Mrs. Sk8uno and I took a last-minute trip to Paris the week of Christmas. We focused our eating on more casual restaurants. We avoided tasting menus and (as far as I know) any Michelin stars. We also tried to hit some restaurants that cater more toward a local French crowd as opposed to the usual suspects found on one of the countless lists geared toward international tourists (though we hit a few of those as well).
Below are some of the places we ate. I think most people would enjoy all of the spots below, but I’d prioritize the top 4 in the list, provided they are the type of environment you are looking for.
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L’Arlequin (here, not the movie theater with the same name) - casual French bistro with excellent food, wine, and environment. This place just opened in (I think) Nov. 2025, so still quite new. I believe we were the only non-French folks at this restaurant. Everything was great here but the beef bourguignon croquettes stood out for me, followed by the celery remoulade and mushroom ravioli.
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Patine Bistrot - This is yet another casual French bistrot that is not on the tourist circuit, and we had yet another lovely dinner here. The pate en croute, tourte feuiletee, and carre de cochon were all solid. The staff here was very warm and friendly.
This place just opened the week before we arrived, so there had been no time for write-ups or reviews. We only learned about it because another French chef from a now-closed Paris restaurant posted an IG story from Patine and I happened to catch it by dumb luck. I figured that chef must know the team behind Patine, but the Patine crew had no clue who I was talking about when I told them his IG story is how I found out about Patine.
Purely in terms of food, I’d put L’Arlequin ahead of Patine, but both were wins in my book.
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Vertus - We were here for Christmas Eve dinner and were therefore locked into the holiday prix fixe option (not complaining!). The food, the drink, and the environment were all great, and the combination of the three made for an outstanding night. As far as I can tell, this is a one-man show run by a Japanese chef who loves dry-aged meat and Wagyu. When I say one-man, I mean it literally. We did not see or hear a single other employee the entire time we were there. The chef is also the server, the busser, and presumably the dishwasher.
This one is very much not on the tourist circuit, as it is out in Boulogne-Billancourt. I don’t want to oversell things (the food was great but not incredible), but I think this is a great option for someone who wants to get slightly out of the city and have a good meal off the tourist path.
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Adraba - This spot is no secret, but it is great. It is Levantine food, broadly speaking. Normally we’d stick with French food while in France, but we had to make compromises due to all the holiday closures. That said, I am happy we did. The food here was so good. We had the esh bread and dips, bagdad, black ikra, yam yabasha, balaka, and manti. Everything was absolutely delicious and it’s hard to pick a standout from the list, so I’ll instead say the yam yabasha was the weakest link (but even the weakest link was good).
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Minore - This is a newish restaurant from the chef who was behind the now-closed Abri. This one is definitely on the tourist path, but still a solid meal. The duck and the chocolate tart were the standouts for me. We liked this spot, but did not love it. I think our expectations were unfairly high because we had an outstanding meal at Abri about 10 years ago that we still reminisce about.
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Frenchie Bar a Vin - The wine bar associated with the well-known Frenchie restaurant group. Very much dominated by the international tourist crowd, but still good food and enjoyable night out. Also, given how few restaurants are open on Mondays, this is a good option. They opened at 6:30 and a line was forming by at least 6:10. By 6:30, the line was quite long. While we enjoyed our evening here, I wouldn’t suggest going out of your way to go here unless you want something that is highly approachable for an international crowd (not because the food is bad, but there are just so many options to choose from in Paris that aren’t dominated by tourists). That said, they have an excellent Chartreuse selection, so it is worth a stop for that alone if you are a fan.
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Bombance - This one is also a well-known spot that shows up on lists for international tourists. The food was good here, but I have to mention the cheese plate specifically. Excellent cheeses the night we were there–in particular, a Saint Nectaire from Quattrehomme. As between this and Frenchie Bar a Vin, I’d give Bombance the edge in terms of food. Frenchie feels more casual and wine bar vibe, though, so a better option if that’s what you are looking for.
We also had memorable cookies from Spiced Coffee (the peanut butter cookie) and Jack Henry Boulangerie (don’t remember the name of the cookie but there was only one option).
There were plenty of other places I wanted to hit but just couldn’t find the time, including: Epopee, Les Collonges, Epicerie Yucos, Le Coyote, Chez Carrie, and Boucherie Les Provinces.