(T) Le 404
69, rue des Gravilliers. 01 42 74 57 81. This is truly a fantastic Moroccan restaurant—good food, great atmosphere and still quite affordable. Go late on a Friday or Saturday and they’ll be dancing on the tables at midnight. Other good Moroccan places are L’Atlas (12, blvd St. Germain, in the 5th; 01 46 33 86 98), Le Souk (1, rue Keller, in the 11th; 01 49 29 05 08) and Mansouria (11, rue Faidherbe, in the 11th; 01 43 71 00 16) .

(C) L’Ambassade d’Auvergne
22, rue du Grenier-St.-Lazare. 01 42 72 31 22.
A friendly, welcoming little place that serves aligot (a specialty of the Auvergne region—whipped potatoes and cheese) and sells everything from crockery to prune eau-de-vie to Laguiole knives. They give you a healthy portion of rillettes to start and a big hunk of great country bread—which can fill you up quickly! Portions are huge, so beware. They serve you homemade orange bread after dinner on the house. Try some of their interesting aperitifs from the region. They have one of those large communal tables, which can be fun whether you are alone or with a group.

(C) L’Ami Louis
32, rue du Vertbois. 01 48 87 77 48.
Frequented by Bill Clinton and Jacques Chirac, this is an authentic but expensive bistro. The chicken is good, as are the escargots—portions are large.

(S) Breizh Café
109, rue Vieille du Temple. 01 42 72 13 77. 
Wed–Sat, noon–11 p.m. Sun, noon–10 p.m.
Serves galettes (buckwheat crêpes) all day long. No need to reserve. Be sure to try the cider from Brittany, which will be perfect with your galette. The restaurant offers a very nice Brittany oyster to start—and, of course, the traditional sweet white-flour crepes for dessert. Read a full review here.

(S) Café des Musées
49, rue de Turenne. 01 42 72 96 17.
Near the Picasso Museum, this place offers good food all day long, from breakfast to dinner. It’s popular, but if you don’t mind waiting a minute you can probably get by without a reservation, especially at lunch. Oysters, steak, chicken—everything is very nicely turned out here and the prices are reasonable.

(G) Chez Janou
2, rue Roger Verlomme. 01 42 72 28 41.
Perfect little Provençal café; casual and hip and always packed.

(V) Chez Omar
47, rue de Bretagne. 01 42 72 36 26.
Very affordable and friendly Moroccan, and quite popular. Open Sundays.

(H)(D) Le Connétable
55, rue des Archives. 01 42 77 41 40.
Le Connétable doubles as a restaurant by day and an after-hours hole in the wall, with drinks served downstairs in the “I can barely breathe, let alone move,” bar. An adorable old couple that could be your grandparents pours pints and mixes basic drinks late into the evening.

(S) Le Pamphlet and Le Petit Pamphlet
38, rue Debelleyme. 01 42 72 39 24.
15, rue St.-Gilles. 01 42 71 22 21.
These two spots, right around the corner from each other, are probably just the beginning of chef Alain Carrère’s empire. The first restaurant offers a good-value prix fixe option, considering he trained under Christian Constant and his food is excellent. Carrère is from the Pyrenees, and the food is true to that region. Some say his is the best risotto in Paris. His second restaurant, Le Petit, is based on market-fresh ingredients and also gets high marks. Please reserve ahead.

(D) La Perle
78, rue Vieille du Temple. 01 42 72 69 93.
La Perle is happening any night of the week. Frequented by hip 20-to-30-somethings, this watering hole has notable customers like Romain Duris. Drinks are reasonably priced, and the atmosphere is conducive to conversations with strangers from all over the globe. Brunch on the weekends is also an option; the menu offers a limited mix of bagels and burgers, with a few things in between.

(G) Robert & Louise
64, rue Vieille du Temple. 01 42 78 55 89.
One of those quintessential Parisian bistro experiences you’ll never forget. Your hostess, Louise, is about as friendly as they come. She has run the place with her daughter Pascale since her husband Robert’s death. They grill steak on an open fire and offer good cheap wine by the glass or the pitcher. She has been here forever (they say for 50+ years, but she doesn’t look that old!), since before the Marais turned from a quiet backwater into the trendiest place in Paris—and she makes you long for the old days, when everything wasn’t quite so polished and chic. Madame will gladly have a cigarette with you outside, but book ahead, or you’ll be waiting out there for some time.

(V) Rose Bakery II
30, rue Debelleyme. 01 49 96 54 01.
See Rose Bakery in the 9th. 

(D) La Terrasse
51, rue des Archives. 01 42 72 17 57.
La Terrasse is a busy café in the Marais, lovely for sitting and sipping, or having a sweet dessert (the berry panna cotta is yummy—just imagine its zero calories). The crowd is varied, and the service is pleasant.

(T) Usagi
58, rue de Saintonge. 01 48 87 28 85.
This creative Japanese-French café enjoys a very artistic atmosphere on a quiet street in the Marais. Fashion designer Shinsuke Kawahara has created a fusion resto that draws a chic insider crowd to sample the creative bento boxes, tofu burgers, sake chicken and other French-influenced Japanese inventions. More info here.