Best Asian restaurants in Paris

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A BIG FAN OF ASIAN CUISINE IN PARIS…

When I was a kid, my family regularly went to Chinese restaurants. The menu would include egg rolls, Cantonese rice, Peking duck (or pineapple duck for the fanatics), and coconut pearl for dessert, with a small hot towel included with the bill. “Chinese” actually meant “Asian”, and in the 21st century everyone knows that spring rolls and bo buns are Vietnamese. Knowledge of Asia is growing. And the “Chinese” New Year is even becoming “lunar”! Paris is discovering, learning and enjoying a thousand specialties from far and wide. Here’s a small selection…

THE BEST CHINESE, THAI, VIETNAMESE AND JAPANESE RESTAURANTS IN PARIS

NEKO RAMEN (Japan)

Ramen is a Japanese dish consisting of wheat noodles served in a savory broth, accompanied here by various toppings such as rich, creamy tonkotsu pork, miso and lighter versions such as chicken or vegetable ramen. In addition to ramen, the restaurant offers Japanese classics such as gyozas (Japanese ravioli), karaage (fried chicken) and edamame (soy beans).
Nice decor, with a big cherry tree, of course… in bloom!
6 rue de la Grange Batelière, 75009 Paris and 31 rue de Paradis, 75010 Paris, www.nekoramen.fr

KODOWARI TSUKIJI (Japan)

Inspired by Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji fish market, this restaurant offers a culinary experience centered around seafood. It’s one of my top 5 craziest settings in Paris, with a highly immersive mise-en-scène (resin fish, waiters dressed as fishmongers, sound effects). The menu stands out for its variety of fish and seafood dishes, including ramen, with an emphasis on freshness and quality of ingredients. Skip it if you don’t like greasy food, as many dishes such as the slices of Iberian pork or the “thick sardine broth from Brittany” are likely to stick to your stomach.
12 rue de Richelieu, 75001 Paris, metro “Palais Royal”, www.kodawari-ramen.com

PECO PECO (Japan)

No sushi here, but light, crispy quick-fries. And donburis too (large bowls of rice with original fillings). Cool and cheap on the way back from Montmartre.
47 rue Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, 75009 Paris, metro “Pigalle”, www.pecopeco.fr

HORIZ (China)

The kind of address you’d like to keep to yourself. This is gold diamond premium red label. Everything is good, everything is successful, everything is to die for. Caramelized chicken flambéed in sake before your very eyes, marinated eggplant, fried chicken with double sauce… They also offer specialties like happiness pasta with lacquered pork and forbidden rice. Tell me about it…
8 rue au Maire, 75003 Paris, metro “Arts et Métiers”, https://horizparis.com

TONTON MAO (China)

This restaurant is a UFO. First of all, the menu, which sometimes borders on an anatomy lesson (beef aorta, pig’s ears, etc.). The service, in Franglais (perfect, by the way, and full of humor). The clientele (3 Westerners in the packed room when I visited). The very, very cool atmosphere from table to table. In short, this is not a restaurant for every stomach, but afficionados of the special are in for a treat. Five stars without hesitation!
24, rue d’Enghien, 75010 Paris, metro “Strasbourg Saint-Denis”, https://www.instagram.com/tonton_mao

CHEZ TONTON (China)

Exceptional flavors in a restaurant like no other. The ravioli are perfect, the “tonton boeuf” a delight, as is the sweet and sour pork. Truly authentic cuisine, just like their unintentionally offbeat website: “service is absolutely unprofessional and random in every way”, “we offer what we offer and don’t offer what we don’t offer”. The room is not large, so reservations are essential.
20 rue Gramme, 75015 Paris, metro “Commerce”, www.cheztonton.fr

PETIT BAO (China)

Baos come to us from northern China. This steamed specialty comes in the form of a turnover into which you slip lots of really good stuff (free-range chicken, organic ginger, shitake…). Here, they’re top-notch. Modern decor with white tiles. The menu is very funny, with a few punchlines that are worth the detour: “Our baos are not prepared in apartments or bathtubs” “No dogs / No cats / No rats” “Spinach with garlic: it’s not pretty, but it’s good!” “No microwave, no Picard, no machines. Just handmade”
116 rue Saint-Denis, 75002 Paris, metro “Etienne Marcel”, www.baofamily.co
Following its success, a “Gros Bao” was opened on the Canal Saint-Martin with a more extensive menu (eggplant, grilled meats, sautéed rice, etc.). Very cool decor.
72 quai de Jemmapes, 75010 Paris, metro “République”

PANDA PANDA (China)

Chinese new generation. In other words, pretty, trendy decor that’s not completely Chinese, young people in the dining room and at the helm, inventive dishes that are a hit, like the chicken with popcorn (which I wouldn’t recommend, by the way). In the kitchen, on the other hand, the grannies have experience. And they’ve got it right: Xiao Long Bao from hell (aumônières with a hot broth), the world’s best melting eggplants, wontons with a kick. The best in Honk-Hong.
21 rue Juliette Dodu, 75010 Paris, metro “Colonel Fabien”, www.pandapandagroup.com/fr/panda-panda
Also under the name “Tiger Tiger” at 15 rue René Boulanger, 75010 Paris, metro “République”.

LA MER DE CHINE (China)

Very traditional restaurant. Jellyfish salad, molted crab sautéed in garlic (delicious), sautéed duck tongue, water bindweed and other sharp specialties. The decor is not very nice, yet it’s in the Michelin and Gault et Millau guides…
159 rue du Château des Rentiers, 75013 Paris, 01 45 84 22 49

RAVIOLIS CHINOIS NORD EST (China)

Google summed it up nicely: “This pocket restaurant offers homemade Chinese ravioli, grilled or steamed, in an understated setting. Cheap and very good. A few salads and a little rice accompany the ravioli. But nothing else on the menu!
11 rue Civiale, 75010 Paris, metro “Belleville” and 115 Rue Saint-Denis, 75001 Paris, metro “Les Halles”, https://civiale.raviolinordest.com

ROLLS (Vietnam)

Rolls offers a modern, healthy reinterpretation of the spring roll, using rice cakes topped with vermicelli, cabbage and mesclun, with homemade sauces. This Parisian concept emphasizes freshness (some rolls are prepared fresh), variety for all tastes, including vegetarians and carnivores, and everything homemade. The decor is worth the detour, with humorous posters. Please note: 4 tables only!
29 rue des Jeuneurs, 75002 Paris, metro “Bourse” or “Grands Boulevards”, www.rolls.paris

PAUSE BOBUN (Vietnam)

Not surprisingly, a restaurant specializing in bobuns, but cocottes (pork caramel, chilli chicken, etc.). Just outside the Jardin des Plantes, which is no mean feat as there aren’t many nice restaurants in this area.
3 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, metro “Gare d’Austerlitz”, https://pausebobun.fr

NY HAV (Cambodia and Vietnam)

Paris’s 13th arrondissement boasts almost 200 Asian restaurants. Suffice it to say, there’s endless debate about which one to choose. For my part, I recommend Ny Hav, a restaurant offering a variety of traditional Cambodian and Vietnamese dishes. The owner, of Cambodian origin, always insists on fresh ingredients and rich herbs in her recipes. The beef lôc-lac with ginger and the beef with spicy pineapple are very successful. Family atmosphere and uninteresting decoration.
101 avenue de Choisy, 75013 Paris, metro “Maison Blanche”, https://www.facebook.com/nyhav/

DONG TAM (Vietnam)

All the Vietnamese classics cooked and served family-style. A great address!
12 rue Caillaux, 75013 Paris, 01 45 84 87 18, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dong%20Tam/188096347895815/

THU-THU (Vietnam)

A long time ago, I set myself a simple rule: never return to the same restaurant twice. Except that sometimes… how can I put this… well… I just crack… How many Vietnamese restaurants do you know that prepare spring rolls and egg rolls to order? Who make cuttlefish and curries so tasty? And with a name as unlikely as “Autumn-Autumn”? The (family) secret is jealously guarded by Pham (the boss), her daughter in the dining room and her cousins in the kitchen. As you can imagine, I promised myself… I’d never eat the same thing again… and I’ve never been disappointed! So don’t hesitate to rediscover the great classics (the bo-buns are de-li-cious) and try the UFOs like “marmite du chef” and its “special rice”. All you need is a monsoon to feel like you’re in Saigon!
51 bis, rue Hermel, 75018 Paris, 01 42 54 70 30, metro “Simplon”.
Open Monday to Saturday, 12 noon to 2pm and 7pm to 10pm. Closed Sundays, day of bookkeeping… and coconut bead-making! www.facebook.com/thuthurestaurant18

KRUNG THEP (Thaïland)

Ask around and you’ll find out: all travelers returning from Thailand are nostalgic for the little pots smoking on every street corner in Bangkok, the bewitching spices, the delicately scented mangoes… There’s only one way to whet their appetites: invite them to Krung Thep. The menu is as long as your arm, the decor as kitsch as you like, and of course, the dishes are astonishing “just like over there”. Don’t be mistaken when making your reservation, as part of the room has been fitted out with low tables under which you can eat sitting on cushions, legs folded cross-legged. Perfect if you’ve been doing yoga on your date 😉 However, there are two drawbacks: firstly, be punctual, as your table will not be kept for more than 5 minutes (I’ve experienced this!). Secondly, in addition to throwing dishes on the table, the owner has a very special talent: a nasty smile. The price of success?
61 rue de Belleville, 75019 Paris, metro “Belleville”, 01 53 19 08 46

LAO SIAM (Thaïland and Laos)

Along with Krung Thep, the other sure bet for quality Thai cuisine in Paris. There’s always a line out front, and at the end of the tunnel you’ll find impeccable curries, cod cooked in banana leaves and the famous rice sautéed with pineapple (served in half a pineapple).
49 Rue de Belleville, 75019 Paris, metro “Belleville”, 01 40 40 09 68 (no reservation required)
Even better, I recommend the neighboring “Ama Siam” restaurant, run by… the children of Lao Siam’s owners! Childhood cuisine revisited with brio. Roasted cauliflower, whole crab, steamed sea bass and, rarely, excellent desserts! Lovely industrial decor.
49 Rue de Belleville, 75019 Paris, metro “Belleville”, www.amasiam.com

SISENG (Asia)

Siseng has been known for 10 years for its innovative concept that fuses Asian cuisine, particularly Thai and Vietnamese flavors, with elements of Western cuisine. Their signature dish, the sino-burger, is a perfect example of this fusion: a burger where the traditional bun is replaced by a bao, a soft, chewy, steamed Asian bun. Siseng also offers a variety of other dishes inspired by Asian street food, all using quality ingredients and creative touches.
82 quai de Jemmapes, 75010 Paris, metro “Jacques Bonsergent”, https://siseng.paris

BRIGADES DU TIGRE (Asia)

Still in fusion cuisine, and even better than Siseng, Brigades du Tigre does the job perfectly. It’s hard to summarize their menu because it’s constantly changing, so I highly recommend you take a look at their website (and check out the press review!).
38 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 75010 Paris, metro “Poissonnière” or “Grands Boulevards”, www.brigadedutigre.fr

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