After being in the spotlight all summer, does the capital and its surroundings still hold well-kept secrets? Here you will find confidential terraces to have a coffee, lunch or an aperitif away from cars, noise and prying eyes.
Les Belles Plantes: a piece of the Mediterranean
Of the Jardin des Plantes, we often only know about the animal collection and the National Museum of Natural History, much appreciated by children. To discover the elegant terrace of Belles Plantes, you have to venture beyond the botanical garden and the greenhouses and pass through a large white arch. There, it is like a piece of the Mediterranean revealed in the heart of Paris: palm trees, olive trees, lemon trees, pear trees trellised and, in the middle of this greenery, bright tables and rattan armchairs, protected from the sun under a large pergola or white parasols. You immediately feel like you are in another place.
The lunch menu continues to tempt the palate, with grilled vegetables with pesto (9 euros), tomato gazpacho with mint (10 euros) or a Mediterranean salad with burrata and crispy fennel (20.50 euros). It is fresh, tasty and unpretentious, presented on pretty ceramic plates. Those with a sweet tooth will try the pistachio and raspberry pavlova, light as a cloud (10.50 euros). The place is also ideal for a morning or afternoon coffee, like a bath of nature.
Les Belles Plantes 47, rue Cuvier, Paris 5my. Open Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday to Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Le Comptoir: The Song of the Tits
Located in the Cité des écoles, a 20-metre paved pedestrian alleymy district, between rue Orfila and rue Villiers-de-L’Isle-Adam, the Comptoir terrace, with its dozen tables, is one of those addresses that we don’t like to advertise too much. And where it’s good to come at any time of day, with a book or a group of friends.
At lunchtime, the atmosphere is neo-bistro with simple but always well-prepared dishes, from beef tartare with olives to the catch of the day (around 20 euros). Our favourite moment is the aperitif, to taste the elderberry spritz (8 euros) while sharing some oysters or a burratina. The place is also a good place for an intimate dinner, with an extensive and quality natural wine list. And the singing of tits as a soundtrack.
Le Comptoir 30, rue Villiers-de-L’Isle-Adam, Paris 20my. Open daily from 8am to 1am (Saturdays and Sundays, opening at 10am).
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