Recommended Restos in Paris, near Hotel Novotel Paris Bercy

[Mouton Noir]

Good day. Will be staying at Hotel Novotel Paris Bercy, or rue Bercy, for a few days next week on business, I believe hotel is in the 8th arrondisement. Need suggestions for nearby restos that are worth a visit for good dinner or lunch.... Restos don't have to next door to hotel, just close enuf via metro or quick cab ride. (Don't want suggestions in other side of city). Thanks in advance... MN

[Parnassien]

Bercy is actually not a totally barren culinary Sahara. Mangeur's suggestion of La Cartouche on the lower end of rue Bercy (5-minute walk from the Novotel) is recommendable indeed, has excellent food and is all the more appealing because it's located in the last un-redeveloped remnant of the old Bercy. There's even a dusty café-tabac or two on the corner. Best of all, the price/quality ratio makes penny-pinching moi delirious with delight. 14€ for lunch... I'm getting high just thinking about it. For a more old-school and provincial approach to cooking, L'Auberge Aveyronnaise on the rue Gabriel Lamy (just a few more minutes walk from La Cartouche) is one of the best introductions to regional specialties that you are likely to find in Paris. A word of warning: this type of cuisine is ultra-rich... i'm sure they'd add foie gras to the coffee if they could. And, to enjoy the food, you have to ignore the not entirely successful transformation of the ground floor of an ultra-modern building into a neo-medieval auberge complete with "stone" pillars and vaulted ceiling. The authenticity comes with the food, not the decor.

If you are prepared to share your time and space with earnest bobos in a very contemporary setting, "Le 51" in the Cinématèque Française on the rue Bercy (2 mins from the Novotel) has excellent grub at a great price and a fabulous terrace in case you get a spell of good weather during your visit. There's also a brasserie (whose name escapes me) just across the street from the Cinématèque, where I've had a few adequate and cheap lunches while waiting to see this or that film. But keep it simple. Same for the couple of okay-ish restaurants on the boulevard Bercy (accessible from the what seems to be the entrance to the apartment complex directly across from the Novotel). The provençal one is kinda sweet and charming but overpriced. The Café Chambertin on the corner of the boulevard Bercy and rue Chambertin (near the métro station) is probably a safe bet for escaping from the Novotel for a coffee, a croque monsieur, and the company of fonctionnaires from the nearby Ministère de l'Economie. But I would avoid the cafés on the rue Bercy between your hotel and the métro station. Most are there to trap folks on the way to or from the Palais Omnisports (sports events and pop concerts).

[Ptipois]

""Le 51" in the Cinématèque Française on the rue Bercy (2 mins from the Novotel) has excellent grub at a great price"

I remember this place with horror. I had some of the yuckiest food in my life there. Like, roasted chicken that disintegrated into a mess in my plate and smelled one-week old. It was some years ago, though, and maybe in the meantime they have hired a few people who can actually handle food?

I too recommend generic brasseries and cafés. Nobody ever thinks of them but some do serve decent food at lunchtime. Tip: stop by (they all have large bay windows) and look into what people have on their plates.

[Parnassien]

I too remember the food at the cinématèque's old cantine and it was yucky... but the bobos rose in mass and demanded better nibbles with their truffaut ... so now Le 51 is very good ... and the chicken smells delicious

btw, i did once see "La Grande Bouffe" there... a 1970s comedy about le suicide gastronomique... and think about it when i read about chowhounders wanting to eat lunch at Le Cinq and dinner at Chez l'Ami Jean on the same day

[Ptipois]

Ha ha yes indeed! I had never thought of the analogy. Quite accurate.

[Delucacheesemonger]

The line by Bercy is the 14. It takes you directly to Chatelet, in the first Arrondisement. From there a tiny walk gets you to Chez Denise, a great bistro on Rue Prouvaires. It is closed on Sat and Sun, but you said business so not a prob. Reservations as with all Parisian restaurants is highly recommended.
(33) (0)1 42 36 21 82

[mangeur]

Unfortunately, your metro is not the most friendly in terms of depositing you in particularly interesting areas, its stops being rather far apart.

Right down your street, I believe, is Cafe Cartouche, which has ties to Le Repaire de Cartouche, not a bad choice for a close-by simple meal.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant...

[Parigi]

"I believe hotel is in the 8th arrondisement. Need suggestions for nearby restos that are worth a visit for good dinner or lunch.... Restos don't have to next door to hotel, just close enuf via metro or quick cab ride. (Don't want suggestions in other side of city)."

I am afraid you are hugely mistaken re the hotel location. It is as far from the 8th as possible and is still - barely - inside Paris, in the 12th.
A short cab ride could get you to Septîme, if you can wrangle a last-minute reservation. Otherwise everything is far, because your hotel is far, on the very eastern edge of Paris next to the railroad tracks out of the city.
Two other good eateries a short cab ride away are Rino and Tintiloo. Goes without saying you need to reserve.
Le Quincy, a traditional restaurant 15 minute walk from your hotel, has ups and downs. When it is good, it is good.
Bercy village - a nice enough mall - is very near your hotel and has doable eateries, not what I would call "worth a visit", but then again I am not stuck next door.

[Mouton Noir]

Yikes, thanks Parigi. Yes, i stand corrected it is the 12th arrondissement. Somehow i had 8 on the brain. I take it it would be best to take a subway somewhere, to another arrondissement, to find good eats after business. Suggestions?