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Tucked into a corner this café with its portraits and patrons could be mistaken for a film set.

Moules Monday

 

Moules on the menu:

 

Moules frites on a sunny terrace preceded by refreshing starters, below.

 

 

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Lunch in Paris is a pleasurable and often spontaneous experience with café terraces packed with happy diners in nice weather. It's a welcome daily break that means sitting down to enjoy - no rushing, no seatings with time limits, and rarely are reservations necessary, unless one's heart is set on finding a place out of the sun or *that table* in a private corner. Most of the time, again, at lunchtime, you can simply walk in and make your presence known. The daily lunch formule is usually good value and consists of a starter (entrée), main dish (plat) and dessert, or a combo of just two (entrée + plat or plat + dessert): look for it on the ardoise chalkboard or on the last page of the menu. All over France lunchtime starts around 12:30 with last orders taken by 2:30 PM when kitchens close, but sometimes, lingering is encouraged. Thankfully, waiters won't dote or hover, considered intrusive, but they will quickly come to your aid if but signaled by holding up a forefinger. - BPJ

Café colors

A Montmartre café in the late afternoon.

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 LA VILLAGE EN FÊTE 

Montmartre's annual Fête des Vendanges

October 6 - 10

Evening sky

Silhouette of a Haussmann building at sunset.

Merry men

 

Whimsical men's boots and shoes decorate a Marais shop window.

Upper crust

 

Thick-crusted artisanal loaves sit atop a boulangerie counter.

Café calm

 A quiet spot late on rue des Abbesses.