Café Bel-Air — Restaurant in Paris

I - The place

A nice corner restaurant with a very local and old-school vibe.

II - The Food and mood

The restaurant gives a really homy Parisian vibe with a combination of modernity and old time classics in its cuisine. The space is pleasant, calls back to former times while also being spiced up with hype touches here and there.

After being quickly seated to a nice table with a view on the street, it was quickly indicated to us that the menu was written on chalkboards with some dailies announced by the waitress. The space is a bit narrow but not as bad as many. It might be tough for you to read the board if, like me, you have a bad sight, but the service is kind and warm enough for the waiters to assist you.

I chose that night the Blanquette de veau to have a throwback at childhood memories. The meal was nicely served in an old time casserole with a grandma style plate, but lacked a bit of oomph to me. The meat was good and fairly tender, but while the vegetables were also satisfying the whole arrangement lacked a bit of seasoning and personality. The blanquette is not the most racy dish, but I was a bit let down. My friend took the oysters which she found fantastic.

As said above, the service is warm and nice. Rare enough to be highlighted twice!

One of my major concerns was the prices of each dishes. I found about every item, especially after a slightly disappointing blanquette, to be about 15-20% more expensive than what I would like to pay, especially compared to addresses that I like. It yet remains fairly reasonable for a delightful local experience.

III - Anything special?

The name of the place is amazing and sticks with you, while the the restaurant itself feels authentic with a dash of youth.

IV - Verdict

I would gladly come back there with friends, especially from abroad, to give them a good bonne France cuisine experience, but it wouldn't necessarily be my first choice if I'm not close enough to it, mostly because of the prices. I still would recommend it for at least one visit for a typical Parisian experience, but with a...

This cafe is absolutely charming. They have a menu in English. Every time we went there, there was a server who was fluent in English. I think she spoke some Spanish, too. We were in Paris for a week and we went here 3 times!! There was always a table available and the food and drinks were delicious. My husband appreciated that they had a good IPA and I trusted our server with wine pairings - all of her picks were excellent. I had roasted veggies and fish with grey shrimp sauce, my husband had truffled ham pasta and steak. We were never disappointed! I'm a little slow so, for any Americans who are confused about tipping in Paris like I was, if you would like to add a tip to a card payment simply tell the server to add the amount you would like to tip to your bill. They do not automatically add a service charge here, and our service was soo good we absolutely wanted to add a tip to show our...

Best place we found in Paris!! First we found café Truc for coffee, which was the best around and im fussy with my morning coffee. Tonight we tried here for dinner. Firstly the staff were very welcoming and friendly, going the extra mile to fine a wine I would like, followed by a visit from the chef, who spoke to us at length, chatting about where we was from, what foods we liked, explained the menu (which was given in an English board) then the food arrived and just wow!!! Absolutely stunning, the wine was perfect too. Highly recommended this beautiful...