On your next visit to Paris’s Left Bank, grab a bite at Brasserie Balzar.

It is located at 49 rue des Ecoles in St. Germain des Pres, near the Sorbonne. The closest Metro stop: Cluny-LaSorbonne.

 

The 5th Arrondisement  eatery opened in 1886, during the Belle Epoque period.

If a traditional  French eatery  is what you are looking for, you’ll find it at Brasserie Balzar.”Brasserie” means brewery. So, of course Balzar has a wonderfully stocked bar with beer and any kind of drink you can imagine.

Diners sit in taupe-colored, moleskin banquettes at  square or rectangular wooden tables that accommodate, mostly couples or quartets. Floor-to-ceiling windows allow you to look Out onto fashionable Parisiennes promenading down rue de Ecole. Waiters wearing white button down shirts and black slacks with a matching black vest will graciously take your order. The walls are decorated with framed black-and-white photos, including vintage photos of Brasserie Balzar.

The menu serves traditional French food. A great starter: the French onion soup(9.20 Euros). Every spoonful revealed golden onions swimming in a delicious beef broth. The parmesan cheese on top was bubbly and wonderfully broiled to a golden brown.

 

As a main entree, I tried the Sole fish (39.80 Euros). It  was well cooked and doused with a delicious lemon, parsley and butter sauce. It came accompanied by creamy mashed potatoes with just the right amount of butter served in its own separate dish.

For a dessert, you must try the half-cooked (“mi-cuit”) dessert with chocolate. (10.50 Euros). It is made with Valrhona chocolate of pure cocoa beans. The Valrhona company has been producing what is considered to be among France’s best chocolate, since 1922.

The chocolate was rich and creamy. It came with a perfect scoop of vanilla ice cream.

I washed it all down with a glass of Bordeaux

Brasserie Balzar is open seven days a week, starting at 8:30 am in the morning.

If you want to catch the subway there, the closest Metro is the Cluny stop.

That’s the Lowdown.