Le Relais Gascon

Better than any other restaurant in Montmartre, the Relais Gascon embodies the rustique conviviality for which this part of Paris was once so famous. Everything about the place just "fits", from the pathetic craftmanhip of the wall paintings to the friendly casualness of the waiters (I bet they are all students). It's always party time at the Relais Gascon, for locals (of which there are many) and visitors alike, and you are always made to feel invited. If Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec or any other member of the "gang" came back to today's Montmartre: this, you feel, is where they would go. After that, the quality of the food is – or should be – secondary, but it is actually surprisingly good. They have opened a second restaurant two blocks down the road, but try if you can to get a table in the original.)