Top 10 Paris bistrots on a budget

John Brunton introduces the new crop of gourmet restaurants in the French capital where you can enjoy top-quality food at a snip of the price

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The term "bistronomiques", coined in a recent restaurant guidebook by Arthur Deevs, refers to a new generation of Parisian bistrots that are offering creative, gourmet cooking at reasonable prices. These days you can find a host of places in Paris to eat inexpensively and extremely well – just two of the 10 selected bistrots below were featured in the book.

Lunchtime is the best time to find bargain set menus. Prices will inevitably be more expensive in the evening, but most of these bistrots offer a €25-30 (£20-24) set menu for dinner, which is still excellent value considering the quality of the cuisine.

If you're coming to Paris this summer, bear in mind that most of the bistrots will close for a week or two sometime over the July/August period, so always call first to check. Prices are for set menus, generally first course, main dish and dessert, not including wine.

  1. L'Ebauchoir

The Quartier d'Aligre, not far from Bastille, is becoming one of the trendiest parts of Paris, and one of the earliest "neo bistrots" to open here was L'Ebauchoir. On the bargain set menu at lunch you'll discover old-fashioned traditional dishes - roast guinea fowl, braised pork ribs and an irresistible crème caramel - while in the evening, the more expensive à la carte formula lets chef Thomas Dufour conjure up more inventive gourmet dishes. Wonderful frescoes decorate the walls and the friendly staff create a lively atmosphere.

· 43, rue de Citeaux; + 33 (0)1 4342 4931; lebauchoir.com. Set lunch, €14 (£11); dinner a la carte, €35-40 (£28-31). Metro: Faidherbe-Chaligny

 2. La Boulangerie 
The Boulangerie has always had a strong reputation for both its tasty cooking and the romantic surroundings of what was a turn-of-the-century bakery. And since it was been taken over by the larger-than-life Nidhsain brothers, with Hassan in the kitchen inventing surprising dishes, and Nordin theatrically holding court as the maitre d', a great time is assured both at lunch and dinner. For the evening, you must book a couple of days in advance, and after dinner, check out the nightlife in one of the city's hipper quarters.

· 15 rue des Panoyaux; +33 (0)1 4358 4545. Set lunch, €17 (£13.50); set dinner, €30 (£24). Metro: Menilmontant

3. Les Dingues

The owners of Les Dingues. You won't read about Les Dingues - The Crazies - in any guidebook, and you won't see any tourists here either, because this is a rare find - an authentic neighbourhood bistrot oozing with Parisian character. There are always a crowd of noisy regulars gathered at the bar, where it seems to be pastis-a-go-go all day long. The chef, Pat Basille, looks like a character from the Pirates of the Caribbean, but in his tiny kitchen he creates seriously delicious dishes like entrecote steak flambéd in cognac or ravioli poached in brie sauce, which are included on the very reasonably-priced set lunch and dinner menu. After lunch, discover the nearby Viaduc des Arts, an old viaduct converted into artisan ateliers and shops.

· 17 rue de Rambouillet; +33 (0)1 4345 3538. Set lunch, €15 (£12); set dinner, €20 (£16). Metro: Gare de Lyon

 4. Les Racines

Chef Jean-Francois Debre has his own Rive Gauche gourmet restaurant, Chez Maître Paul, but decided a few years ago that he also wanted to open a more simple bistrot, with a relaxed atmosphere where people could eat well without always paying a fortune. And Parisians were obviously looking for this, as Les Racines is full every lunchtime, and was also voted bistrot of the year by France's leading food critic, Gilles Pudlowski. You won't find a prix fixé set menu here, as the chef prefers to concentrate on his different dishes of the day, a hearty meal in themselves. Expect classic favourites like blanquette de veau (slowly simmered beef cheeks), and for warmer summer days, red mullet à la plancha with olive oil mashed potatoes.

· 22 rue Monsieur Le Prince; +33 (0)143260386. Lunch, plat du jour, €12 (£10); dinner, a la carte, €20-25 (£16-20). Metro: Odeon.

5. Le Pre Verre

Le Pre Verre is one of the hottest addresses in Paris, combining a perfect Left Bank location with creative cuisine at exceptionally reasonable prices and a fabulous selection of wines from all over France. The talented chef, Philippe Delacourcelle, takes all the traditions of French cuisine and mixes them with Asian spices and cooking methods. So, as an entree, you may have an old-fashioned hure de porc, grilled pig's muzzle, but cooked in a five-spices sauce, followed by tender cod braised with cinnamon, served on a bed of smoked potato puree. The lunch menu is one of the best deals in town, so reservations are essential.

· 8 rue Thenard; +33 (0)1 4354 5947; lepreverre.com. Set lunch, €13.50 (£11); set dinner, €27.50 (£22). Metro: Cluny

6. Chez Gladines

In the heart of the buzzing Butte aux Cailles, a village in the middle of Paris, this outstanding bistrot is one of the best budget eateries in town. The cuisine is 100% Basque, and the place resembles a country auberge. Prices are cheap, portions enormous, and the house wine is eminently drinkable. They don't take bookings, so a crowd invariably builds up outside, drinking wine out of plastic glasses as the restaurant doesn't have a proper bar licence. Dish of the day is usually a simple affair - poulet a la moutarde or hachis parmentier (French shepherd's pie) - and their giant salads are a meal in themselves.

· 5 rue des Cinq Diamants; +33 (0)1 4580 7010. Lunch, plat du jour €8 (£6); dinner a la carte, €15 (£12). Metro: Place d'Italie


 7. Chez Germaine
The trend of offering gastronomic cuisine at reasonable prices may be a new one, but several ancient bistrots excelling in traditional French cuisine have been hidden away for decades. Chez Germaine is definitely one of these, an intimate, romantic dining room of just 25 seats. Wonderful homemade terrines, tasty grillades of the day, and tempting desserts like papillon au chocolat. And Chez Germaine is one of the rare addresses where the set price menu doesn't go up in the evening. Remember that the bistrot is just by the chic Bon Marche department store, where foodies shouldn't miss visiting their Grande Epicerie food hall, the Parisian equivalent of Fortnum & Mason.

· 30 rue Pierre Leroux; +33 (0)1 4273 2834. Set lunch & dinner, €16.50 (£13). Metro: Vaneau


 8. Georgette
Although it is worth reserving a table here just for the delightfully kitsch 60s design, the owner, Georgette herself, creates a surprising menu built around seasonal products, especially vegetables. She doesn't have a set menu, and prices are not quite bistronomiques, but it is refreshing to see dishes like free range chicken roasted and stuffed with a seasonal aromatic herb (reine des pres), tender supions (baby squids) with homemade pasta, or a delicious garlicky brandade de morue (creamy cod mashed up with potatoes).

· 29 rue Saint-Georges; +33 (0)1 4280 3913. Lunch, plat du jour, €15-18 (£12-14); dinner, a la carte, €40 (£32). Metro: Notre-Dame-de-Lorette

9. Vins des Pyrenees

With the imposing Place des Vosges and its opulent palaces, stylish fashion boutiques and tempting antique stores, the Marais is one of the most seductive neighbourhoods of Paris, but it is not always easy to find a reasonable bistrot. Tucked away down a sidestreet, though, not far from the infamous spot where Jim Morrison died, is Vins des Pyrenees. This used to be a wine depot and none of the decor was altered when it was transformed into a bistrot. Don't expect to find Basque cuisine from the Pyrenees, as the cooking here is classic French terroir, where the dish of the day could be a fillet of sea bream, and the house speciality is a massive côte de boeuf (T-bone steak) for two people.

· 25 rue Beautreillis; +33 (0)1 4272 6494. Set lunch, €13.50 (£11); dinner, a la carte, €30-35 (£24-28) including house wine. Metro: St-Paul

10. Un Zebre a Montmartre

Rue Lepic is a long narrow street that winds up to the heights of Montmartre. Sadly, many of the restaurants here are desperately touristy, cashing in on the evocative era of Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec, and menus offering soupe a l'oignon and boeuf bourguignon are to be avoided. But right at the start of the street, in the hip Abbesses neighbourhood, is the funky bistrot, Un Zebre a Montmartre. The cuisine here is light, Provencal, with dishes like tuna carpaccio or marinated scallops, and the interiors are a riot of psychedelic colours. Open until two in the morning, you can also just stop off for a drink.

· 38 rue Lepic; +33 (0)1 4223 9780; unzebreamontmartre.com. Set lunch, €15 (£12); set dinner €21 (£17). Metro: Abbesses

J'ai le grand déplaisir de vous retourner mon ticket de RER A Lognes - Paris de ce matin, estimant n'avoir pas béné- fi cié du service que je pouvais attendre, service doublement prépayé, par mes impôts et mon titre de transport.
Après avoir attendu près de 20 minutes sur le quai entre 7 h 30 et 7 h 50, avec comme seule occupation bovine de compter les trains qui passaient sans s'arrêter, j'ai pu monter dans une rame bien sûr vieille, bondée, et non dotée de l'air conditionné, qui s'est finalement arrêtée pour embarquer les centaines de personnes attendant avec une patience d'ange qu'on veuille bien leur rendre le service de les emmener à leur travail.
Naturellement, il ne fallait pas espérer pouvoir trouver une place assise, ni respirer un air convenable, ni bénéficier du minimum d'espace vital qu'on accorde à juste titre aux animaux dans les zoos.
Naturellement, nous nous sommes arrêtés plusieurs fois sous les tunnels, puisque l'aberrante configuration des deux branches du RER A, qui n'en forment plus qu'une à l'entrée de Paris, provoque d'inévitables ralentissements.
Je ne rentrerai pas dans le détail des conditions de circulation sur la N104 pour accéder à la gare, avec ses ridicules deux voies et ses milliers de camions qui contournent gratuitement la région parisienne, ni de la capacité du parking RER qui, comme tous les parkings de gare d'Ile-de-France, est archi-complet à 8 h du matin. J'ai eu l'occasion d'exposer longuement mes remarques et suggestions à ce sujet à M. Rol-Tanguy, qui ne m'a bien sûr jamais répondu.
Je ne vous cache pas que, tout sensibilisé que je sois aux questions d'environnement (et ce depuis 30 ans, pas depuis 6 mois), si l'A4 n'était pas bloquée en permanence et qu'on pouvait se garer aux portes de Paris, je prendrais ma voiture polluante sans état d'âme, seul, confortable, climatisé, avec la radio et la musique.
On ne peut pas exiger trop des citoyens quand les pouvoirs publics ne font pas leur travail, en n'ayant concédé qu'au compte-gouttes des investissements dans les transports depuis trente ans, c'est-à-dire depuis la création du RER et les grands travaux autoroutiers des années 70 tout en laissant se développer des zones d'urbanisme toujours plus loin de Paris.
La situation est insupportable ? [...] : plus on est modeste, plus on habite loin de son lieu de travail, plus on passe de temps dans les transports en commun, plus le service est rare et mauvais et plus on paie ! [...]
Ne voyez dans ce courrier aucune attaque de type politique. Je vote à gauche, y compris aux élections régionales. Quelquefois je me demande pourquoi... [...]
Veuillez croire, monsieur le président, à mes sentiments irrités.

Laurent Grandval, Lesigny (77) Paris, le 19 septembre 2007

Monsieur, Tout d'abord veuillez excuser le délai de cette réponse [... ] dû à un fort afflux de messages parvenus au Stif cette année [... ] au sujet des importants problèmes de régularité survenus sur la ligne A du RER. M. Huchon, président du Stif, a demandé à la RATP et à la SNCF, le 10 avril dernier, de lui présenter un programme intégrant des mesures à court et moyen termes pour un retour rapide de la ligne à un niveau de service compatible avec les objectifs définis dans les contrats récemment conclus entre le Stif et les opérateurs. [NDLR : Le traitement des problèmes d'installations fixes, notamment du tronçon central de la ligne; une meilleure exploitation commune de la ligne entre la RATP et la SNCF; une amélioration des conditions d'information des voyageurs.] Un travail technique est maintenant engagé [...] afin de pouvoir mettre en oeuvre le plus rapidement possible les mesures d'amélioration envisagées. Je vous prie d'agréer, etc. Paris, le 24 avril 2008