Paris Châtelet-Les Halles

Food in the Chatelet area is unabashedly overpriced and often touristy. Nonetheless, there are a few classics that you simply have to visit---Angelina comes to mind---and a couple neighborhood options with unique dining experiences that are not to be missed.

Le Père Fouettard, 9 rue Pierre Lescot (☎01 42 33 74 17), Boasting a cozy interior dining room and a heated terrace that stays open year-round, Fouettard serves tasty traditional French cuisine at slightly elevated prices. If you can bear to pass up the ambience of a cafe meal, it's better to sit inside; you'll be closer to the bar. Rich wood walls, ceilings and floors are decorated with wine bottles basically wherever they fit. Meals on the terrace are by candlelight at night; how romantic! The location is fantastic, in the midst of the Châtelet-Les Halles neighborhood. Formules Dej €14.90-19.90. Salads €13.90-14.50. Plats €12.50-23.50. Open daily 7:30pm-2am. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol. Has outdoor seating.
Angelina, 226 rue de Rivoli (☎01 42 60 82 00), A hot chocolate at Angelina will make you feel like Eloise at the Plaza. Located right across from the Jardin des Tuileries, this salon de the has been around since 1903; bright frescoes, mirrored walls, and white tablecloths have immortalized Angelina's status as a Paris classic. There's always a long line outside of Angelina; expect to wait 20-30 minutes to get a table. The wait can obviously get out of hand at peak times (weekends during the summer). The hot chocolate €7.50 is to die for, even in the heat of the summer. In order to cut down on the line, all food items are available for take-out, but there's often a line for that as well. Salads €17-19. Patisseries €5.90-8.90. Tea and coffee €4-7.50. Open daily 9am-7pm. Takes credit cards.
Assiette Aveyronnaise, 14 rue Coquillière (☎01 42 36 51 60), A neighborhood favorite; Parisians come from all corners of the city for the delicious traditional saucisse aligot (a sausage engulfed by a mix of mashed potatoes and cheeses), and they won't hesitate to initiate newcomers to the house's best dishes. A half-plate of the house specialty will leave most guests incapable of continuing onto the Millefeuille, the house's dessert specialty. The restaurant's dining room is no-frills and brightly lit, while the terrace (heated when necessary) unspectacularly looks out on the entrance to a parking garage. The service is extremely friendly despite being insanely busy with the droves of regulars. Entrées €7.20; plats €13.80. Formules €18.50, €23.80, €28.30. Open Tu-Su noon-2:30pm and 7:30-midnight. Takes credit cards. Has outdoor seating.
Le Coup d'Etat, 164 rue Saint-Honoré (☎01 42 60 27 66), Perfectly located for a coffee or meal before or after your Louvre visit, Le Coup d'Etat looks out on the famous museum, if you're well placed on the terrace. Food is tasty and not ridiculously expensive, but nothing special: just traditional French cuisine. Le Coup d'Etat hopes there would never be a coup d'etat, because it would instantly lose all of its tourist customers. Entrées €7-13; plats €13-18. Desserts €6. Open daily 7am-2am Takes credit cards. Has outdoor seating.
Au Chien Qui Fume, 33 rue du Pont Neuf (☎01 42 92 00 24; www.auchienquifume.com), Au Chien Qui Fume has been a staple of the Parisian dining scene since 1740. Chefs arrange mouth-watering seafood platters at the oyster bar (tantalizingly visible from the street). The seafood is fresh from the market the same day. A traditionally decorated dining room and terrace portray the unmistakable class of this establishment, which is arguably Paris's number one for oysters and seafood. The crowd here tends to be pretty old or touristy; the former just trying to revisit the “good old days” and escape the dreadfully multicultural modern Paris, the latter falling into a particularly delicious tourist trap. Menus €24.90, 32.98, 37.90. Plats €17.50-29.60. Open daily noon-2am. Takes credit cards.
Bioboa, 3 rue Danielle Casanova 01 42 61 17 67 A small, affordable lunch spot a la americaine, ideal for a light lunch. The”food spa” serves up soups, salads, paninis, and desserts to be eaten at one of the restaurant's few tables, looking out onto rue Casanova from the window-side bar, or for take-out (a very rare find in France!). Plenty of fashion conscious types nibble on paninis and sip on smoothies here for lunch, but big appetites should opt for something a bit more substantial. Takes credit cards.
Au P'tit Gorgeon, 76 rue de Richelieu 01 42 86 13 19 You'll feel right at home at this small brasserie; family pictures and jovial regulars are fixtures. Frequented by businessmen and neighborhood regulars alike, and hopefully a few tourists (that's you). The food is rich and tasty, perfect for a reasonably priced midday retreat to replenish the energy tanks. The owner and waitress at lunch somehow keeps her wits about her in dealing with an often demanding crowd. Nothing fancy, but it will get you from one point to another, leave a good taste and an ever better impression. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol.
Les Noces de Jeannette, 9 rue d'Amboise 01 42 96 36 89 (www.lesnocesdejeannette.com), Boasting five dining rooms (a couple are almost always used for private occasions) each with a slightly different feel, Les Noces de Jeannette is a good deal for a high end dining experience. In the Bistrot Côté Ciné, for example,'50s and'60s movie posters hang from the walls, while the Bistrot Côté Opéra is decorated with opera posters and advertisements. Menus will please the traditionalists among our readers; nothing new for the relatively conservative and business-minded 2nd arrondissement. If there's a place to try the clasically French dish Andouillette AAAAA, it's here. Let's just say it's a very.. specific taste. Ask your waiter what's inside after you enjoy it. Menu Jeannette €28. Entrées €8. Plats €18. Desserts €8. Wine by the bottle €25-85. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol.
Au Vieux Comptoir, 17 rue des Lavandières Sainte-Opportune 01 45 08 53 08 (www.au-vieux-comptoir.com), Located smack dab in the middle of the Saint-Germain l'Auxerrois neighborhood right off rue de Rivoli, Au Vieux Comptoir proposes a wide selection of wines and traditional cuisine. This is a good spot for a delicious glass of wine and appetizer before dinner, or for a full meal. Classy bargoers enjoy spirits alongside dining families. Ingredients are fresh from their respetive regions (meats from Alsace and Basque regions). Wine choices are copious and span a wide price range; wine bottles for take-out are available at discounted prices. Takes credit cards. Serves alcohol.
La Bourse ou La Vie, 12 rue Vivienne 01 42 60 08 83 A great date spot for those seeking to fire up a romance in the city of lights, one of life's greatest existential questions, La Bourse ou La Vie? (Money or Life?) comes in the form of a charming small dining room with lots of bright colors, and unfortunately thin metal chairs that only get comfortable about halfway through your meal. In the summer time, the front window lets in a delicious waft of air, creating a truly heavenly forum for after-dinner conversations. The options are tasty, but somewhat predictable takes on traditional gastronomie: steak au poivre, foie gras, etc. Takes credit cards.
Muscade, 36 rue de Montpensier 01 42 97 51 36 Mixing Mediterranean and British tea traditions, La Muscade is located in the northwest corner of the Palais Royal. A less-frills (but still a few, nonetheless) version of the neighborhood's older, more prestigious tea salons. The indoors tea room boasts an unpretentious black-and-white checkered floor, black-and-white chairs, and a black menu chalkboard with white writing on it (imagine that!). Something about black and white must get you in the mood for tea, because it sure is delicious at Muscade. The only tough part is picking between the 23 tea options. Given its prime location in the courtyard of the Palais Royal and its high quality, you might want to make a reservation. Open Tu-Sa 10am-10:30pm, Su 10am-7pm. Tea served daily 3-7pm. Takes credit cards.
Le Grand Colbert, 2 rue Vivienne 01 42 86 87 88 (www.legrandcolbert.fr), Waiters dressed to the nines, tall ceilings, and a beautiful dining room add a touch of old-school French class to this popular restaurant which specializes in fish and, to a lesser extent, meat dishes. While the prices are a bit steep, you get your money's worth (if that's even possible when food is this expensive) if you forget about your wallet and slip into the refined mood at Le Grand Colbert. From 3-6pm in the afternoon, the establishment doubles as a tea salon. Takes credit cards.