Rude Wines was lucky enough to spend three days in the city of love, art, and of course fine food and wine. But where do you eat and drink in Paris when your hard-earned pounds don’t exactly bring in many euros in return? Affordable wining and dining is not as easy as it once was, as we discovered. Plan your daytime sightseeing based on where you plan drink/eat/drink that evening and you won’t go far wrong. We did some of the groundwork for you. You’re very welcome.
Day 1: Montmarte
At some point during your visit to Paris you are likely to visit Montmartre, the Church of Sacre Coeur and the weird and wonderful Dali museum. After a day elbowing through the crowds, escape the bustle for an apéro just a few streets away…
La Fourmi, 74 rue des Martyrs, 75018, Métro Pigalle
Grab seat on the (hopefully) sunlit pavement and kick back with a glass of Southern French red from their selection. La Fourmi (the ant) is a corner café set back from a busy thoroughfare so it’s great for people watching while you work up an appetite. They do food but if you fancy a change of scene head over to dinner at…
Le Sancerre, 35 rue des Abbesses, Montmartre, 75018, Métro Abbesses
Stroll up the rue des Martyrs and find yourself in the Place des Abbesses. Dominated by the church of Saint Jean de Montmartre (built in the Art Nouveau style) and a merry-go-round, the square is also home to Abbesses métro station which is the deepest in Paris. Just off the main square, the leafy Square Jehan-Rictus provides welcome shade and contains the quirky ‘Le mur des je t’aime’, a mural bearing the words ‘I love you’ in multiple languages.
Le Sancerre serves great value traditional French food starting at 15EUR for a cuisse de canard confit and 7EUR for a trio de crème brulées. The good value wine list has wines from every corner of France including Corsica, Alsace and Beaujolais.
Day 2: Odéon
After a day lounging under the trees in the Jardin du Luxembourg or doing the rounds of the art galleries around rue Saint Germain des Près, start off your evening with a plate of Burgundian snails and a glass of very moreish Madiran.
Polidor, 41 rue Monsieur le Prince. 75006, Métro Odeon
Opened in 1845 this typical Parisian brasserie has mirrors and cosy wood panelling and serves rustic French dishes at bargain prices (from 15 EUR for a steak tartare and French fries). The owners of Polidor must be Bordeaux-biased as the wine list is humorously split into ‘Bordeaux’ and ‘Other red wines’. If you visit the WC, let’s just say it’s ‘traditional’, just like the rest of the décor.
If you have the energy for an after-dinner drink, experience a touch of Spain in Paris at…
Le Bar Dix, 10 rue de l’Odéon, 75006 Paris. Métro Odéon.
Opened in 1955, it’s as if time has stood still in the tiny Bar Dix which is famous for serving sangria by the jug and for its lively jukebox. Sangria may not be the choice of the wine connoisseur but this bar is so wacky we had to include it in our edit. Split over two floors, the ground floor and a small cellar dominated by a huge wooden mirror that originally came from a church organ, this tiny bar can get pretty cosy of an evening and you may find yourself chatting to people on the next table purely due to your close proximity, which is nice, don’t you think?
Day 3 – Canal Saint Martin
Spend a day in the 11th arrondissement embracing your dark side with a visit to the Père Lachaise Cemetery and marvel at the impressive tombs of the likes of Jim Morrison and Voltaire. Take a boat trip along the sun-dappled Canal Saint Martin during the day or even better, a neon-lit cocktail hour cruise. Then hop off onto dry land and seek out your evening meal…
Café Charbon, 109 Rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris.
This is another historic Paris brasserie opened in 1900, with beautiful décor to match. The ambiance in the Café Charbon is just the right mix of relaxed and bustling. There is often live jazz playing and the food and wine isn’t bad either. Stop off for a Kir or stick around for supper. A bottle of wine starts at 19 EUR for a Côtes du Rhone and a typical main course is 15 EUR for a hearty dish of poulet du gers (chicken served with French fries, parsley sauce, chips and seasonal vegetables). De-licious.
By: Kate
***Grabbed from: https://www.rudewines.co.uk/blog/three-days-in-paris-a-rude-wines-adventure/