Joe Allen Paris

The New Yorker in me awoke last night, and I felt the urgent need to have a Sunday brunch. With II & ML in town until Tuesday, what better than a group of 4 in a typical American bistrot on a sunny albeit chilly Sunday afternoon.. We headed to Joe Allen, a reputable American restaurant, one of the "better" ones in Paris. We arrived exactly at 12 noon which was perfect, as 15 mins later the place was teeming with Americans and French diners alike.

The ambience was perfect, typically New York, in the center of Paris in the first arrondissement. Tables were napped and its bricked walls are adorned with framed posters. I literally felt that I was in New York! The menu looked promising, with its brunch selection ranging from pancakes to cheeseburgers to eggs. J without discretion immediately asked for the dessert menu and I eyed their cookies and cotton candy ice cream right away.

The food came pretty quick. Service was efficient and all the servers spoke English. In terms of quality, however, we were a bit disappointed. My BBQ grilled chicken came slathered with sauce which was great, but it was only to hide the fact that the chicken itself was very dry. The burger was acceptable at best (J prefers my homemade ones), and the fries seemed old. In general, we ate everything but did not have the intention to come back for the food, but maybe for the atmosphere.

By the time we left 1.5 hours later, the place was packed and there was a line waiting outside! Its a great place to hangout with friends for Sunday brunch, but don't expect a real New York brunch food experience..

Photos by Me
Metro: Etienne Marcel
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