Practical information
Address: 45 avenue Ledru-Rollin, 75012
Nearest transport: Gare de Lyon (1, 14, RER A)
Hours: Closed Saturday and Sunday; closed Monday lunch.
Reservations: Book a few days in advance
Telephone: 01 43 43 34 38
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Average price for lunch: 20-34€
Average price for dinner: 20-34€
Style of cuisine: Classic French
Special attributes: comfort food, excellent cheese course, good for game, open Monday
Type of crowd: neighborhood locals
Interior: charming & traditional
Atmosphere: bustling
Reviews of interest
- David Lebovitz (2010) “…hearty and honest French fare….a very respectable Coq au vin. In the dinged-up casserole, you’ll need to drag the spoon through the thick, dark sauce to pluck out a piece of chicken…The fries are some of the best in Paris.”
- John Talbott (2009) “…our friend had coq au vin that was about as good as I’ve had since Chez Rene’s went south, and I reveled in the thickly sliced almost raw biche (cooked to my liking despite no instructions) with a rich sauce and a chestnut puree and a ton of (so so) frites…”
- Barbra Austin (2009) “What it is: A neighborhood restaurant between the Gare de Lyon and Bastille serving generous portions of hearty, traditional dishes, heavy on the game, with deep bowls of potato purée and piles of frites. What it’s not: expensive…”
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Biche is our all time favorite restaurant in Paris. We found it in 1999 in Sandra Gustafson’s “Cheap Eats in Paris” (now morphed into “Great Eats in Paris”) & have returned at least once sometimes twice on every visit since, latest in 2007. Glad to hear it is still highly recommended. I’ve written a continuing review in Igougo. (BTW, my 2nd favorite restaurant is Le Petit Saint Benoit in the St. Germain area of the left bank, also found in that book)
I’m commenting on my own comment. We returned to Paris in Sept. 2011, dined at Biche twice. Still the same wonderful food at very reasonable prices. Bertrand & Celine now have a daughter who one of the waiters characterized as “a future boss”. A totally great place. The staff works smoothly & efficiently.
We plan a Paris return Sept. 2012 & of course, Biche will be on our “must dine” list.
I’m commenting again. Returned in Sept. 2012. Brought two French couples who had never been…who couldn’t believe that a wonderful bistrot could exist in the 12th. Delightful multi-course meal. Some of the best frites in Paris, all you can eat. Too bad I can’t upload a great photo one of the staff took of us. We six had full dinners each & shared two bottles of a wonderful red Macon…€225 total.
Glad you wrote about this place! It has been my favorite place of all times in Paris since more than 15 years! The current owners are lovely too!
Warm reception by the staff, venison stew was served in colossal proportion in an earthy and rich sauce which complements the potatos. A nice dry red rounded out the experience. Cheese plate offered great and tasty variety. One entree would have been enough for two.