Chez Maurice - Restaurant de Bourgogne

So you're tired, you're hungry and you are feeling kind of broke. You would like to be able to sit somewhere and enjoy a full meal and maybe even some wine, but you know that there are not many places in Paris where you can turn up on a whim and hope to find a good meal that both fills your stomach and leaves some change in your wallet. Enter Chez Maurice.

There is nothing pretentious or even vaguely uptight about Chez Maurice. So perhaps if you are looking for a place to show off to someone who has a somewhat studied approach to dining out in Paris, don't take them here: they'd have a miserable time trying to work out why they were not provided with a fish knife to eat their herring, and would probably choke on their wine as they saw everyone around them put their elbows on the table and generally relax as though the place were an extension of their living room.

Chez Maurice is the kind of place where you end up taking to whoever is seated next to you, and the banter is usually conducted in a number of languages. The service is swift and the place is usually very busy (now the weather has warmed up trying to get a seat out front might be nigh-impossible), though if you arrive a little later and linger over a bottle of wine you won't be rushed from your seats.

In terms of the food, it's similar to the ambience: rustic, welcoming and easy to digest. You can go a la carte or, for the best value (and I say that knowing that these must be some of the cheapest prices in Paris) take a formule. You have a choice of three courses for either 13.50, 16.50 or 19.00 euro, all of which are a steal. Order a bottle of wine (we always take the Faugères - a bargain at 11 euro), sit back and soak up the atmosphere. You know you will be welcome back.

Chez Maurice / 26 rue des Vinaigriers / 75010 Paris / Ph: (+33) 01 46 07 07 91 / Open for dinner 7 days / No reservation necessary