Cafés and bars
Café de la Mosquée 39 rue
Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, 5e. Mº Monge. Daily
8am-midnight.
You can drink mint tea and eat sweet
cakes beside a fountain and assorted fig
trees in the courtyard of this Paris
mosque - a delightful haven of calm. The
salon has a beautiful Arabic interior.
Meals are served in the adjoining
restaurant. Couscous from ¬6.38,
tagines from ¬10.67.
Cyber Café Latino 13 rue de
l'École-Polytechnique, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité.
Mon-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 4-9pm.
Small, friendly bar with a Venezuelan
owner, Latino sounds on the stereo and
fruit smoothies and tapas on the menu;
six computers out the back to surf the
Net.
La Fourmi Ailée 8 rue du
Fouarre, on sq Viviani, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité.
Daily noon-midnight.
Simple, light fare - including weekend
brunch (2-6pm; ¬15.24) - in this former
feminist bookshop, which has been
transformed into a salon de thé .
A high ceiling painted with a lovely
mural and a book-filled wall contribute
to the rarified atmosphere. Around
¬10.52 for a plat .
Le Piano Vache 8 rue Laplace,
5e. Mº Cardinal-Lemoine. Daily noon-2am.
Venerable student bar with canned music
and a relaxed atmosphere.
Les Pipos 2 rue de l'École-Polytechnique,
5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité & Mº Cardinal-Lemoine.
Mon-Sat 8am-2am; closed three weeks in
Aug.
Old, carved, wooden bar, serving its own
wines at ¬2.13-3.81 a glass. Plats
, which change every day, from ¬7.62 to
¬11.43.
Le Violon Dingue 46 rue de la
Montagne-Ste-Geneviève, 5e. Mº
Maubert-Mutualité. Daily 6pm-1.30am;
happy hour 6-10pm.
A long, dark, student pub that's also
popular with young travellers; noisy and
friendly. English-speaking bar staff and
cheap drinks.
Restaurants
Bistro de la Sorbonne 4 rue
Toullier, 5e tel 01.43.54.41.49. RER
Luxembourg. Open Mon-Sat.
Traditional French and delicious North
African food is served here in large
portions at reasonable prices. Crowded
and attractive student/local ambience.
¬10.52 lunch menu; ¬14.48 and ¬12.34
evening.
Brasserie Balzar 49 rue des
Écoles, 5e tel 01.43.54.13.67. Mº
Maubert-Mutualité. Daily until 1am;
closed Aug.
A traditional literary-bourgeois
brasserie frequented by the
intelligentsia of the quartier Latin.
À la carte about ¬27.44.
au Buisson Ardent 25 rue
Jussieu, 5e tel .01.43.54.93.02. Mº
Jussieu. Open Mon-Fri; closed two weeks
in Aug.
Copious helpings of first-class
traditional cooking: mussels, duck, warm
goat cheese salad, lamb, etc. ¬10.67
menu lunch, ¬24.39 evenings.
Reservations recommended.
Chez Léna et Mimile 32 rue
Tournefort, 5e tel 01.47.07.72.47. Mº
Censier-Daubenton. Mon-Fri until 11pm,
Sat evening only.
The high south-facing terrasse ,
overlooking a shady little square, is
the main attraction, and the ¬28.20 menu
with wine and coffee included is
excellent. Serves a ¬14.94 menu at
lunchtime on weekdays.
Chieng-Maï 12 rue
Frédéric-Sauton, 5e tel 01.43.25.45.45.
Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Closed Sun.
Excellent Thai cuisine served in elegant
surroundings. Dishes include beef
sautéed with fresh basil, fish simmered
in coconut milk and lemongrass, and a
generous selection of vegetarian
choices. Menus ¬10.52 at lunchtime;
otherwise ¬18.60 and ¬26.37.
Foyer du Vietnam 80 rue Monge,
5e tel 01.45.35.32.54. Mº Monge. Mon-Sat
until 10pm.
Casual, authentic Vietnamese with dishes
from ¬4.57 and menus for ¬8.54 and
¬10.21.
Le Grenier de Notre-Dame 18
rue de la Bûcherie, 5e. Mº
Maubert-Mutualité. Daily noon-11.30pm.
Some veggies love this tiny place, which
has been operating since 1978. Others
dislike it and its posh candle-lit
atmosphere, cramped tables and cheesy
music. Substantial fare, including
couscous, fried tofu and cauliflower
cheese. Menus at ¬11.43 and ¬16.
Koutchi 40 rue du
Cardinal-Lemoine, 5e tel 01.44.07.20.56.
Mº Cardinal-Lemoine. Closed Sun.
A well-regarded Afghan restaurant, with
a congenial atmosphere, tasty food and
pretty good prices. Menu ¬8.38 at
lunchtime, ¬14.93 in the evening.
Mavrommatis 42 rue Daubenton,
5e tel 01.43.31.17.17. Mº
Censier-Daubenton. Closed Mon.
A sophisticated Greek restaurant, quite
expensive (lunchtime menu ¬18.29), but
you are definitely tasting Greek food at
its best.
La Petite Légume 36 rue
Boulangers, 5e. Mº Jussieu. Mon-Sat
noon-2.30pm & 7.30-10pm.
This is a health-food grocery that
doubles as a vegetarian restaurant,
serving quality ingredients in a variety
of plats for around ¬8.84.
Les Quatre et Une Saveurs 72
rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 5e tel
01.43.26.88.80. Mº Cardinal-Lemoine.
Tues-Sat till 10pm.
Inventive, high-class macrobiotic
vegetarian food. The ¬18.29 and ¬19.82
menus include coffee.
Tashi Delek 4 rue des
Fossés-St-Jacques, 5e tel
01.43.26.55.55. RER Luxembourg. Mon-Sat
noon & eve until 10.30pm; closed Aug.
An enjoyable Tibetan restaurant run by
refugees. Prices are as low as ¬7.93 at
lunchtime and ¬9.76 in the evening.
