3 Best Restaurants in Eastern Paris, Paris

This ever-popular eatery near the canal is the go-to spot for locals and expats with a hankering for all those breakfast comfort foods Mom used to make, but with a gourmet twist. Stacks of ethereally light pancakes or eggs and bacon come with bourbon butter and maple syrup, or a side of fennel sausage, baked beans, hash browns, or a copious serving of green salad. Fruit, yogurt, and granola bowls and other homemade sweets are equally soothing: chia pudding, pecan cake, and an extra-light cheesecake. Wash it all down with a gourmet coffee, homemade soda, a sparkling mimosa, or a bloody Mary.

Cotton-candy-color walls, comfy banquettes, and giant mirrors belie the fact that this cozy eatery is one of the city's top destinations to experience the flavors of the Philippines. Meals are served family-style with one plate for each diner to sample from a succession of dishes, each more delicious than the next, including Hainan soy-glazed burrata flecked with ginger; fried chicken wings with black coffee sauce; and a fish of the day in coconut milk with truffle. For dessert, the strawberry pavlova comes on clouds of pandan cream and a scrumptious lime-zest cheesecake on a bed of crumbled polvoron (a type of shortbread).

There are three good reasons to go to Astier: the generous cheese platter plunked on your table atop a help-yourself wicker tray, the exceptional wine cellar with bottles dating back to the 1970s, and the French bistro fare (even if portions seem to have diminished over the years). Dishes like marinated herring with warm potato salad, sausage with lentils, and baba au rhum are classics on the frequently changing set menu, which includes a selection of no less than 20 cheeses. The vintage 1950s wood-paneled dining room and traditional red-checked tablecloths attract plenty of locals and remains a fairly sure bet in the area, especially because it's open every day.