For years, I have noticed the awning of “Aux Vieux Garçons” as I sped down the Boulevard St. Germain in a taxi or on the fabled #63 bus. It had such an “authentic” look. Finally, this past year, I ventured inside to discover a marvelous surprise. Time had stood still. I was in a 1950s bistrot, straight out of a French film set or a Simonon mystery. Inspector Maigret could have walked in any moment and felt right at home.

At “Aux Vieux Garçons”, the walls are still mustard, the floor tiled, a brass railing rings the moleskin banquets, and there is even an authentic old phone booth with Bab 06. 57 (for the former telephone exchange Babylone) written on its door. Heaven! At lunch, this bistrot is filled with Parisian neighborhood locals and business people jammed together in a bustling ambiance. A harried waiter sprints from table to table serving bourgeois specialties, many from the Pays Basque, as well as saucisses sèches from the Cantal.

The emphasis is on fresh local products. One eats well but, as Arletty said in “Hotel du Nord”, it’s all about atmosphere. At “Aux Vieux Garçons”, atmosphere and food blend beautifully.

Aux Vieux Garçons
213 boulevard St. Germain
75007 Paris

01 42 22 06 57