This steak frites joint near Galerie Lafayette department store and just below the hip part of Pigalle ticks all the design boxes of a bygone-era bistro atmosphere despite being relatively newish. Beef is the big draw, but expect other classically French dishes like asparagus in the spring and truffle-topped fish in the fall. Since they're open daily for lunch and dinner, it's ideal for Sunday or Monday visits when other restaurants may be closed.

Expect simple starters like crispy fried mushrooms and artichoke hearts doused in butter and plated with zero flair, practically-just-plucked sucrine lettuce served with a creamy mustard dressing, and mains like a fist-sized chicken cordon bleu. All dishes come with either thin and crispy frites, a whipped potato purée, or simple spinach. And while you’re the boss, waiters won’t hesitate to steer you towards what they recommend. (Fries for the hanger steak, purée for the Provencal beef stew.)

If getting a close-up of the Eiffel Tower is on your agenda, then booking a spot at the nearby L’Ami Jean should be too. It’s a lively, rickety bistro with mismatched furniture and crooked artwork where the food is excellent and hearty—think veal cheek and confit beef shoulder. The tasting menu includes smaller portions of the greatest hits, plus seasonal standouts like stuffed butternut squash in the winter and a foie gras-stuffed tuna belly “sandwich” topped with marinated melon.

Parcelles is another newcomer located in a space that dates back decades. You’ll get both charm and sophistication from the menu of French classics with clever contemporary touches, like the when-its-in-season chou farci, or stuffed cabbage, whose minced pork is injected with foie gras and flecks of pistachios. And if the starter of slightly-seared, escargot-style scallops topped with thin, salty slices of guanciale is on the menu, get it.

You could skip visiting Versailles or a performance at the Opera Garnier and still get your fill of over-the-top aristocratic decor by coming here. The fish-focused menu changes seasonally, but regular standouts include the crab galette with avocado and curry and the citrus salmon crispy rice topped with chipotle. Service is surprisingly attentive, and while the vanilla mille-feuille will be tempting, if you’re there during the day, consider a detour across the street to the chef’s bakery.

You’ll typically find these types of classic corner cafes near metro stations or at big intersections, with large terraces that spill out onto the sidewalk and chalkboards promising prix-fixe deals. The food can be iffy, but this spot in Montmartre is solid and has everything you want from a place like this: rattan chairs, leather banquettes, and classic French dishes like oeufs mayonnaise, tartare de boeuf, and a fantastic foie gras.

Owned and operated by the same people behind Septime (which is notoriously hard to get into, hence its absence from this list), Clamato is a superb alternative, though it’s a wholly different experience. The menu is à la carte, for one, and almost entirely made up of seafood, like raw cuttlefish with sesame and chili, ceviche with squash and coriander, and plenty of oysters. Order a bottle of something sparkling, a dozen oysters, and see where the day or night takes you.

Tekès, which means ceremonial in Hebrew, is from the same Israeli team behind Shabour, Shosh, the now-closed Balagan, and the new Boubalé. This is their vegetarian-only restaurant that serves creative dishes like yellow and purple beetroot kabobs, fried gnocchi drenched in curry, and mushroom and egg “foie de volaille” that lacks both foie and volaille.

This studio-sized restaurant with a mint green facade has become so popular that it books up weeks in advance (you can join the waitlist, but there are no guarantees). Generally filled with English-speakers and run by a French-Lebanese and Japanese-American couple, the sweet and savory dishes they make in their tiny open kitchen are filled with flavor and near-perfect in execution.

Palaces aside, the food inside most Paris hotels is not often worth sampling outside breakfast. (And even that meal can be questionable—you’re better off hitting up a local boulangerie instead.) But Les Parisiens, the spacious restaurant with velour banquettes and brass-edge mirrors inside the Pavillon Faubourg Saint-Germain Hotel, is an exception. Classic plates like coquelet au vin rouge and quail vol-au-vent are tremendous. Take a date, your parents, or anyone you want to impress.