Café des Abattoirs: New in the Paris City Center

Even in a city which is as gastronomically distinguished as Paris, there are times when all you want is a good, solid and simple feed at a reasonable price in pleasant surroundings. This is why the Café des Abattoirs has been playing to a full house ever since it opened in November.

Conveniently located right in the heart of the city, near the Opera and not far from the Louvre, this snug but stylish restaurant is run by Caroline and Sophie Rostang, the daughters of esteemed chef Michel Rostang, who runs an eponymously-named Michelin two-star restaurant in the 17th Arrondissement. Given their family heritage, these amiable sisters certainly know a thing or two about the restaurant business, which is immediately apparent when you pass through the draught-blocking, heavy velvet curtains at the Café’s door.

Their first sleight of hand is visual, since the compact dining room epitomizes French casual chic. A tan leather mural on the longest wall is embossed with animals which appear on the menu, and the signature accessory of the room is a handsome old-fashioned black-and-gold glass sign that says Café des Abbatoirs, which once hung in a hotel that was owned by the Rostangs’ great- grandmother. The lighting is flatteringly low, and there is a service bar lined with steel tractor-seat stools where you can perch if you are on your own, if you do not fancy sitting at a table.