El Nopal

3 Eugène Varlin, 75010

Metro: Chateau-Landon

Mexican food at last! El Nopal is located right next to Canal Saint Martin in the 10th. The small, and I mean small, shop (I would say) makes burritos, tacos, burrons, gorditos, quesadillas, and couple other yummy means of goodness. Just stepping inside brought back memories of California - the smells of corn, cilantro, refried beans (they make themselves!) and lime wafting around.

You may be a bit confused as you enter if you don't know the protocol. We watched others and followed what they did. Since the shop is so small, everyone waits outside. You go in, order, and the nice woman will write down your order and your name and you pay. Then you wait outside until you are called, come in, take your order and say "gracias!." You can only take the food to go, which wasn't a problem on the beautiful day we went and you can have your fiesta overlooking the canal.

I took a main dish of three beef tacos while my boyfriend took a chicken burron - supposedly a burrito with avocado and melted cheese. The tacos were small, but delicious. The corn tortillas were hand made - hot and fresh - the real taste of raw corn, not salty corn chip stuff you find at Taco Bell. The beef was full of flavor and diced onions and cilantro were mixed in. They supplied you with a small serving of hot sauce on the side which was not too spicy, but nice enough to give some heat. I also spied some salsa verde in their glass refrigerator.

Although the larger flour tortillas are not hand made, my boyfriend found the burron very good. His only complaint was the lack of "fromage" (again, the whole, "I want more fromage" thing with him), and there was wasn't a lot of chicken. However, he's a beginner with Mexican food and therefore wasn't sure what to expect. In any case, he was happy.

We took chips and guacamole on the side. Chips were unfortunately not hand made, but the guacamole was decent and had big chunks of tomatoes in it. I was a bit disappointed with the portion size though.

Prices ranged from 6.50e-9e and drinks are 1.50e. Be sure to take cash, they don't accept cards.

Although I could have eaten a bit more, I would definitely come back to satisfy my need for good Mexican food in Paris. They are slowly making their way across the Atlantic. Heck, if America doesn't want 'em - send 'em to Paris!!! 

Les Pâtes Vivantes

46 rue de Faubourg Montmatre, 75009

Metro: Peletier

01 45 23 10 21

Just seen Kung Fu Panda and looking for some good noodles? This is definitely the place for you! Having been here several times, it is one of my favorite places to eat, and very convenient (as it is found near my workplace). We had to visit the restaurant more than 3 times before remembering to take pictures of the food before eating it, as we were a bit too enthusiastic once we saw those bowls of steaming hot noodles.

Found just a few meters from metro Peletier on line 7, you'll notice right away that no effort (or money) was spent on interior design, nor exterior for that matter. No worries though, the thing that will catch your eye won't be the fancy modern Chinese decor, feng-shui type furniture, or glittering pendants hanging from the door. You won't even miss it! Once you see those delicious and tantalizing long noodles being made by hand in the window, you'll be good to go!

There is an upstairs and a downstairs seating area, although the majority of the time I find myself upstairs. One of the only disadvantages of this restaurant is the heat. You'll be sweating as you climb those small stairs up to the second floor, looking around for some ventilation and only finding a few small windows at the end with a perimeter barely large enough to let in a slight breeze. But if you don't mind the heat, even with your jacket off, you are in store for some wonderful, fresh, cuisine!

Noodles are the thing and noodles I recommend (aka: try not to take your gluten allergic friends here - it's just not right that they have to choose rice instead). The noodles come hot and fresh, chewy and thick - everything you expect - in these deep bowls, perfect for splashing around in. There are about 2 dozen or so different plates on the menu. I have tried a little from each page and haven't been disappointed yet. They have different stir fries, soups, and traditional meat and sauce mixtures. When they say something is spicy, don't be fooled, it's spicy! And that is another reason that I love Les Pâtes Vivantes! And if you are the daring person such as myself, they have little pots of "piment" on the table to add to the glorious heat.

One bowl of noodles is enough to fill you up - I haven't yet tried their entrees nor desserts. The main dishes range from 9e -14e, and sometimes you have to pay in addition for noodles, so read carefully (but they're worth it!). The service is always quick, although meat dishes will take a bit longer. The only difficulty is tagging  down the servers for water, but on the second floor they leave pitchers of water on a trolley in the middle - they don't seem to be offended if you help yourself.


I definitely recommend this restaurant for anyone who loves Chinese noodles! They have a second restaurant in the 6th, but I have yet to visit it. Don't worry - once I get around to that area, I'm sure they will have gained another loyal fan.

Credit to Freya for the pictures. Thanks!!