The Left Bank
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Cafés and Bars

Le Bateau Ivre 40 rue Descartes, 5^e. Small, studenty bar just clear of the Mouffetard tourist hotspot, though it attracts a fair number of Anglos in the evenings. M° Cardinal-Lemoine. Happy hour 5–9pm. Daily 6pm–2am.

Café des Arts cnr place Contrescarpe and rue Lacépède, 5^e. Prettier cups, cheaper coffee and a younger crowd than its touristy neighbour La Chope in this café-packed square. M° Monge. Daily 7.30am–midnight.

Café de la Mosquée 39 rue Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, 5^e. Drink mint tea and eat sweet cakes beside a fountain and assorted fig trees in the courtyard of this Paris mosque – a delightful haven of calm. The salon has a beautiful Arabic interior. Meals are served in the adjoining restaurant for around €15 and up. M° Monge. Daily 9am–11pm.

Café de la Nouvelle Mairie 19 rue des Fossés-St-Jacques, 5^e. Sleek café-wine bar with a relaxed feel generated by its largely university-based clientele. Serves good food like curry d'agneau, linguine and salads (around €10), and you can drink at the outside tables on sunny days. M° Cluny-La Sorbonne/RER Luxembourg. Mon, Wed & Fri 9am–10pm, Tues & Thurs 9am–11pm.

Café Notre-Dame cnr quai St-Michel and rue St-Jacques, 5^e. This café is fairly ordinary in all ways but one: the view straight across the river to the cathedral. Oh, and Lenin used to drink here. M° St-Michel. Daily 7am–11.30pm.

L'Ecritoire 3 pl de la Sorbonne, 5^e. Classic university café right opposite the Sorbonne, with outside tables by the fountain and little booths concealed at the back. Don't expect polite, unhurried service; do expect a lot of black polonecks. M° Cluny-La Sorbonne/RER Luxembourg. Daily 7am–midnight.

La Fourmi Ailée 8 rue du Fouarre, 5^e. Simple, light fare is served in this former feminist bookshop which has been transformed into a relaxed salon de thé. A high ceiling painted with a lovely mural and a book-filled wall contribute to the atmosphere. Around €8–10 for a plat. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Daily noon–midnight.

Le Piano Vache 8 rue Laplace, 5^e. Venerable bar crammed with students drinking at little tables. Cool music and a laid-back, grungey atmosphere. A pression costs just over €3. M° Cardinal-Lemoine. Mon–Fri noon–2am, Sat & Sun 9pm–2am.

Les Pipos 2 rue de l'École-Polytechnique, 5^e. Old carved wooden bar in a long-established position opposite the gates of the former grande école. Serves wines from €2.50 a glass along with simple plates of Auvergnat charcuterie, cheese and the like. M° Maubert-Mutualité/Cardinal-Lemoine. Mon–Sat 8am–1am; closed two weeks in Aug.

Le Reflet 6 rue Champollion, 5^e. This artsy cinema café has a strong flavour of the nouvelle vague, with its scruffy black paint scheme, lights rigged up on a gantry and rickety tables packed with intellectual-looking film-goers and chess players. Perfect for a drink either side of a film at one of the arts cinemas on rue Champollion, perhaps accompanied by a good steak, quiche or salad from the short list of blackboard specials. M° Cluny-La Sorbonne. Daily 10am–2am.

Le Verre à Pied 118bis rue Mouffetard, 5^e. Deeply old-fashioned market bar where traders take their morning glass of wine at the bar, or sit down to eat the €10 lunchtime formule. M° Monge. Closed Sun afternoon & Mon.

Le Violon Dingue 46 rue de la Montagne-Ste-Geneviève, 5^e. Long, dark student pub that's also popular with young travellers. Noisy and friendly, with English-speaking bar staff and cheap drinks. The cellar bar stays open until 4.30am on busy nights. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Daily 6pm–2.30am; happy hour 8–10pm.

Restaurants

Au Bistrot de la Sorbonne 4 rue Toullier, 5^e tel 01.43.54.41.49. Traditional French and delicious North African food served at reasonable prices to a crowd of locals and students in a nice, bright, muralled interior. €11.50 lunch menu; evening menus from €15.10. RER Luxembourg. Daily noon–2.30pm & 7–11pm.

Brasserie Balzar 49 rue des Écoles, 5^e tel 01.43.54.13.67. Classic high-ceilinged brasserie much frequented by the literary intelligentsia of the Quartier Latin. Almost intimidatingly Parisian – some diners feel as if they're on a film set – though if you're unlucky, or choose to eat early, the tourist clientele can spoil the Left Bank mood. À la carte around €30. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Daily 8am–11.30pm.

Au Buisson Ardent 25 rue Jussieu, 5^e tel 01.43.54.93.02. Copious helpings of inventive, first-class cooking served in a warm-coloured, pleasantly traditional dining room. Lunch menu €15, evenings €28. Reser-vations recommended. M° Jussieu. Closed Sat lunch & Sun, and two weeks in Aug.

Chez Léna et Mimile 32 rue Tournefort, 5^e t01.47.07.72.47. The south-facing terrasse, perched above a shady little square, is the main attraction, and the €35 menu with wine and coffee included is excellent. Serves a €18 menu at lunchtime on weekdays. M° Censier-Daubenton. Closed Sun and Mon & Sat lunch.

Chez René 14 bd St-Germain, cnr rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 5^e tel 01.43.54.30.23. A grand old bistrot serving the humble old favourites – coq au vin and bœuf bourguignon – in the grand old style. Expect to pay €40 and up, except at lunchtime, when the €28 menu includes wine. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Tues–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7.30–11pm; closed Aug.

Les Degrés de Notre-Dame 10 rue des Grands Degrés, 5^e tel 01.55.42.88.88. Reliable, inexpensive and substantial French food, with a good-value lunch menu at €11.50. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Closed Sun.

L'Ecurie 58 rue de la Montagne Ste-Geneviève, cnr rue Laplace, 5^e tel 01.46.33.68.49. Shoe-horned into a former stables on a particularly lovely corner of the Montagne Ste-Geneviève, this family-run restaurant is cramped, bustling and very lovable. Outside tables and the cave-like cellar below provide a few extra seats, but not many, so book ahead. Expect well-cooked meat dishes served without flourishes – grilled with chips, mostly – for less than €15, and simple starters and desserts for around €5. M° Maubert-Mutualité/Cardinal-Lemoine. Mon–Sat noon–3pm & 7pm–midnight, Sun 7pm–midnight.

Les Fontaines 9 rue Soufflot, 5^e. The dated brasserie decor looks unpromising from the outside, but the welcome inside this family-run place is warm and genuine, and the cooking is in the same spirit, with honest French meat and fish dishes, or game in season. Main courses €12–16. RER Luxembourg. Mon–Sat noon–3pm & 7.30–10.30pm.

Le Grenier de Notre-Dame 18 rue de la Bûcherie, 5^e tel 01.43.29.98.29. See for yourself: some veggies love this tiny place; others hate its posh candle-lit atmosphere, cramped tables and cheesy music. Substantial fare, including traditional French dishes made with tofu and unreconstructed vegetarian classics like cauliflower cheese. Menu at €12, otherwise around €20. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Mon–Sat noon–11.30pm, Sun noon–3pm.

Au Jardin des Pâtes 4 rue Lacépède, 5^e tel 01.43.31.50.71. Delicious homemade pasta only, but made with all manner of freshly ground organic grains, and served with wonderful flourishes and garnishes. Up to €20 for a full meal. There's another branch at 33 bd Arago, 13^e (M° Gobelins; closed Sun). M° Jussieu. Daily noon–2.30pm & 7–11pm.

Kootchi 40 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 5^e tel 01.44.07.20.56. Shabby but well-regarded Afghan restaurant. A traditional qhaboli pulawo of meat cooked with vegetables and raisins can be had for €11.50, and there are menus at €9.20 and €12.20 (lunchtime) and €15.50 (evening). M° Cardinal-Lemoine. Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10pm.

Mavrommatis 42 rue Daubenton, 5^e tel 01.43.31.17.17. A sophisticated Greek restaurant, whose cooking has been favourably influenced by French attention to detail. Quite expensive – even the lunchtime menu is €19 – but you are definitely tasting Greek food at its best. M° Censier-Daubenton. Tues–Sun noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10pm.

Pho 67 59 rue Galande, 5^e tel 01.45.25.56.69. Authentic Vietnamese place just off the touristy Greek-taverna madness around rue de la Huchette. There's a good range of dishes for around €5, but try the famous pho soup, in this case made with tender French steak. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Daily noon–3pm & 7–11pm.

Perraudin 157 rue St-Jacques, 5^e. One of the classic bistrots of the Left Bank.The atmosphere is thick with Parisian chatter floating above the brightly lit, packed-in tables. Solid home cooking, with midday menus at €13 and €20, evening menu at €16 or carte at around €13–20 for a main course. No reservations, but you can wait at the bar for a place. RER Luxembourg. Service until 10.15pm; closed Sat & Sun, last fortnight in Aug.

Le Petit Prince 12 rue Lanneau, 5^e tel 01.43.54.77.26. Classic French food with occasionally inventive combinations that can be hit and miss. Most of the tables are hidden away at the cosy end of the restaurant, where there's a camp and happy atmosphere. Menus at €15 and €21.15. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Mon–Thurs & Sun 7.30pm–midnight, Fri & Sat 7.30pm–12.30am.

La Petite Légume 36 rue des Boulangers, 5^e tel 01.40.46.06.85. This health-food grocery doubles as a vegetarian restaurant and tea room, serving homely, organic plats for €8–12, along with fresh-tasting organic Loire wines. M° Jussieu. Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10pm.

Les Quatre et Une Saveurs 72 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 5^e tel 01.43.26.88.80. Inventive, high-class, organic vegetarian food. Plats around 11–15, with a menu at €25. M° Cardinal-Lemoine. Daily noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10.30pm. Closed Fri eve.

Le Reminet 3 rue des Grands Degrés, 5^e tel 01.44.07.04.24. This artful little bistrot-restaurant shows its class through small touches: snowy-white tablecloths and fancy chandeliers liven up the simple dining room, while imaginative sauces grace high-quality traditional French ingredients. Gastronomic menu at €50, but you can get away with two courses à la carte for about half that. M° Maubert-Mutualité. Mon & Thurs–Sun noon–2.30pm &7.30–11pm; closed two weeks in Aug.

Le Refuge du Passé 32 rue du Fer-à-Moulin, 5^e tel 01.47.07.29.91. Stuffed full of bric-a-brac and musical instruments, this welcoming restaurant serves up good dishes from southwest France, with menus in the low twenties. M° Les Gobelins. Daily noon–2.30pm & 7.30pm–11pm.

Tashi Delek 4 rue des Fossés-St-Jacques, 5^e tel 01.43.26.55.55. Elegantly styled Tibetan restaurant serving Himalayan regional dishes ranging from hearty, warming noodle soups to the addictive, ravioli-like momok. There's even yak butter tea, a salty, soupy concoction that's an acquired taste. You can eat well for under €10. If you prefer a more monastic, Tibetan-style decor, head round the corner and across the street to Kokonor, 206 rue St-Jacques, which serves many of the same specialities. RER Luxembourg. Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10pm; closed two weeks in Aug.

St-Germain

Cafés and Bars

L'Assignat 7 rue Guénégaud, 6^e. Zinc counter, bar stools, bar football and young regulars from the nearby art school in an untouristy café close to quai des Augustins. Homely plats du jour for around €7. M° Pont-Neuf. Mon–Sat 7.30am–8.30pm, food noon–3pm; closed three weeks in July.

Bar du Marché 75 rue de Seine, 6^e. Thrumming café where the serveurs are cutely kitted out in flat caps and aprons. Admittedly, you pay a little extra for the colours and smells of the rue Buci market on the doorstep. M° Mabillon. Daily 7am–2am.

Bistrot des Augustins 39 quai de Grands Augustins, 6^e. Small, traditional bistrot on the riverbank between the Pont Neuf and Place St-Michel. Serves homely hot dishes for around €12, and lighter plats – charcuterie and salads – for around €8. M° St-Michel. Daily 9am–midnight.

Le Bonaparte cnr rue Bonaparte and pl St-Germain, 6^e. Quieter and less touristy than the nearby Deux Magots or Flore, and situated at the quieter, sunnier end of the square. Hot and cold snacks served at reasonable prices. M° St-Germain-des-Prés. Daily 7.30am–2am.

Café de la Mairie pl St-Sulpice, 6^e. A peaceful, pleasant café on the sunny north side of the square, opposite the church of St-Sulpice. M° St-Sulpice. Mon–Sat 7am–2am.

Café Mabillon 164 bd St-Germain, 6^e. Hyper-trendy, hyper-modern café/bar/club (depending on what time you turn up) that pulls in modish Parisians and international types. Best for a posey night of cocktails (around €10), chatter and cool vinyl. M° Mabillon. Daily 7.30am–6.30am.

Chez Georges 11 rue des Canettes, 6^e. Deeply old-fashioned, tobacco-stained wine bar with its old shop-front still in place, though sadly Georges himself is not. The downstairs bar attracts a younger, beery crowd that stays lively well into the small hours. M° Mabillon. Tues–Sat noon–2am; closed Aug.

Cosi 54 rue de Seine, 6^e. Fantastic sandwiches (€5–8) made on homemade focaccia bread, using wonderful Italian deli ingredients. You can eat in, with a glass of wine (€3), and the opera-loving owner plays a different opera on the CD player each day. M° St-Germain-des-Prés. Daily noon–midnight.

À la Cour de Rohan cour du Commerce, off rues St-André-des-Arts and Ancienne-Comédie, 6^e. A genteel, chintzy drawing-room atmosphere down a picturesque eighteenth-century alleyway close to bd St-Germain. Cakes, tartes, poached eggs, etc, and plats du jour from around €10. No smoking. M° Odéon. Daily noon–7.30pm; closed mid-July–mid-Aug.

Les Deux Magots 170 bd St-Germain, 6^e. Right on the corner of place St-Germain-des-Prés, this expensive café is the victim of its own reputation as the historic hangout of Left Bank intellectuals, but it's great for people-watching. Worth arriving early for the €13.70 breakfast. M° St-Germain-des-Prés. Daily 7.30am–1am; closed one week in Jan.

Le 10 10 rue de l'Odéon, 6^e. Classic Art Deco-era posters line the walls of this small dark bar, and the theme is continued in the atmospherically vaulted cellar bar, where there's a lot of chatting-up among the studenty clientele. M° Odéon. Daily 6pm–2am.

Les Etages St-Germain 5 rue de Buci, 6^e. Outpost of boho trendiness at the edge of the rue de Buci street market, with a certain trashy glamour. The downstairs café-bar is open to the street, with overhead heaters on colder days. Upstairs and later on, you can lounge around on dogeared armchairs, chilling out with a cocktail. M° Mabillon. Daily 11am–2am.

Le Flore 172 bd St-Germain, 6^e. The great rival and immediate neighbour of Les Deux Magots, with a trendier and more local clientele. Sartre, De Beauvoir, Camus and Marcel Carné used to hang out here. Best enjoyed during a late-afternoon coffee or after-dinner drink. M° St-Germain-des-Prés. Daily 7am–1.30am.

La Palette 43 rue de Seine, 6^e. Once-famous Beaux-Arts student hangout, now frequented by art dealers and their customers. The decor of this relaxed bar is superb, including, of course, a large selection of colourful, used palettes hung about the walls. There's a a fairly roomy terrasse outside. M° Odéon. Mon–Sat 8am–2am.

Le Procope 13 rue de l'Ancienne-Comédie, 6^e tel 01.40.46.79.00. Opened in 1686 as the first establishment to serve coffee in Paris, this is still a great place to enjoy a cup and bask in the knowledge that over the years, Voltaire, Benjamin Franklin, Rousseau, Marat and Robespierre, among others, have done the very same thing. At lunchtimes and evenings it turns into a restaurant, with a decent, if rather overpriced, evening menu at €30. M° Odéon. Daily noon–1am.

La Pinte 13 carrefour de l'Odéon, 6^e. Boozy, crowded beer cellar, with a horde of exotic beers. M° Odéon. Mon–Thurs & Sun 6pm–2am, Fri & Sat 6pm–5am; closed Aug.

La Taverne de Nesle 32 rue Dauphine, 6^e. Full of local night owls fuelled up by happy hour cocktails (around €7) and beers (just over €3). Gets busier during student terms, especially at weekends when DJs take to the decks. M° Odéon. Mon–Thurs & Sun 6pm–4am, Fri & Sat till 5am.

Veggie 38 rue de Verneuil, 7^e. Organic takeaway from a healthfood shop near the Musée d'Orsay. M° Solférino. Mon–Fri 10.30am–2.30pm & 4.30–7.30pm.

Au Vieux Colombier 65 rue de Rennes, 6^e. An attractive Art Deco café on the corner of rue du Vieux-Colombier, with enamelled dove medallions, ice-cream-cone lights and stained green wooden window frames. Good for a coffee break while shopping. M° St-Sulpice. Daily 7am–midnight.

Restaurants

Brasserie Lipp 151 bd St-Germain, 6^e. One of the most celebrated of all the classic Paris brasseries, the haunt of the very successful and very famous, with a wonderful 1900s wood-and-glass interior. Decent plats du jour, including the famous sauerkraut, for under €20, but the full menu is very expensive. No reservations, so be prepared to wait. M° St-Germain-des-Prés. Daily noon–1am.

Aux Charpentiers 10 rue Mabillon, 6^e tel 01.43.26.30.05. A friendly, old-fashioned place – though the atmosphere can suffer due to over-exposure in guidebooks – belonging to the Compagnons des Charpentiers (Carpenters' Guild), with appropriate decor of model roof-trees and tie beams. Traditional plats du jour are their forte – tripe sausage, calf's head and the like – for about €15. Lunch menu at €19. M° Mabillon. Daily until 11.30pm; closed hols.

Jacques Cagna 14 rue des Grands-Augustins, 6^e tel 01.43.26.49.39, www.jacques-cagna.com. Classy surroundings for very classy food – beef with Périgord truffles and the like will set you back €80 for the evening menu, or rather more à la carte, and then there's wine on top. The midday menu at €40 is excellent value. Chef Cagna also runs the kitchen of the nearby L'Espadon Bleu, 25 rue des Grands Augustins, 6^e (tel 01.46.33.00.85), specializing in fish, and La Rôtisserie d'en Face, 2 rue Christine, 6^e (tel 01.43.26.40.98), specializing in grilled meats; both offer relatively inexpensive lunchtime menus. M° Odéon/St-Michel. Mon & Sat 7.30–10.30pm, Tues–Fri noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10pm.

Orestias 4 rue Grégoire-de-Tours, 6^e tel 01.43.54.62.01. Large helpings of honest, inexpensive Greek and French food, with menus from €8. M° Odéon. Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10pm; closed two weeks in Aug.

Le Petit St-Benoît 4 rue St-Benoît, 6^e tel 01.42.60.27.92. A simple, genuine and very appealing local for the neighbourhood's chattering classes. Another of the tobacco-stained St-Germain institutions, where aproned serveurs deliver hearty and, at times, heavy traditional fare such as hachis parmentier (a version of shepherd's pie). Count on €20 à la carte, including house wine. M° St-Germain-des-Prés. Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10.30pm.

Le Petit Vatel 5 rue Lobineau, 6^e tel 01.43.54.28.49. A tiny, matey, atmospheric place nicely done out with bright yellow walls, old train and film posters and quirky colourful cutlery. Popular with students. Good, plain home cooking, including a vegetarian plat. Lunch formule for €11; a three-course meal will set you back around €16. M° Mabillon. Tues–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10pm.

Le Petit Zinc 11 rue St-Benoit, 6^e tel 01.42.61.20.60. Excellent traditional dishes, especially seafood, in stunning Art-Nouveau-style premises (actually built thirty years ago). It's not cheap – the menu costs €32, and a lavish seafood platter will set you back €82 for two – but the quality is reliable. M° St-Germain-des-Prés. Daily noon–midnight.

À la Petite Chaise 36 rue de Grenelle, 6^e tel 01.42.22.13.35. The refined, upmarket atmosphere at this elegant, ancient bistrot is matched by the attentive service and the decor – a modernized version of eighteenth-century formality. The simple formula – two courses for €24, three courses for €29 – gives centre stage to the food: classic, carefully cooked French dishes, with lots of duck and foie gras. M° Sèvres-Babylone/Rue de Bac. Daily noon–2.30pm & 7.30–10.30pm.

Polidor 41 rue Monsieur-le-Prince, 6^e tel 01.43.26.95.34. A traditional bistrot, open since 1845, whose visitors' book, they say, boasts more of history's big names than all the glittering palaces put together. Packed with noisy regulars until late in the evening, when the menu costs €18. Bargain lunch menu for €9. M° Odéon. Mon–Sat noon–2.30pm & 7–12.30pm, Sun noon–2.30 & 7–11pm.

Vagenende 142 bd St-Germain, 6^e tel 01.43.26.68.18. An Art Nouveau marvel that is registered as an historic monument and brings to life the Parisian brasserie that is fast fading to memory. Touristy, but worthwhile if you go for the ambience rather than the food – primarily solid brasserie fare. Menu at €23, or upwards of €30 à la carte. M° Mabillon. Daily noon–1am.