Gregory Marchand's Frenchie sits on Paris's Rue du Nil, the alley he and his suppliers turned into a four-shop street: bistro, bar, wine cellar.
Signature: Beef bavette, Pavlova
Order: Whatever the bavette is dressed with that week, and the pavlova for dessert.
Tip: If the bistro is booked, the Frenchie Bar à Vins across the alley takes walk-ups and runs the same kitchen.
Two centuries of dining-room history at Le Grand Véfour, the Palais-Royal mirror-and-velvet salon where Paris cooked dinner for Napoleon, Colette and Cocteau.
Signature: Ravioles de foie gras, Soufflé
Order: The ravioles de foie gras at the chef's prix-fixe lunch.
Tip: Tuesday-Friday lunch is a third the price of dinner and books two weeks out, not four months.
Chez Georges has run the same Paris bistro menu since 1964: sole meunière, oeufs en gelée, profiteroles. Located in 2E. Kitchen leans french bistro.
Signature: Sole meunière, Profiteroles
Order: Sole meunière, gratin dauphinois, profiteroles to finish.
Tip: Closed weekends and August. Tables turn twice; book 19:30 or 21:30 a fortnight out.
Braden Perkins and Laura Adrian's Verjus in Paris's 1er runs a no-choice tasting menu and a bar-à-vins below, both built around growers' wines and seasonal.
Signature: Tasting menu, ingredient-led
Order: Whatever course features fermented or pickled produce that night.
Tip: If Verjus is booked, the Verjus Bar à Vins downstairs takes walk-ups and runs the same wine list.
Racines in Paris's Passage des Panoramas pours an Italian-leaning natural-wine list and serves hand-rolled pasta from Simone Tondo. Twelve tables, all dinner.
Signature: Hand-rolled pasta, Aged beef
Order: Whatever filled pasta is on, a steak with rocket, the panna cotta.
Tip: The Passage des Panoramas closes its gates at night; ring the bell to be let through.
Le Petit Vendôme in Paris's 2e makes the city's most-cited jambon-beurre and feeds the Place Vendôme jeweller staff at lunch from 11:30 every weekday.
Signature: Jambon-beurre, Plat du jour
Order: Jambon-beurre on baguette tradition; the daily plat for under €18.
Tip: Standing at the bar is faster than a table; sandwiches travel well to the gardens.
La Poule au Pot in Paris's Les Halles cooks the Henri IV chicken-in-the-pot at its historical address. The menu of grand-mère bistro classics has not changed.
Signature: Poule au pot Henri IV, Soufflé Grand Marnier
Order: Poule au pot Henri IV for two, soufflé Grand Marnier to finish.
Tip: The room is small and warm. Book a banquette table over the centre seats.
Aux Lyonnais in Paris is Alain Ducasse's Lyonnais bouchon-style annex: quenelle de brochet, saucisson chaud and a Beaujolais list that respects the cru wines.
Signature: Quenelle de brochet, Saint-Marcellin
Order: Quenelle de brochet with sauce Nantua; Saint-Marcellin from Mère Richard.
Tip: Closed Sunday and Monday. Lunch midweek runs a €40 set with the same kitchen.
Le Petit Bouillon Pharamond in Paris keeps the 1879 dining room intact and the carte true to its Norman roots: tripes à la mode de Caen, Calvados sorbet.
Signature: Tripes à la mode de Caen, Camembert flambé
Order: Tripes à la mode de Caen, Camembert flambé in Calvados, sorbet to finish.
Tip: The room is listed Historic Monument. Sit on the upper level for the tile mosaics.
L'Arbre a Cafe in Paris 2e is Hippolyte Courty's specialty roaster on Rue du Nil. Single-origin biodynamic and fair-trade beans roasted in Paris.
Sources from: Peru, Ethiopia, Colombia
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
The Frog and Rosbif on Rue Saint-Denis is Paris's first brewpub, the original 1993 FrogPubs location with an on-site brewery turning out British-style ales.
Rex Club in Paris's 2e is the techno temple under the Grand Rex cinema since 1988, with a ceiling-mounted multidiffusion sound system and four nights a week.
Tip: Door from 23:30 Wed-Sat; tickets €12-20 on Shotgun. Arrive before 01:00 for the floor before it packs.
Sunset Sunside on Rue des Lombards in Paris's 1er is the twin jazz club where the upstairs Sunside books acoustic sets and the basement Sunset runs electric.
Tip: Tickets €25-35 per set; the first set at 20:00 is calmer than the 22:00 turnaround.
Le Duc des Lombards on the Lombards jazz strip in Paris's 1er is the TSF Jazz partner club booking established names and rising French talent.
Tip: Book a table for the 21:30 set in advance; the early 19:30 set is the easier walk-in window.
Le Tout-Paris on the 7th floor of Cheval Blanc Paris in the 1er is the Arnaud Donckele brasserie with a Seine-facing terrace looking straight at the Pont.
Tip: Bar at the corner of the terrace takes walk-ins after 22:30 once dinner clears; reserve a table for the sunset 19:30 service.
Listener in Paris's 2e is the Thomas de Coninck and Jérôme Thomas listening room on Rue Vivienne, with a high-fidelity main room, individual music-nap booths.
Tip: Book a listening booth 24 hours ahead; the main room is walk-in. Coffee by day shifts to natural-wine pours after 18:00.