Paris_ City Guide (Lonely Planet, 7th Edition) - Lonely Planet [172]
If you are looking for a supermarket, Champion (Map–17; 79 rue de Seine, 6e; 1-9pm Mon, 8.40am-9pm Tue-Sat, 9am-1pm Sun; Mabillon) should meet your needs.
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MONTPARNASSE
Since the 1920s, the area around blvd du Montparnasse has been one of the city’s premier avenues for enjoying Parisian café life, though younger Parisians deem the place somewhat démodé and touristy these days. Glam it’s not. But it does boast a handful of legendary brasseries and cafés which warrant a culinary visit. Made famous by writers (Click here) and artists like Picasso, Dalí and Cocteau between the wars, these same cafés attracted exiles such as Lenin and Trotsky before the Russian Revolution.
LE DÔME Map French, Seafood €€€
01 43 35 25 81, 01 43 35 23 95; 108 blvd du Montparnasse, 14e; starters €12.50-25, mains €29-60; lunch & dinner to 23.30pm daily; Vavin
An Art Deco extravaganza dating from the 1930s, Le Dôme is a monumental place for a meal, with a restaurant and poissonnerie where the emphasis, of course, is on the freshest of oysters, shellfish and fish dishes such as sole meunière (sole sautéed in butter and garnished with lemon and parsley). Stick with the basics at this historical venue and leave fussier dishes to the ‘fooding’ upstarts.
LA CLOSERIE DES LILAS Map French, Brasserie €€€
01 40 51 34 50; www.closeriedeslilas.fr; 171 blvd du Montparnasse, 6e; restaurant/brasserie starters €30-50, €11-20, mains €40-50, €22-27, menu lunch €45; restaurant lunch & dinner to 11.30pm, brasserie noon-1am, bar 11-1.30am; Port Royal
As anyone who has read Hemingway will know, what is now the American Bar at the ‘Lilac Enclosure’ is where Papa did a lot of writing, drinking and oyster slurping; brass plaques tell you exactly where he and other luminaries such as Picasso, Apollinaire, Man Ray, Jean-Paul Sartre and Samuel Beckett stood or sat (or fell) and whiled away the hours. The place is split into bar, chic restaurant and more lovable (and cheaper) brasserie with hedged-in pavement terrace.
LA COUPOLE Map French, Brasserie €€€
01 43 20 14 20; 102 blvd du Montparnasse, 14e; starters €6.50-20, mains €12.50-35, menus 24.50 (lunch) & €31.50; 8am-1am Sun-Thu, to 1.30am Fri & Sat; Vavin
The famous mural-covered columns (painted by such artists as Brancusi and Chagall), dark wood panelling and soft lighting have hardly changed an iota since the days of Sartre, Soutine, Man Ray, the dancer Josephine Baker and other regulars. The reason for visiting this enormous, 450-seat brasserie, designed by the Solvet brothers and opened in 1927, is more history than gastronomy. You can book for lunch, but you’ll have to queue for dinner; though there’s always breakfast. The more expensive menus are available until 6pm and after 10.30pm.
LA CAGOUILLE Map French, Seafood €€€
01 43 22 09 01; www.la-cagouille.fr; 10 place Constantin Brancusi, 14e; starters €11-15, mains €18-33, 2-/3-course menu €26/42; lunch & dinner to 10.30pm daily; Vavin
Chef Gérard Allemandou, one of the best seafood cooks (and cookery book writers) in Paris, gets rave reviews for his fish and shellfish dishes at this café-restaurant opposite 23 rue de l’Ouest. The menus here are exceptionally good value.
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SELF-CATERING
Opposite the Tour Montparnasse is the open-air Blvd Edgar Quinet food market (Map; blvd Edgar Quinet; 7am-2pm Wed & Sat; Edgar Quinet or Montparnasse Bienvenüe). Or shop organic at nearby Marché Raspail or Marché Brancusi.
Convenient supermarkets:
Atac (Map; 55 av du Maine, 14e; 9am-10pm Mon-Sat; Gaîté)
Inno (Map; 29-31 rue du Départ, 14e; 9am-9.50pm Mon-Fri, to 8.50pm Sat; Montparnasse Bienvenüe)
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FAUBOURG ST-GERMAIN & INVALIDES
Wedged between the tourist hotspot of the Eiffel Tower area and the chic boutiques and literary cafés of St-Germain des Prés, this district – effectively the entire 7e arrondissement – is something of a culinary