L'Arbre à Cannelle 7 passage des Panoramas, 2e. Mº Grands-Boulevards. Mon-Sat till 6.30pm.
Exquisite wooden panelling, frescoes and painted ceilings make this an enchanting spot for puddings, flans and assiettes gourmandes. Prices are ?9.15-11.43.

Aux Bons Crus 7 rue des Petits-Champs, 1er. Mº Pyramides. Mon 9am-4pm, Tues-Sat 9am-11pm.
A relaxed, workaday place that has been serving good wines and cheese, sausage and ham for over eighty years. Wine from ?2.29 a glass; plate of cold meats from ?8.38.

Le Café 62 rue Tiquetonne, 2e. Mº Les Halles & Mº Étienne-Marcel. Daily 10am-2am.
On the junction with rue Étienne-Marcel, a quiet and secluded café, with old maps on the walls and people playing chess. Plats du jour ?6.86-8.38.

Le Grand Café Capucines 4 bd des Capucines, 9e. Mº Opéra.
A favourite all-nighter with over-the-top belle-époque decor and excellent seafood. Boulevard prices mean ?3.05 for an espresso.

Juveniles 47 rue de Richelieu, 1er. Mº Palais-Royal-Musée-du-Louvre. Mon-Sat noon-midnight.
A very popular, tiny wine bar run by a Brit. Wine from ?12.96 a bottle; plats du jour around ?10.37.

Kitty O'Shea's 10 rue des Capucines, 2e. Mº Opéra. Daily noon-1.30am.
An Irish pub with excellent Guinness and Smithwicks. A favourite haunt of Irish expats. The John Jameson restaurant upstairs serves high-quality, pricey, Gaelic food, including seafood flown in from Galway.

Le Sous-Bock 49 rue St-Honoré, 1er. Mº Châtelet & Mº Les Halles. Mon-Sat 11am-5am, Sun 3pm-5am.
Hundreds of beers - bottled and on tap - at around ?6.10 a pint, as well as whiskies to sample, plus simple, inexpensive food. Mussels are a speciality (?9.15-11.43). Frequented by night owls. Prices go up after 7pm.

 

Restaurants

Chartier 7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 9e tel 01.47.70.86.29. Mº Grands-Boulevards. Daily 11.30am-3pm & 6-10pm.
Dark-stained woodwork, brass hat-racks, mirrors, waiters in long aprons - the original decor of a late-nineteenth-century soup kitchen. Though crowded and rushed, it's worth a visit, and the food's not bad at all. Under ?15.24.

Dilan 13 rue Mandar, 2e tel 01.42.21.14.88. Mº Les Halles & Mº Sentier. Mon-Sat noon-2pm & 7.30-11.30pm.
An excellent-value Kurdish restaurant, offering beautiful starters, stuffed aubergines ( babaqunuc ), fish with yoghurt and courgettes ( kanarya ). Midday menu ?9.76.

Le Gros Minet 1 rue des Prouvaires, 1er tel 01.42.33.02.62. Mº Châtelet & Mº Les Halles. Mon & Sat 7.30-11.30pm, Tues-Fri noon-2pm & 7.30-11.30pm. Relaxed, small and charming restaurant, specializing in duck dishes.

Higuma 32bis rue Ste-Anne, 1er tel 01.47.03.38.59.Mº Pyramides.
Daily 11.30am-10pm. Authentic Japanese canteen with cheap filling ramen dishes and a variety of set menus starting at ?9.60.

L'Incroyable 26 rue de Richelieu, 1er tel 01.42.96.24.64. Mº Palais-Royal-Musée-du-Louvre. Tues-Fri lunchtime & 6.30-9pm, Mon & Sat lunchtime only.
Hidden away down a tiny passage, this a very pleasant restaurant serving decent traditional French meals dishes for ?12.96 lunch; ?17.53 eves.

Au Pied de Cochon 6 rue Coquillière, 1er tel 01.42.36.11.75. Mº Châtelet & Mº Les Halles. Daily 24hr.
For extravagant middle-of-the-night pork chops and oysters. Seafood platter ?23.63. Carte up to ?45.73.

La Robe et le Palais 13 rue des Lavandières Ste-Opportune, 1er tel 01.45.08.07.41. Mº Châtelet. Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm & 7.15-10.30pm.
Refined, unpretentious cuisine and an excellent wine list served up in a small, busy space. Good lunch menu for ?12.04.

La Tour de Montlhéry (Chez Denise) 5 rue des Prouvaires, 1er tel 01.42.36.21.82. Mº Louvre-Rivoli & Mº Châtelet. Mon-Fri till midnight, Sat lunchtime only.
An old-style Les Halles bistro serving substantial food; always crowded and smoky; carte from ?30.49.

Vaudeville 29 rue Vivienne, 2e tel 01.40.20.04.62. Mº Bourse. Daily 7am-2am.
A lively, late-night brasserie, often with a queue to get a table. Good food, attractive marble-and-mosaic interior. À la carte from ?22.87, menu at ?21.04.

La Victoire Suprême du Coeur 41 rue des Bourdonnais, 1er tel 01.40.41.93.95. Mº Louvre-Rivoli & Mº Châtelet. Mon-Sat noon-10pm.
Vegetarian restaurant of the Sri Chimnoy variety - the Indian guru's photos and drawings cover the walls. The menu offers a wide range of tasty salads, quiches and plats du jour (?7.47); all very wholesome.