Paris_ The Collected Traveler - Barrie Kerper [228]
Dining Notes and Contact Information
Pâtisserie Bouché (1 place Monge / +33 03 80 22 10 35). This is the best shop in town for cakes, pastries, and chocolate. Madame Bouché—the very impressive-looking woman behind the counter—makes fabulous-quality goods and prices them as generously as the portions of butter on her croissants. (The top-notch Hôtel Le Cep gets its breakfast croissants from her, and they really are the best!) Some of her chocolate recipes are patented, and she ships them to shops in Paris as well as doing a hopping business here in Beaune. You’ll find her at the opposite end of the pedestrian zone, in Place Monge.
Le Conty (5 rue Ziem / +33 03 80 22 63 94 / leconty.fr). A nice little restaurant with good food and friendly, quality service. In case of fair weather, the terrace is one of the best in town. Their menus are always a good choice and changed seasonally. Laurent Parra, a young chef from a local gourmet family, cooks some excellent local goodies! Closed Sundays and Mondays.
Le Jardin des Remparts (10 rue de l’Hôtel-Dieu / +33 03 80 24 79 41 / le-jardin-des-remparts.com). This restaurant has a fantastic terrace, some great innovative food, and a charming atmosphere. The service is not a speedy American-style affair; this is meant to be a longer meal that you linger over with great company. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.
Les Caves Madeleine (8 rue du Faubourg-Madeleine / +33 03 80 22 93 30). Friendly, intimate, and casual atmosphere. Featuring long tables with shared seating, this is a great spot for regional specialties and has both good, inexpensive set menus and a wide choice of à la carte options. It also boasts an excellent selection of wines sold in cooperation with the winemakers, and as such are not marked up like in other restaurants—some excellent deals are to be had here! Closed Sundays, Thursdays, and Friday lunch.
Le Bout du Monde (7 rue du Faubourg-Madeleine / +33 03 80 24 04 52 / leboutdumonde.net). The team welcomes you into the warm lounge bar for a simple beer or a more exotic drink. Nice, quiet terrace in spring and summer. Right across from Les Caves Madeleine.
Le Grand Café (36 place Carnot / +33 03 80 22 23 00). If you head here at the end of the day for a pastis, kir, or cold beer, you may very likely be sharing the terrace with some of our B&R Beaune staff who’ve just finished their day at the office! This is the grand classic of French cafés, and not only do they have one of the best people-watching terraces in town, but the service is impeccable as well. You can also eat lightly here; they have a small menu of sandwiches and salads.
Le Bistro de l’Hôtel (5 rue Samuel Legay / +33 03 80 25 94 14 / lhoteldebeaune.com). Le Bistro concentrates on serving simple food, using only the freshest high-quality produce from local suppliers, including fish, seafood, beef, poulet de Bresse, and Charolais veal. Truffles and wild mushrooms are featured cuisine du marché! This is simply one of the best tables in Beaune, with an amazing wine list. Open every day for lunch and dinner except for Sunday lunch.
Other Options and Accommodations
Bistrot Bourguignon (8 rue Monge / +33 03 80 22 23 24 / restaurant-lebistrotbourguignon.com). A relaxed bistro atmosphere, great for those who need a quick, simple meal. Wonderful wines by the glass with a few tables out front. On the weekends, they often have live jazz music playing—you can even just go by for a glass of wine to take in the music! Closed Mondays.
Le Gourmandin (8 place Carnot / +33 03 80 24 07 88 / hotellegourmandin.com). This is an excellent bistro that has a real Parisian atmosphere. Excellent boeuf bourguignon as well as creative and light dishes and lots of unknown little wines available by the glass. They do have some weird things on the wine list that seem overpriced, but there are also some good finds. The maître d’ can always suggest something delicious and not too pricey