The Belleville area of Paris is home to some incredible restaurants. Known as the 2nd China town of the city, the area has historically been the home of many different immigrant communities. With that comes an incredible array of restaurants and cuisines. In Belleville you’ll find Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese, French, African, French Caribbean food all in the same area.
Eclectic, diverse, exciting and always changing, Belleville is a must visit if you’re wanting to experience a part of the city that’s off the beaten tourist path. Learn more about what to see and do in our Guide to Belleville.
My Favourite Eating Spots in Belleville
I live about 15 minutes away and I eat in Belleville a lot. This list isn’t exhaustive, it’s just my favourite spots where I think you’ll eat well. Bookmark this post as it’s updated frequently. Restaurants are in no particular order.
Bang Bang
One of my favourite modern restaurants in Belleville is Bang Bang. Run by a Danish and a Colombian chef, I’ve followed their progress ever since they started in a food truck. It’s proper world cuisine with attitude and a lot of chilli.
Eat at Bang Bang and they’ll set your taste buds a light. Superb cooking is on show along side a mix of different cuisines. Zingy chipotle & mango hot sauce goes alongside their house cheese croquettes. Soft tofu is marinated and fried resulting in an incredible texture (think pork belly) and is finished with Jalapeño mayo.
Their BBQ dishes are also a must try. Chicken oyster skewers are marinated in a jerk spice and grilled to perfection – it’s one of the stand out dishes for me. Do order their incredible soft shell crab red curry and their house speciality – the papaya salad (be careful, it’s really hot!).
The drinks are fantastic too – they’ve got some excellent natural wine, craft beer and even some spicy cocktails.
What to know before visiting
- Closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
- You can reserve a table online
Address: 9 Rue du Liban, 75020
Tel: 07 82 43 82 26
Website: http://spicybangbang
Saigon Sandwich
Saigon Sandwich is probably one of my favourite spots to get Bahn Mi in Paris. This tiny, family run hole-in-the-wall take out spot pumps out some seriously good Bahn Mis.
Their classic pork Bahn Mi comes with juicy slices of roast pork, Vietnamese pâté, marinated carrot and optional chilli (it’s a must for me). It’s textually and flavour wise fantastic and of course I need to mention their crunchy yet soft bread.
If you’re wanting more pork flavour go for their pork laqué sandwich – tender pieces of marinated and roasted pork that are incredible. Finally it’s worth mentioning that all their sandwiches are fantastic value – their ‘normal’ sized Bahn Mis come in at €4.50.
What to know before you visit
- It’s take-out only
- They’re open 10am-5pm
- Closed on Sundays
- They accept card
Address: 8 Rue de la Présentation, 75011
Tel: 01 43 38 30 38
Dong Huong
Continuing with the Vietnamese theme, Dong Huong is right next to Saigon Sandwich and its fantastic. They’ve been serving Vietnamese cuisine to locals for over 25 years and they’re still going strong.
Their menu is large and very diverse. It’s not just Pho and Nems here – there’s various different grilled meat dishes including an awesome lemongrass chicken with a superb grilled flavour. That said I do think that their soups are the start of the show here. They’re generous and come with extra chillies, lime, seasoned sauce, herbs and bamboo shoot for you add as you wish.
Unlike many Vietnamese restaurants in Paris, their menu takes you to the North of the country serving Hainan chicken rice and Northern Vietnamese crab noodle soup.
What to know before visiting
- Closed on Tuesdays
- Open only from midday to 10:30pm
Address: 14 Rue Louis Bonnet, 75011
Tel: 01 43 57 42 81
Website: https://pho-donghuong.fr/en
Best Tofu
Best Tofu is a gem of a local spot serving Chinese breakfast, brunch and lunch. It’s an unassuming little café/restaurant that you just wouldn’t know about unless you’re in the know.
If you’re spending a day in the area then I’d suggest coming here first for breakfast. Other than takeaway from some of the fantastic Chinese bakeries in the area, it’s definitely the best and cheapest way to sit down and eat some affordable food.
Their tofu, minced pork and seaweed soup is incredible and is only €2.10. Get that with a galette legumes salé – a fried pancake with vegetables inside. The portions aren’t huge but two dishes for 1 is enough for a filling breakfast.
What to know before visiting
- Closed on Thursdays
- Open non-stop from 8am to 8pm
Address: 9 Bd de la Villette, 75010
Tel: 01 42 06 80 84
RORI
RORI is an awesome New York style pizza slice joint with some great natural wine and craft beer. Located at the top of the seriously cool Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, it’s a great spot for a nibble or for an eat-in dinner.
The 70s inspired retro design (red floor and light gloss wood panelling) combined with a uber modern, stainless-style open kitchen makes for a very cool place to dine in. There’s a small terrace for eating outside during the summer months too.
The pizza? It’s incredible. I’d imagine it’s a relatively low hydration, long ferment dough which yields a superb crunchy crust. Despite this, the inner crust is still fluffy and pliable. Their pizzas are fun yet still quite cheffy – their ‘red’ pizza is minimalistic with pipped pesto on top. Don’t think it’s all smoke and mirrors though, it’s delicious. The star for me is their pepperoni pizza with fermented hot honey.
What to know before you visit
- Slices to take away are on sold all day
- Whole pizzas are available for lunch and dinner
Address: 96 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, 75011
Website: https://www.instagram.com/rorirorirorirorirori
Lao Siam
Lao Siam is a long This family run restaurant was founded by 35 years ago by the parents of the current owner. Their parents immigrated to France from Thailand and Laos and brought their love for the two countries’ cuisine to Paris.
The food is what hungry in-the-know Parisians come for and boy is it good. You’ll frequently see queues outside during peak times and especially during weekends but trust me – it’s worth the wait.
The menu is on the larger side and can be a little confusing at first but the extremely helpful staff are on hand to advise if needed. I’d recommend ordering the Laotian sausages which are incredible and have an awesome lemongrass flavour. Their papaya salads are always good and I’m a big fan of their grilled pork collar and tamarind sauce. Finally I’d recommend getting at least 3 mains for 2 as well as two noodle or rice sides. Prices are very reasonable with mains coming in at between €9-12.
What to know before you visit
- You can’t reserve
- Expect to queue during peak times
- Open daily for lunch and dinner
- Closed on Tuesdays
Address: 49 Rue de Belleville, 75019
Tel: 01 40 40 09 68
Website: https://www.instagram.com/laosiam_paris/
Mian Guan
Specialising in hand made noodle dishes, Mian Guan is seriously good option if you’re looking for Chinese food. Incredibly good value for money, it’s a very popular with the locals and student population.
On the menu is a multitude of different variety of hand made and hand stretched noodle dishes with an assortment of broths. There’s beef, pork, chicken and duck dishes available and they’re really generous and very reasonable.
What to know before you visit
- Closed Tuesdays
- Open for lunch and dinner
- Expect to queue
Address: 34 Rue de Belleville, 75020
Tel: 01 40 33 45 01
