, that serving may be contaminated with all the other meat that was ground previously. This is especially dangerous on a warm evening when when you have no idea how long or at what temperature the raw meat has been sitting out. I will ONLY eat steak tartare at a place where it is knife cut. PERIOD. Being knife cut doesn't mean the meat is great, or was stored at a proper temperature, but it considerably lessens the likelihood of cross contamination. This is exactly why ground beef is a major cause of e coli illness, even in the USA where we rarely eat beef tartare. The scallops with pasta and a tomato sauce were decently done and a very generous portion. The duck confit for 19 Euros was my choice and again a copious portion. The tarte tatin at 8.50 Euros was large enough to share between three of us and ended our evening on a sweet note.

** Chez Paul was the first restaurant that I tried in Paris, and I have to say that it was one of my favorite experiences! Recommend the lamb of rack if you have others to split a large meat portion with. This restaurant really set the tone for my trip in Paris, and is one that I would recommend! I split the lamb of rack with my brother, and my parents also tried a few pieces so if you have one or two other people in your party to share with, I'd suggest getting it. The meat was super tender and the sauce complimented the lamb very well. They bring it out to you on a platter and cut it up a bit for you at your table, and I can tell that it was fresh out of the kitchen. Typically, lamb can tend to give off a certain smell that can be off-putting to some, but that's usually when its a cheaper cut or if its not done right. The lamb that I got was extremely tasty and you can tell that it was a quality cut. The sauce was lighter and didn't mask away the flavor of the protein, and it didn't need to. My dad got one of the steak cuts which wasn't bad, but we concluded that the lamb option would be the far better choice in the future. Give this place a shot!

My family and I always stop by here whenever visit Paris. We absolutely love coming here for great French cuisine. I definitely recommend this place!

Thanks to Eve our Trafalgar Tour Guide we came to this iconic French Restaurant with over a Century of history to it. We were all seated on the 1st floor in a cozy dining area and were given a small introductory speech by the owner and his daughter who translated for him as he spoke to us in French! The dinner consisted of a home made wine. A Foie Gras salad with fresh bread, Beef With Vegetables and Cheese followed by dessert! A truly excellent French Dinner which we all enjoyed! WE WILL DEFINITELY BE BACK!

I have been coming to Chez Paul for years and always looked forward to it. Sadly, I think its time has passed. The food seemed formulaic and very average. It took 15 minutes to get a menu even though only 8 tables in the whole place were occupied. See my photo of the nearly empty restaurant. The red headed bartender man was officious and rude, telling us that he "only has 2 hands" when we finally asked if we could at least see a menu, forget the time it took to place our order. Don't waste your time here.

Chez Paul was our favorite dinner in Paris. Between the atmosphere and the food, everything was perfection. It was extremely busy, so definitely plan ahead and make a reservation. We ordered a bottle of red and started with bone marrow, escargots, and french onion soup. The bone marrow was insanely delicious and the presentation was pretty cool. My friend said it was her favorite french onion soup throughout the whole trip (that's saying a lot, because she must've tried six different soups in four days). The escargots were also delicious. For entrees, I got the pepper steak with potatoes au gratin and my friend ordered the steak with bernaise sauce. Both were perfectly cooked and delicious. We both agreed that the potatoes were easily one of the best things on the table. Highly recommend this place and will come back next time I'm in Paris!

Really not that great. The vinaigrette leaks were tough and very fibrous. The chicken in the blanquette de volaille was horribly dry, my wife's pot au feu was just so-so and my temptation of Saint Antoine had good feet and ear pieces but bad and dry other pieces. Fried potatoes that came with it didn't even taste good. Really disappointed given the good reviews.

Food was good. Service was good. Nothing fancy, but a solid French dinner. Americans in both sides of us, but considering we don't speak French, it was perfect. Regardless, it's not a tourist trap.

I'd give this place 3.5 stars. The food was good, but I expected a lot more from the lamb shank, which left much to be desired in the flavor department. It was crispy, but that's about it. It lacked seasoning of any cognizable kind. The onion soup was really cheesy and delicious, but almost all onion soups taste that way. The one thing that stood out for me, however, was the apple pie. I guess it was very American of me to order that, but it was soooo delicious, I didn't even need a scoop of vanilla ice cream to thoroughly enjoy it. For vegetarians: my friend really enjoyed the ratatouille, though it gave him a stomach ache later on in the day.

I would rate Chez Paul four and a half stars. I dined in with my girlfriend for a quintessential, romantic, French dinner date. We started with some unpronounceable red wine bottle several years ago somewhere in burgundy. For starters we had the meat only charcuterie board and a small cheese plate. The meat board came with sliced salami, sliced prosciutto, rabbit rillettes, and two other pates. The rillettes were fantastic! The cheese plate came with Brie, another creamy cheese with a speckled blue rind, and two semi-soft cheeses. The second cheese was so funky with this spoiled flavor. I'll have to work on understanding and appreciating those flavors. For the main course, I had the steak tartare. I highly recommend it. It was over a half pound of grinded meat mixed with some parsley and onions. It had a clean and savory flavor. No gaminess whatsoever. The service was very friendly throughout.

(PLEASE excuse the lack of accent marks on French words): So I have been to this restaurant a few times whilst in Paris, during two separate trips. Twice by myself. Once with a London mate and her sister (who has blue hair). It's rather fascinating to me as usually how I am treated when dining alone is worse than when I am dining with others. However, in France it almost always seems to be the opposite. The times I went by myself, I spoke in French. My "tres triste" French. I can order, I can ask for directions, I can make (slow paced) conversation, and I can be well mannered. I cannot speak at the regular cadence of someone who is native or someone who (to be quite frank) practices their French as I should. These times I was by myself, the wait staff had no issues understanding me. Things were grand. Service was grand. Food was grand. The third time I went (second in one trip to Paris), things were different. The waitress said she couldn't understand me when I told her - en Francais - what I would like. My friend and her sister ordered water. I wanted to order a drink, but the waitress never even asked me, just left after the second person said they wanted water. My friend Emma was like, "didn't you want a drink?" Why yes. Yes I did. I tried to order one later, but every time the waitress came over she would abruptly leave. I finally just gave up. We also never got a bread basket and were not asked about dessert. It was interesting as all the tables around us were given bread and asked about dessert. I had been my prior two trips as well. I only imagine it had to do with my friend and her sister being unable to speak any French and their distinctly non-French appearance. I am certainly not French, but look like I could be European...

By far the worst meal of my entire life. My friends and I came here on a trip to France after hearing great reviews. We practically ordered one of everything and each item was absolutely disgusting or inedible. The items that stuck out as the worst were: rabbit, beef tar tar, the side of potatoes, and the French onion soup. The sauce complementing the rabbit was foul. It's notoriously named "poop sauce" amongst my friend group. Whenever we order rabbit at other restaurants we joke about the poop sauce we had at Chez Paul. DO NOT order it. The beef tar tar was such an odd temperature- like freezing cold. Nobody dared to take a second bite. The potatoes...you're probably wondering why I'm reviewing a side of potatoes. Well, ever eaten a potato that tasted like fried calamari? These did - literally what? A seafood tasting potato? Do potatoes come from the ocean? Who's your supplier, I must know. The onion soup was just an oily broth with little to no cheese or taste. My friends and I truly have PTSD from this disgusting experience. Never will I eat a potato again without imagining a scuba diver retrieving them from the ocean floor.

Your quintessential French bistro - tucked away in a lovely Parisian street. I was probably the only tourist in the place. Throughout my 1 hour lunch stay, many locals and regulars came through the door. Lovely feel about the place! Ordered a french onion soup to start, steak tartare as my main and a glass of bordeaux. Divine and perfect meal in Paris.

The mood of the dinner is set by the host and the waiter. If you want to have a dinner with the most rude and horrible service I have encountered, ever? Go here.

YUMMY TRADITIONAL FRENCH DISHES in an old style, dated decor! they opened at 12 pm for lunch & it was EMPTY, but by 12:30 it was bustling! NOTE: they get a fresh delivery of bread between 12 and 12:30 so come after if you want FRESH complimentary bread with your meal! --escargot: Mmmm savory w/ the garlic & olive oil --duck confit: BEST EVER.. perfectly cooked! the side of potatoes were very crispy & interestingly sliced.. almost like french fries --pepper steak: a bit too peppery & the side of potato gratin was just okay --salmon: cooked well i would definitely come back, but you've got to know how to sort through the french menu!

This was our only real bistro dinner in France, so we picked wisely. The rest of our meals consisted of just bread, pastry, wine, and/or cheese...plus a trip to Arpege. But like I said, we picked wisely. You would be wise to come here, too. We ordered a bottle of wine for the table, a very nice rosé that was only $25. The mark up wasn't bad at all. Gotta love that. We went with some very French choices. We started with escargot and what we thought was seared foie, but ended up being a terrine de foie. We got over that quickly as OH MY GOD IT WAS THE BEST FOIE EVER. I've had a lot of seared foie in the US, and I feel like they work damn hard to perfect it. Terrine de foie in the US is treated like a cheap afterthought. This was not. So much flavor. So much perfection. And the escargot? They're basically a vehicle for butter and garlic, so obviously that was good. For our main plates we shared the steak tartare (the house speciality), and the tête de veau (veal brain). The steak tartare was mustardy. I've never had anything quite like it. I used the baguette offered to the table to eat it, and it was delicious. The mustard almost gave it a NY deli taste. The tête de veau was not at all what I imagined. It's served in a soup. Both the broth and the brain remind me of wonton soup. The brain itself kind of tastes like prime rib, but the texture is soft like foie. It's good. Be brave and try it! For dessert we shared the tarte tatin, another house specialty, and the îles flottante, another dish we'd always wanted to try. Who doesn't love a good apple upside down cake? It was très bien! Served with a healthy amount of sour cream (seriously), it hit the spot. But the îles flottantes! That was SO GOOD. The crème anglaise was perfectly thick and sweet, and the puff of egg whites really held their own. I would absolutely order that over and over again. Our server was hilarious. I asked for un carafe de l'eau, and she jokingly played the role of a traditional French waitress and told me it wasn't possible. I asked for bread, she flat out said no. Of course, she promptly brought out both these things. She laughed along at all of our yummy noises. She brought us the check and made it clear there was no rush to leave. Everything is great. Come for a good bistro experience!

Bone marrow, escargot, cheese, wine, and bread Our group wanted to go full French at this spot in the FUN Bastille area. Food did not disappoint. We got the large cheese plate--don't do this..get the smaller! Cheese was fantastic, however..just too much. The only reason I did not give a 4-star review was that the host put our 4-person group at the very back of the restaurant in another empty main room. The front part of the restaurant had local and loud French folk...yet they sat us all the way in another room, with no one else around. Was it because we were Americans? NO IDEA. However...our waitress was GREAT. You can tell she had a long day, but was totally cool with us--explained dishes, offered extra bread, etc.

Chez Paul is a classic. If you've ever been to a French bistro in the states, this is the exact type of place they're trying to emulate. Casual, worn in, charming, and simple, yet incredible fare. Sadly so few can actually capture what you'll find daily at Chez Paul. All of the above elements are well represented from the moment you walk in. It's got a particular vibe that puts you no place else than the center of Paris, and despite what some non-local diners might say, the service was friendly and conscientious during our visit. Time honored bistro dishes dot the menu with native favorites like steak tartare, onion soup, escargots, steak au poivre, terrines of foie gras, etc... Depending on your threshold for comfort foods, these might not sound appetizing. But the French know sauces, and you could be eating an old pair of Oxfords and walk away happy. Trust you're in good hands with the folks here at Chez Paul. We got a seat immediately walking in around 19:45, but you might be rolling the dice if you're attempting to saunter in during prime hours.

Let me tell you I am back for dinner the second night in a row. This is by far the best food I've had since being in Paris. Yes you can go to the places that charge you an arm leg and maybe another part and set in a fancy dinning room. If you want to eat like real people this is a must!!!! Yesterday our server was Julian. He is amazing. When you go in please tell him Chef Tony sent you. Tonight he greeted us back with his amazing smile. Almost felt like the face you give when your family comes in from out of town After being gone for a long time So Our server tonight is named Tifaine. I'm not sure if Julian just made sure we are sitting in the best section or if she is just way this way naturally. Great smile, good timing and makes you feel perfectly at home. Waiting tables is an art many try and fail. That is not the case here. You have not visited Paris without a stop here. Steak au Poive with the best gratin dauphinois Is a must have, homemade duck confit with amazing garlic potatoes. For dessert the famous apple tart Tarim and the Homemade chocolate profiterole's. I'm not so sure if that's the reason we're back for a second night in a row.

The perfect Parisian bistro? I think so. Happily taking advantage of my AirBnb host's tip for a local bistro, as well as letting him book a table for me, arriving at Chez Paul for an evening meal, I had a feeling this would be a good experience. Greeted cheerfully by the maitre'd, I was shown to my table and quickly offered menus and water and bread rolls. The menus were handwritten in French, but supported by English translations too. I had it in mind to look for a duck option, but as I soon found myself in conversation with the couple at my left, who'd detected my Englishness, I allowed them to guide my choice based on their long experience of this place. Their recommendation? The rabbit's leg, stuffed with goat's cheese - it was glorious, brimful of taste and texture. The red wine recommended by the friendly waitress was splendid too. What I really enjoyed about Chez Paul was the relaxed and happy atmosphere, less than a few hundred metres away from Belle Equipe, a target for the November attacks. Despite the undoubted horrors of that night, places like Chez Paul remain resolutely and honestly themselves, untouched and determined to carry on as before. A tremendously satisfying culinary experience and one that cannot be recommended highly enough.

This restaurant was a lovely spot if you in search of classic French ambiance. The intimate atmosphere is a perfect place for a romantic date or night on the town with your friends. The food is impeccable and cooked to perfection with an abundance of flavors and textures. In addition to this the service was extremely helpful and kind. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone looking to experience real French food in an inviting atmosphere.

I was very happy to have fallen on Chez Paul for dinner. So happy I came back a second time. I got the bone marrow appetizer paired with a chilled rosé. Loved the creamy texture with the rock salt on top. Then I got the rabbit leg stuffed with goat cheese and fresh mint. It was served with a side of braised endive. This dish was a first for me and was sensational! Running around Paris was hard finding very good traditional French food until I landed at Chez Paul. The service was very good considering how busy they are. I will definitely be back upon my next visit to Paris!

Had to come back to this place! Originally dined here last month with my girlfriends. We loved it! It's a cute little place tucked away in the Bastille neighborhood that serves authentic French food. Sit outside - great for people watching. Also great for the brave diners.. they have like pigs brains and crazy stuff on the menu. My mom and I split the LARGE plate of steak and bone marrow. Great deal! Also -- our waitress Sandrine was awesome. She was also the same waitress who served my friends and I last month. She walked right up to the table and said " I remember you!" nice when servers do. This will be one of my regular places in Paris from now on!

This is a must come if you want French food from a brasserie. The food decor is old school Paris style, place is old, food is phenomenal. If you are in the area, this is a must come.

This was our splurge meal in Paris. It was recommended by our French professor who comes to Paris at least twice a year. It's a locals restaurant in the Bastille area, and they like to keep it that way. Since we are "living" in Paris for a month now and use to live right by the Bastille for 6 months, I think we qualify, no? ATMOSPHERE Dark, brooding, Parisian. The bar is downstairs and louder. Dining upstairs is much better for conversation, and much quieter. FRENCH ONION SOUP Amazing. The best I've had in Paris. The soup was not too thick, not to watery. The bread was crunchy on top, and soaked on the bottom, the cheese was thick and creamy. It's quite a large starter, and I ate the whole thing so think about ordering a smaller entree if you get this. STEAK AU POIVRE The most amazing steak I've had in Paris. The top is peppered generously, and the meat was cooked to perfection. I always ask for rare. Not medium rare. RARE. This was red and pink, no blood, tender, and flavorful. Very large thick piece of steak, and I was expanding my pants by the end, but amazingly delicious so i ate the whole thing again! The best. GRATIN DAUPHINOIS These came with the steak au poivre, and are seriously the best potatoes I have ever had. Soft, hot, flavorful. We each ordered our own steaks, so they combined the gratin daughinois into a casserole side dish for us to share. Normally, I don't eat that many potatoes...especially after French onion soup AND a gigantic steak, but these potatoes were polished off as well. YUM. BORDEAUX We ordered the large pichet of the cheapest Bordeaux. They brought out the bottle as it was about the same amount, and left us with it. French Bordeaux pairs perfectly with the steak. Prices are on the higher side for backpackers like me, but not crazy at all. If you are looking for an authentic French place to splurge a bit, THIS is it.

I loved this place, food was amazing and wait staff was friendly. I went last year when I was in Paris, it was a must stop when I returned this year and will be in the future.

Didn't like the food and didn't like the service. There was a big table with probably usual guests near us, and we were completely forgotten... I have been to other small family restaurants in the neighborhood and the treatment was completely different. This waitress was simply not interested. In the end, I could forget everything if, at least, the food was good.

A classy-looking restaurant filled with art and charm. The food is fantastic, and for the French-learner, an interesting challenge with the menu not only in French, but also fancily hand-written and almost indecipherable! Luckily, the staff are friendly and will run through the highlights in English (it's a really long menu). The food is delightful and nicely served. The steak was nicely cooked, and the dessert - wow! The prices are also reasonable - the atmosphere and quality of meals are high, but the value is still good. Perhaps this is a restaurant more for locals than tourists, which is certainly a reason to visit!

Best meal i had in paris! We came across this place on a recommendation from a random employee at a clothing store. Lots of locals there and some tourists but overall everyone was nice. The waitress we had was amazing. The steak we ordered was the best i have had in paris and the potatoes where just as good. The steak was pepper steak covered in a light beef gravy. Then we had creme brûlée also AWESOME. Deff go here. They take reservations its probably better to call ahead if possible. We didnt- but had no wait.

I can't get over Chez Paul. It's the quintessential Parisian brasserie, but the REAL quintessential Paris. It's romantic yet super chill, delicious yet unpretentious, and, true to stereotypes, best accompanied by a hearty glass of wine and a sizable appetite. From the moment we walked in, we felt right at home at Chez Paul. I'm not sure if it was my earnest, and nonetheless failed, attempt at speaking entirely in French, or my adorable boyfriend's smiling and pointing that endeared us to the waitstaff, but either way, we were treated with a charming, jokey kindness that I didn't expect from the chilly rep Paris usually gets. They gave us one english menu and one in french, allowing me to practice but ensuring that we didn't order anything...surprising. To start we went with a small carafe (probably 1/2 a bottle) of house red, and it hit the spot...especially paired with the buttery, garlicky, I'm-still-dreaming-about-them escargots we got soon after. I'm a little squeamish about eating insects or whatever snails are, but these were DELICIOUS. You'll probably want to pop an Altoid after eating them if you're going to be doing any smooching along the Seine, but the garlic breath is totally worth it. Next we got the steak tartare, which, again, I'm still thinking about. It's rich and meaty and pickly, with the perfect mixture of mustard, cornichon, capers and ketchup mixed into the massive pile of delicious raw beef. I'm a huge tartare fan in general, but this is by far the best I've ever had. I easily polished off my half plus a good deal of my boyfriends. We also got the steak au poivre, which I have to say, was, disappointing. It was a little dry and very salty, and just generally not up to the same (awesome) standard as the rest of the meal. The potatoes that accompanied it were creamy and delicious, and the salad was fresh and lightly but thoroughly dressed, but I'll definitely be ordering a different main next time. Word to the wise: no matter how much you might want to blend in with the locals and eat half a fresh baguette (*ahem*) on your way to dinner at Chez Paul, save room. You won't regret it.

When you travel you always try to stick to somewhere the locals would go or a type of food that will give you a new experience... well this unfortunately was intended for that and did not quite work out. The menu seemed to try and hit a lot of things the French cuisine has to offer. They seemed to try to be daring, but it just came out pretty crude. However, we both ordered a entrecot with wild hare pate for the entrée. The entrée did not quite taste very fresh; as if it was some canned food you can get for a few euros from the shop. One thing that made me still enjoy this place was the fact that the chef got my steak just perfect: rare. :) burned tremendously on outside but juicy red in the inside. The staff at the place was nice. There was one lady who really tried to make sure we understood the menu and gave her honest recommendations. Considering the place was full (with locals and tourists), the staff were nice. Probably the ambiance receives more the credit as it has this old rustic Parisian feel. There are lots of historic ornaments and posters about. Its also nice to sit outside on street. Perhaps we had a bad experience or with a local who knows the kitchen better might recommend us better delicacies.

Our favorite place to dine in Paris!! All our favorite traditional dishes without the touristy vibe or cost. Great friendly service, especially from Sandrine. She was courteous, patient and friendly. I recommend the Pepper Steak, and the escargots are to die for!

Love this place! I had the chance to share an amazing meal with my entire Family toi celebrate my Mom's Birthday! no matter what you order its going to be amazing! order the wine ,appetizer a main course and of course the tart Tatin! can't wait to come back!

My first review of an restaurant in another country. I even found this place thanks to yelp. My cousins live in Paris but weren't sure where to go for a nice reasonable french place. So i introduced them to yelp and we came here. The entire menu is in french so you are a bit out of luck if you can't speak or read french. I did study some french so I was ok. They do speak a little english but they are not going to read off the whole menu for you. I would still recommend going though if you don't speak the language. The escargot or snails in garlic sauce is good as it should be. The french onion soup is huge so share it as an appetizer otherwise it's an entree. The lamb is a classic of theirs and very good as well. They make a salmon dish that was made it an uncommon way as was explained to me by my cousin's wife. So great place to come if you're visiting Paris and know a little french or even if you've lived in Paris for a while.

If you are in Paris go here! I love this restaurant!! Get the Rabbit... end with the Poached Pears ! Parisian Heaven!

I went here about a month ago during a solo trip to Paris. Two friends, independent of each other, had recommended it, so I figured it was worth a try. At lunchtime on Sunday, the only customers were me and several tables of well-dressed old people. I took that as a sign that I was surrounded by locals and not tourists. Everything at Chez Paul seems authentic and "old world," right down to the menu handwritten in elegant script (do a bit of prep beforehand if like me, you don't speak much French). I won't say I fooled the waiters into thinking I was Francophone, but I will say that they were gracious enough to not make me feel bad for my slow speech and poor accent. I ate steak au poivre and the gratin dauphinois. I'm usually not a big fan of gratin, but these are on another level from anything else I've had. So creamy, subtly cheesy, perfectly seasoned. The steak was in a mildly spicy, really flavorful cognac and pepper sauce. The "extras" were amazing too: a cheap house bordeaux, an espresso with the perfect crema, and baguette freshly cut five feet from my table. On top of all that, I cannot in any way possibly describe the delight that was the tarte tatin. Warm, fruity, chewy. Served with creme fraiche. If you go, don't think; just order it. The only reason I didn't give five stars was because the steak was a bit tough for my taste. But that definitely won't deter me from returning next time I go to Paris!

Dispappointing dinner last night- I would give zero stars for service and welcome, and yes, that is by Paris standards, not American. Food average at best by any standards, and definitely not worth the 130 Euros we spent. Yes, we did have a prior reservation. The red haired bartender greeted us with a gruff nod towards our table. We ordered aperitifs that were served by another tall, tattooed bartender guy. Both these men seemed full of themselves and barely civil towards us- When asking about the vegetarian entree of the day, the tall guy gave me a look and said it is the same as before, to which I replied I haven't been here before. So he then reluctantly proceeds to tell me, with the attitude of doing me a big favor. We order an appetizer, and a bottle of wine, as well tell him the entrees we want as well. The bone marrow appetizer was decent, not the best I've had, we eat it, noting the lack of bread at the table. The red haired guy comes along in a few minutes and pompously plonks a basket of bread at our table, no response to my "Merci!" Later a girl starts serving us, she seems very nervous and new, and is very sorry when she spills the wine in the process of serving it. I tell her it is okay. In spite of the restaurant not being full, the service is extremely slow even by Paris standards, and very inattentive. If it hadn't been for the friendly smiles that the French couple next to us gave me from time to time, including her commiseration one time when the open door slammed into my side, and the friendliness of the kitchen guy who brought out our entrees, I would have said this place was totally unfriendly, unwelcoming and rude towards us. Usually hesitate to say this without having more information, but based on the fact that the guys were friendly and welcoming to the other white Americans and tourists that came in, it is hard not to conclude that there wasn't a racist bias to the treatment we received.

We didn't have a reservation so we were seated upstairs in a hot crowded room where we shared a table with another couple. So if possible, make a reservation! 2 stars for this. We ordered the escargot and the lamb for 2 which should really be for 4. Escargot was AMAZING. Definitely eat bread with the leftover sauce! The lamb was also really good but I suggest ordering it only if you have more than 4 people. 4 stars for the quality of the food. One weird thing--we did find some coins in our bread basket.. Probably not very sanitary