7 Best Restaurants in Eastern Paris, Paris

The Paul Bert delivers everything you could want from a traditional Paris bistro (faded 1930s decor, thick steak with real frites, and good value), so it's no wonder its two dining rooms fill every night with a cosmopolitan crowd. The impressively stocked wine cellar helps, as do the laid-back yet efficient staff, excellent and abundant cheese trolley, and hearty dishes such as monkfish with white beans and duck with pears. The prix-fixe lunch menu is only €22, or you can order à la carte.

Classic bistros are making a comeback in Paris, and this neighborhood favorite embodies everything people love about this French institution. Here, traditional fare is lovingly prepared with top-quality ingredients and paired with a wine list that's so good it's a draw unto itself. The casual-chic atmosphere full of happy diners makes for a reliably delightful lunch or evening out.

Chef Giovanni Passerini, a favorite Parisian chef, has done it again with this wine-focused spot, the companion to his wildly popular Italian restaurant just a few steps away. It's a wine bar, gastro-bistro, and pasta factory all in one, and the oh-so-good plates of highbrow Italian comfort food are served with his typically masterful selection of well-priced French and Italian wines. The atmosphere is casual and fun while diners get down to the real business of eating and drinking and enjoying every minute of it.

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.

Parc de La Villette once housed the city's meat market, and this brasserie devoted to fine beef (whether French or Irish) soldiers on as if nothing has changed. It's worth the trek here to sample one of the 16 takes on the beef theme (plus a gargantuan marrow bone) or good fish and seafood dishes, such as sole or scallops (in season). You'll find meat lovers from all over Paris in the buzzy dining room, feasting on the good-value, €40 three-course menu that includes an apéro, a half bottle of wine and a coffee.

Tile floors, mercury mirrors, bentwood chairs, and a menu of classic French comfort foods proffered by talented young chef Édouart Vermynck take you back to a charming Paris of old (the bistrot was first opened in 1922). Start with homey oeufs-mayo (eggs) or croque-monsieur with jambon de Paris (a type of cooked ham) followed by golden Landes hen with morel cream or tender scallops in a delicate beurre blanc. For dessert, don't miss the billowy mousse au chocolat or grandma's tarte tatin with raw crème fraiche. Set on a quiet street between Bastille and the Place des Vosges, this is a quintessential black book spot.

From its traditional bentwood bistro chairs to its well-priced menu of contemporary French classics, this is the kind of neighborhood bistro we dream about when we think of Paris. Friendly service, a convivial atmosphere, a top-notch wine list, and delicious market-fresh fare all add up to the kind of place you want to keep all to yourself. Fixed-price lunch menus are €17; dinner is à la carte only.