Le Bistrot Paul Bert

You'll have to bear with me the next month or so, as I'm a bit disorganized and my blog posts will generally be all over the place spanning from the Bay Area to Paris. Needless to say, I've got some catching up to do and pictures to sort through.

I'm surprised that for the long period I lived in the 12eme, I hadn't stopped by to check out Le Bistrot Paul Bert, which was just down the street. The restaurant is listed in several guide books and gets good reviews on Yelp. Perhaps it's just that the few times I've tried to make same day reservations, they've been booked. I'm still trying to get my foot in the door at Inaki Aizpitarte's restaurant, but that will have to wait for another blog post, another trip to Paris, and if I luck out, a reservation.

I digress. Back to the bistrot. We had reservations at 8pm. You'd think that would be a normal time for normal people to be eating dinner. Well Parisians aren't exactly normal. The restaurant was completely devoid of customers. No worries. That just meant the service was more efficient and the food came out more quickly. However, around 8:30-9:00, the restaurant began filling up to the point that there wasn't a free seat in the house. It was obvious that the service began to suffer as well.

They had a prix fixe menu, with a starter, main and dessert, but I opted just for the salad with duck confit and lamb chops. The salad had large chunks of duck confit and was garnished with hazelnuts. The lamb was cooked perfectly: saignant (bloody), just how I like it. At the end of the meal, it was very difficult to get the attention of the server and took about 15 minutes just to settle the bill. The dishes at Bistrot Paul Bert are above par when compared to the general fare you find at most bistrots, but I've had better and paid less. However, it is a good touristy find to satisfy the Parisian bistrot experience. Reservations are a must.

Le Bistrot Paul Bert 
18 Rue Paul Bert

75011 Paris
Tel: 01 43 72 24 01