Not in the centre, not particularly well known… we wondered whether it was worth going up to Menilmontant to try out La Boulangerie (housed in an old bakery, as you’d probably guessed). Well, we weren’t disappointed.

photos: jasonw

It took us a while to find the restaurant; we thought it was a bit higher on rue des Panoyaux, but it’s actually just a minute from the Menilmontant métro stop. In an area that is part twisty old streets, part grim social housing, it’s a surprising place to find a good restaurant. Luckily, we like surprises.

The decor was warm, with lots of wood, and a wonderful mosaic floor that must have taken ages to do! Old books about cooking line the walls, and we took a little time out to leaf through some of them.

The restaurant has a fixed menu at 30 euros, that includes a first course, main course and dessert. Some dishes cost a little extra if you choose them, and wine is not included. All in all, it should work out at about 50 euros per person.
As soon as the first courses arrived, we were won over. The beetroot raviolis turned out to be very fine slices of raw beetroot with a light creamy filling. Delicious (even for someone like me who isn’t a big beetroot fan).

The pumpkin soup had an enormous crunchy duck stick in it. Visually impressive and rather tasty…

The seafood tartar with oysters and fine herbs went down well with our guests too…

The main courses arrived, and they looked great! The scallops were drizzled with parsley velouté and came accompanied with their own little raviolis. The sauce was wonderful…

The haddock and parsley parmentier was similarly appreciated. Rich in butter and delicious..

For dessert we chose a selection of cheeses (a success), with the star of the evening being a glass of dark and white chocolate dessert, topped with little flakes that pop on your tongue! Reminds me of when I was a kid!

We loved the décor, the welcome and – of course – the food at La Boulangerie, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it. Remember to book though, as when we were there all the tables were taken.

La Boulangerie
15 rue des Panoyaux, Paris 20th arrondissement. Métro Ménilmontant (line 2)
Telephone +33 (0)1 43 58 45 45
Open every day except Saturday lunchtime and all day Sunday

Bigger map here