Eating on a budget in Paris often used to leave you feeling like the spectre at the feast, or rather sadly

deprived of the city's gastronomic excellence. To be sure, there were always a few wallet-friendly rench places where the food was better than average, plus some great ethnic options, but cheap eats rarely e!uated with seriously good food. "appily, a new generation of innovative restaurateurs are rebooting the rench capital's offer for pennywise travellers, with food that's good enough even if you aren't counting your centimes. #h, and in case you were wondering, $hartier, probably Paris's most famous budget restaurant, soldiers on as a place people go to get a meal for a tenner %euros, bien sur&, 'ust because you can. Bistrot Victoires (ust a short walk from the )ouvre, this cheerful bistro with a nostalgic decor worthy of a Parisian postcard %globe lights, frosted glass windows& is a local favourite for tasty *allic grub such as steak frites %here served with a smouldering sprig of thyme&, confit de canard %grilled preserved duck& or roast chicken. +kip a starter and share a dessert instead, maybe the tarte tatin or the profiteroles with lashings of hot chocolate sauce. , 6 rue La Vrillire, 1st arrondissement, +33 1 42 61 43 78. Open daily for lunc and dinner, a!era"e t#o$course meal %2&. '(tro) *alais$+oyal$'usee$du$Lou!re, *yramides or ,entier Boco

-t this clever mini-chain of three restaurants in the heart of Paris, five threestar chefs . including -nne-+ophie Pic, /0gis 1arcon, and Emmanuel /enaut . were recruited to create recipes for a selection of eat-in or takeaway starters, mains and desserts using mostly organic produce. 1ost dishes come in recyclable glass 'ars %-ocal, pronounced 2boco,2 is rench for 'ar&, and they run from Pic's starter of coddled egg with lentils and red onions, to /enaut's polenta lasagne with mushrooms and spinach, and 1arcon's braised beef parmentier %shepherd's pie&. 3on't miss star pastry chef Philippe $onticini's black sesame cream and pistachio crumble for dessert. -nd note these are also great places to pick up a picnic. , .oco Op(ra, 3 rue /anielle 0asano!a, 1st arr, +33 1 42 61 17 67, -oco.fr. Ot er -ranc es at .ercy$ Villa"e and ,aint$La1are. Open 'onday to ,aturday for lunc and dinner, a!era"e t ree$course meal %2& Breizh Caf The 1arais branch of an excellent cr4perie from the seaside 5reton town of $ancale, serves buckwheat galettes and cr4pes made with top !uality ingredients . organic wheat and buckwheat flour, farmhouse butter and 6alrhona chocolate. The freshly shucked oysters here are a worthy splurge,

or you can go right to one of their crispy-edged and neatly folded savoury galettes, maybe the $ancalaise, filled with smoked herring, cr7me fra8che and herring roe, or the complet, which comes with an egg, ham and cheese, and can be dressed up with extras like mushrooms or artichoke hearts. or dessert, follow the regulars with a salted caramel and vanilla ice-cream cr4pe. 9ash it all down with one of the :; different artisanal ciders on offer. 2 1&3 rue Vieille du 4emple, 3rd arr, +33 1 42 72 13 77, -rei1 cafe.com. Open all day 5ednesday to ,unday, closed for t ree #ee6s in 7u"ust, a!era"e %18. '(tro) ,t$,(-astien$9roissart La Cantine de la Cigale
+ausages and beans at $antine de la $igale. Photograph< -lexander )obrano

/ight in the heart of honky-tonk Pigalle, talented bistro chef $hristian Etchebest's recently-opened restaurant offers excellent eats from south-west rance at surprisingly affordable prices. =t is ideal for those feeling weary after a tour of the local shops selling life-si>e dolls and fur-lined hand-cuffs, or, more decorously, on their way back from visiting the +acre $oeur. Portions at this friendly place serving non-stop from ?am-@am are generous, so share a slice of the excellent pAt0, then go for the sausage with white beans or cod in sauce !ier"e, and finish up with some #ssau-=raty cheese from the Pyrenees with black-cherry 'am or maybe a slice of mirabelle tart with almond cream. , 124 -oule!ard +oc ec ouart, 18t arr, +33 1 88 73 1& 1&, cafelaci"ale.com. Open 'onday to ,aturday for -rea6fast, lunc and dinner, a!era"e t#o$ course meal %2&. '(tro) *i"alle, 7--esses or 7n!er L'Ilot Though it's landlocked, Paris is one of the best cities in the world for seafood lovers, because it's well supplied from rench ports on the -tlantic and the 1editerranean. Bsually, a good rench marine feast is expensive, but at this easygoing little place in the 1arais, you can share a starter . maybe some taramasalata or half a crab, and then tuck into a do>en oysters or a plate of smoked fish without a ma'or wound to your wallet. 2 4 rue de la 0orderie, 3rd arr, +33 6 38 12 86 61, no #e-site. Open 4uesday to 9riday for lunc and dinner, ,aturday dinner only, a!era"e t#o $course meal %2&. '(tro) 4emple, +(pu-li:ue or 9illes du 0al!aire Frenchie to Go $hef *regory 1archard's bistro renchie %he ac!uired the nickname when he was working for (amie #liver in )ondon& in the +entier, Paris's old garment district, is one of the hardest reservations in town to land, and beyond the reach of budget diners. Cou can still sample his wares, however, at this casual takeaway or eat-in shop with a moreish menu that runs to first-rate

/euben and pulled pork sandwiches, fish and chips, cheesecake, doughnuts and homemade ginger beer. They also serve breakfast all day long. , 3 rue du ;il, 2nd arr, no p one, frenc ieto"o.com. Open 4uesday$,aturday 8am$ 6pm, #it lunc from 12$4pm, -rea6fast ser!ed all day, a!era"e %18. '(tro) ,entier or ,tras-our"$,aint$/enis. Le Petit Clerc (ust around the corner from the chic bistro )a ontaine de 1ars, where the #bamas famously dined, )e Petit $lerc is its excellent-value sibling and ideal for a meal before or after a visit to the Eiffel Tower. Popular with the locals . so book . this place offers everything from cro:ues %open sandwiches& to omelettes and well-garnished salads, making it relatively vegetarian friendly. There's a different hot dish served daily for D:@.;E, including roast veal on Tuesdays and roast chicken on +undays, and steaks come with garnishes of a 'acket potato and salad. Cou'll never feel like you're penny-pinching either when you can tuck into cheese from 1arie--nne $antin, one of Paris's bestknown froma"ers, or sorbets and ice-cream from local legend 5erthillon. , 123 rue ,aint$/omini:ue, 7t arr, +33 1 47 &8 46 44, fontainedemars.com. Open daily for lunc and dinner, a!era"e t#o$course meal %2&. '(tro) <cole 'ilitaire or *ont de l=7lma >+?+ 0@ Le Richer
Photograph< -lexander )obrano

The :Eth arrondissement, an old working-class district in the heart of Paris, is in a sweet spot right now. The recent influx of young creative Parisians has added some excellent bars and restaurants to the neighbourhood without gentrifying local businesses like -frican hair-grooming salons or 5alkan groceries out of the mix. )e /icher, a popular cafe-bar-restaurant that's the annex of the popular )'#ffice bistro across the street, is one the best deals in the :uartier, too. +it at the bar and get a beautifully cooked main course . maybe braised beef cheeks with buttered cabbage, salsify and pears with a glass of red for D@E. #r you could share a couple of starters . maybe trout tartare with cauliflower and tomato-citrus mousse and wild rabbit terrine . instead. )unch is even cheaper and they also serve breakfast. riendly service and a great crowd. 2 2 rue +ic er, 3t arr, no p one, face-oo6 pa"e. Open daily 8am$1am, a!era"e lunc %18, a!era"e dinner main course %16. '(tro) 0adet or Arands .oule!ards La Pointe du Groin Escape the fast-food cluster around the *are du Ford for a cheap and delicious meal at chef Thierry 5reton's third restaurantG his $he> 1ichel and $he> $asimir, a few doors down, are among the better bistros in Paris, and you get the same !uality here for a lot less money. The name refers both to a

peninsula in 5rittany and a pig's snout, the latter hinting at the menu, which runs to rustic barnyard eats like pig's snout with tapenade and oxtail with celery root puree. There are sandwiches, including a few vegetarian ones, made with 5reton's baked-on-the-premises bread, for less adventurous eaters, and 5reton desserts like a delectable chocolate 6oui"n amann and far .reton, a thick flan with prunes, are not to be missed. The box wines served here do no harm and keep the prices down, too. , 8 rue de .el1unce, 1&t arr, no p one or #e-site. Open all day 'onday$,aturday, a!era"e %2&. '(tro) Aare du ;ord or *oissonnire A la Biche au Bois Though this place tops out at the high-end of the D@E bracket without drinks %the price ceiling that defines budget eats in Paris these days&, it's eminently worth the splurge as one of the last old-fashioned no-nonsense seriously good workaday bistros in Paris. =f you need to stay in the shallow end of things, go for a main course . maybe venison with homemade potato puree, since this is one of the rare restaurants in Paris where game is still affordable, and a glass of red wine. =f you can manage a little more, however, the D@;.HE prix fixe menu comes with all sorts of goodness, from a very good steak with real %as opposed to fro>en& chips and a lavish cheese course, to a stewed san"lier %wild boar& and freshly-made fruit tart. They also do a heart-warming range of old-fashioned bistro dishes, including co! au vin, and wines are reasonably priced, too. -lways busy, so book. 2 48 a!enue Ledru$+ollin, 12t arr, +33 1 43 43 34 38, no #e-site. Open 4uesday to 9riday for lunc and dinner, 'onday dinner only, main courses from %17, priB fiBe t ree$course meal %23.8&. '(tro) Aare de Lyon , *aris$-ased 7leBander Lo-rano is t e aut or of Cun"ry for 9rance and Cun"ry for *aris.