will be in paris august 21 thru the 28th.i have never been to canal st.martin but will do so this trip.i am looking for top of the line outdoor bistro/brassiere for lunch.thanks

Not an outdoor bistro, but an interesting place: http://www.baxo.fr/

And if you are not into "Bobo", maybe Le Chansonnier would work. At lunch, I would opt for Baxo.

Chez Prune along the canal remains popular, but wiser Parisians often prefer to go to the establisments at Place Saint Marthe nearby. Then again, most of the ambience around there is in the evening hours. It's best just to walk along the canal during the day and go elsewhere for lunch... why not the Terminus Nord across from Gare du Nord? It's part of the Flo chain.

The Terrasse at Chez Prune is probably the best location, but if you want to eat well, Kerouac is right on, especially if you will be using the metro.

I went to the Baxo last night http://baxo.fr near the canal saint martin. The famous deejay Nick-V http://www.myspace.com/djnickv made an amazing set ! Excellent place for eating, have fun and drink the finest wine !

thanks,your replies have been very helpful.kerouac what do you recommend at place saint marthe?

Hard to say -- it's so hard to get a table there! That's how popular it is.