Dining After Midnight

Paris: Where to Eat: Dining Recommendations: Dining After Midnight

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It’s no longer very difficult to find a bar or club open into the wee hours of the morning, but for those who need a full meal after midnight, it’s best to stick to the Champs-Elysées (8th) and Les Halles (1st), where traditional brasseries and a few typically French bistro-bars have been keeping the masses of the night well fed for years.

La Poule au Pot: 9 Rue Vauvilliers, 1st, M° Les Halles, ☎ 01 42 36 32 96. Traditional brasserie (€€€). Open Tuesday through Sunday, 7pm to 5am.

This intimate little brasserie near Les Halles has been serving its famous poule-au-pot since 1935! Hearty stews, friendly service and great after-midnight ambiance make this a favorite for all hungry night-owls.

Le Tambour: 41 Rue Montmartre, 2nd, M° Les Halles or Sentier, ☎ 01 42 33 06 90. Vintage bistro (€€). Open 24/7, dinner served 8pm to 2am.

Le Tambour has an amusing Alpine chalet exterior and a mildly claustrophobic bric-a-brac interior that somehow makes it a very comfortable place to be at 4am. It’s usually full to bursting by midnight with down-to-earth locals and night owls who have lost their way. The beer is cheap, and the solid bistro cooking, served until 2am, isn’t bad for the price.

L’Enfance de Lard: 21 Rue Guidard, 6th, M° Mabillon, ☎ 01 46 33 89 65. Traditional French (€€). Open Tuesday through Saturday, 7pm to 4am (last orders); and Sunday and Monday, 7 to 11:30pm.

Deep in the heart of the Latin Quarter, this old-fashioned restaurant is popular with the French regulars for its friendly service (at any hour) and festive atmosphere (helped along by the wine in the early hours). Try not to translate the name of this restaurant literally, lest you lose your appetite.

L’Alsace: 39 Avenue des Champs-Elysées, 8th, M° Franklin D Roosevelt, ☎ 01 53 93 97 00. Alsatian brasserie (€€€). Open 24/7.

This authentic Alsatian brasserie with early-1900s décor serves hearty foods like sauerkraut, seafood platters and seasonal game, with Alsace white wines or tall beers to accompany them. Being right on the Champs-Elysées, it’s almost as crowded at 4am as it is at lunch.

La Cloche d’Or: 3 Rue Mansart, 9th, M° Blanche, ☎ 01 48 74 48 88. Traditional French (€€). Open Monday through Saturday for lunch and dinner until 5am (last service at 4am), Sunday until 1am. Closed August.

This is one of the only all-night restaurants near Montmartre-Pigalle, serving onion soup, escargots and andouillettes in a cozy, Norman auberge setting.

Viaduc Café: 43 Avenue Daumesnil, 12th, M° Gare de Lyon, ☎ 01 44 74 70 70. Trendy café (€€). Open daily, 9am to 4am, service noon to 3pm, 7pm to 3am, non-stop Saturday and Sunday.

Tucked under the arches of the Viaduc des Arts, the Viaduc Café has a spacious, converted loft dining room with mezzanine, which can make for noisy dining when the place is packed. Brunch with live jazz on Sundays.

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