Sausage Rolls and Pork Pies in Paris
Looking for Sausage Rolls and Pork Pies in Paris?
Be still my beating heart!
An easy way to find public toilets in Paris
My tips to find public toilets in Paris
2023 UPDATE – Find public toilets in Paris by using the FLUSH APP on your phone – so easy=!
- MY TIP: Carry a small amount of toilet paper – just in case. I keep mine in a small plastic zip-lock bag.
2015 – I met a couple on the flight to Paris the other day, and the husband told me the one thing which bugged him about visiting Paris was “not being able to find toilets”.
I gave him a few tips — and thought I’d share them with you too :-)
How to find public toilets in Paris
Here are the easiest ways:
- find a McDonalds, go in and try the door – if it needs a code, ask for one
- find a Starbucks, go in and try the door – if it needs a code, ask for one
- look out for any number of public toilets to be found in the streets and parks of Paris, you may need coins to open the door
- go into any cafe, bistro, brasserie and look for a toilet, or a set of stairs going down with a sign anywhere saying “Toilette”; if you can’t find one, ask to use the toilet in you most polite way — you may be asked to buy a drink, and say, “Of course — bien sur!“
- if you still can’t find one, go into any shop and ask, “Ou se trouve les toilettes, s’il vous plait?” which means, “Where can I find the toilets, please?”
Lots of cafe and restaurant toilets do not have seats – do NOT freak out
I know, I know — this sounds awful — but really, let me explain.
There are millions of tourists in Paris every week, and they all need to find toilets.
We expect the toilets to be kept clean, and that requires a LOT of work on the part of the locals.
By using well-designed toilets which do NOT need seats, and are very comfortable, the need to keep cleaning smelly toilet seas has been removed.
You can easily wipe the toilet before you sit down, and please — understand this is NORMAL in Paris, so don’t be snotty or mean about it, just get used to it, OK? Great :-)
To all you folks from America and other places which don’t normally use the word “toilet” and instead use the word “bathroom”, you’ll need to start saying “toilette”.
If you ask for a “bathroom”, the French person may think you want to go home with them to have a BATH or SHOWER — and will understandably be a little wary of agreeing to this without actually knowing you :-)
Let me know if you use other apps or have tips for finding public toilets in Paris
- record an audio for me – big button on the right of this web page
- post a Comment below
- or send me an email
- or post a message on Facebook
- or connect with me on YouTube.
Enjoy your armchair travel in Paris via my website, or if you’re planning your trip or are already there — have a fabulous time!
I love Paris! XOXOX
Teena Hughes in Australia
Le Chat Gourmand patisserie and lunch bar in 75011 Paris
UPDATE 27 Aug 2022 – a Google search shows Le Chat Gourmand – this cute little lunch bar as “permanently closed”.
Don’t despair – thre will be other new places I haven’t had the good fortune to find yet, as I haven’t been in Paris for a few years due to COVID
Today (10 Sept 2015) I popped into a little patisserie/lunch bar in Rue Saint Maur in the 11th arrondissement, which is owned by chef Alain (who loves cats, hence the name “The Greedy Cat” / Le Chat Gourmand).
This is not a café or restaurant – it’s where you can buy sandwiches and tasty treats, then walk to the nearest park and have a picnic :-)
Everything is made fresh by Alain, from baguette sandwiches with delicious fillings, to home-made quiches, fresh salads (carrottes rapées = shredded carrot, epinards – spinach, etc), tasty pasta and much more).
If you’d like your quiche etc heated, not a problem.
The menu is a “Formule” (a “set menu”):
- 1 x dish, 1 x salad, 1 x dessert or drink = 9,00 €
The prices are very reasonable, the food is fresh and delicious — eat in, or take away — yum!
If you’re in the 11th on or near Rue Saint Maur, do pop in and say Teena sent you :-)
Alain is a charming guy with a great personality, singing along to great songs on the radio, dancing a bit when and if required, always welcomes you with a big smile and a friendly “Hello!” :-)
PS — ask for a Carte de Fidélité (a Loyalty Card) – after 10 purchases you get ONE MEAL FREE!
Cafe/Restaurant: Le Chat Gourmand (The Greedy Cat)
63 Rue Saint Maur, 75011 Paris, France
Tel: 01 48 06 18 94
Metro: Rue Saint-Maur / Saint-Ambroise
For other cafe/restaurant reviews, pop over here >>
West Country Girl Crepes in Paris 75011
West Country Girl creperie is a local restaurant in Paris
There are so many great eateries in the 11th arrondissement, and I decided to try out this one for dinner.
In a little side street called Passage Saint-Ambroise, this is the only foodie place in the entire street, making it easy to find. The menu is small, but boasts all quality local ingredients, and it looked very warm and inviting.
If you’re nervous about speaking French, don’t be — the servers also speak English :-)
I ordered a mixed salad (which generally means a green salad of lettuces and a dressing) for €3.
For a main course, I decided to try the Champignon, Chevre et ciboulette crepe, which is a Mushroom, creamy Goat’s cheese and chives for around €8.
Normally crepes are served with cider, but this little resto has all kinds of alcohol available. I went with a traditional cider for €3 a glass, which was delicious — the choices were a sweet cider or a very, very dry one. After tasting the dry one, I opted for the more regular sweeter one – t turned out to be an excellent choice.
Everything was tasty, and perfect for a very light meal; you may need a few more crepes to fill you up for dinner :-)
Ambiance was great, lots of laughter from the guests, great music, terrific vibe. If you’re in the area, it’s worth a visit.
Cafe/Restaurant: West Country Girl
6 Passage Saint-Ambroise, 75011 Paris, France
Metro: Rue Saint-Maur / Saint-Ambroise
Cafe Thank You My Deer in the 11th arrondissement
Today I was walking along Rue Saint-Maur and almost walked past this little café, but the blackboard sign outside made me want to go in :-)
The girls here are from Slovakia, Italy and Mexico, and offer gluten-free delights as treats or lunch (closed for dinner).
After chatting with the Barista to see how they make their coffees, I ordered a double-shot latte and was really, truly pleasantly surprised! Made with arabica beans, real fresh milk (not long-life milk like the average French cafe) and tasted great! Woohoo!
Do drop by and have a look if you’re in the area — their menu is fresh and sounds delicious.
Cafe: THANK YOU MY DEER
Located at: 112 Rue Saint-Maur, 75011 Paris
Open: 8:00am to 6:00pm
Update: 9 Sept 2015
I popped back to this café this morning for “P’tit Dej” (Petite Dejeuner = breakfast), where there’s a variety of gluten-free muffins and and cakes, home made granola, and eggs – yum!
Les Mandibules restaurant in Paris 75011
PLEASE NOTE: in Sept 2015 – New resto called “FACE B” is at this address
In July 2012, we found Les Mandibules restaurant in Paris whilst wandering around the 11th arrondissement, and I really wanted to check it out.
We were there relatively early at 7pm and were the only customers for a short while. The decor was super cool, old album covers, an old portable record player in the front window, Rolling Stones album in prime position. Lost of memorabilia around the place and great music on the sound system set the mood for a great evening.
The Menu at les Mandibules restaurant
- offered some delicious options and after choosing champagne as an aperitif, we decided on the duck and salmon for main courses.
Please note that “Entrée” in French is the “starter” course (as it is in many other countries apart from USA).
The duck was served with thinly sliced carrots cooked with cumin, absolutely delicious.
The salmon was servcd with wild rice and looked fantastic.
Our dessert of profiteroles was delicious – a small cup of chocolate was provided to pour over the profiteroles, which immediately hardened and provided plenty of crunch to go with the icecream inside the choux pastry.
If you find yourself anywhere near rue St Maur and rue St Ambroise, check out this delightful restaurant. The Patron was absolutely charming and quite a character, who ensured our visit was fabulous. (View the Where to Eat in Paris page and also the Famous French Food page.)
Prices:
- champagne 12,0 euro per glass
- entrées / starters 8,0 to 10,0 euro
- mains 18,0 to 22,0 euro
- desserts 8,0 to 9,0 euro
Map to les Mandibules restaurant
[mappress mapid=”29″]
Les Mandibules
5 rue Guillaume Bertrand
75011 Paris
Metro: St Ambroise / rue St Maur
A Deux Pas traditional French restaurant in Paris 75011
Finding a traditional French restaurant in Paris is great!
On a drizzly evening when I was looking for something delicious for dinner, I wandered around a little quartier I wasn’t familiar with. There was a Lebanese restaurant and French bistrots, and then nestled – almost hidden – between some shops I found A Deux Pas.
I shook the rain off the umbrella and stepped inside this cute little place. I was disappointed to see “Reservé” (“Reserved”) signs on the tables, but I asked if there was room for one more. When the lady told me that they had one table left I was really pleased, and got settled at the first small table just inside the door on the left.
After reading the menu I could certainly agree that this traditional French restaurant in Paris had some marvellous options, and as soon as I saw “it” I knew what I was going to order.
While I waited to place my order, I took in the cool artwork on the walls, and had a good look around. There were 5 small tables along each of the two available walls, and the whole place was about 10′ or 3 metres wide. Each table could accommodate two people, so a maximum of 20 people in the entire restaurant. At the end of the room was the cash register and an open window into the kitchen where I could see the Chef.
I decided not to have a starter course, as I didn’t want to fill up before my steak with Bernaise sauce arrived (filet de boeuf avec sauce Bernaise is one of my all-time favourites from when I lived in Paris). I asked the delightful owner to recommend a glass of red wine (I think it was Corbierre) and I settled back to savour the thought of my dinner about to be prepared in the kitchen. My tastebuds were salivating with anticipation :-)
The owner returned and placed a gorgeous little bowl in front of me, and said it was a little “amuse bouche” to prepare my mouth for the first course. It was a small amount of soft white cheese, almost like ricotta, with hot bacon pieces sprinkled on top. A drizzle of honey had been added which made this a delicious and very interesting little taste sensation – what a lovely gesture!
When my dinner arrived, it looked absolutely fabulous. And it tasted delicious!
In fact I can remember the taste as I type this … the sign of an excellent meal. The filet de boeuf (fillet of steak) was resting in the centre of a platter, with a small bowl of Sauce Bernaise, and a larger bowl filled with small roasted potatoes drizzled with garlic and onion confit. Oh my! I’m in heaven :-)
The restaurant filled up very quickly with other diners, and I thoroughly enjoyed my little adventure here. I can highly recommend this restaurant if you’re in the area.
A Deux Pas
Traditional French restaurant in Paris
55 rue Saint Maur
75011 Paris
Ouvert du mardi au samedi midi et soir le dimanche midi / Open from Tuesday to Saturday lunch & dinner, & Sunday lunch
Réservations : 01 43 55 67 52
Metro: Rue St-Maur / St Ambroise
Prices:
- wine approximately 4,50 euro per glass
- main meals approximately 14,00 to 19,00 euro
You might also enjoy the Where to Eat in Paris page and also the Famous French Food page.
Map to this traditional French restaurant in Paris
[mappress mapid=”30″]
LET'S CHAT