Le Stendhal, an anti-crisis restaurant

Text by Melle Bon Plan

• Updated on 12 May 2026 • 2 min read

Sometimes I travel across the capital following an invitation to discover a nice neighborhood bistro, to soak up a different atmosphere, to travel through the senses, because I love change and above all discovering new places.

The restaurant Le Stendhal, created by Mr. David, is located near Place Gambetta and offers, in the evening, cuisine from elsewhere in a warm and friendly atmosphere with Latin music and ti’ punch on the program.

Facade of Café Le Stendhal, rue Stendhal, with a cyclist and customers on the terrace.

The place is especially worth the detour for its friendly atmosphere, its very welcoming team, and its cuisine with world flavors.

Particularly in the evening, when Le Stendhal takes on exotic colors, by offering dishes from elsewhere: beef mafé, braised chicken, lamb colombo, eggplant caviar…

Parisian bistro interior with tables, counter, and a customer sitting near the door.

Cutlery, upside-down glasses, and a red candle holder on a wooden restaurant table.

Parisian bistro interior with set tables, mirrors, and a wine board.

For an aperitif, I advise you to taste the homemade exotic cocktails like the Punch Dakar (€4.50 – white rum, red bissap juice from Senegal) or the 3Ti’ Punch (€4.50 – rum, lime, cane sugar). They are delicious and well-balanced, for a very reasonable price compared to those charged in Paris.

Peanuts, cocktail, and glass of red wine on a table at Le Stendhal restaurant.

Baroque mirror with a Pelforth sign underneath inside the restaurant.

For appetizers, we tasted a small assortment of different dishes: cod accras (€5.50) Caribbean-style, pastels (fritters filled with Caribbean-style tuna stuffing with a fried onion tomato sauce), and avocado féroce (€5.50).

Assortment of accras, guacamole, empanadas, and hot sauce on a white plate.

Caribbean cod accras served with tomato sauce and salad.

Crispy empanadas with tomato salsa and guacamole on a plate.

As for the main courses, we turned to things a bit more typical, like the Chicken Yassa (€15 – onions macerated in lemon, marinated chicken, white rice) and the national Senegalese dish, Thieboudieune (€16 – rice with fish and vegetables).

Dish of chicken with onion sauce, rice, green salad, tomato, and lemon wedge.

Stuffed cabbage in red sauce with rice and lemon wedge.

Dish of rice, meat with onions, salad, and a slice of lemon.

I prefer to warn you right away, the portions are very generous and you are very likely to have eyes bigger than your stomach, like us that evening…

If you come for lunch, it’s clearly more traditional for fans of “bistro” cuisine (steak-frites and mixed salad).

The tip: the restaurant really practices affordable prices; in fact, in 2013, the internet community of the site LaFourchette voted Le Stendhal number 1 in the “anti-crisis restaurant” category.