Pierre Sang

On the corner of the vibrant Rue Oberkampf in the 11th district, you will find a cool place called Pierre Sang. You enter a most often crowded and lively place where something that looks like the mother of all bar counter works as a an epicenter, the place where everyone is seated, mixing up people and companies, adding up to the good ambiance of the place. From here you can fully oversee what's happening in the kitchen - or you can just chat up people next by... For those interested in neither, the more calmer room downstairs, accompanying the numerous bottles of the cellar, would also be an option. 

The kitchen is French-Korean, and although the food is very well-prepared, the idea behind the mixing up of the different elements is not always clear. Tasty and elegant, ambitious, but still not fully successful. However, the place is cool, nice, and the staff is very friendly and accommodating. Wines are mostly nature, and they actually do a pretty good job here. Reasonably priced within the difficult genre of neo-bistrots tendances.

http://pierresangboyer.com

Chez Moustache

We are at a beardy place. And as strange as this may sound, it feels good. Bistrot Rigolo as they call it themselves. We are in the 11th, on the corner of Amelot and J-P Timbaud, where this new cool resto de tendance is welcoming you. A huge and usually quite crowded bar desk is at the entrance, until you're skillfully guided towards the back of the two rooms where tables are somewhat randomly organized. The staff is cool, friendly and attentive. The food is a good, not necessarily highly inventive, but a well grounded, creative cuisine de marche; things are well prepared, nicely served, and simply taste very good. An excellent place. Although the wines are a bit pricy for the quality, the place is highly recommended, particularly for the cool ambiance and the overall experience. Good cocktails too. For example in case you've actually left the table but somehow feel the need to chill for a second or two as the bar greets you again, just before reaching the exit...

www.chezmoustache.com

Aux Deux Amis

This place is a strange mix between a noisy bar and a classy neo-bistrot. For those who prefer things quiet and nicely wrapped in, this might be a bit to much. For the rest of us, the place is excellent for tasting a series of interesting and well prepared dishes. Although the noyeau is French, some twists of Mediterranean kitchen are to be expected. Excellent wines. Very much Oberkamf. 

Qui Plume la Lune

Qui Plume la Lune is a good restaurant placed between Republique and the Bastille. Genre-wise it tends toward an ambitious neo-bistrot, but could just as well be labelled as gastronomic restaurant. The decor is welcoming, despite or perhaps just because of the very well conducted design. The food is elegant and the servings are delicate and well prepared. The wine list is extensive and good (however, be aware of how it is tempered). The prices are a bit too high considering the location and the level of sophistication in the servings.

www.restaurantquiplumelalune.com

Rino

Rino is an excellent restaurant with high ambitions, placed on the outer side of the Bastille. The kitchen is somewhat mixed but with a strong reference to modern Italian. The dishes are elegantly arranged and tasty. The tables are small, but the feeling is cosy rather than crowded; a good ambiance. The open - and very small - kitchen is great to watch as the pros are showing of their skills.

http://rino-restaurant.com

Chateaubriand

An unusually good place. The style and ambiance is cool, so is the staff. Yet still knowledgable and able to make you feel good. For 55 euros you will get more than 9 highly innovative dishes of the highest quality created with no faults. It's a must do. The kitchen is basque inspired, and the food is light and elegant. The wines are creative (even a bit too creative at times, the thing with the craving for natural wine...) and most often very well selected. Be clear about your wine preferences in order to let all your wishes come true. They most likely will...

www.lechateaubriand.net

Aux tonton flambeurs

Aux Tonton Flambeurs is a funny place, as also indicated by the names, which means something along the lines of the funny uncles... not only the two uncles (les deux patrons) are funny; also the waiters and the other people behind the bar are funny and make you feel welcome. The cuisine is well prepared good plain food from Soudeste, and the wines are the same. As the night proceeds and you feel more and more as a part of the funny family, please think twice when you're offered the home-brewed liquor, even if it is a well-meant courtesy of the house...