practically our canteen: le petit vendome, 75002

A few posts ago while raving about Le Rubis I mentioned there were two terrific lunch places near my office in the 1er. Here's the other one:

Here are the owners, as pictured on the menu, which, on those rare occasions it changes, does so via white-out and Sharpie:

I imagine if there's ever any kind of succession they'll just white-out one of the heads and draw in the new owner. (Related anecdote: we had a good rapport with the previous rugged jolly sandwich maker here. One of my friends made out with him. He left without explanation one day, replaced by someone who looked very similar, only a little skinnier. Equally jolly. There is still a sandwich special named after the original dude.)


Like so many of these heartwarming, belly-filling, perversely authentic bistros, Le Petit Vendome is not a wine destination. Everything on the shabbily maintained list tastes inexpensive and decent. It's never a problem. The real attractions are the sandwiches, as long as you don't mind a line at peak hours, or the various heavy meat dishes, as long are you are in fine health and not at all claustrophic or easily offended. (Being seated is often reminiscent of trench warfare; the service is on the sunny side of ferocious.) Once you taste the veau normande (16eu) or the occasional poulet au mayo sandwich special (5,20eu), however, you'll forgive just about anything. The care whoever in the kitchen puts into sourcing meats is nothing short of phenomenal, given the location and the usual sad standards of the business lunch crowd.

Open for lunch on weekdays, and dinner service on Thursdays and Fridays.

Le Petit Vendome
8, rue des Capucines
75002 Paris
Tel: 01 42 61 05 88
Map