Paris: a selection of addresses

 

The Bombardier

On Place du Panthéon, this English pub with a long wooden facade overlooks the superb church Saint-Étienne-du-Mont. Its name is not a war cry but refers to a delicious bitter ale. Sport is king here, and especially rugby which receives special attention.

 

In a friendly atmosphere, the clientele is a mix of students (closeness of the Sorbonne), young executives and expat English. Traditional pub cuisine and a fine terrace on Place du Panthéon.

Corcoran's Irish Pub

On the corner of Rue Saint-André-des-Arts and Rue Gît-le-Cœur, and previously the den of American beatniks, here is an Irish pub with a meadow green facade. 

 

An address that appeals to a broad spectrum of clients owing to the pleasant reception, authentic atmosphere (all the server girls are Irish), its concerts and, of course,  the broadcasting of rugby matches followed by many fans.

 

Coolin Irish bar

Located in the Saint-Germain Market, this pub is decorated with wood from floor to ceiling.

 

Particularly heated English-speaking atmosphere on rugby match days. Pleasant terrace.

Bedford Arm's

From Antoine Blondin to Serge Gainsbourg, without forgetting the most famous rugby players, many regulars have contributed to making this pub legendary.

 

With its appearance of a night bar which never closes (but which opens late),  it attracts a crowd of  night revellers who like cocktails and who take the place by storm after major national or international matches.

 

A famous watering hole in the 'thirst valley' formed by the triangle between Rue Princesse, Rue Guisarde and Rue des Canettes.

O'Neil café

You'll be greeted by the large copper boiler of this brewery priding itself on several 100% malted barley and hops homemade beers.

 

As for food, apart from pizzas, the menu boils down to flammekueche, the speciality of the venue.

Eden Park

No need to present Eden Park any longer, the up-market brand of rugby leisurewear established by players of the XV de France  like Franck Mesnel.

 

This pub is another of their achievements and New Zealand (in particular) is extolled more often than is really called for. 

 

As one of the headquarters of the 2007 Rugby World Cup it will no doubt be difficult to enter

Le Pousse au crime

With its three rooms, the venue is at one and the same time a bar, a pub and a club, hence its name no doubt! For 35 years this venue has been attracting a relaxed clientele.

 

The festive atmosphere peeks here on evenings when matches have been won. Occasionally a whole team comes to celebrate victory.

Purdey

Another cardinal point in the 'thirst valley', where legendary third half-time venues abound.

 

The Auld Alliance

As soon as you enter the scene is set, with rugby scarves, and photos and engravings of the Scottish ruby team, kilts and bagpipes. One of the few authentic Scottish pubs in Paris!

 

Steve Graham, the proprietor, is not merely content with serving good beers, he is also a fan of genuine whiskies (365 on the menu) and Havana cigars. Apart from its jazz concerts, this pub is appreciated for its darts competitions and its haggis and Scottish salmon.

 

It should be remembered that the 'old alliance' stands for that entered into between Scotland, France and Norway from 1295 to 1746 to thwart England: you might as well say that, when it comes to rugby, the alliance still applies between Scotland and France! 

 

Open from 5 pm to 1:30 am in the week and from noon to 1:30 am on Saturdays.

Café Oz

Located very close to Place du Châtelet, Café Oz is the meeting place of Australian team supporters. As soon as you enter, you'll be greeted by a crocodile hanging from above the door. Inside, two genuinely giant screens overlook a warm wooden decor where you can enjoy Australian beers like Forster's, Tasman Bitter, Cooper's Best extra stout (brewed in Adelaide and renowned for its thick foam, dark colour and strong taste) and James Squire's.

 

The pub is very spacious, which is fortunate given the large size of Australians!  Aficionados of ostrich steaks, on the contrary, will be disappointed as they are not served here.

 

On Saturday nights, the atmosphere very soon heats up with girls dancing on the counter when the sound reaches its maximum... Café Oz also hosts live concerts (Jazz, Rock, Blues) twice a week. The group of DJs, The Sound Session, organises an 'Open DJ Contest' here every Thursday with famous guests. An unusual venue, worth discovering!

 

Open daily from 5 pm to 2 am (3:30 am at weekends).

The Frog & Rosbif

Established in 1993, The Frog & Rosbif is quite simply a Parisian institution for football and rugby fans alike and also for beer lovers!  It's one of the few venues where beer is still brewed artisanally on the spot. Enjoy here six draught beers (with a different taste depending on the season) produced using malt from England: lager, wheat beer, ginger twist, ruby-coloured beer, a hoppy bitter and 'black stuff'  (similar to Guinness).

 

With a 100% international team of servers speaking at least 6 languages, The Frog & Rosbiff attracts a French, British, Australian, New Zealand and Argentinian clientele. Matches are broadcast on 3 television screens and a giant projection screen. The pub can cater for more than 200 people, so there's an explosive atmosphere at the time of major matches!

 

During the World Cup, The Frog & Rosbif will propose its traditional menu at 13 €, but also a special menu in a basket that can be enjoyed either sitting down or standing. The giant cheeseburger with chips is famous, as are the cocktails (the renowned 'Sex on the beach' has brightened up more than one!) The most faithful clients, for their part, can win seats for the final by participating in a draw.

 

Chez l'Ami Jean

All lovers of the Pays Basque and of rugby know about Chez l'Ami Jean, one of the friendliest restaurants in Paris, located close to the Invalides.

 

Stéphane Jego, former right-hand man of Yves Camdeborde (founder of La Régalade in the 14^th arrondissement) proposes delicious market cuisine here that is a hymn to friendship and locally sourced produce. Whether it be a matter of the 30 € menu or of à la carte meals (between 45 and 65 €), you'll enjoy sensual and gourmet dishes like hen eggs with sweet chestnut cream with bacon and grenaille potatoes, fish soup with chorizo and piquillos, oven roasted farm pork chops, gateau Basque, Pyrenees goat cheese with black cherry jam, Catalan cream with Bourbon vanilla and soufflé Grand Marnier...

 

The restaurant is generally bursting full and rather noisy, so don't hesitate to book and come early for the first service. As for the wines, unsurprisingly, Robert Plageoles' Gaillacs and Étienne Brana's red Irouleguy are to die for!

Le J'Go

Just opposite the Hôtel Drouot (the legendary Parisian auction room) and in the heart of the antique dealers district, the J'Go was established 5 years ago by two rugby-mad friends, one of whom is none other than Fabien Galthié, former captain of the 15 de France.

 

This friendly bistrot decorated with an enormous bull's head has a giant screen on the ground floor, the upstairs room being reserved for restaurant clients. The restaurant serves house specialities like red label lamb from Quercy with Tarbes beans, black pork from Bigorre, farm chicken and duck from the Gers, etc. Rugbymen are of course awaited straight after the first matches, the dishes being proportional to their appetite, in other words enormous!

 

Menus at 16 € at lunchtime, 22 € and 29 €. The wine menu features many wines from the southwest (Cahors, Gaillac, Madiran.) and Basque brandies from the Brana estate of course appear behind the counter, to wind off your meal on a perfect note!

 

Open from Monday to Saturday from 11:30 am to 3 pm and from 7 pm to midnight.

Chez Michel

Located above the very beautiful Place Franz Liszt, not far from Gare du Nord, Chez Michel is a Parisian institution serving reasonably-priced true bistrot cuisine (menu for 30 €, without wine).

 

Chef Thierry Breton is, as to be expected by his name, a 100% Breton enthusiastic about the produce of his home region, such as lobsters, fresh anchovies from Guilvinec (which he serves in a terrine with crushed tomatoes), skate, scallops, andouille, Jean-Yves Bordier's butter from Saint-Malo, kouign-aman, and Hervé Seznec's cider from near Quimper.

 

Trained at the Ritz and the Crillon, Thierry Breton prepares precise and tasty cuisine appealing to gourmets and also rugby fans with big appetites! In season, his game menu is renowned in Paris, namely his roast partridge with cepes and his Scottish grouse salt-pork style with foie gras... We also like Chez Michel for its menu of wines produced by enthusiastic vine growers: Philippe Alliet's Chinon, Côtes-du-Rhône from Domaine de Gramenon, Drappier's Champagne, Christian Binner's  Riesling, inter alia.

 

In a mere 12 minutes, fans can reach Stade de France. Thierry Breton prepares take-away snacks on request (homemade bread) and remains open after midnight for after match meals. 

 

 

If Chez Michel is full, you can always fall back on Casimir, his younger brother, located on the same pavement and who serves lower-priced market cuisine.

Le Petit Baïona

Since it was created in 2001, Le Petit Baïona has been one of the dens of lovers of the southwest of France. Three television screens allow you to watch matches while enjoying hearty Basque cuisine including the excellent and symbolic axoa with Espelette peppers, cuttle fish in ink, Gallega style octopus, Gaxuxa rice (with chorizo, mushrooms and piperade) and duck cutlet.

 

At the back of the room, a large oval table lends a very friendly atmosphere to the venue, but you can also sit around individual bistrot tables on the terrace. The proprietor, a former jockey, will introduce you to wines from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Argentina. Each first Friday of the month, a crowd is also also drawn by a tug-of-war contest held on the pavement in front of Le Petit Baïona.

 

Lunch menu at 11 €, carte at 25 €. Open daily from 7 am to 2 am.

Aux Trois Obus

A must-visit venue: the annex to the Parc des Princes for three decades, the meeting place en route to the stadium, and a mandatory watering hole to discuss the ins and outs of matches afterwards.

 

Since 1998 and the transfer of international games to the Stade de France, the brasserie has had to content itself with Paris Saint-Germain matches and a few Stade Français rugby gala matches. Nevertheless, Les Trois Obus (the name recalls the three explosive bombs that fell on Porte de Saint-Cloud during the 1870 War) is always busy and regulars, including a few famous rugbymen and footballers, meet here to watch matches on a giant screen and engage in a long debriefing while knocking back a pint and digging into a lamb chop. There's singing, shouting, teasing, of course, and laughing. Scarves, trophies and autographed photos are to be seen all over the place. It's difficult to avoid football, rugby or even cycling subjects, even on days when there is no match.

 

The Rugby World Cup is of course awaited with great anticipation. On the programme? Four giant screen, the Banda des Trois Obus and its great classics to energise the atmosphere, and five outside bars. The atmosphere promises to be warm, with drinks flowing like water.

 

Menus at 18.50 and 22 €. À la carte: 35 €. Daily from 6 am to 1 in the morning (continuous service from noon to midnight).

Le Stade

To find the entrance to the restaurant, you must in fact enter the sports complex. Once you've climbed the gymnasium steps you'll be greeted by framed rugby shirts and photos stuck to the walls.  Probably those picked up by the two proprietors, the international players Pieter De Villiers and Sylvain Maconnet. Two staunch pillars of the XV de France and the Stade Français.

 

There are two parts to this cosy venue: a restaurant room overlooking the gymnasium and the bar corner with a view of the trophies, cups and replicas of the 'Bouclier de Brennus' (rewarding the champion of France). The venue caters for supporters and fans of all kinds, a kind of unofficial club house where the renowned third half-times take place.  On the menu: a grill of the day, entrecôte steak from Salers, a fish dish or pasta, served with one of the many bottles of wine on display in the room. Open till two in the morning on match days.

 

Special at 29 € on match evenings. À la carte: between 30 and 40 €.

 

*The official club house of the Stade Français CASG is the Jean Bouin, located at 26, avenue du Général Sarrail, 75016 Paris, within the grounds of the club.

Les Princes

Adjoining the Parc des Princes, the restaurant 'Les Princes' no longer resembles a low-key brasserie where friends get together after matches. For reason: the ex co-owner, the Stade Français international player Christophe Dominici has stepped aside and the proprietors of the Cantine des Faubourgs have taken over*.

 

The brasserie has now become a design restaurant with a neat decor and cosy atmosphere. The copious cuisine ranges from the classical roast beef mashed potatoes or steak tartare to mini hamburgers and skewered duck cutlets. Attentive service with a smile. As an end note, the strawberry mint sherbet is warmly recommended.

 

The proximity of the stadium does not for the time being influence the approach adopted. The Rugby World Cup? 'We've just opened and still don't know our clientele well yet', answers one of the staff.

 

A la carte dishes between 14 and 35 €.

 

*105, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris

Le stade d'Issy

Follow the direction of the municipal sports grounds at Issy-les-Moulineaux. Once you've crossed the entrance gate, the field and athletics track can be seen. Turn right just before the grandstand: a discreet sign points to the 'Vestiaires' (changing rooms) and 'Restaurant'.  

 

First floor: a glazed door leads to a seemingly unending wooden bar. An 'Allez Poulidor' scarf, rugby, boxing and cycling posters, rugby balls, shirts... and an impressive collection of small plastic cyclists on display in a showcase. A bookcase stands behind the bar: rare books, and on sports of course. Proprietor, Serge Rebondy, is a collector type;  an insatiable rummager perpetually scouting around for unusual sports objects. This supporter of the Stade Français rugby, for which he sometimes even manages the press relations when need be, is proud of his venue. Over the past three years, the man has built up a clientele of regulars: sportsmen and journalists working nearby (from L'Équipe, France Télévisions, Eurosport, Canal+.).

 

What about the food? Simple, without any fuss, and copious. A two or three dish special at lunchtime and in the evening: tomatoes mozzarella or Brive pâté with foie gras, farm chicken or Corrèze andouillette, and the wine of the month. With, in addition, a view from above of the stadium and sportsmen sweating profusely! The proprietor recommends his Armagnac. And the Rugby World Cup? Televisions, no doubt a giant screen, and  certainly a typically rugby fantastic atmosphere. Come along if you're passing close to Issy...

 

The day's menu: 3 dishes (16.50 €), 2 dishes (15 €). À la carte: from 20 to 30 €.

L'Île

A restaurant on an island. L'Île, located between two branches of the Seine, welcomes visitors at the end of a narrow metallic bridge. An imposing 19^th century town mansion (a former powder magazine) appears in the middle of the fields, in the heart of the Île Saint-Germain Park, 10 minutes from the Eiffel Tower.

 

Entirely renovated in 1998 by former captain of  XV de France rugby team, Jean-Pierre Rives, the estate is majestic. A first pavilion,  reserved for receptions, lies next to the 1,000 sq. m. restaurant. The main room, on two levels, is cosy with purple velvet drapes and club armchairs. Very contemporary sculptures by the former rugbyman provide decoration. In fine weather, the veranda and large terrace are constantly full.

 

On the menu, traditional cuisine, world food combining classicism and exotic flavours. Carefully prepared starters (goat cheese and courgettes mille feuille, for instance), traditional dishes (grilled duck cutlet served with apples and Sarladais potatoes, cider reduction), and a caramel salted butter mille feuille for dessert. Fine wine menu.

 

On VI Nations Tournament and rugby match evenings, you can spot famous rugby players here. This will of course be the case during the World Cup. A giant screen will be installed to follow all the event. After match comments promise to be lively!  

 

Lunch special for 19 € from Monday to Friday, save bank holidays. A la carte menu: 30-60 €