P aris: the city of light, love, and bon repas . Paris ’ restaurant scene is many things: dynamic, creative, and often synonymous with an eye-watering bill – this is the home of Michelin, after all. However, today the capital is enjoying a renaissance of the original working man’s restaurant: the bouillon.
For those seeking to enjoy Paris on a shoestring, this is an excellent way to experience the more traditional side of French cuisine without leaving a huge dent in your savings. The original concept of the bouillon was simple: an elegant, no-frills establishment offering a single menu item of a warm bowl of flavourful broth accompanied by a hunk of crusty bread and a generous portion of meat. The point was to keep things quick and affordable for Paris ’ busy working class.
The bouillon is a staple of Parisian restaurant culture , though until recently, it had fallen out of fashion. At one point, the city had over 200, but one-by-one, each shuttered until only a handful remianed. They included Bouillon Chartier , established in 1896, which now has three locations in the capital.
One of the last bastions of the old-fashioned bouillon experience, Chartier retains the original art nouveau charm. You’ll find high ceilings, ornate mouldings, and red-and-white checkered floors adorning a large restaurant floors. Today, the restaurants are bustling, efficient, organised chaos: waiters in crisp black and white uniforms direct diners to tables quickly cleaned and reorganise.
