Café Constant

Christian Constant is to bistro cooking what James Brown is to soul. Trace the lineage of his sous-chefs and their sous-chefs from his time as chef at the Hotel Crillon, and you’ll find all the best 40 EUR meals in Paris, scattered around in some of the most unlikely places. If things go well, I’m going to blog about all of them, but there’s one major problem with that; quite simply, that means I’ll have to stop going to Café Constant every week.

There are no reservations at the café, so you generally have to wait a while. Upstairs is horribly-lit and downstairs is busy and crowded. The menu changes often and with the seasons, and is presented on a blackboard. You’ll pay around 30-45 EUR depending on wine. The food is deceptive – simple but extremely well presented and refined. And above all, really really tasty. Constant is not about quiet imperceptible flavours.

Beyond the food, I also love the area. The 7th gets visited mostly for the Eiffel tower, which has the effect of hoovering most of the tourists out of the backstreets.  This makes it the most resolutely French of the central arrondissements. Great markets and food shops. Beautiful streets. Crazy prices (it’s quietly the most expensive area of Paris). It’s like a little village unto itself. And in this village, on the same street, by the same chef, are the Violon d’Ingres and Les Cocottes. There’s really no reason to leave it.

www.cafeconstant.com
+33 01 47 53 73 34

Jack knows all the best spots to check out in Paris. Email him to get more insider information.