Restaurant in Paris, France
Easy to book, low-key, worth it.
IMA CANTINE on the Quai de Valmy is one of Paris's easier bookings in the 10th arrondissement — no weeks-out planning required. It works well for casual dates, solo dining, and late-night meals along the Canal Saint-Martin. Not the choice for a formal celebration, but a practical and accessible option when you want a relaxed evening in a neighbourhood that doesn't feel like a tourist circuit.
Getting a table at IMA CANTINE is direct — booking difficulty is low, which puts it in a different bracket from most Canal Saint-Martin destinations that require weeks of advance planning. If you want a late-night option along the Quai de Valmy without the usual reservation anxiety, this is worth knowing about. The ease of access alone makes it a practical fallback when Paris's more competitive rooms are fully booked.
IMA CANTINE sits on the Quai de Valmy in the 10th arrondissement, one of Paris's more relaxed and walkable stretches of canal-side real estate. The address puts it firmly in the neighbourhood's informal, post-dinner-hour circuit — a good sign if you're looking for somewhere that functions well late in the evening rather than shutting down when the kitchen closes. Canal-facing venues in this part of Paris tend toward open, airy layouts with a social energy that suits groups and dates equally. For a special occasion that doesn't need formality, the setting does the work.
IMA CANTINE is a practical choice for a date night or a low-key celebration in a neighbourhood that feels lived-in rather than tourist-facing. It's also a reasonable option for solo diners , the 10th's canal strip is comfortable territory for eating alone, and venues here tend to have counter or communal seating that doesn't make a table-for-one feel awkward. If you need something with Michelin credentials or a tasting menu format, look elsewhere: Kei or L'Ambroisie are better suited to high-stakes dinners. IMA CANTINE's value is in its accessibility and its neighbourhood.
Because booking difficulty is rated Easy, you don't need to plan weeks ahead. A few days' notice should be sufficient for most evenings. That said, weekend nights along the canal get busy, so booking even 48 hours out is sensible if you have a specific date in mind. For late-night use specifically, confirm hours directly , canal-side venues in the 10th often keep the floor open later than standard Paris dinner service.
For a broader view of what Paris has to offer, see our full Paris restaurants guide, our full Paris bars guide, and our full Paris hotels guide. If you're planning further afield in France, Mirazur in Menton, Flocons de Sel in Megève, and Bras in Laguiole are worth considering for destination meals. For high-end Paris dining specifically, Arpège and Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen are the benchmarks.
| Venue | Price | Value |
|---|---|---|
| IMA CANTINE | — | |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | €€€€ | — |
| Kei | €€€€ | — |
| L'Ambroisie | €€€€ | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | €€€€ | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | €€€€ | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
Yes. The Canal Saint-Martin setting on Quai de Valmy is one of the more comfortable parts of Paris for eating alone — the neighbourhood is relaxed rather than formal, which lowers the self-consciousness factor. Booking difficulty is rated Easy, so you can plan a solo visit with little notice. If you want a more structured solo counter experience, somewhere with a dedicated bar seat format may suit better.
Specific menu details aren't confirmed in our data, so check the venue's official channels before booking if you have serious dietary requirements. That said, Paris's 10th arrondissement restaurant scene broadly trends towards flexible, modern cooking rather than rigid fixed formats, which tends to make accommodation easier than at tasting-menu-only spots.
Bar seating details aren't confirmed in our data. Given the venue's easy booking profile and relaxed Canal Saint-Martin position, it's worth calling ahead to ask — venues on Quai de Valmy often operate more informally than their right-bank counterparts, and bar or walk-in options are common in this stretch of the 10th.
It works for a low-key celebration or a date night in a neighbourhood that feels lived-in rather than tourist-facing. If you need a venue that signals occasion through formal service or Michelin-level credentials, IMA CANTINE probably isn't the right frame — consider somewhere like L'Ambroisie or Le Cinq instead. But for a relaxed, personal evening on the canal, it delivers the right atmosphere without requiring weeks of planning.
For a step up in formality and prestige, Kei or Pierre Gagnaire cover very different ground — structured, chef-driven, and significantly more expensive. Within the 10th arrondissement's canal-side orbit, the better comparison is other neighbourhood-focused spots rather than grand Parisian dining rooms. IMA CANTINE's advantage is accessibility: easy booking and a setting that doesn't demand a special-occasion budget.
No dress code information is confirmed in our data, but the Quai de Valmy address and easy booking profile point firmly toward a relaxed, neighbourhood-restaurant feel. Smart-casual is a safe baseline, but this is not a venue where you need to overthink it. Trainers and a jacket would be appropriate; a suit would be overdressed.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
