L'Avant Comptoir du Marché — Restaurant in Paris

I’ve egotistically held back from reviewing this place because I go there often and it’s become so popular it’s near impossible to get a spot to eat. But the rabbit is out of the hat and they deserve praise. In my humble opinion this is the best value for quality in Paris. Delicious, creative small dishes (choose 2-3 per person) half of which change regularly based on the season. Fun, lively atmosphere with a mix of locals and visitors. Constantly changing wine selection by glass and bottle. Don’t hesitate to ask for a taste before choosing what you want to drink. The set up is unusual and might be the reason for some of the unhappy reviews. For starters you can’t reserve a seat or table. When you get there pick a table or spot at the counter if you can find one, next you order at the bar and tell them where you are sitting. The small wait staff will bring you the food (quickly) but you can’t order from them. When you are done you go back to the bar to order more or to pay. The whole thing works well and is probably one of the reasons they are able to keep prices down but it takes getting used to. With a decent bottle of wine you can have a delicious meal for two for around 100€. The staff is fun and raucous but can be a bit rough around the edges. If you play along and have a laugh you’ll find them warm and charming. One of my favourites. Alas it’s getting harder and harder to a spot to...

Food was good but I wouldn't call it amazing. For France it's quite standard. And it is pricey for what it is.

It's lots of cured meats with occasional deep-frying. The cod was good, very simple and tasty. There is no option to break your meal with a bit of fresh green. It's quote oily (I understand the chef is basque). The selection of wine was good. The bread was really interesting, it was a corn bread I think. You help yourself to butter at the counter from a huge pile. It's really casual. The reason for the 3 stars is that the service was both great and awful. The girl and the moustached guy who served us were really good and very caring. They filled us up when we were empty, they were lovely.

But one of the male waiters (the one we had to deal with unfortunately) just didn't seem to give a damn at all. He was so nonchalant. Every time we addressed him, he looked bored and ignored us, forgot some orders. He seemed more interested hanging out with his mates at the other table. Unbelievable. I'm French and this kind of attitude embarrasses me. It's because of people like this we have such bad reputation with our restaurant service. Without it, it'd be a 4...

Was very excited to try this place for a late lunch as the reviews are excellent and it offers all-day dining. It did not live up to the hype. It is hectically busy: people queuing at the bar squashed against those trying to eat at the high tables squashed against the waiters trying to serve the food. The food is perfectly fine but nothing special and the portions are tiny. The wine is good but there is no list so you don't how much you will be charged for what is selected for you. The counter staff were friendly and spoke good English, and the self-service butter is delicious and a fun point of difference. Since the food portions were so small, we had to order lots. The young waiter kept collecting our plates before we were finished and we had to chase a missing dish THREE TIMES before it finally arrived. Based on reviews, we assumed that this would be a relaxed and reasonably-priced lunch option. It was the opposite. If you're looking for a hectic, over-priced tapas bar packed full of Americans, this is the...