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Joining rue du Faubourg St-Denis and blvd de Strasbourg in the 10e, this old-style covered arcade could easily be in Calcutta. Its incredibly cheap Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi cafés offer among the best-value lunches in Paris (meat curry, rice and a tiny salad €5 to €9.50, chicken or lamb biryani €10.50 to €14.50, thalis €7 to €9.50). Dinner menus are from €12.50 to €24 but it must be said that most of the eateries here offer subcontinental food à la française, There are lots of places to choose from, but the pick of the crop are Palais des Rajpout ( 01 42 46 23 75; 64-66 passage Brady), Passage de Pondicherry ( 01 53 34 63 10; 84 passage Brady) and Pooja ( 01 48 24 00 83; 91 passage Brady).

LE CHALAND Map French, Café €€

01 40 05 18 68; 163 quai de Valmy, 10e; starters €7, mains €13-14, menu lunch €11.50; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm Mon-Fri, to 2am Sat & Sun; Louis Blanc

‘The Barge’ is a pleasant café du quartier serving rock-solid favourites like blanquette de veau and tartes salées (savoury pies) with the occasional leap into the 21st century with gigantic salads. It’s one of the more approachable (and affordable) eateries on the canal and you’re offered a kir (white wine with cassis) as an apéritif. The plat du jour is €9.50

LE VERRE VOLÉ Map French €€

01 48 03 17 34; 67 rue de Lancry, 10e; starters €5-8.60, mains €11-11.50; lunch & dinner to 11pm; Jacques Bonsergent

The tiny ‘Stolen Glass’ – a wine shop with a few tables – is just about the most perfect wine-bar-cum-restaurant in Paris, with excellent wines from southeastern France (€18 to €54 a bottle) and expert advice. Unpretentious and hearty plats du jour are excellent.

MADRAS CAFÉ Map Indian €€

01 42 05 29 56; 180 rue du Faubourg St-Denis, 10e; starters €2.50-13.50, mains €6-11, menus €6.50 (lunch only), €9.50 & €15; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm; Gare du Nord

You wouldn’t cross town to eat at this simple restaurant with specialities from both northern and southern India – the one-dish thalis (€7) are good – but if you’ve just arrived at or are just about to leave from the Gare du Nord and need a curry fix, this café is right around the corner.

LE CAMBODGE Map Cambodian €

01 44 84 37 70; www.lecambodge.fr, in French; 10 av Richerand, 10e; dishes €5-10; lunch & dinner to 11.30pm Mon-Sat; Goncourt

Hidden in a quiet street between the gargantuan Hôpital St-Louis and Canal St-Martin, this favourite spot among students serves enormous rouleaux de printemps (spring rolls; €5) and the ever-popular pique-nique Angkorien (‘Angkor picnic’ of rice vermicelli and sautéed beef, which you wrap up in lettuce leaves; €10). The food tastes homemade (if not especially authentic) and the vegetarian platters (€7 to €8.50) are especially good.

KRISHNA BHAVAN Map Indian, Vegetarian €

01 42 05 78 43; 2 rue Cail, 10e; dishes €1.50-7.50, menu €10.50; lunch & dinner to 11pm Tue-Sun; La Chapelle

This is about as authentic an Indian vegetarian canteen as you’ll find in an area that is rapidly overtaking Faubourg St-Denis as Paris’ Little India. If in doubt as to what to order, ask for a thali (€7.50), a circular steel tray with samosas, dosas and other wrapped goodies. And wash it all down with a yoghurt-based lassi, which comes in five flavours, including mango and rose.

LE MAURICIEN FILAO Map Mauritian, Creole €

01 48 24 17 17; 9 passage du Prado, 10e; dishes €6-6.50; lunch & dinner to 10pm Mon-Sat; Strasbourg St-Denis

This hole-in-the-wall canteen in passage du Prado, a derelict covered arcade accessible from 12 rue du Faubourg St-Denis and 18–20 blvd St-Denis, serves cheap but tasty Mauritian dishes such as spicy rougaille de poisson (a Creole dish of fish cooked with onions, garlic, ginger, chilli and coriander) and cari poissons aux lentilles (curried fish with lentils). Only certain dishes from the main menu are available daily, though.

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SELF-CATERING

Two covered markets in this area are the Marché aux Enfants Rouges and the more extravagant Marché St-Quentin. For details, Click here.