This article is part of Traveller’s comprehensive Paris Destination Guide. See all stories . It’s widely accepted that Pierre-Louis Duval, butcher to the rich, opened Paris’ first bouillon in the mid-19th century.
I imagine the queue snaked down the street then, much like the one that tests my patience today. The reason? A winning formula of cheap, decent food served at breakneck speed in a beautiful setting. By the 1900s, more than 250 bouillons, restaurants specialising in traditional French dishes, served quickly, bustled across Paris.
They served nourishing broths (the namesake of “bouillon”) among other classic French dishes to working-class Parisians. Bouillon Julien – a grand experience without the price tag. The winds of change, however, weren’t kind to bouillons.
The Belle Epoque rolled in, and Paris’ elite retreated to a gilded cage of frivolity and fantasy. Their fancy new tastes demanded grander settings like upscale brasseries and bistros with expensive wine lists and duck a l’Orange arranged like edible still lifes. By 2000, only Bouillon Chartier remained, a lone survivor clinging to a bygone era.
Fast-forward to today, and Paris is experiencing a bouillon revival. Ten-strong, these bastions of hearty French meals reclaim their place on the city streets. One such is Bouillon Pigalle , where I join a queue of locals and tourists, all united by the promise of cheap steak frites and even cheaper wine.
After five minutes of battling hunger pangs i.