No, dear souls, Chartier is not Cartier (I too actually got excited for a second when I first saw it as it has the same logo), but rather a former soup kitchen or bouillion that now services as a restaurant for one and all. It’s vast and reminiscent of a train station, not helped by the baggage stands above the tables. It’s said to be fast and furious and you go there for a good quality, economical meal in surroundings that have elements of splendour. In 1989 it was classified as a historic building. Their aim is to “satisfy the bellies without hurting the wallets”
Baggage racks
According to Chocolat and Zucchini’s book, Clotilde’s Eating Adventures in Paris, with careful menu selections, you can eat dinner here for under €15 per person which is an absolute steal in this city. And even though it’s on Rue de Fauborg Montmatre crossed by Boulevard Montmatre, it’s not actually in Monmatre central (go figure) so while we had hoped to combine it with a tour of Montmatre, we had to get on the Metro for two trains to get here. From their window full of stickers, it seems that every travel book and food journal recommends a visit here.
Luckily we’re relatively early so getting a table isn’t a problem. The menu is in French only so we muddle through what we can read and order with some recommendations from the waiter who is a gruff but smiling fellow. I want to try Andouiette sausage (made from tripe, I’ve had it before at Claude’s) but he dissuades me from ordering it as does my husband who knows that I don’t like tripe. We order a selection of what they have recommended as well as a green salad (I’m craving salad having not had a big salad in a long time) and a roasted chicken (Ok yes I know it sounds like the most boring dish ever but I honestly wanted to see if roasted chicken in France is prepared any differently with different flavours-it’s not, more on that later).
The waiter scribbles the order on the plastic throwaway tablecloth.
Salade verte melangee €2.20
My husband is especially impressed with how quick he brings the starters out and we figure they must be pre-prepared to deal with a restaurant this size and to have them ready so quickly. Still the green salad is fresh with a mix of salad leaves and a oil and light vinegar dressing. I am happily crunching on this, missing my greens.
Crevettes roses mayonnaise €3.70
The prawns, although they look unspectacular are deliciously sweet and fresh with a mustardey mayonnaise. I only wish there were more prawns but for that price, I cannot argue.
Poulet roti froid garni pommes frites €8.70
The roasted chicken, the one that I was curious about is actually just like the roasted chicken at home, with gravy and chips. It’s good but honestly I wish I had ordered something a bit more adventurous. *Sigh* food choice are always clearer in hindsight.
Sausages and Lentils
The lentils and sausage are not bad although the lentils have been cooked for too long. The sausage is tasty and goes well with the lentils. I remember the lentils at Sel et Poivre much, much more fondly.
Service lags while two large groups sit down around us and our waiter attends to them. During this time, two men gesture to share our table as the restaurant, enormous as it is, is packed to the brim.
Creme de marron vanillee €2.70
The marron vanille is a pot of sweetened chestnut puree with the lightest hint of vanilla. It’s incredibly rich and although we should have probably ordered the Coupe mont blanc (creme de marron chantilly). With just the puree, it’s too rich to finish such a large portion.
It’s not fine dining and I’m not certain it warrants a special visit but if you’ve spent too many Euros like we did and are in the area, a drop-in will fetch you a decent meal – that is, if you can get a table.
And if you wondered what those drawers were for, they were for regular customers to store their napkins although this was many moons ago!
Chartier
7 Rue de Faubourg Montmatre 9th arrondisement
Metro Grands Boulevards Use Exit 2
Tel: 01 47 70 86 29 (no reservations)
www.restaurant-chartier.com
Open 7 days 11:30am-3pm, 6pm-10pm
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25 Comments | Add your own
Looks like a lovely place, but the food does seem a bit more basic than I would’ve expected, considering the accolades.
I wish I knew about this place when I was in Paris. We were poor uni students and my bf and I lived on filled baguettes and would travel to the other side of town from the hotel just to buy enough for the whole day. They were the best I have ever had (and morish too!) and were from a tiny bakery near Sacre Couer.
I would have killed for a salad too! That chicken is unusually appealing and would be good if u were just after some comfort food. Love the high ceiling in that restaurant. Looks like a nice place to dine
Writing the orders on the tablecloth would be a great way to never get orders mixed up!
looks like pretty fine dining to me! except for the fact that the waiter wrote your order on the tablecloth…that seems a bit gauche.
Hi grace-Hehe really? I thought it was good but not fine dining
It’s nice to know you can get reasonably priced fare in Paree.
Those prawns and mayonnaise took me back to a recent NQN post of yours. I agree.. what you had there in Paris seemed like a steal!
Hi Maria-I know! With the prices and the Euro, eating out can get very expensive in Paris
Hehe yes the prawns in Maryam Zaira sauce-although these prawns were tiny in comparison to our Australian ones, they were very good.
Looks like a couple of folks aren’t very seasoned travelers – from their comments about “gauche” to write on paper table covers; and, the one equaling fine dining to accolades. For Pete’s sake, it’s a boulion, not a Michelin starred establishment.
I live in Paris and head over to Chartier’s about once a month or more often if visitors are in town. It’s for the ambiance – and exchange repartee with the “surly” waiters. It’s all part of the act!
I should have explained that a boulion, of which there used to be many, is a worker/union canteen. To my uncertain knowledge Chartier’s is the only one left in Paris, which adds to its popularity.
Take note of the wooden boxes in the photo “sortie”. Those are where the individual regular clients used to keep their own tableware and maybe personal napkin.
Hi Bill-In their defence, I’m a pretty seasoned traveler and I’ve never had my menu written on a tablecloth before.
I did note the point about the napkins, in the comments right under the picture
I was at Paris this weekend and I went to eat at this place. I can’t recommend this place to any, who want’s good food and fine sourroundings. The staff was wery stressed and irritabled to their guests. I did’nt fell I was welcome and the food was wery simple and plain, not worth to bye for money. Don’t spend our money and time in there.
Hi Mariann-I think Restaurant Chartier is one of those strange little (well not so little) places that has such a following because it has those gruff waiters. As for the food, well it’s very reasonably priced and it was about the standard that I’d expect for the price, or actually better than the price suggests.
I have just returned from paris , and a visit to Chartier. I found the surroundings very interesting and it was nice to see the waiters dressed traditionally. However as we had already eaten and only wanted dessert and coffee we had to leave as they couldn’t serve us dessert only (our mistake) It was getting very busy and I suppose they need the tables. The waiters weren’t rude just very busy which can sometimes seem to amount to the same thing. Fantastic place to see though.
Hi maggie-Yes we had great service but when it got crowded the waiters were too busy to attend to us. Fascinating place though isn’t it!
I used to live in Paris and recently returned to Chartier whilst on holiday. It’s definitely the ambiance that I like. The food was …ok! The doorman was really rude – the friend we were waiting for was late and we wanted to go in and have a drink whilst waiting. He said that she would not be allowed in to join us and that we had to all go in together. Strange…
I have been only twice, once in 1998 when I was 40 7 I went back on my 50th, I loved it. I loved the fact that the menus are in French, I loved the fact that I felt that I was in France. Its nostalgia.
I used to live in Paris and would come here all the time. The food is VERY basic, it’s the atmosphere that you come for. Usually, they sit you at a table with other people–family style. It’s a great way to get to talk to the locals! I actually purchased their signature pink tablecloth (over which the white paper ones that they write on lay). It’s my favorite tablecloth and when I use it, it transforms my American house into a French bistro! I HIGHLY recommend Chartier–but not for the food…for the complete Parisian atmosphere!
Hi Sally-Haha it’s all part of the Parisian experience isn’t it! Luckily we didn’t have the rude doorman, or any doorman at that time. A couple of places are like that over here-and they’re about a nice about telling you about it!
Hi Lynn-It’s definitely a chance to visit a particular vision of Paris! It’s certainly French and nothing else but
Hi Jenn-Yes nothing haute cuisine here but it was pretty good all the same. Oh you can buy the tablecloth? Interesting! It must bring back lovely memories
Been there several times for lunch but had dinner on Friday. Waiter not just dour but incompetent; bread arrived after starters finished;glasses for white wine hot from the dishwasher; told both our main courses were ‘off’ an hour after ordering and do they have to start stacking chairs at 9 on a Friday night?
Just went to Chartier last night June 3, 2009 to find that Chartier is CLOSED until July 1, 2009. This explains why their phone has been disconnected for a few weeks. Unfortunately, the jokers at Chartier do not post any closing warning on their web site, and still display the menu and prices of the day i.e. the menu of June 3, 2009 on the chartier web site : – (. Hopefully, the “renovation” will not mean a change in character or a doubling of the prices, as it happened to “Julien” a few street away; but I am dreaming ! Pity, as I used to go to both Chartier & Julien when I was a student in Paris in the 70’s, and these some of the very few places I could afford. Vince
Hmmmm …. it’s all about expectations, really, isn’t it? I lived in Paris in the 1980s and Chartier was recommended to me as a great old Parisian institution where business people and other locals go for a reasonably-priced, home-style french meal. And that’s just what I found. I was living with a reasonably well-to-do french family at the time and the meals at Chartier were very much like those the housekeeper prepared. Chartier is not pretentious and if you’re looking for gourmet fare you will be disappointed. French waiters don’t fawn over their customers and those at Chartier are no exception. They are busy and it’s a numbers game for them. Having said all that, the atmosphere is fantastic and the many Australian friends I have sent their over the years have said they loved their visit.
In augustus was ik hier voor de eerste maal en was gelijk enthousiast over de sfeer van het restaurant en over het eten.
Op 1 oktober j.l. ben ik er weer geweest, maar nu met mijn echtgenote en zwager en schoonzusje: 4 fans erbij.
In de lente komen we weer, maar nu met de hele familie (8); kan haast niet wachten.
Wim Smaal
I googled Restaurant Chartier because I was thinking about the worst restaurant meals I’ve ever eaten and Restaurant Chartier was right in there with the worst. Granted, it was 22 years ago. It sounds like things have changed.
We went there because it was cheap and we were poor students. We got what we paid for. Ugh.
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