Café les Deux Gares — Restaurant in Paris

Very sad, but this, our fourth dinner here in three years, will have been our last. Previous meals reflected honest bistro cuisine with elevated touches. This time there were only banal, overpriced and insipid offerings.

We enjoy many humble French ingredients when properly treated, but the new business model seems to be to use the cheapest ingredients and charge aggressively; crispy pulled pork head was an unappetizing disk of tasteless, "hard-fried," rapidly congealing fat. The cuttlefish with vegetables in black gravy was a totally unseasoned slab (with the visual, textural, and gustatory gratification of a piece of fire hose) dropped atop an unrelated mess of vegetables swimming in a sea of evil-looking but tasteless black gravy. A starter of scallop was a single scallop sliced into tepid pieces with a random blob of romanesco cabbage and cream, for which the princely sum of 21€ was expected; highway robbery for a modest establishment such as this. A starter of tiny new potatoes (did I mention cheap ingredients?) with the addition of some trout eggs was at least pleasant, but 16€?

Of the limited number (3) of of main courses, in addition to the above noted and justly reviled cuttlefish, there was a vegetarian cabbage based dish, and a third featuring boudin noir; a cheap ingredient again, and even for the French, perhaps a poor choice as the only option to the (cuttle)fish and vegetarian options.

Service this time was brusque and vaguely condescending (one of us speaks fluent French and we do consider ourselves well-behaved diners for Americans), whereas before, service was efficient, casual and gracious.

We left without finishing our mains, which we have never done before in forty years of mostly blissful dining in France. We retreated to our corner cafe and had a cheese planche and bread and a large glass of red wine that was certainly more pleasing and honest than our last supper at Cafe des Deux Gares. You have...

I was staying at Hotel Deux Gares my last night in Paris - something I was really looking forward to. I was hoping to eat here for dinner after I checked in. I went more than 1.5 hrs before close (after I checked in and showered) and they say they have no room - the whole inside was bare except one group of 4, and there was at least 2 patio tables empty. In my hesitation the host informed me of some "reason" why the inside can't be seated and how empty tables still means full. I asked, even if I'm staying at the hotel and he told me I should've called at least 2 hours ahead for a reservation. I checked in two hours ago and I wouldn't have been able to call before as I am traveling and not using a data plan. It left a real sour note for my night.

I asked the receptionist if he had any recommendations and he responded, "Ah, they're full?" so I assume this is a common experience for guests. He recommended the place next door but I had asked and the kitchen was already closed.

All the other places nearby are catered to gare de nord/ l'est train people (fastfood like burger king, kfc, mcdonalds) or are non-traditional french foods as the neighborhood seems to be an immigrant area. These would be fine options, but with my last night in Paris I wanted something traditionally French to top off the trip.

I am definitely a sensitive person, but the whole experience left me with teary eyes and thinking about it for a while... this review is really an attempt to get it off my chest and move on.

I understand reservations for popular spots, but there's something about being turned away while having an empty indoor space, and visible outdoor tables available that stings. It's also odd to have such an inconsiderate attitudes while directly involved in the hospitality space (as this is supposedly an extension of the hotel). At the very least, I'd expect them to have a small reserved area available to the...

Recently exited Gare de l'Est and noticed a new (to us), tall, brightly lite escalator. My partner and I decided to take the escalator to see where it went; it emptied out also at the door of Café les Deux Gares. The tables inside and out were filled with smiling, laughing, mostly wine drinking patrons. We checked the carte and decided to have dinner there. Though we didn't have reservations, the smiling Camille who greeted us at the door assured us she would find a table. We were quickly seated and had a beautifully plated, delicious cuisse de poulet atop roasted vegetables and a sauce that was quite tasty but I don't know what it was. The lovely Romane suggested an excellent red grenache from the extensive wine list to go with the meal. The creme brulee was some of the best I have eaten and we paired that with an excellent crémant from Alsace. Later in the evening we encountered another lovely server, Alice. There was a group celebrating a birthday seated near us, some of the people engaged us in conversation and invited use to join their party. We had a magical evening and certainly will return to the resto that exuded old Paris bistrot without being stuffy or overly nostalgic and staffed with some of the nicest people...