Cafés and bars 

La Folie en Tête 33 rue Butte-aux-Cailles, 13e. Mº Place-d'Italie & Mº Corvisart. Mon-Sat 5pm-2am. 
A very warm and laid-back address, where you can get cheap beer, sandwiches andmidday plat du jour . Occasional concerts and solidarity events. 

Le Merle Moqueur 11 rue Butte-aux-Cailles, 13e. Mº Place-d'Italie & Mº Corvisart. Daily 9pm-1am. 
Old-time co-op still going strong, with live rock some nights. 

Restaurants 

Auberge Etchegorry 41 rue Croulebarbe, 13e tel 01.44.08.83.51. Mº Gobelins. Mon-Sat till 10.30pm. 
A former guinguette on the banks of the Bièvre, this Basque restaurant has preserved an old-fashioned atmosphere of relaxed conviviality, and the food's good too. Menus from ?19.82. 

Chez Gladines 30 rue des Cinq-Diamants, 13e tel 01.45.80.70.10. Mº Corvisart. Daily 9am-2am. 
This small corner bistro is always welcoming. Excellent wines and dishes from the southwest; the mashed/fried potato is a must and goes best with magret de canard . Around ?18.29 for a full meal. 

Lao-Thai 128 rue de Tolbiac, 13e tel 01.44.24.28.10. Mº Tolbiac. Daily except Wed 11.30am-2.30pm & 7-11pm. 
Big glass-fronted resto on a busy interchange. Finely spiced Thai and Lao food, with coconut, ginger and lemongrass flavours. Midday menu at ?7.09, otherwise, around ?18.29. 

Phuong Hoang Terrasse des Olympiades, 52 rue du javelot, 13e tel 01.45.84.75.07. Mº Tolbiac; take the escalator up from rue de Tolbiac. Mon-Fri noon-3pm & 7-11.30pm. 
Vietnamese, Thai and Singapore specialities, with menus at ?7.62, ?10.67 and ?12.20. If it's full, try Le Le Lai or New Chinatown nearby. 

Student restaurant 105 bd de l'Hôpital, 13e. Mº St-Marcel. 

Le Temps des Cerises 18-20 rue Butte-aux-Cailles, 13e tel 01.45.89.69.48. Mº Place-d'Italie & Mº Corvisart. Mon-Fri noon-2pm & 7.30-11pm, Sat 7.30-11pm. 
A well-established workers' co-op with elbow-to-elbow seating and a different daily choice of imaginative dishes. Lunch menu at ?8.84 and evening menus starting at ?17.99.