Allison B.
Yelp
Le Petit Cler was one of my favorite restaurants in Paris - and quickly became one of my top favorite restaurants ever.
My husband and I had bookmarked/starred Le Petit Cler as we started researching our trip to Paris. The pictures of the Croque Madame did my husband in, while I was mesmerized by the many offerings of tartines (and a great wine list), as well as the fact that Le Petit Cler is on Rue Cler, one of the cutest little streets in Paris.
Our first visit to Le Petit Cler was for dinner - I asked for a table outside (in French), and my husband and I were brought two French menus, which gave my husband anxiety from the get-go because he can read about zero French.
Our server came over after some time to take our order (again, just a reminder - this is not rudeness, they're allotting enough time for you to absorb the menu, so don't be surprised if you're sitting at a table for a bit prior to someone welcoming you/taking drink orders), and saw my husband on Yelp reading the English version the of the menu. We ordered a carafe of water as well as a bottle of the Roquefort Bordeaux (28 €), and requested a bit more time to order our meals.
A new server came back, who promptly placed an English menu down for my husband and then (in English) asked if we were ready to order. My husband ordered the special plat of the day, the beef lasagna (there's a different special plate each day - all are printed on the menu for 13,5 €), and I ordered the warm goat cheese/tomato/endive tartine (14 €). We sipped our wine (delicious - highly recommend! until our food arrived. Not only was the plating absolutely gorgeous, but the food was incredible. Everything was perfectly seasoned, fresh, and filling - like the kind of meal where you're quiet because you're absolutely loving what you're eating.
We finished our dinner, and then ordered a cheese plate (a Camembert and chevre), and my husband ordered the chocolat Petit Pot (literally a little jar of chocolate mousse - it was delicious). The service was amazing, the food incredible, and the ambiance so traditionally Parisian that we decided we needed to come back the next day for our final lunch in Paris.
Our lunch the next day had some things in common with our first visit: a seat outside, the same bottle of Bordeaux, and amazing service. This time I ordered the tartine with raw salmon and cream cheese (17 €), and my husband ordered the Croque Madame (15 €) that he had lusted over via Yelp photos. It was a particularly hot day in Paris, and sitting in the sun during our lunch emboldened us to each order a bowl of Berthillon ice cream (vanilla for my husband, raspberry sorbet pour moi). It was delicious, and exactly what we needed on such a hot day.
All in all, Le Petit Cler was the perfect Parisian experience - the food was delicious, the service wonderful, the ambiance absolutely perfect, and the people watching completely top notch. Cannot wait to return to Paris and come back to this wonderful restaurant.