• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

HÔTEL DU NORD Map French €€

01 40 40 78 78; www.hoteldunord.org; 102 quai de Jenmapes, 10e; starters €7-14.50, mains €15-22; menu €13.50 (lunch only); lunch & dinner to midnight; Jacques Bonsergent

The setting for the eponymous 1938 film starring Louis Jouvet and Arletty, the dining room and bar at this vintage venue by the Canal St-Martin feel as if they were stuck in a time warp with their Art Deco posters, zinc counter and old piano. The food is correct if not mind-blowing; stick with basics like the jumbo hamburger (€16) and its trimmings and you’ll be fine. The plat du jour is usually €10.

LE SPORTING Map International €€

01 46 07 02 00; www.lesporting.com; 3 rue des Récollets, 10e; starters €7-14, mains €14-20, menus €9.90 & €14 (lunch only) €24 & €32; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm daily; Gare de l’Est

This is one of the more sophisticated café-restaurants along the Canal St-Martin and the minimalist décor – all browns and ash greys and bare wooden floors – suggests an up-to-the-moment bar or club in London. Brunch on Sunday (noon to 4pm) is when Le Sporting is at its busiest.

LA MARINE Map French €€

01 42 39 69 81; 55bis quai de Valmy, 10e; starters €7-20, mains €14-17.50, menu weekday/weekend lunch €13/16; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm daily; République

This large, airy bistro overlooking Canal St-Martin is a favourite, especially in the warmer months, among les branchés du quartier (neighbourhood trendies), who nibble on dishes like millefeuille de rouget à la vinaigrette (mullet in layered pastry with vinaigrette) and brick de poisson à la crème océane (fish fritter with seafood sauce).

LE CHANSONNIER Map French €€

01 42 09 40 58; www.lechansonnier.com, in French; 14 rue Eugène Varlin, 10e; starters €8.20, mains €17, menus €11.50 (lunch only) & €24; lunch Mon-Fri, dinner to 11pm Mon-Sat; Château Landon or Louis Blanc

Now under new management, ‘The Singer’ (named after the 19th-century Lyonnais socialist singer-songwriter Pierre Dupont) doesn’t quite offer the same value for money that it once did but it could still be a film set, with its curved zinc bar and Art Nouveau mouldings. The food remains very substantial; try the noix St-Jacques provençal (scallops in herbed tomato sauce), bouillabaisse or daube de sanglier (boar stew) as a main course.

LE COIN DE VERRE Map French €€

01 42 45 31 82; 38 rue de Sambre et Meuse, 10e; dishes €10-15; dinner to midnight Mon-Sat; Belleville or Colonel Fabien

This bistro, where you must ring to gain entry, is full of retro character with its dark yellow walls, old posters and fireplace. The speciality here is charcuterie, cheese and, of course, wine; try the generous assiette de cochonnailles (pork platter; €10.50) and, if you can manage it, the clafoutis maison (€4), which is fruit covered with a thick batter and baked until puffy.

ISTANBUL Map Turkish €€

01 48 00 98 10; 66 rue du Faubourg St-Denis, 10e; starters €4-8.50, mains €11-15; lunch & dinner to 11pm Sun-Thu, to 11.30 Fri & Sat; Château d’Eau

Our new favourite Turkish restaurant in the heart of Turkey Town serves all our favourites – Iskender kebab (lamb slices served with pide bread and yogurt), imam bayildi (‘the imam fainted’; an eggplant dish) – and the combination meze platter (€8.50) is a meal in itself. What friendly and generous staff: the baklava, fruit slices and mint tea kept coming after we had settled the bill!

LE RÉVEIL DU XE Map French €€

01 42 41 77 59; 35 rue du Château d’Eau, 10e; starters €4.20-9.80, mains €9.90-15; lunch Mon-Sat, dinner to 11pm Mon-Fri; Chateau d’Eau

‘The Awakening of the 10th Arrondissement’, taking its name from a left-wing newspaper of the late 19th century, is an authentic and historic wine bistro, where hearty and flavoursome family cooking is served in a friendly atmosphere. Try the Périgord-style chicken with truffles or the pied de cochon farci (stuffed pig’s trotter).

PASSAGE BRADY Map Indian, Pakistani €€

46 rue du Faubourg St-Denis & 33 blvd de Strasbourg, 10e; mains €5-14.50;