12th arrondissement

Le Picotin
35 rue Sibuet
+33 1 46 28 99 00
c€20 main courses
Métro: Picpus, Bel-Air

An excellent find in a quiet back street. Good value food, with a selection wide enough to offer a good choice whilst allowing the chef to concentrate on perfecting a small number of dishes. Warm, friendly welcome and faultless service.

Le Train bleu
Gare de Lyon

Located in the 1st floor of Gare de Lyon with colonial charm. Serves haute cuisine in amazing surroundings. Reservations strongly recommended

l'Ébauchoir
43-45 rue de Citeaux
+33 1 43 42 49 31
at the corner of rue faubourg Saint Antoine

A typical restaurant of the bo-bo bourgeois - bohème population of this district. Good traditional cooking with mid-range prices.

Refuge
54 Avenue Daumesnil
€15
just around the corner from Gare de Lyon

This charming storefront bistro offers an adventurous take on traditional French cooking, and with a couple of good selections for vegetarians, including a €12 vegetarian menu. The indoor vineyard decor appeals for its artsy clutter; the only indications that the owner and chef is a former rugby star being the newspaper clipping on the wall and the almost hidden world championship medal behind the bar.