Parisian Cafés

We have enjoyed exploring the cafés of Paris.  Each seems to have its own personality.  We can always find the familiar in each café--an omelet, a croque-monsieur, a warm goat cheese salad or French onion soup.  Each place has its own twist on these classics.  And we also find something new to try.
The French have many variations on the Parisian café chairs.  We understand the chairs can run $500 each.  Below is a sampling from around the city.

My Favorite Flower Pattern

Love this Plaid

More Plaid

Cute Dots

Esmerelda Café near Notre Dame

Grey Check

Café Near Place des Vosges

Chez René Green and White

Café on Place Contrescarpe

Kelly and Kate at Place Contrescarpe

Le Nouvel Institut

Le Nouvel Institut



Le Nouvel Institut

Stripes on Quai de la Tournelle



Red Dot at Le Relais Fac
next to our Apartment

Black Check near Montparnasse

Our favorite café in our old neighborhood is on the rue Cler--Café Central.  The waiters are friendly, the food is good and we love the ambience.

Café Central

Loaves and Baguettes

Menu

Kelly, Kate and Carter enjoying lunch

Kelly and Carter















Kelly loves splurging on a coke with his meal.  And the frites at Café Central are to die for.  We love how they are served in a tin cup.  Carter tried a croque-madame at one café--a croque monsieur with a fried egg on top.  If you order a hamburger, be sure to ask for it well done, not medium, or it will be quite red inside.  Café Central is one café we enjoy returning to often.

Croque-Monsieur et Frites

Drew's Giant Hamburger

For a more fancy meal, we love the restaurant Chez René across the street from our apartment.  They opened in 1957 and the current chef has been there for 30 years. 

Chez René on the Corner of Saint Germain
and Cardinal Lemoine

The restaurant is known for its Boeuf Bourguignon and chocolate mousse.  The waiter, Daniel, is a true professional and makes everyone feel welcome.  We also love their steak et frites, coq au vin, warm goat cheese salad and beet salad.  Everything there is wonderful!  It is an authentic Parisian restaurant with everything made fresh.

Kate at Chez René

Carter and his Coq au Vin

Another favorite café we discovered on this trip to Paris is the Café St. Regis on the western tip of Île Saint Louis.

Kate at the St. Regis

Café St. Regis

We first went to the St. Regis with Kate on Easter Monday.  Because it was a holiday, they were serving brunch all day.  Kate loved their French toast.

Kate and he French Toast

Kelly and his Omelet

Their Chicken Paillard is also delicious.  We loved the ambience and the waiters here.  Now that the weather is warm, they are opening up the walls of the restaurant.  The décor has the same feel as Café Central and the frites are served the same way.  We wonder if they share ownership. We have been back to the St. Regis with the Kriegers and Morgans and also with my parents.  We feel very French eating at the St. Regis, although we hear lots of English spoken at the tables around us! 

Dad at the St. Regis

Yummy Club Sandwich avec Frites

Chicken Paillard

Sharing a Crême Brulée with Sande

Le Royal Jussieu has become our favorite café in our neighborhood.

Le Royal Jussieu on the corner of
rue des Ecoles and Cardinal Lemoine

They are proud of the fact that they serve only Aubrac beef.  They compare it to Black Angus in the U.S.  The café put up a poster during the time of the Salon de l'Agriculture boasting that Haute, an Aubrac cow, was the star of the Salon and the only type of beef they serve.

Haute, the Star of the Salon de l'Agriculture

Le Royal Jussieu makes wonderful omelets and a really good warm goat cheese salad.  Mike Krieger was brave enough to try a salad with gizzards.  He claims it was yummy.  But really?  Gizzards?

"Our beef is certified as Aubrac, born, raised
and slaughtered in France"

Omelet et Frites and
Warm Goat Cheese Salad

The French all have the same handwriting.  They are taught penmanship in school and there is no room for creativity.  Their writing is beautiful!

Le Royal Jussieu
Specials of the Day

We are going to miss our favorite Paris cafés and restaurants.  It has been fun this trip to find new favorites and visit our old haunts.  Paris je t'aime!