Bouillon Chartier, 75009 Paris

This is certainly not a gastronomic restaurant but a well-established one, dating from 1896, with a great atmosphere and located in a very lively part of Paris .  An added feature of the area are the ladies of the night ((and also of the day!)  – most of them  Chinese or Asiatic.  The restaurant is enormous and serves about 300 people non-stop.  Paper table cloths, shared tables and extremely quick service by very professional waiters.  Your orders are marked up on the tablecloths – starters about 5 euros, main course 12 Euros and desserts about 4 Euros.  Generous portions of good straightforward cooking  and affordable wine.  A short walk away  is the Galerie Vivienne which opened in the mid 1800’s and has some interesting shops.