prepar

Hi everyone, i was wondering if anyone has any recommendations on great cafes or restaurants in the Montmarte area. Nothing fancy or expensive as we are on a budget trip, just a nice local place with good food. Any other things you know of in that area that you like? Shops, etc?Thanks so much!

tod

Hi prepar,
I have never really purposefully ventured into the Montmartre area just go for a lunch or dinner, but that may change on my next Paris trip as I have my eye on an old bistro called Au Re`ve, 89 Rue Caulaincourt, 18th.
It has a bit of history having been seen as the second home of the writer Marcel Ayme`. Jacques Brel used to sit on the terrace gazing up at Suzanne Gabriello's window.....
It opens daily except Sunday & Monday. Metroamarck-Caulaincourt.

Another possibility is La Pomponette, 42 Rue Lepic. Metro Abbesses/Blanche.
Past the bar the room opens up into a fashionable restaurant with humurous sketches on the wall. The menu is nothing to laugh at though! It's filled with classic offerings that sacrifice nothing to fashion - and the the check is still handwritten......

Lastly, I may head to La Chope de Chateau Rouge, 40 Rue de Cligancourt- Metro:Chateau Rouge, for a steaming plate of couscous. This restaurant's doors open wide onto the sidewalk in summer and attract a large student following - that means the food must be cheap and filling. Worth a try for a meal, with only locals I bet!

klondike

Well, don't plan on having quality experience on the Place du Tertre. One of our funniest experiences was trying to have a tea and coffee out on the térasse of one of the cafés--we had needed a pick-me-up/restroom break and thought it would be enjoyable to sit and watch the goings-on...wrong.

We were pestered continually by "artists" trying to get us to sit for a drawing (ok, we were already sitting) One fellow persisted in spite of our initial, and continued, no's. We ignored him and he proceeded to make a big deal out of sketching while we tried to ignore him and enjoy ourselves. Finally he presents it to us, as if we were supposed to buy it, and we burst out laughing; not on purpose. of course, but the guy had done a "Jesus" caricature.

Swear to God, it was Jesus in black and white (and believe me, besides my husband's long hair at the time and brown colored hair/brown eyes,..at +60, overweight, and obviously American, he ain't Jesus!) it still brings a smile to our face to naively think we were going to enjoy "the moment" on Place du Tertre!

I hope you have better luck. See Place du Tertre, but avoid eating anywhere near there IMO!

Christina

I think Chez Catherine on place du Tertre is supposed to be decent:

http://www.eatinparis.com/EatinParis...aurant?id=2722

tod

Actually , after wandering around we found a decent omlette and salad at the very photographed Le Consulat. It's at the junction of Rue St Rustique & Rue Norvins. Very small terrace but I just loved the buzz! Only ever stopped for a cold beer at La Mere Catherine but they allowed us to rest our feet up on the chairs which was good.....

kerouac

I would avoid the places on Place du Tertre -- they are all right, but the prices are definitely marked up. You will encounter many nice cafés on your way down the hill after visiting Sacré Coeur and the tourist shops (which are quite good for those items, actually).

Rue Caulaincourt that tod mentioned would definitely get my vote as the area to go.

prepar

Thanks for the responses, I will definately try these places and avoid Place du Tertre.
I just happen to be reading on fodor and trip advisor on Montmartre and am a little concerned as some of the reviews are not too good. I am staying at Ibis Montmatre on 18th eme and the nearest Metro is Place de clinchy (ready that its not a good location) or Blanche.
Can you please tell if this place is ok for a family.

tod

prepar - You don't mention when you are travelling or for how long, but I do hope you are getting the awesome rate at the Ibis, offered for folks booking 20 days in advance from date of reservation. We always stay at the Ibis Esplanade La Defense and this July have 4 days @ 44euros, totalling 176euros in a double en-suite with a lovely view of the river Seine from our room. First time there we were on the 3rd floor and last year 6th floor.
The metro has 2 exits / entrances - one has an esculator up to the magnificent wide open space of the roof which sports an enormous shallow pool of water edged with a young vineyard - about 4 years old but I'm guessing. If there are grapes this year they may just be ripening when we arrive in the last week of July!
The view from the vineyard is directly over the river and slap-bang at the Arc de Triomphe. Way over to the right you can clearly make out the A frame of the Eiffel Tower.
The metro runs directly down the Champs Elysees with stops later en-route at Palais Royal/Musee de Louvre/Hotel de Ville/ and all the way to Chateau Vincennes.

Your choice of the Ibis in the 18th on line 2 leads nowhere in particular for sight seeing and you would have to change lines at Charles de Gaulle Etoile(Arc de Triomphe or Belleville just to get to the middle of the city, eg: Ile de Cite - this would not suite me. Would take to long to get anywhere - Esplanade La Defense is approx 10 min to the Arc de Triomphe.

Laidback

As Tod mentioned line #2 would be of limited use, but you are served also by lines #12 at Pl. Pigalle & #13 at Pl. Clichy which are very convenient to get you to city center, i.e. Madeleine, Pl. Concorde, Champs Elysées, etc.

Pl. Clichy, which you are right behind on Rue Caulaincourt is a very busy area with brasseries (Le Wepler), a cinema complex, etc. but is safe. A walk in the other direction leads you across the interesting Montmartre cemetery and to a more placid neighborhood with one of my favorite places to eat, Le Café Qui Parle.

kerouac

Place de Clichy is currently being spiffed up... which means that it is a construction mess for the next couple of weeks. Then it will start to look like something. It is being made much more pedestrian friendly.

tod

Thanks for that adjustment Laidback - I hadn't really studied the metro map but merely glanced at it for a quick reply -
I have a little tip however for prepar: click on this link and take a walk (with your mouse) around the area of your proposed hotel (and mine) then venture all around the streets in Paris at the click of a button!
Here you go: http://tinyurl.com/yf457bw

This is how you do it: Wait for the screen to show a yellow map of france with Paris marked with a red dot. Click on that dot. Wait for a circle to appear with Paris again marked as a red dot. Click on that. Now another larger area map will appear. Ignore that and type in your street number in the little white square block on the left as well as the street name in the oblong box. Click the Rechercher and you will be taken to photos of the street and buildings as well as a map. Have fun!

padams421

Be careful around the Montmartre area with your children. We were in Paris for a week last summer. My kids, ages 11 and 13, were repeatedly approached (even though they were walking with us) in Montmartre by people trying to braid bracelets on their wrists for mom and dad to buy. My kids had a quick lesson in not talking to these people.

Laidback

The scammers are everywhere the crowds gather; notably in front of Sacre Coeur, Notre Dame, around the Eiffel Tower, etc. Some can be quite persistent, but a cold, definitive NO with a quickened pace will usually send them in search of another sucker.

tod

I was really mad at the tall(basketball stature)well dressed African men hanging around the base of the funiculaire which takes one up to the Sacre Coeur. After fending them off I expressed my annoyance to a store owner along rue Yvonne Le Tac. He told me they are trying to extract a euro from you if you allow them to wind the wool/cotton/string around your wrists as it is supposedly a kind of lucky spell.

ter2000

I really like "Le Refuge", which is right opposite the (very attractive) entrance to the Lamarck-Caulaincourt Metro Station. It's nothing special really, but it's a real "locals" hangout and because it's right beside the steps for which Montmartre is so famous, there's just a never ending opportunity for people-watching. Lamarck is a good street for interesting shops too.

Another locals restaurant, that is within easy walking distance of your hotel is Pulcinella, on 17 Rue Damrémont. It's an Italian restaurant but the food is very good (try the seafood pasta!) and very reasonable. You won't find many tourists there, just the locals eating the day's specials. I really like that there's no real menu, just a blackboard.

The nearby "Le Winch" on 44, Rue Damrémont is good too, but a bit more expensive. Seafood is the speciality here.

Montmartre is a good place to stay because once you get past Sacre Coeur and Place du Tertre you'll find that it's like a village within Paris - it's very easy to eat with the locals and feel like you're part of the scenery.

jkbritt

Where bd Berthier and Ney meet, there is a cafe called La Pergola. It is really on Ney, but only down the street 100 meters. Green awning. Chairs and tables outside, on the sidewalk. Wonderful owner. Great food at a reasonable price.

AnselmAdorne

<i>"I am staying at Ibis Montmatre on 18th eme and the nearest Metro is Place de clinchy (ready that its not a good location) or Blanche. Can you please tell if this place is ok for a family."</i>

prepar, no need to be concerned. I spent nearly three weeks in Batignolles in December, which is just on the other side of Place de Clichy from where your hotel is on Rue Caulaincourt. I walked through Place de Clichy (and once on Caulaincourt) at all hours of the day and many times late at night. You need not be concerned about whether or not it is "ok for a family". It's perfectly fine.

About transportation links: as laidback points out, you have reasonably easy access to three Metro lines. I would add that there are at least 5 bus line running through Place de Clichy (80, 95, 68, 74, and 81) which will get you easily to key spots such as Opéra, Place de Ville, Châtlet, Musée d'Orsay, Montparnasse, and Invalides. Many of the places you will likely want to see are within an easy walk of those destinations I just listed. And bus-to-bus transfers are pretty easy these days. You can get maps, schedules, and itineraries at www.ratp.fr

Bear in mind, too, that Paris is a very walkable city for those who are able to do so. Place de Clichy to the Musée d'Orsay looks like a very long way, but it is only about 3 kms. I've done many walks like that in Paris; it's a great way to see the city.

Anselm

prepar

Thanks for all the wonderful responses. I am like I said definately going to try these places.
Also thanks for all the advice and cautions. I am so relieved to know that the hotel is in a good location.
Yes I have got the early booking discount at Ibis. I am going to be in Paris from 8th - 14th May. And am really looking forward to being there.

schnauzer

prepar, we too liked Laidback's suggestion. Le Cafe qui parle. In fact it was probably one of the best meals if not the best of our month long trip last year. The cafe is certainly a cafe not a restaurant but the food was fantastic.
I am staying on rue Caulaincourt this coming June so I am interested in some of other suggestions as well. Thanks for the post. Hi to Tod and Laidback!
Schnauzer

tod

Hiya schnauzer! I'm sorry we are passing like ships in the night....you a month earlier, us at the very end of July.
Would have been great to go to your GTG!
I saw this little quote about cafe`s, bistros, brasseries, restaurants and thought others may like an explanation of the differences:

Brasseries, Cafés and Restaurants

"The French term café, in the larger sense can be applied to any establishment where you can stop in for nothing more than a beverage and stay for as long as you like. That all-important distinction explains why all bistros are not cafés, though the two designations are often used interchangeably. To be considered a café, a bistro must welcome, at least during specified hours, those who want only a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. Bistros that open their doors exclusively for lunches and dinners can take after restaurants more than they do cafés. Indeed, the confusion, when it arises, usually comes from fashionable restaurants that call themselves bistros, since the stylish designation makes them sound both cozy and sophisticated, though they lack the humble, homey, and hospitable virtues of the bistro soul.

Brasseries, too, qualify as cafés, no matter their elegance, if some of their tables can be occupied solely for the consumption of beverages. The famous brasserie La Coupole is therefore a café; Boffinger is not. The term brasserie, from the word brasseur (brewer), originally indicated establishments that served beer. But now it specifies grand café-restaurants offering continuous service and, as a result, rough-and-ready food. Brasseries specialize in dishes that can be cooked quickly (sole meuniere, steaks) in advance (gigot 'd'agneau rôti,-roast let of lamb, choucroute garnie-sauerkraut with meats), or not at all (steak tartare, raw oysters) and don't need to be constantly fussed over by a highly skilled chef. These are the same attributes that make café cooking so practical and doable for the home cook."

Quoted from "Paris Café Cookbook" by Daniel Young

Also this place was reccommended:
http://www.spottedbylocals.com/paris/cafe-le-refuge