The MICHELIN Guide is famous for its star ratings, awarded to the finest restaurants in the world. But diners should pay equal attention to Michelin’s Bib Gourmand designation, recognizing the best inexpensive places to eat.
Named for Bibendum (the official name of the Michelin Man), the Bib Gourmand celebrates restaurants that offer good quality and good value. It uses the same criteria that judges a star but, naturally, the Bib list is not quite as exclusive and covers a wider range of prices — bringing more options to more budgets.
While Bib Gourmand recognizes quality for the price, a MICHELIN Plate salutes, simply, “very good food,” something of a starting point for moving up the guide in later years. What the three Michelin designations have in common is that you can only find them all together in one place: the Tablet Hotels iOS App. For the first time ever, the entire MICHELIN Guide has been collected in a single, convenient location. And in another first, it’s all completely free. Just download the latest version of the app and click on the star icon in the bottom navigation.
Below, we’ve highlighted a handful of spots that demonstrate what the guide has to offer — the best inexpensive restaurants in greater Paris. The following eleven restaurants earned the Bib Gourmand distinction for the first time in 2020, bringing the total in Ile-de-France to 62.
The 11 New Bib Gourmand Restaurants in Greater Paris:
Esttia
Mediterranean // Montparnasse
We start our list on a spruce Mediterranean establishment with a fabulous menu of fresh, gutsy flavours. The food is the work of an enthusiastic brother-sister team (Antoine and Julia Patti), whose marinated sea bass in lime juice and beetroot pickles will bring a smile to your lips. Always full, so remember to book.
Chez Michel
Traditional French // 10th arrondissement
Chef Masahiro Kawai plays a joyful, flavoursome traditional score, in which nothing is forbidden, from iconic Brittany stew (kig ha farz) to Paris-Brest pastry, without forgetting roast foie gras. He celebrates regional produce, starting with Brittany, lavishing care and generosity on each dish.
Tempi Lenti
Italian // 11th arrondissement
From Chef Francesca Feniello and Sylvia Giorgione, wine waiter, you will sample aromatic, attractive Italian cuisine (vitello tonnato; spaghetti in butter, anchovies and bread, etc.). The herbs are fresh with dew, the pasta from artisans in Puglia and the Italian wines are skillfully selected.
Aux Plumes
Modern Cuisine // Petit-Montrouge
Inspired, tasty and generously-served cuisine, whipped up by a youthful Japanese chef, an alum of famed spots Astrance and Chamarré Montmartre, is what the lucky diner gets here. The produce is sourced from the best local merchants and the atmosphere is buzzing and friendly.
Mokko
Modern French // Montmartre
Arthur Hantz has no complexes and his restaurant at the foot of Montmartre gets right down to brass tacks. He applies a devilishly effective method which involves no more than three or four ingredients per dish, adding interesting twists with textures and flavours. The result is colourful and vivacious.
Cheval d’Or
Chinese // Combat
Taku Sekine (Dersou) and Florent Ciccoli (Jones, Au Passage, Café du Coin) treat guests to aromatic dishes inspired by Cantonese and Hong Kong cooking. Among the best sellers are white tuna with red and chili peppers. Youthful kitchen team, post-industrial interior, casual service.
Le Grand Bain
Modern // Belleville
In the bustling heart of Belleville, this trendy bistro serves creative dishes chalked up on the slate menu. The English chef is called Edward, and another Edouard is in the dining room (they didn’t even do it on purpose). The Grand Bain is the haunt of hipster night birds and discerning foodisters.
Sadarnac
Modern // 20th arrondissement
This pretty little restaurant is located on a semi-pedestrian street with a village atmosphere, a few hundred metres from St Germain de Charonne. Tuck into the single “surprise” menus concocted from market ingredients by the young Lise Deveix. “Sardanac” is the Corrèze hamlet where her grandparents’ farm.
La Vierge
Modern // Charonne
You will adore this vintage interior, depicted by a nostalgic wooden counter and stools, old tables and chairs and an open kitchen. Elsa Marie is at the lunchtime helm, while her Australian husband, Julian May, takes over in the evenings. Fresh, flavoursome fare – the lunchtime menu is a steal.
Cabane
Modern // Nanterre
In his first solo venture, youthful Jean-François Bury, whose CV boasts stints at the George V and the Shangri-La, is masterfully regaling Nanterre with bistronomic cuisine. Modern recipes and generous helpings, such as pork belly, sweet garlic cream and fregola sarda, combine familiarity with flawless execution.
Les Petits Princes
Modern // Suresnes
The kitchen of this inviting street corner restaurant is visible through a glazed window. The menu features up-to-the-minute, appetising and never dull dishes such as tartare of meagre fish and citrus fruit, melon soup with fresh ginger and Espelette spices. Delicious terrace/courtyard to the rear at lunchtime.
Download the Tablet Hotels iOS App for more information about every Michelin-rated restaurant.