Paris is a multicultural capital: the proof is in the eating 24 different countries to discover. All the establishments have been tested and validated in 14 Paris arrondissements.
Inaugurated in April 2022 in the heart of the Quartier Latin, the Café Maa - a beautiful space furnished in solid wood by designer Joanna Laajisto - is masterfully run by Swedish-speaking Finnish chef Alexandra Marschan-Claude.
She cooks up an on-the-go menu that is extremely rare in Paris. Café Maa is the only place to serve Finnish cuisine: creamy salmon soup - lohikeitto in its original version - hearty salads filled with fermented fish and vegetables or karjalanpiirakat, the famous national snack filled with rice pudding - salted - and topped with a mixture of butter and eggs. All washed down with Finnish chai - fir, black pepper and cardamom - or artisan-roasted coffees from Frukt Coffee Roasters in Turku.
Café Maa - 33, rue du Sommerard 75005 Paris - 07 68 44 07 66
This is the latest addition to the Petrossian family, which itself has specialised in caviar and smoked salmon since 1920: Mantchouk. Both a delicatessen and a grocery shop, this colourful address - with its vermilion tables, velvety duck-blue banquettes and mosaic floor - opened in early 2021 and offers a range of traditional Russian dishes: borscht, pirojkis, pirog, koulibiak. But also Armenian: dolmas, mantis, sou bereck..., to take away or nibble on the spot!
Mantchouk - 106 boulevard de Courcelles 75017 Paris - 01 44 90 00 90
Apsara, a tobacco bar that's not all that conventional. In addition to packets of cigarettes and scratch cards, it serves excellent Asian specialities - Cambodian, Vietnamese, Thai... - at lunchtime. Caramel pork, banh mi, pad thaï, bo bun and many other emblems of South-East Asian cuisine can be eaten in or takeaway from the wood-panelled dining room adjoining the bar-tabac area, which is just as friendly.
Apsara - 30, bis rue Sedaine 75011 Paris
Just a stone's throw from the canal Saint-Martin, this pocket canteen devoted to highly confidential Taiwanese street food almost always sells out.
The star here is the excellent fried chicken, which can be eaten with a variety of sauces - simply sprinkled with salt and pepper, drowned in a curry sauce, covered in plum powder - or in bento format, accompanied by a soft-boiled egg, a portion of rice, a green salad, a seasonal vegetable and three fried ravioli or miso soup.
Bopome - 48, rue de Lancry 75010 Paris - 09 83 74 60 24
The end of 2022 saw the opening of a type of coffee shop that can be found everywhere in Hong Kong: cha cha teng. When the territory was still under the British flag, the Chinese also wanted to sample the delights of Western cuisine, which was too expensive for their wallets, hence the creation of these "tea restaurants" where they traditionally order French toast drizzled with sugar syrup or meat broth with noodles and pieces of ham. Bing Sutt is a modern version, but the spirit is still there!
Bing Sutt - 22, rue Béranger, 75003 Paris
It's already been three springs since Paris discovered the papo, a bread roll of Portuguese origin that is usually eaten filled. Named in its honour, this green-clad stall has been devoted to all kinds of Lusitanian specialities, street-food style, since 2021.
On the menu: papo with traditional cod fritters - bacalhau, Portuguese croque-monsieur - tosta-, vegetarian feijoda - a typical dish from Portugal and South America made with red beans - and, of course, pastels de nata!
Papo - 217 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 75011 Paris
The happy founding couple - Maria Rodriguez in the dining room and Javier Armijos in the kitchen - set up their restaurant in 2019. On the menu: home-style cooking with a menu that reflects them. She's from the coast, where we find ceviche - with plantain chips - or tuna snacks served with a mix of ripe bananas. It comes from the land and reminds us of it with, for example, a piece of the upper leg of Argentine beef - the picanha - renowned for its tenderness and herbaceousness, seasoned with a green sauce spiced up with garlic and coriander.
Ayahuma - 74, rue Léon Frot 75011 - 09 73 26 23 28
In Paris, Indian cuisine is no longer just about curry, tandoori and cheesy naan. And that's thanks in part to chef Manoj Sharma and his new restaurant Sharma Ji - meaning "chez Sharma" or "M.Sharma" - opened in 2023 just a fifteen-minute walk from the Eiffel Tower. Family-style Indian cuisine, very spicy but not very hot, with generous portions. What's on the menu? Fine smoked lamb chops presented on a wooden board; sautéed calamari with curry leaves or fried aubergines with spicy yoghurt.
Sharma Ji - 16, rue Frémicourt 75015 - 09 78 80 52 78
In this flowery stall where four tables duel, ex-interior designer Sun offers the best of South Korea. Since October 2023, the lady has been serving delicious lattes - matcha, sesame or the more original coffee with ginger. She also cooks specialities - to eat in or take away - such as homemade kimchi, seaweed salad, black sesame cake or soft scones...
On the grocery side, the shelves are filled with nuggets imported directly from Korea: fried seaweed snacks, pancake mix and ginger jelly. The atmosphere is that of a coffee shop, with tons of magazines with pretty art direction freely available.
Onoul - 8, rue Gramme 75015 - 01 40 24 27 94
After his first address Biondi, chef Fernando de Tomaso has teamed up with his sister Violetta Hernandez to pay tribute to their grandmother Blanca. Empanadas or turnovers with Beaufort, Comté and onions for starters, before exceptional cuts of meat for the main course. Don't leave without trying the caramel flan with dulce de leche.
Blanca - 34, rue Keller 75011 Paris - 09 52 09 16 78
There's nothing more comforting than this Algerian canteen in the 9th arrondissement. All the neighbourhood's workers flock here at lunchtime for its bricks, aghroms - stuffed pancakes - or hot rechta. Low prices for a gargantuan lunch, Majouja is - almost - like eating at your mum's house.
Majouja - 43, rue Laffitte, 75009 Paris - 09 51 49 25 18
Mexican chef Beatriz Gonzalez** - who trained at Michelin-starred restaurants Lucas Carton and La Grande Cascade - opened her taquería after practising tacos during confinement.
As well as the little corn cakes rolled out before our eyes at the counter, there's an amazing black bean purée - frijoles refritos - corn on the cob to devour and churros to dip in a chocolate chilli sauce.
Taco Mesa - 40, rue du Faubourg Poissonnière 75010 Paris - 09 78 81 06 00
Far from the usual caterers, chef Rita Higgins** takes Lebanese gastronomy to another level. The choice of mezzes is complex, from fried halloumi in kadaif angel hair, to KFC - Kubri Fried Chicken - dipped in lemon toum, or one of the best houmouses in the capital.
Kubri - 108, rue Amelot 75011 Paris - 01 71 27 43 71
Whether at the bistro or the ouzeri - tavern -, chef Mikaëla Liaroutsos takes us on a journey to Greece at her two addresses. Among the farandole of mezzes to order, don't forget the tarama, which we'd love to dip into as if we were diving into the Aegean Sea. Bonus point for the wine list from different regions of Greece.
Etsi - 23, rue Eugène Carrière 75018 Paris and 41, rue du Ruisseau 75018 - 01 71 50 00 80
At this street food address, tapioca is king. This manioc-based galette - to which it owes its name - is generously garnished with mostly vegetarian recipes. You won't be able to resist the pao de queijo on the side, or the "manioc flour gougères", as the menu translates for the uninitiated.
Onda - 20, rue des Ecouffes, 75004 Paris - 06 59 03 95 86
This little restaurant has a kitschy, family atmosphere, with parasols outside, paper tablecloths, squeaky tables and red napkins folded like flowers in stemmed glasses. The owner's wife is very attentive and quickly serves the customers who come to challenge the unbeatable lunch offer: between €9.50 and €12.50 for starter, main course and dessert, with bandjan borani - grilled aubergines with tomato sauce, onion and cheese - and kofta tchalaw - minced meatballs in sauce with rice.
Kootchi - 40, rue du Cardinal Lemoine 75005 Paris - 01 44 07 20 56
Because there's no better Iranian restaurant in Paris, and neither Antoine de Caunes, a loyal customer, nor the former Empress of Iran will deny it... The latter orders kilos of homemade rose ice-cream, a real treat even for those who think they don't like it. The other star of the house is the joojeh kebab, not just ordinary chicken kebabs but kebabs of moist chicken breast, which the kitchens prepare with lemon and saffron.
Mazeh - 65, rue des Entrepreneurs 75015 Paris - 01 45 75 33 89
© Cercle Suédois
One of the capital's last culinary secrets, located on the second floor of a building on rue de Rivoli. Even non-members can enjoy the buffet at the Cercle Suédois by reservation only, with dishes and specialities presented on silver platters. A special place!
Cercle Suédois - 242, rue de Rivoli Esc.A 2nd floor 75001 Paris - 01 42 60 76 67
Ecaterina Paraschiv has brought Paris to its feet with her Baltic-inspired restaurant: Ibrik. She has also set up her little brother, a coffee shop with mezzés - börek puff pastry with feta, ktipiti cream of feta with chilli or houmous with basil -, pita brimming with crudités and schnitzel - breaded chicken escalope - or beef kefta for those with big appetites. Turkish coffee, a speciality of the place that owes its name to it - ibrik is the name of the Turkish copper coffee pot - is served with a halva cookie, a chocolate fondant, not far from coulant, or the pistachio cake with lemon icing, the most famous in the capital.
Ibrik - 9, rue de Mulhouse 75002 Paris
Ibrik Café - 43, rue Laffitte 75009 Paris - 01 73 71 84 60
Chef Erica Paredes** impresses with her modern Filipino cuisine. No matter what, you must try her burrata dipped in a spicy liquid or her exotic pavlova. We've fallen head over heels for this restaurant, which is sure to make a name for itself.
Reyna - 41, rue de Montreuil 75011 Paris - 01 40 09 06 82
© Flora Danica - Sylvain Lewis
At 142 avenue des Champs-Élysées, Flora Danica, this Danish-inspired brasserie is putting on a show. Enjoy the indoor terrace for herring marinated in dill or curry, small smoked fish in mayonnaise with capers and caraway bread, or salmon in a variety of ways, with horseradish cream potatoes of course.
Flora Danica - 142, avenue des Champs-Élysées 75008 Paris - 01 44 13 86 26
The Hood is, as its name suggests, a coffee shop-restaurant that celebrates the land of Singapore and the famous local speciality, chicken rice, silky-textured poultry accompanied by equally moist rice. The place is also a temple to breakfast for its kaya toasts, sandwiches made from sliced bread and topped with a green coconut spread.
The Hood - 80, rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011 Paris - 01 43 57 64 47
Lao Siam is without doubt our favourite restaurant, with a mile-long menu that we still haven't managed to get through in its entirety. We love the pâté impérial - to put it simply: large, very crispy egg rolls with a pork filling - the green mango salad with chicken, the perfect way to start the meal and then, the main course, the cassolette of prawns with vermicelli. Everyone comes here to eat: hipsters, tourists, locals...
Lao Siam - 49, rue de Belleville 75019 Paris - 01 40 40 09 68
This is a Kurdish sandwich institution, with homemade patties filled with juicy, wood-grilled meat, onions and herbs. You'll also find the famous lahmacun, a minced meat pizza, as well as plates of grilled meats accompanied by crudités.
Urfa Dürüm - 58, rue du Faubourg Saint-Denis 75010 Paris
