Drawn in by our hunger and the babble of locals, students and older folk alike, we weren’t too sure what to expect. But we found that in the heart of the Latin Quarter/Quartier Latin, Les Pipos is quintessentially Parisian.
Sometimes it is those little known and understated places that offer the best food, so we thought we would give it a try.
Sadly the terrace was full so we had to sit inside, the walls of which were covered with an eclectic mix of pictures, newspapers articles and magazine pages pasted to the walls.
The menu does not go beyond traditional staples, but looking over at other people’s plates we were confident that this was being done well.
The staff were friendly, conversing with us in a mix of English and French, allowing for a very relaxing and enjoyable meal.
We stayed with the basics, steak and fries (€14) and duck confit (€15), and a bottle of Beaujolais (€19), with a basket of tradition bread, not the big standard baguette. This was a good sign to me, if they are choosing their bread carefully than this can only mean good things.
My hunches were correct, considering the food is similarly priced to many other bistros and cafes offering lesser quality food, Les Pipos is certainly busy for a reason.
It is not haute cuisine, but it does not pretend to be either. Presentation is not an art form, it is how you would expect food to be served at home, and tasted that way too.
So it was a thumbs up for both of us. If I wanted to submerse my friends in the student atmosphere of the Quartier Latin, I would certainly return here.
Address: 2 Rue de l’École Polytechnique, 75005 Paris
Metro: M10, Cardinal Lemoine
Website: les-pipos.com
Phone: 01 43 54 11 40
Hours: Closed Sunday, Open Monday to Saturday, 09:30 to 02:00