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Restaurants near Madeline? (Paris)

Our hotel is right by the Madeline and we are looking for cafes/restaurants close by. Also for interesting places to go and see within walking distance of the hotel. Any suggestions or reccomendations would be appreciated. Thanks, Carol

No reason to stay by your hotel, although there will be many cafes, restaurants, brasseries there. Paris is so easy to get around by walking and metro you can get to many areas of the city quickly and easily. We always stays stay just a few minutes walk from La Madeleine and dine and visit all over the central area of the city. You can walk to the Louvre, Palais Royal, Tuileries, Galeries Lafayette for shopping - many places - and then hop the metro for other parts of the city. For more Paris information go to www.anamericaninparis.com

There's the tea salon, Laduree, nearby at 16, rue Royale on the corner of rue Royale & rue Saint Honore. Since they serve breakfast, lunch & tea you should be pretty well set. Website is www.laduree.fr and includes menus for each meal type. Have a great time in Paris! : )

Mary, Thank you so much for the recommendation! This is just what I was hoping for. Carol

You're welcome, Brah! I noticed your request of interesting things to do & see nearby, so here goes. If you take the street behind le Madeleine, rue Tronchet and turn right onto Blvd Hausmann you’ll pass 2 of the largest department stores in Paris, Au Printemps & Galeries Lafayette, the latter holds free fashion shows every Tuesday @ 11am & Friday @ 2:30pm from April – October (www.galerieslafayette.com). Very nearby, you have Lanvin, L’Oreal, Gucci, Cerruti, Guerlain, Chloe, Ferragamo, Christian Dior, Yves St. Laurent, Guy Laroche, Givenchy, Hermes, just so many places to shop! You might also want to visit Place Vendome, a beautiful square in Paris and have tea at the Ritz, go to Chanel or any of the other luxury shops there. There’s also the Opera de Paris Garnier going northeast up Blvd de la Madeleine (with Café de la Paix & Chez Clement close by). And directly south is Place de la Concorde. For nightlife, you could go to MAN RAY, the bar owned by Johnny Depp, Mick Hucknall, & John Malkovich. It's about a mile away from the Madeleine going west on the Champs Elysees and south on RUE MARBEUF at no. 32. But if you’re new to Paris, I’d recommend picking up MapEasy’s Guidemap to Paris. It’s a pretty cool map of central Paris and it illustrates to a degree what everything looks like (Eiffel Tower, the Seine, the bridges, Notre Dame, etc.) so that you can get a feel for the city. Plus, there’s a color-coding system of little dots along the streets highlighting restaurants, hotels & sights. And there are close-up maps of the Marais/Bastille district & Montmartre. For something more literary, you could go northeast from Madeleine to 21 Blvd. Malasherbas to see one of the places F. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald lived in during the '20s! That's just a little tip from me as you're unlikely to find that tidbit in any guidebook. : ) Of course, I might just be giving you a lot info you already know. Please let us know more of what you’re looking for so we’ll be better able to help you. I hope that helps. Enjoy a macaroon for me. : )

CORRECTION: that should be NW up Blvd. Malasherbas. : )

Very near Madeline, towards Hausmann, is a small cheese restaurant called La Ferme de St. Hubert. If you have never done raclette, it is wonderful there. They bring the full wheel of cheese and the electric contraption to your table and you spend an hour or so, melting, scraping and eating wonderful cheese with boiled potatoes, smoked meats, and pickles. If you are there in the winter, so much the better. We did it in the heat of August and still loved it, but winter would be better. I've done raclette in a number of the Swiss ski resorts, but this was the best. Don't miss their cheese shop right next door.

Well, there's the Café Madeleine - it's right there, you can't miss it - great place for lunch, but get there early as it's absolutely jam-packed with French businessmen and women starting at noon sharp.

You might want to wander down to the Place du Marché St Honoré, about a 10 minute walk from Madeleine. This is a pleasant pedestrianized square lined with various cafés, restaurants and bistros to suit different budgets. It's especially nice to sit outside on one of the many terrasses when the weather starts getting warm.

I also stayed in Madeline and went to La Ferme de St. Hubert. We walked by and decided to go in without a reservation for dinner so we got stuck in the back near the kitchen door. We thought the area around Madeline is dead at night. We took a metro to eat dinners in the 6th instead.

There is a restaurant actually in la Madeline. The entrance is on the side and had a small discreet sign indicating it. It is only open at noon and seems to be operated by volunteer ladies of the parish, in expensive classic clothes and sensible shoes. The day we were there we had salad, a choice of omelet or roast chicken, and I can't remember what was served for dessert. Wine is available also (naturellement!). It wasn't the finest meal we had in Paris, but it was perfectly fine and a fascinating experience. And the proceeds contribute to the upkeep of the church.

Had a wonderful tea at the cafe connected to Fauchon. The most fun was seeing all the people with their dogs in their laps or in baskets by their feet.

The place de la Madeleine is known for the gourmet food shops -- Fauchon and Hediard, in particular; Maison de la Truffe and some caviar shop are a few. Both also serve some light meals, I think (I know Fauchon does as Sharon mentions). There are several grand cafes near the Opera Garnier which are an experience for the Belle Epoque setting -- the Grand Cafe Capucines is one on bd Capucines. There is also the perfume museum on that bd. There is a flower market next to the Madeleine church almost every day, and on the east side of the entrance, check out their art nouveau public toilettes, which are famous (and historic). I think Proust used to live in some house right on that place, there is probably a plaque.

I agree with Greg. Forget La Ferme St. Hubert. It wasn't that great and definitely not worth the hassle.

Oh my gosh, I have struck a veritable gold mine! Thank you - ALL OF YOU - (and especially Mary!) for sharing these interesting ideas and suggestions with me. We will be ending our trip with only 2 nights in Paris after being in Italy for 12 days - and I was worrying about Paris and now it's just all falling in place. If any of you will be in Paris around the 18th of March, I'll treat you all to red wine, or maybe coffee if it turns out cold that day. Thanks again. What a GREAT board.