Restaurant in Paris, France
Credentialed bistro. Easy to book.
Repaire de Cartouche is a credentialed 11th-arrondissement bistro under chef Rodolphe Paquin, ranked on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list three years running. Booking is easy and the room suits dates or celebratory lunches better than large groups. If you want serious Paris bistro cooking without a difficult reservation, this earns a place on your shortlist.
Repaire de Cartouche sits on the Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire in the 11th arrondissement, and it delivers the kind of French bistro cooking that earns its place on a shortlist without requiring a splurge. Price range data isn't published, but the venue's consistent placement on Opinionated About Dining's Casual Europe list — ranked #377 in 2024 and rising to #402 in 2025, after a Recommended listing in 2023 — positions it firmly in the serious-but-accessible tier. If you're comparing against grand-dining budgets, this is where you come instead.
Chef Rodolphe Paquin runs the kitchen, and the bistro format here is genuine rather than nostalgic performance. The room at 8 Bd des Filles du Calvaire is compact and close , the kind of space where tables are near enough to overhear your neighbours but the atmosphere works in your favour on a date or a celebratory lunch. It's not a special-occasion room in the white-tablecloth sense, but it handles that function well: the intimacy of the space adds weight to the meal rather than detracting from it. For a group celebration, you'll want to check seating configurations in advance, as the compact layout can be limiting for larger parties.
The strongest case for Repaire de Cartouche is the multi-visit argument. A first visit at lunch gives you the clearest read: service runs from 12pm to 2:15pm Monday through Sunday, which makes it one of the more accessible options in this category for a midday booking. Dinner is available Tuesday through Saturday (closing at 11pm, with an extended 11:30pm close on Friday and Saturday), and Sunday is lunch-only , worth knowing if you're planning around a weekend itinerary.
On a second visit, come for dinner on a Friday or Saturday when the room runs longest and the pace is more relaxed. The OAD ranking suggests the kitchen performs consistently, so returning to explore more of the menu is a reasonable bet rather than a gamble. A third visit is where you'd treat this as your neighbourhood bistro proxy , the kind of place you return to without needing a special occasion as justification.
Booking is rated Easy, which is one of the more useful data points here. You don't need to plan three weeks out the way you would for a tighter reservation at places like Chez Georges or Au Bascou. That accessibility is part of the value proposition: you can decide on a shorter timeline and still get in. For weekend dinner, booking a few days ahead is the sensible approach; weekday lunch may allow even shorter notice.
Repaire de Cartouche works leading for diners who want the credentialed bistro experience without the friction of a difficult reservation or a formal dress code. It's a strong choice for a date dinner or a celebratory lunch where the focus is on the food rather than the theatre of the room. If you're travelling with someone who wants to eat well in Paris without committing to a tasting-menu format or a major spend, this is where to direct them.
It's less suited to large groups, given the compact space, and it won't satisfy anyone whose Paris visit requires a grand dining room. For that profile, the comparison table below points toward alternatives. For everyone else , particularly those building a Paris eating itinerary across several nights , this earns a place on the list. See our full Paris restaurants guide for broader context, or explore our Paris hotels guide, bars guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide to build your full trip.
For comparable bistro experiences across Europe, Bistro Boheme in Copenhagen and Sacha Botilleria y Fogon in Madrid operate in a similar register. Within France, if you're extending your trip, Flocons de Sel in Megève, Mirazur in Menton, Bras in Laguiole, Auberge de l'Ill in Illhaeusern, Troisgros in Ouches, and Paul Bocuse in Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or represent the upper register of French dining for those planning a wider itinerary.
Address: 8 Bd des Filles du Calvaire, 75011 Paris. Booking difficulty: Easy. No website or phone number is listed in our database , search the venue name directly to confirm current booking channels. Hours are consistent seven days a week for lunch (12–2:15pm); dinner runs Tuesday through Saturday only, with a later close (11:30pm) on Friday and Saturday.
| Venue | Style | Price tier | Booking difficulty | OAD recognition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repaire de Cartouche | Bistro | Not published | Easy | Casual Europe #402 (2025) |
| Chez Georges | Classic bistro | €€ | Moderate | , |
| Au Bascou | Basque bistro | €€ | Moderate | , |
| Ma Bourgogne | Classic bistro | €€ | Easy | , |
| Le Coq et Fils | Bistro | €€ | Easy | , |
| Venue | Cuisine | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Repaire de Cartouche | Bistro | Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #402 (2025); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Ranked #377 (2024); Opinionated About Dining Casual in Europe Recommended (2023) | Easy | — |
| Plénitude | Contemporary French | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Pierre Gagnaire | French, Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Alléno Paris au Pavillon Ledoyen | Creative | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Kei | Contemporary French, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
| Le Cinq - Four Seasons Hôtel George V | French, Modern Cuisine | Michelin 3 Star, World's 50 Best | Unknown | — |
Side-by-side comparison to help you decide where to book.
No group capacity details are listed in our database for this venue. As a neighbourhood bistro in the 11th arrondissement, large groups (6+) are generally harder to place at Paris bistros in this format without advance coordination. check the venue's official channels to confirm — no phone or website is currently listed in our records, so search the name on Google or use a Paris reservation platform to find current contact details.
Specific menu items are not documented in our records, so ordering advice beyond what's verifiable isn't something we'll invent here. What the OAD ranking confirms is that the kitchen's consistency is the draw — Repaire de Cartouche has held a place on the Casual Europe list three years running (2023 recommended, #377 in 2024, #402 in 2025). Stick to the daily specials at a bistro of this profile; they reflect what's in season and where the kitchen is focused.
Lunch is the sharper choice for a first visit: shorter service window (12–2:15pm daily) means the kitchen is focused, and the room is easier to read. Dinner runs later on Friday and Saturday (until 11:30pm versus 11pm mid-week), which suits a more relaxed evening pace. Note that Monday is lunch-only, so plan accordingly if your schedule is tight.
No dietary policy information is available in our database for Repaire de Cartouche. At a traditional French bistro of this style, the menu is typically built around classical technique and seasonal French produce, which means vegetarian and allergy-specific requests may have limited options. Contact the venue ahead of your visit to confirm — this is the kind of detail worth checking before you arrive rather than on the day.
Go at lunch on your first visit — the 12–2:15pm service gives you a clean read on the kitchen without the fuller evening pace. Chef Rodolphe Paquin runs a classically French bistro format, so expect the kind of cooking that earned Repaire de Cartouche consecutive OAD Casual Europe rankings in 2024 and 2025. Booking is straightforward, and there's no formal dress code to navigate. If you want a credentialed Paris bistro with low friction, this is a reliable call.
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