The rating above is actually 4.5 stars — rounded up to 5 stars. We happened upon this restaurant after we discovered that our original choice near the Château Rouge Metro station was reserved for the night. Indeed, the previous reviewer is correct in implying that there really aren’t too many attractive restaurant choices around the immediate area on the Boulevard Barbès, for we walked for blocks on end not being able to find anything except for some small take-out and fast-food establishments. Enter Le Métro Marcadet, a place not unlike your neighborhood diner or brunch eatery in the States with a small bar and limited seating. As you walk in, immediately you notice a Cheers-bar sort of feel, where everyone literally knows each other’s name. Even the single bathroom has a few surprises for out-of-towners clearly for the sole purpose of soliciting a few laughs from regulars, including a non-working coin insert as well as a sign indicating that it is only for women. There appeared to be only two people working there. The first was the bartender who greeted and subsequently sat the two of us; the second was the chef who took our orders and was gracious enough to understand that our French was not strong enough to comprehend all of the culinary terms on the small blackboard-based menu. Most likely after hearing our American accents, he had even said that he could just whip up pretty much anything we wanted, including more«American» style meals such as an omelette or burger with fries.(He was absolutely not being pretentious in this case, I saw him as casually letting us know that he can cook anything of our choice.) So I ended up ordering the steak frites, and my girlfriend ordered a dish composed of curry chicken on rice. The steak was perfectly cooked; I had ordered it medium, which is generally equivalent to an American medium-rare to rare. My girlfriend was satisfied with her portion of curry chicken, her only complaint being that it worked better with my frites, lol. Portions were not huge, but they were very reasonable and appropriate for the surprising price point: 15 euro for my steak and 9 euro for her curry chicken. Delicious, no-nonsense style food, decent size portions, affordable prices, and friendly atmosphere — surely a combination that can’t be beat. While it is a bit out of the way from the common tourist sites, the distance actually further adds to the authenticity of this establishment. If you happen to be in Paris, do not hesitate to drop by here. As the previous reviewer noted in French, it literally is right in front of the Marcadet-Poissoniers Metro station as suggested by its name.
François A.
Place rating: 5 Nantes
Les petits restaurants de spécialités françaises né sont pas légions dans cette partie du 18ème arrondissement de Paris. En effet, niché entre le quartier cosmopolite de Barbès et l’ambiance plus feutrée de la Mairie, pas facile de manger un bœuf bourguignon ou une blanquette de veau ! Mais c’est aussi ce qui fait le charme du quartier, et on s’en réjouit ! Au pied du métro du même nom, le «Métro Marcadet«propose une cuisine simple, bonne et aux saveurs de terroir. Patrick, le patron, s’affaire aux fourneaux pour vous présenter une carte variée et remaniée tous les jours. Le menu est à l’ardoise, et j’avoue que le choix est souvent difficile tant il sait nous mettre les papilles en éveil ! Le «Métro Marcadet«offre ainsi une cuisine bourgeoise de tradition française du lundi au vendredi et tous les midis. Par ailleurs, depuis peu, on peut y dîner tous les jeudis et vendredis jusqu’à 22h30. Et avec Bernard, derrière le comptoir, le bar vous accueille de 7h le matin pour un petit café et jusqu’à 21h pour l’apéro ! J’oubliais de vous dire que les tarifs sont plus qu’abordables avec un plat du jour autour de 10⁄12 € ! Alors, n’hésitez pas à vous arrêter manger un bout, ou juste boire une verre, dans une ambiance musicale, par ailleurs, de grande qualité !
