Bouillon Chartier, or simply Chartier, is a "bouillon" restaurant in Paris founded in 1896,[1] located in the 9th arrondissement and classified as a monument historique since 1989.
| Bouillon Chartier | |
|---|---|
 View of entrance of Chartier. | |
 | |
| Restaurant information | |
| Established | 1896 |
| Food type | French |
| Dress code | Casual |
| Street address | 7, Rue du Faubourg-Montmartre |
| City | Paris |
| Country | France |
| Reservations | No |
| Website | bouillon-chartier.com |
History
editThe restaurant was created in 1896 by two brothers, Frédéric and Camille Chartier, in a building resembling a railway station concourse. The long Belle Époque dining room has a high ceiling supported by large columns which allows for a mezzanine, where service is also provided.
It opened with the name "Le Bouillon" (lit. broth, or stock, but in this context, a type of brasserie;[2] originally a cheap workers' eatery that served stew), near the Grands Boulevards, the Hôtel Drouot, the Musée Grévin, and the Palais de la Bourse. The restaurant has had only four owners since opening.[3]
Service
editThe restaurant is open 365 days a year with a menu[4] offering traditional French cuisine. The table service is provided by waiting staff dressed in the traditional rondin, a tight-fitting black waistcoat with multiple pockets and a long white apron.
The restaurant's popularity leads to lines in the courtyard or under the porch and sometimes on the sidewalk outside. Tables are shared between strangers. The bill is written directly on the disposable paper tablecloth at the end of the meal.[3] Serving stops at 11:30 PM.
In popular culture
edit- The restaurant is mentioned in Albert Willemetz's 1939 song "Félicie aussi", sung by Fernandel.
- In Les Beaux Quartiers, Louis Aragon mentions Le Bouillon Chartier: the young medical student character Edmond Barbentane has lunch there regularly.
- A description of dining at Le Bouillon Chartier in the early 1970s is given by John Adamson in Footloose in France.[5]
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ Listed in Baedeker, Karl (1907). "Restaurants". Paris and environs: with routes from London to Paris (15 ed.). London: Baedeker. p. 21.
- ^ Thomazeau, François; Ageorges, Sylvain (2007). The Brasseries of Paris. trans. Anna Moschovakis. New York Review of Books. pp. 54, 81, 181. ISBN 978-1-892145-49-9.
- ^ a b Carisey, Regis. Hommes et établissements des métiers de bouche. Lulu.com. ISBN 9781291465747.
- ^ Solène (13 April 2023). "Bouillon Chartier Menu Prix France Mis à jour pour 2023". frmenu.com (in French). Retrieved 25 July 2023.
- ^ Adamson, John, and Clive Jackson, Footloose in France, Cambridge: John Adamson, 2023, ISBN 978-1-898565-18-5.