I hesitate to start out by saying that the food at Bouillon Chartier isn’t that bad. But the truth is, no one comes here for the food. Three of us lunched at this cavernous restaurant a couple of weeks ago, and we chose the place for two bald reasons: 1) We wanted to meet near les Grands Boulevards; and 2) It’s open on a Monday. Oh, and 3) It’s historic. And 4) It’s cheap (bonus!).
The word “bouillon” in the name of Bouillon Chartier refers to a fascinating bit of Paris restaurant history. In 1860, a butcher named Monsieur Duval had the brilliant idea of opening a restaurant that served cheap bowls of beef broth to the workers at Les Halles (Paris’s former central food market). Eventually the word bouillon, or broth, became synonymous with a type of inexpensive restaurant.
(Little did Monsieur Duval know that 155 years later, East Village hipsters would rename bouillon “bone broth,” and sell it for $7 a cup.)
At the end of the 19th century, the Chartier brothers expanded upon Monsieur Duval’s concept and founded their own chain of bouillons. Though only two still exist—Bouillon Chartier and Bouillon Racine in the 6e—these establishments continue the mission of offering a “decent meal at a reasonable price” with “good service.”
From the great big door on the busy Rue du Faubourg Montmartre, you walk through a courtyard to the restaurant at the back. The line can stretch all the way to the street, but when we arrived on a rainy Monday at 12:30pm, we were seated right away.
The dining room is full of Art Nouveau charm, a vast space with high ceilings, soaring mirrors, brass rails, and carved balustrades. Along the walls are wooden armoires with small, numbered drawers where regulars once stored their couverts, or silverware and napkins. I tried to peek inside, but they’re now sealed shut. Tables are shared, which means if you’re eating alone, you can expect three strangers to be seated next to you.
The menu still features bouillon, now renamed consomme, a daily brewed vegetable broth offered for 1€, which is officially the cheapest thing I’ve ever ordered in a restaurant in France. It was thin and watery, but I could taste a faint, earthy hint of vegetables in there somewhere, as if the liquid held a distant memory of carrots and leeks. The table’s other entrées of oeuf mayonnaise and carrottes rapées looked better, dressed with industrial-esque vinaigrette and mayonnaise, yes, but simple and tasty (though accompanied by perhaps the world’s saddest tomato garnish).
The list of main courses reads like a dictionary of classic bistro cuisine, including choices like roast chicken and fries, grilled andouillette, or tête de veau with tangy sauce gribiche. At a place like this, it seemed wise to keep things simple with confit de canard, pommes grenailles and I am happy to report that the confit was one of the better versions I’ve had, the fat completely rendered (whether by design or neglect, no matter) and the skin pleasingly crisp. Accompanying new potatoes were properly roasted, though without crunchy edges. My friend, Erin, described the steak as “definitely not the worst I’ve ever eaten.” Also, it arrived perfectly cooked, à point.
Old-fashioned desserts included fresh pineapple, wine-soaked prunes with ice cream, and other classics, but I splurged (calorically, at least) on the chou glace vanille chocolat chaud, a spongy profiterole puff filled with vanilla ice cream, flooded with warm chocolate sauce, and garnished with a handful of toasted almonds. Though my watery first course had left me hungry, I couldn’t finish the generous portion.
Efficient service meant that three courses AND coffee were served in less than an hour. (Noisy, casual, and fast, this is a great place to eat out with kids.) Before we even knew we wanted to leave, our waiter had bustled up and calculated the bill on the paper tablecloth—the first time I’ve ever received the check in France without asking for it. Three courses for three people plus two coffees (no wine) came to €50.70 or €17/person, when rounded up.
Ah, Bouillon Chartier, still cheap after 119 years.
Bouillon Chartier
7 rue du Faubourg Montmartre
75009 Paris
01 47 70 86 29
No reservations
Open Mondays
*
A little note: If you enjoy reading my blog and would consider nominating it for a Saveur Magazine blog award, I would be so grateful. All you have to do is visit Saveur’s nomination page, enter my blog’s URL (www.annmah.net) and tick off as many categories as you see fit. (May I suggest “best culinary travel coverage” and/or “best writing”?) Nominations close Friday, March 13. Thank you so much for your help. Your support keeps me going! xo
Nomination complete! Good luck, Ann!
Ann!!! You made my day! Was checking emails and saw your blog and saw CHARTIER! We go there every time we go to Paris; your pictures and story brought back so many wonderful memories. Did not know that the name is “Bouillon” Chartier; I too was fascinated with the napkin drawers and tried to open them! The last time we were there in 2012 was the best and I had the confit de canard; that is my weakness and it was fabulous!!!
Merci Ann!!!
Ann, remind us to vote again when you are in the winners’ line up. Good luck.
You have my nomination, Ann – had no idea of these awards so consider it done! Love reading the history part – funny how they call the beef broth Consommé now. Been years since set foot at Chartier – great post.
Done!
Done and done!
Nominated! :D
Good luck ♥
Hi Ann. Thanks for reminding me about Chartier! I used to go there as a student about 40 years ago… It was great fun, and the food was fine. I just may go back there one of these days soon. Cheers!
Just sent in my nomination! Good luck…
And haven’t been to Chartier in years but you’ve inspired me to try it again. And you’re right: no one goes here for the food! You’ve also reminded me to discuss the the history of the “bouillon” in addition to the “cafe”, “bistro”, “restaurant” and “cafe” during my food tours! :-)
Denise — Thank you! I am grateful!
Devra — Glad I’m not the only one who’s tried to open the napkin drawers :)
Barb — From your lips to the ears of the gods of nominations! Thank you for your support.
Jill — Merci! You’ll have to go back to Chartier. Think you could skip the consommé, though :)
Anne — Merci et merci!
Emma — Thanks, friend!
Meg — If you’re near the Grands Boulevards, Chartier is a fast, fun place to stop for a bite! Especially good, since there’s not a lot open around there on a Monday.
Preston — Thank you! Your tour sounds like my kind of tour! :)
Ann, I was in Paris for St Silvestre 1990/2000 in a hotel near this famous restaurant, and we ate there three evenings in a row. The experience was similar to what you describe in this post. It feels so comforting to hear that such places still exist and the atmosphere did not change. Around end Dec 1999 (this was still in the time of the French Francs), our bill was around 110 francs, with wine. This was around 12 Canadian dollars per person, unthinkable by any standard.
Your post brought so many great memories..
Thank you for sharing!
La Torontoise — Thanks for your sweet note! It’s wonderful to know that Chartier has stood the test of time! :)
Oh, dear! WHY!!! And WHY??!!! Chartier is just plain awful. It just amazes me that anyone who purports to know anything about French food or care about French food could dream of blogging about a tragically substandard place where all of the food is of bog standard quality and most of the dishes that are ‘cooked’ are industrially made. I don’t mean to be rude, but this post calls your credentials into question for me in a very serious way. And I say this despite the fact that I thought your French food book was sweet if not always authoritative.