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Encased in aluminium sheeting with modular arctic-white seats, the Pompidou Centre’s hyperindustrial dining room offers pretty predictable and expensive Coste food – most people go for the tuna tartare or avocado and crab salad (€20 to €22) or the steak with the Asianesque name Le Tigre qui Pleure (The Crying Tiger). But this place is really all about the stunning views over Paris’ rooftops, especially from its terrace.

LE VAUDEVILLE Map French, Brasserie €€€

01 40 20 04 62; www.vaudevilleparis.com; 29 rue Vivienne, 2e; starters €8.50-17.50, mains €18-39, menus €24 & €31; lunch & dinner to 1am; Bourse

This stunning brasserie opposite the stock exchange is to Art Deco what the Bouillon Racine is to Art Nouveau. OK, the food – steaks, fish, oysters – might be something of an afterthought, but at least you can be guaranteed a certain standard. Come for the fabulous décor – engraved glass, extravagant lighting, domed ceiling and intricate ironwork – designed in the 1920s by the Solvet brothers, who also did La Coupole.

AUX CRUS DE BOURGOGNE Map French, Bistro €€€

01 42 33 48 24; 3 rue Bachaumont, 2e; starters €7-25, mains €13.50-38, menu €29; lunch & dinner to 11pm Mon-Fri; Les Halles or Sentier

A favourite of André Malraux, this bistro dating back to 1900 on a pedestrian street just off busy rue Montorgueil has a penchant for fish and seafood – especially lobster (half a lobster with mayonnaise is €25). As its name implies, Burgundy is the wine of choice. A real plus in the warmer months is the open terrace, which allows you to enjoy your crustaceans without a side order of exhaust fumes.

AU DAUPHIN Map French, Basque €€€

01 42 60 40 11; 167 rue St-Honoré, 1er; menus €20 & €27 (lunch only), €38; lunch & dinner to 10.15pm; Palais Royal-Musée du Louvre

The force behind this unassuming bistro facing place André Malraux and Palais Royal is two pedigreed chefs from Biarritz (on the southwest coast) who have brought the flavours of the Basque country and the coastal Landes region to Paris. There are two hard-to-choose routes through the menu – the first being jars of wonderful rustic starters such as lapereau à la grand-mère (young rabbit in mushroom cream sauce), rillettes (shredded potted meat) and foie gras, to be shared with excellent bread, while the other offers combinations of classic Spanish parrillada (mixed grill).

AU PIED DE COCHON Map French, Brasserie €€€

01 40 13 77 00; www.pieddecochon.com; 6 rue Coquillère, 1er; starters €7.90-18.50, mains €16.50-35, 2-/3-course menus €19.50/24; 24hr; Les Halles

This venerable establishment, which once satisfied the appetites of both market porters and theatre-goers with its onion soup and pieds de cochon (pig’s feet or trotters), has become more uniformly upmarket and touristy since Les Halles was moved to the suburbs, but it still opens round the clock seven days a week. Generous breakfasts are a snip at €11.50.

CAFÉ MODERNE Map French €€€

01 53 40 84 10; www.cafemoderne.fr; 40 rue Notre Dames des Victoires, 2e; 2-/3-course menus €28/34; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 11pm Mon-Sat; Bourse

Located just opposite the Bourse, the ‘Modern Café’ feels more New York than Paris but so much the better for that. The food on offer is contemporary rather than classic bistro; the fish dishes are particularly recommended, as is the wonderful millefeuille of pastry, cream and fresh fruit.

L’ARDOISE Map French, Bistro €€€

01 42 96 28 18; www.lardoise-paris.com; 28 rue du Mont Thabor, 1er; menu €33; lunch Tue-Sat, dinner to 11pm Tue-Sun; Concorde or Tuileries

This is a lovely little bistro with no menu as such (ardoise means ‘blackboard’, which is all there is), but who cares? The food – hare in black pepper and beef fillet with morels, prepared dextrously by chef Pierre Jay (ex-Tour d’Argent) – is superb and the three-course prix fixe (set menu) offers good value. L’Ardoise is bound to attract a fair number of tourists due to its location, but generally they too are on a culinary quest.

CAFÉ MARLY Map French, Café €€€

01 46 26 06 60;