You gotta eat...but don't eat just anything. Eat the good stuff.
Personally, I seek out asian food. When I'm in the States I'll almost always pick a good sushi place over other options. I love Thai, Japanese, and Indian food, and thankfully I have friends who seek it out as much as I do. If you're looking for a good Asian meal in Paris, consider some of these:
Asianwok
63, rue Oberkamph 75001 Paris
Walking into this restaurant I had a momentary “uh-oh” moment, wondering if my appetite was bigger than my wallet in an obviously classy and expensive restaurant. Boy was I wrong! My appetite, though as large as ever, did not mean bankruptcy in this classy yet inexpensive restaurant. The waiter was pleasant, the prices were reasonable, the décor was calming, and the food was excellent. Nothing like a huge bowl of udon noodles and oily gyoza to brighten up a stressful day or wrap a bow around a good one.
Lao Siam
49 Rue de Belleville
This long, somewhat narrow restaurant is located in the more recent of Paris’s two Chinatowns: Belleville. Although it’s Chinatown, there’s a bizarre mix of cultures here and, if you keep an eye out, you can probably spot Arabic, French, Jewish, Thai, and obviously Chinese stores and restaurants. The food at this Thai place was delicious, yet a little more expensive than necessary. It got very crowded towards the end of the night with French, Chinese, and Thai people alike, which is a very good sign. This restaurant isn’t exactly budget, and the portions aren’t huge, but you won’t have any trouble getting really good food.
Les pates vivantes
22 bv Saint-Germain 75005 or
46 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre 75009
I think this wins my vote for best Chinese restaurant in Paris. There are many more restaurants to sample, but I’ll cast an early ballot because this restaurant is just so good. This was the first asian restaurant I’d been to where the waiters were actually speaking the language of the advertised country. The waiters yelling between floors in Mandarin, the same type of chili pepper sauce that I had seen all over China sitting in the condiments tray in the middle of the table, the beautiful Chinese wallpaper and other accents, and of course the hand-made noodles you can watch the man in the window stretch and coil all make this a delicious, authentic restaurant. And all this good food and ambience doesn't cost a fortune! There are very reasonable "menu-midi" for just 11 or 12 euros, and you're guaranteed to leave the restaurant stuffed and satisfied. Get the hand-made noodles. You won't be disappointed.
Zen
8 Rue de l'échelle 75001
Zen is good, but I'd recommend going for lunch. It's the same quality for lunch as for dinner, only during lunch the prices are reasonable and during dinner...well, not as much. My friends had tried this place for lunch, and so we all went together for dinner, and we all opened our mouthes at the menu prices. However, lazy and in search of good food, we decided to stay. The miso soup was just right, and the sushi were deliciously fresh and perfectly mouth-pop-able. You're supposed to pay at the cashier at the front of the restaurant, so don't be surprised if your waiter just stops coming around at the end of the meal.
Fuji Sushi
3 Rue de la convention
I walked past this unassuming restaurant every day that I had classes at the Sorbonne. It was only on my last day of classes that I felt so light and liberated that I was driven to try it. I walked in, and the waiter at the bar of this clean, calm sushi joint asked me (in French) "for here, or to go". "To go", I replied, and I walked out of the restaurant with soup, salad, and sushi in hand less than 10 minutes later and only 13 euro lighter. It was the perfect end to my ending at the Sorbonne. Plus they do delivery in certain quarters of Paris!
Personally, I seek out asian food. When I'm in the States I'll almost always pick a good sushi place over other options. I love Thai, Japanese, and Indian food, and thankfully I have friends who seek it out as much as I do. If you're looking for a good Asian meal in Paris, consider some of these:
Asianwok
63, rue Oberkamph 75001 Paris
Walking into this restaurant I had a momentary “uh-oh” moment, wondering if my appetite was bigger than my wallet in an obviously classy and expensive restaurant. Boy was I wrong! My appetite, though as large as ever, did not mean bankruptcy in this classy yet inexpensive restaurant. The waiter was pleasant, the prices were reasonable, the décor was calming, and the food was excellent. Nothing like a huge bowl of udon noodles and oily gyoza to brighten up a stressful day or wrap a bow around a good one.
Lao Siam
49 Rue de Belleville
This long, somewhat narrow restaurant is located in the more recent of Paris’s two Chinatowns: Belleville. Although it’s Chinatown, there’s a bizarre mix of cultures here and, if you keep an eye out, you can probably spot Arabic, French, Jewish, Thai, and obviously Chinese stores and restaurants. The food at this Thai place was delicious, yet a little more expensive than necessary. It got very crowded towards the end of the night with French, Chinese, and Thai people alike, which is a very good sign. This restaurant isn’t exactly budget, and the portions aren’t huge, but you won’t have any trouble getting really good food.
Les pates vivantes
22 bv Saint-Germain 75005 or
46 Rue du Faubourg Montmartre 75009
I think this wins my vote for best Chinese restaurant in Paris. There are many more restaurants to sample, but I’ll cast an early ballot because this restaurant is just so good. This was the first asian restaurant I’d been to where the waiters were actually speaking the language of the advertised country. The waiters yelling between floors in Mandarin, the same type of chili pepper sauce that I had seen all over China sitting in the condiments tray in the middle of the table, the beautiful Chinese wallpaper and other accents, and of course the hand-made noodles you can watch the man in the window stretch and coil all make this a delicious, authentic restaurant. And all this good food and ambience doesn't cost a fortune! There are very reasonable "menu-midi" for just 11 or 12 euros, and you're guaranteed to leave the restaurant stuffed and satisfied. Get the hand-made noodles. You won't be disappointed.
Zen
8 Rue de l'échelle 75001
Zen is good, but I'd recommend going for lunch. It's the same quality for lunch as for dinner, only during lunch the prices are reasonable and during dinner...well, not as much. My friends had tried this place for lunch, and so we all went together for dinner, and we all opened our mouthes at the menu prices. However, lazy and in search of good food, we decided to stay. The miso soup was just right, and the sushi were deliciously fresh and perfectly mouth-pop-able. You're supposed to pay at the cashier at the front of the restaurant, so don't be surprised if your waiter just stops coming around at the end of the meal.
Fuji Sushi
3 Rue de la convention
I walked past this unassuming restaurant every day that I had classes at the Sorbonne. It was only on my last day of classes that I felt so light and liberated that I was driven to try it. I walked in, and the waiter at the bar of this clean, calm sushi joint asked me (in French) "for here, or to go". "To go", I replied, and I walked out of the restaurant with soup, salad, and sushi in hand less than 10 minutes later and only 13 euro lighter. It was the perfect end to my ending at the Sorbonne. Plus they do delivery in certain quarters of Paris!