Off the Beaten Path Restaurant in a Charming Paris Neighborhood

I recently rented an apartment in the 17th arrondissement and while I was strolling around the neighborhood I found this amazing restaurant called Le Quatre Vingt Neuf.

First of all, let me just say, I think the 17th arrondissement might be the most underrated of all the arrondissements. I’m going to be including it in a blog post that I’m working on about which arrondissements I think are the best for long-term stays. The 17th has an abundance of great restaurants, and Le Quatre Vingt Neuf is just one of many. When I walked by, I was immediately drawn to it. I made a reservation to return for dinner the following evening.

The restaurant sits in a quiet residential neighborhood with parks, shops, cafes, restaurants and apartments. The people watching here is different than what you might see in the 1st through 7th. It’s quieter and more relaxed. You can see well dressed people carrying briefcases and shopping bags, while pushing baby buggies or walking their long haired dachshunds. It’s also the kind of neighborhood where you can sit outside on the sidewalk and feel safe leaving your phone out on the table.

The food was amazing and not overpriced. I had carrot soup to start and then the fish of the day. Portions sizes are generous, my plate had two large pieces of fish. Their bread is the good bread. 🥖 If you said you weren’t going to eat bread today, you will eat the bread when you come here. Other menu items included starters like a tomato tart with zucchini, crispy soft-boiled off with celery puree and vegetable ribbons, main courses fish of the day with a mediterannean salad, sarrasin citrus confit, black olive crumble with Hollandaise sauce (pictured below), Gnocchi, and a chicken dish. Dessert selections included chocolate mousse with pecans and raspberry sorbet; confit figs with shortbread cookie, vanilla mascarpone, and yogurt ice cream; an extra large eclair; or a cheese plate. Wines by the glass included a Cote du Rhône, a Chardonnay from the Mâcon, Haute-Côte-de-Nuit, a Sancerre, and a few others. Glass pours were generous and extremely reasonably priced. They gave me the cutest little clamshell chocolate at the end.

It was a warm day when I visited and I sat outside at one of the sidewalk tables. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. It really is a lovely spot. One of my favorite parks in Paris is only three blocks from the restaurant, Parc Clichy-Batignolles-Martin-Luther-King. I highly recommend visiting the Park before or after dinner if it’s still light out. During the day, especially when the weather is warm, the Park is full of people and families. Square Batignolles is also nearby, it’s a little smaller but it’s really nice with a a large stream running through it. It also has a carousel that kids can ride on.