La Criée La Villette Paris 19 — Restaurant in Paris

I stumbled on La Criée on my way to a nearby hostel and noticed the "All-You-Can-Eat Mussels" sign. It was past noon and the placed looked nice with its on-the-water placement, so I decided to go for it because those are not something I get to eat often.

I was quickly assigned a table outside overlooking the canal and had the table promptly set-up by Fred, the manager, who also took my order for the first round of mussels, a la Marinére (white wine, scallions, butter, parsley). Good bread with a nice tuna spread was taken to the table with beverage, and a few minutes later a nice helping of tasty mussels was steaming on the table. The accompanying fries were properly fried, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. I dug in and, a couple minutes after I was done, Fred came over to pick up the pot and took the second order: La Criée (bacon, brown butter, garlic, parsley). Again, it didn't take long before the pot showed: the brown butter could be clearly tasted and gave the mollusks a nutty and smoky taste which made'em delicious. The third helping took me a bit to choose, because the choice between Roquefort and Chorizo was not an easy one. I went for the former and that was an inspired choice, even tho cheese and fish don't seem to be a great pairing at first. Well, they were, and the cook didn't skim on the Roquefort! The bread I had barely touched until then helped in cleaning up the pot at the end: that goodness on the bottom couldn't be allowed to go to waste!

Before leaving I also had a quick chat with Fred (it's pretty clear I'm a metalhead and we exchanged a few words about a few bands we both enjoy and also took our sons to see), which closed a very pleasant meal 1) for a bargain price 2) in a nice place 3) with kind and prompt service. I would've gladly made a repeat on the day after but, by that time, I was strolling around the Pompidou Center before heading back to the airport. Will definitely return the next time I'm...

This is an absolute must of you are in the area. The food is great, our service was perfect and the location cannot be beat. As a bonus the prices are extremely reasonable. We ended up coming here twice during our stay as it was the best restaurant we ate at in Paris. I wish I took pictures of the dishes but we got steak, shrimp, salmon, and a few other main course over our two visits. Our first waiter spoke a little English and was very blunt in a good way on how to use the spreads on the bread and what not. What I mean by this is he just took your bread and put the spread on and told us to try. It was fantastic. The second waiter was a little bit more reserved and did not speak any English which is fine I don't expect him to but we had a great time and laughed as we used Google translate and hand signals to ask for some things. To sum it up, great food, service, and views all for a reasonable price. A must add if...

I am allergic to crustaceans but all other seafood I am able to eat. However, they swapped out every element of fish and my plate was always the last served. The food was ok though. The service was incredibly slow. This was a pre-booked tour group so they knew we were coming but it took over an hour for the entree to emerge and similar for the main. The bar staff also charge a 2 euro charge on every drink order. They deceptively ask if they can add it and being tourists you expect this is a language issue, politeness or an offer to pay the 2 euro by cash instead. But it’s not on the drinks menu and not covered by the French laws about “service compris” (must be on the price list). I initially paid but quizzed the staff and manager who came up with all sorts of excuses to try and cover the deceit before eventually apologizing. So in summary, a mediocre meal, delayed service and asking you to pay more than you...