Brasserie Lipp

3 Stars [None from Michelin]

151 Boulevard Saint-Germain-des-Prés, 75006, Paris Metro Saint-Germain-des-Prés], accross the street from the Café des Deux-Magots.

Tel: (0) 1 45 48 53 91

Brasserie Lipp is a Parisian landmark that has been around since 1880.  Their cuisine is Germanic.
 

I enjoy their jarré de porc with Alsacien sauerkraut et pommes de terre.  François Mitterrand, a former president of France, used to dine here frequently.  Be sure to dine upstairs, and make sure your cell phone is turned off.  Relatively inexpensive.

La Tour d'Argent

4 Stars [Michelin gives them 2 stars]

15-17 Quai de la Tournelle, 75005, [Paris Metro Pont Marie]

Tel:  (0) 1 43 54 23 31

This is a Paris landmark not to be missed having delightful ambience, presentation and a belle view.  Your view is breath taking of Notre-Dame, especially from the 6th floor open-air dining room, where caneton Tour d'Argent is still served on settings that outshine the cuisine.  They still have one of the most extensive wine lists in Paris.  Diner is very expensive, but lunch is a mere 60 Euros.

You can have your aperitifs in the ground floor bar-dining room.

Be sure to wear a tie, or you will be fixed up with a fancy one.

Café des Deux-Magots

6 place St.-Germain-des-Prés.  75006, Paris [Metro Saint-Germain-des-Prés], accross the street from Brasserie Lipp.  The Deux-Magots was a turn of the century shop that was converted into a restaurant.  It features both regional and traditional cuisine.  The existentialist crowd, headed by Jean-Paul Sartre and Simon Beauvoir, used to hang out here in the 50s and 60s.  Even Hemingway sipped his coffee there.

An expensive, but good place, to sit on the terrace, drink coffee or wine and watch chic Paris pass by.  Not only do they have a terrace on the sidewalk, alongside the restaurant, but a separate one is planted in the middle of a busy thoroughfare.

La Coupole

102 bd. Montparnasse, 75014, Paris [Metro Vavin]

Tel:  (0) 1 43 20 14 20

La Coupole is a great 1927 Art Déco interior from which to watch Parisian characters [both on the street and in its cavernous interior, the ceiling being held up by decorated pillers].  French movie stars, yuppies, you name it and it will be there. 

The food is generally good, but a little expensive.  There are shellfish assortments, grilled meats and not so friendly waiters.  And, don't order ketchup with your eggs unless you want the waiters to point at you.

Chez Maître Paul

12 rue Monsieur-le-Prince [metro Odéon] 75006

Tel:  (0) 1 43 54 74 59

A small, quaint bistro-like restaurant with polished sophistication, located on a small street with a similarly quaint name.  The decor is interesting, with white table colths covering the tables.  Not far from where Benjamin Franklin lived and swung when he was the US Ambassador to France. 

I used to dine there frequently when they served the best foix de vaux au vin du paille.  The other Franche-Comté specialties, such as saucisson chaude avec pommes a l'huile are typical dishes from France's Alps.

Moderately expensive.

Le Dôme

108 bd. Montparnasse [metro Vavin] 75014

Tel:  (0) 1 43 35 25 81

The dining room and terrace of the Dôme front on bd. Montparnasse, a good place to go for coffee and people watching.  The Dôme's cuisine is centered around sea food, which is good and not very expensive.

Le Café du Commerce

51 rue du Commerce, [metro Emile-Zola]75015

Tel:  (0) 1 45 75 03 27

Housed in a turn of the century building loaded with pictures of well-known authors that frequented the Café du Commerce.  A great working mans dining bargain where you can eat good, moderately priced food on any of its 3 floors.

Leon de Bruxelles

Numerous Parisian locations, including St.-Germain-de-Prés by Odéon [metro Odéon], bd. Montparnasse [metro Montparnasse-Bienvenue] and 63 av. des Champs Elysées [Metro: Charles de Gaulle-Étoile].

Tel: (0) 1 42 25 96 16

Little in the way of atmosphere, but extremely good mussels, frites and Belgian beers.  Inexpensive. 

I like the moules poulet and moules aux lardrons.

Chez Berber

Morot-Gaudry

6 rue de la Cavalerie, [metro La Motte-Picquet Grenelle] 75015

Tel:  (0) 1 45 67 06 85

A Romantic view of Parisian rooftops, from this 6th story 'penthouse' restaurant, overlooking the Ecole Militaire.  Chef Jean-Pierre Morot-Gaudry serves a variety of personally prepared classic and modern cuisine.  Try the chocolate mille-feuille with wild raspberries for desert.  Expensive but very good.