Chez Georges
The platonic ideal of the old Paris bistro — unchanged, unbothered, and exactly right. Order the tartare. Don't ask them to change anything; they won't.
Chez Georges near the Bourse is the bistro every other bistro is imitating: a long, narrow room with paper-topped tables, mirrors gone soft with age, brusque-but-warm service, and a handwritten menu of classics that hasn't needed to change in decades. It is the real thing, and the real thing is increasingly rare. There is no concept here, no reinvention, no natural-wine manifesto — just a room that has decided exactly what it is and a kitchen that backs it up.
The classics, properly: the steak tartare, the sole, the frisée aux lardons, the profiteroles. A wine list that rewards trust. Order simply and you'll eat beautifully.
Long, narrow, mirrored, time-worn — the archetypal Paris bistro room. The kind of place where the tables are close and that's part of the charm.
STEAK TARTARE · PROFITEROLES
Chez Georges is the bistro you measure other bistros against. Order the tartare, take the house wine, and let one of the last real ones do what it does.
Reserve well in advance — this room fills weeks out, especially on weekends.
Lunch is often easier to secure than dinner and offers the same room at better value.