Cafés and bars 

Café de la Mosquée 39 rue Geoffroy-St-Hilaire, 5e. Mº Monge. Daily 8am-midnight. 
You can drink mint tea and eat sweet cakes beside a fountain and assorted fig trees in the courtyard of this Paris mosque - a delightful haven of calm. The salon has a beautiful Arabic interior. Meals are served in the adjoining restaurant. Couscous from ?6.38, tagines from ?10.67. 

Cyber Café Latino 13 rue de l'École-Polytechnique, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Mon-Sat 11am-2am, Sun 4-9pm. 
Small, friendly bar with a Venezuelan owner, Latino sounds on the stereo and fruit smoothies and tapas on the menu; six computers out the back to surf the Net. 

La Fourmi Ailée 8 rue du Fouarre, on sq Viviani, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Daily noon-midnight. 
Simple, light fare - including weekend brunch (2-6pm; ?15.24) - in this former feminist bookshop, which has been transformed into a salon de thé . A high ceiling painted with a lovely mural and a book-filled wall contribute to the rarified atmosphere. Around ?10.52 for a plat . 

Le Piano Vache 8 rue Laplace, 5e. Mº Cardinal-Lemoine. Daily noon-2am. 
Venerable student bar with canned music and a relaxed atmosphere. 

Les Pipos 2 rue de l'École-Polytechnique, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité & Mº Cardinal-Lemoine. Mon-Sat 8am-2am; closed three weeks in Aug. 
Old, carved, wooden bar, serving its own wines at ?2.13-3.81 a glass. Plats , which change every day, from ?7.62 to ?11.43. 

Le Violon Dingue 46 rue de la Montagne-Ste-Geneviève, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Daily 6pm-1.30am; happy hour 6-10pm. 
A long, dark, student pub that's also popular with young travellers; noisy and friendly. English-speaking bar staff and cheap drinks. 

Restaurants 

Bistro de la Sorbonne 4 rue Toullier, 5e tel 01.43.54.41.49. RER Luxembourg. Open Mon-Sat. 
Traditional French and delicious North African food is served here in large portions at reasonable prices. Crowded and attractive student/local ambience. ?10.52 lunch menu; ?14.48 and ?12.34 evening. 

Brasserie Balzar 49 rue des Écoles, 5e tel 01.43.54.13.67. Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Daily until 1am; closed Aug. 
A traditional literary-bourgeois brasserie frequented by the intelligentsia of the quartier Latin. À la carte about ?27.44. 

au Buisson Ardent 25 rue Jussieu, 5e tel .01.43.54.93.02. Mº Jussieu. Open Mon-Fri; closed two weeks in Aug. 
Copious helpings of first-class traditional cooking: mussels, duck, warm goat cheese salad, lamb, etc. ?10.67 menu lunch, ?24.39 evenings. Reservations recommended. 

Chez Léna et Mimile 32 rue Tournefort, 5e tel 01.47.07.72.47. Mº Censier-Daubenton. Mon-Fri until 11pm, Sat evening only. 
The high south-facing terrasse , overlooking a shady little square, is the main attraction, and the ?28.20 menu with wine and coffee included is excellent. Serves a ?14.94 menu at lunchtime on weekdays. 

Chieng-Maï 12 rue Frédéric-Sauton, 5e tel 01.43.25.45.45. Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Closed Sun. 
Excellent Thai cuisine served in elegant surroundings. Dishes include beef sautéed with fresh basil, fish simmered in coconut milk and lemongrass, and a generous selection of vegetarian choices. Menus ?10.52 at lunchtime; otherwise ?18.60 and ?26.37. 

Foyer du Vietnam 80 rue Monge, 5e tel 01.45.35.32.54. Mº Monge. Mon-Sat until 10pm. 
Casual, authentic Vietnamese with dishes from ?4.57 and menus for ?8.54 and ?10.21. 

Le Grenier de Notre-Dame 18 rue de la Bûcherie, 5e. Mº Maubert-Mutualité. Daily noon-11.30pm. 
Some veggies love this tiny place, which has been operating since 1978. Others dislike it and its posh candle-lit atmosphere, cramped tables and cheesy music. Substantial fare, including couscous, fried tofu and cauliflower cheese. Menus at ?11.43 and ?16. 

Koutchi 40 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 5e tel 01.44.07.20.56. Mº Cardinal-Lemoine. Closed Sun. 
A well-regarded Afghan restaurant, with a congenial atmosphere, tasty food and pretty good prices. Menu ?8.38 at lunchtime, ?14.93 in the evening. 

Mavrommatis 42 rue Daubenton, 5e tel 01.43.31.17.17. Mº Censier-Daubenton. Closed Mon. 
A sophisticated Greek restaurant, quite expensive (lunchtime menu ?18.29), but you are definitely tasting Greek food at its best. 

La Petite Légume 36 rue Boulangers, 5e. Mº Jussieu. Mon-Sat noon-2.30pm & 7.30-10pm. 
This is a health-food grocery that doubles as a vegetarian restaurant, serving quality ingredients in a variety of plats for around ?8.84. 

Les Quatre et Une Saveurs 72 rue du Cardinal-Lemoine, 5e tel 01.43.26.88.80. Mº Cardinal-Lemoine. Tues-Sat till 10pm. 
Inventive, high-class macrobiotic vegetarian food. The ?18.29 and ?19.82 menus include coffee. 

Tashi Delek 4 rue des Fossés-St-Jacques, 5e tel 01.43.26.55.55. RER Luxembourg. Mon-Sat noon & eve until 10.30pm; closed Aug. 
An enjoyable Tibetan restaurant run by refugees. Prices are as low as ?7.93 at lunchtime and ?9.76 in the evening.