Petit Fer à Cheval (Le), Paris

I love this little bar with its charmingly wee marble horseshoe-shaped bar. It's a wonderful place to pull up to after a long day on your feet and enjoy a cold draft. It's very good at what it does, and what it does is very simple. I haven't tried the food-- their other restaurant a few yards away (Les Philosophes) is great though. For those commenting on rudeness, Parisians have short shrift for tourists who neglect the golden rule-- remember to say "Bonjour" before any transaction in any situation (cafe, hotel, store, bakery, etc) and you'll be treated just fine.

Quirky, busy bar/restaurant that is never empty. We first found it by accident when we wandered into its sister bar (Les Philosophes) before opening time one Saturday morning. We were duly escorted to this little spot. That was 2006 and we've gone back there on every subsequent visit.

Quaint and small and have visited it many times over 18 years. But this week I went back after some years and was disappointed to note the rudeness of the bar staff/management. I won't bother again.

This is one of our favorite spots in Paris, perfect for a late lunch. It's tiny, chaotic and usually loud, but the staff is friendly, the food is sturdy, tasty bistro fare and the toilet is legendary. Go.

When we found this wonderful place in "le Marais" (the 4th arrondissement) we did not even realize that it was owned by the same person as the place we had lunch the day before. After visiting with the manager Laurent we were told that the owner Xavier owns 4 of the wonderful little restaurants on the same street, including the coffe/bar/bookstore across the way. One night the Xavier gave us directions to go dancing and when the place ended up being closed he bought us a bottle of Champagne to say he was sorry. The food is wonderful, the coffee is great and the wait staff (running back and forth between restaurants)was charming and very loyal, many of them have worked for Xavier for years. It seemed like the perfect place to end every night before heading to bed... on our last night in Paris we even took pictures with our favorite waiter Christof.