Happy Chinese New Year!

It is now the Year of the Dog, in case you missed the change. But no matter what time of the lunar calendar or if the moon is waxing or waning, this Mama (and family) always craves Chinese food, especially dumplings, dim sum and anything spicy.

If you crave good Chinese food, here are 10 recommended restaurants in Paris very worthy of your taste buds.

 

EMPIRE RAVIOLI

If you want dumplings, just go to the Empire.

Delices de Shandong

Try Delices de Shandong (also listed as Empire of Ravioli) for yummy, handmade, Northern style dumplings in a no-frills setting. Outdoor sidewalk seating is available too for sunny days. This place is the real deal.

86B Boulevard de l’Hôpital, 75013 Paris

 

xiao long bao

Classic ‘Xiao Long Bao’ at Chinatown Olympiads

Chinatown Olympiads

Chinatown Olympiads is an institution in the 13th arrondissement. It’s large, serves traditional Chinese food and has really nice staff. They have tasty and fresh Dim Sum (aka Yum Cha) that you order off the menu, like classic BBQ pork buns, ‘xiao long bao’ and shrimp dumplings.

44 Avenue d’Ivry, 75013 Paris

 

MASSENA

Weekend crowd at La Chine Massena

La Chine Massena

Tucked away in a far corner of the drab Massena shopping mall is a true gem! We were surprised and so happy to find that this popular restaurant has actual Dim Sum service trollies wheeling around the restaurant, something we have not seen at other restaurants in Paris.  They had a decent variety of Dim Sum and it was fresh and tasty.

13 Place de Vénétie, 75013 Paris

 

JI BAI HE

All-you-can-eat dumplings at Ji Bai He

Ji Bai He

We recently tried Ji Bai He for their handmade dumplings. Feeling hungry, we ordered the all-you-can-eat ravioli menu, and opted for a variety of steamed dumplings including fish and black mushroom, pork and chive, and pork and coriander.  All the dumplings were delicious and we were impressed.  It’s near the expo center at Porte de Versailles, and lucky for us it’s in our neighborhood, so we will be back.

108 Rue Olivier de Serres, 75015 Paris

ROYAL CHINA

Mixin’ it up with the spicy ‘Xiao Long Bao’ at Le Royal China

Le Royal China

A clean, modern interior, the staff here aims to please. It has become one of our regular Dim Sum weekend spots. Overall, it’s a great restaurant for Cantonese food.

85 Rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris

IRIS

Spicy Lamb Skewers and a cold Tsingtao are a perfect combo at Iris.

Iris

If you are looking for a crowd-pleaser, you can’t go wrong with a dinner at Iris.  We crave their mouth-numbing lamb skewers and they have loads of other traditional home style Chinese dishes, like sweet and sour pork, whole fried sea bass and dry fried green beans. It’s good for vegetarians too. The location is central, they’re friendly and it’s inexpensive. Win win and win.

183 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris

 

Trois Fois Plus de Piment

184 Rue Saint-Martin, 75003 Paris

If you can bear the line, or get there early, the authentic spicy Sichuan noodles at Trois Fois Plus de Piment are totally worth it and pretty worthy of their award for Best Noodles 2016 by Le Fooding. If you can’t be patient, then go across the street to Iris (above) for traditional Chinese food.

 

JIXIAO

Fried soup buns from Jixiao’s Buns. Note the small straw to carefully suck the hot soup!

Jixiao’s Buns

A hole in the wall, with no inside seating, they have authentic fried soup dumplings that can be spicy or not. They are great for a warm-up snack on the go! Be careful though, they can be addictive.

91 Rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris

 

Carnet de Bord

Carnet de Bord is our go-to place for spicy Sichuan food. You must try the chili oil Chengdu dumplings (did I mention we love dumplings?). They also have a tasty spicy stews. It gets crowded, so go early.

11 Budapest Street, 75009 Paris

 

ZHAO

Try the Platycodon at La Taverne de Zhao

La Taverne de Zhao

A bright little place with really friendly staff. La Taverne de Zhao serves modern Chinese street food from Xi’an. Try their ‘pousses de platycodon’ salad or their specialties, the ‘Liangpi’ sesame cold noodles or ‘Momo’ pork, duck or vegetarian sandwiches. They take pride in their Chinese tea menu, which is plentiful.

49 Rue des Vinaigriers, 75010 Paris

 

OLYMPIADS

Kids always love the Char Siu Bao, Chinese BBQ pork buns, at Chinatown Olympiads.

Wishing you a wonderful year, with happy, full bellies, while you eat your way through Paris… Bon Appétit!

Love MLP