Eating in Montmartre can be a delight, albeit a little touristy with less options than you may like. Depending on the time of day, it may be worth forgoing a meal up the hill and instead enjoying one of the many great options in the South Pigalle area. Of course, that’s not to say you can’t enjoy dining in both neighbourhoods. You’ll find some great brunch options, charming cafes, Instagrammable aesthetics, and tasty quick bites.

Perhaps the busiest restaurant in the area is Bouillon Pigalle, just mere steps away from the métro station. Sadly this restaurant does not take reservations, which undoubtedly means a long line before you can dine here, unless you’re willing to eat early or late. Once you do make it inside, you may be taken back by the crowds and rush of people, tables nearly on top of one another, and a general surliness of staff. Also, should you be dining late, they may just be sold out of popular dishes. It has all the makings to be a place you’d dislike and yet, the charming aesthetic, the affordable prices, and tasty food make everything else forgivable. Try the devilled eggs (“Les Oeufs Mayonnaise”), with or without truffle, to start, and if its cold add their soup. Other tasty starters include escargot, an Alsatian potato salad, terrine, and a blue cheese salad. For your mains, you can enjoy traditional beef bourguignon, duck confit, ham and truffle pasta dish, steak frites, or a chicken cordon bleu schnitzel, among other classic French dishes. And the desserts... Oh the desserts are divine and so affordable. The most famous is their profiterole, with a very large dollop of cream and chocolate sauce covering the whole plate. However, the lemon tart, the chocolate tart (which is a cookie base with a chocolate tablet on top), and the clafoutis are definitely worth splitting with friends. Be sure to also split a bottle of wine, as you’ll rarely see wine for so cheap. By the end of the meal, no matter how busy and loud the experience was, you’ll be more than satisfied and in awe of how cheap the bill was.

While Bouillon Pigalle might be the busiest, the most famous restaurant in the South Pigalle or Montmartre are is probably Café des Deux Moulins. While the café itself is good – it has to be to remain open – it draws crowds because of the movie Amelie – this café being where the main character worked in the film. Here you’ll find traditional French staples like onion soup, escargots, smoked salmon blinis, duck confit, beef tartare, beef bourguignon, and pepper steak with fries. You’ll also find an “Amelie Salad” and a range of burgers.

If opting for traditional French food, but looking to avoid such obvious or overcrowded hot spots, consider Le Moulin de la Galette, a classic French restaurant housed at a former cabaret and flour-grinding windmill – these being very common in Montmartre, once upon a time. In the summer you can enjoy their outdoor patio surrounded by greenery. The menu include staples like beef bourguignon and pepper steak, along with fried shrimp, ceviche, muscles, truffle tagliatelle, and chicken with fries, while the desserts are equally traditional, with chocolate profiterole, crème brûlée and crêpes Suzette all popular choices.

Also up the hill in Montmartre, you can stick with a traditional French cheese dish – fondue at La Refuge des Fondus. The restaurant itself is quirky and elaborate, with limited and very right dining space. While you’ll love the fondu, that’s about all you’ll be able to enjoy here as the menu is basically a constant choice of one thing or another. What colour wine, not what type. Cheese fondue, where you dip bread into melted cheese, or meat fondue, where you stick raw meat into boiling broth. And if none of this seems quirky to you, just know that your wine is served to you in a baby’s bottle.

Other traditional restaurants in South Pigalle include Le Pantruche, Buvette (the sister to the NY location), and Bouillon 47. In Montmartre, consider La Boîte aux Lettres or Le Cabanon de la Butte.

If simply looking for great food, regardless of the cuisine, you’ll find some wonderful staples in South Pigalle, such as Can Algeria or Pink Mamma. Can Algeria, which is located in a former cabaret that saw the likes of Edith Piaf, is a stellar choice if looking for fresh and flavourful Mediterranean food, accompanied by great cocktails. Pink Mamma a trendy Italian restaurant, part of the Big Mamma group that has taken Paris and London by storm. The restaurant is visually pleasing, the food plated nicely with generous portions, and the taste is exactly what it should be – great and rich in flavour without going overboard on seasoning. The meat is corn-fed, bread and taken care of by the Big Mamma group.  It definitely adds something extra to the Florentine steak, which is prepared in the proper Firenze style. And while the interior is lovely, with plants dangling from the ceiling and greenery lining the walls, the terrace provides a relaxing and elegant dining experience.

Family-run Roberta, who make their own pasta in their pasta lab and have a fine selection of charcuterie and antipasto, both for serving and for sale, is a popular Italian option with a fresh and modern atmosphere. You can also enjoy great Greek options, from Yorgaki in South Pigalle and the delightful Michelin-recommended Etsi in Montmartre. Boca Dos is a great option if looking for Spanish tapas and small plates, or opt for Venezuelan arepas at Bululu Arepera, which has flavourful choices for all dietary restrictions. Take it up a notch with fine-dining at the Japanese restaurant Ken Kawasaki, which offers a delicious and intimate experience.

When it comes to breakfast and brunch, there is a ton of great options in this area of the city, from cozy cafes to high end buffet brunches. The Hardware Société is a weekend staple, straight from Melbourne. Brunch dishes include scrambled eggs with bacon, baked eggs two ways, fried eggs with pork belly, a lobster benedict, and a smoked salmon “millefeuille”, as well as pastries and viennoiserie, bircher, a “sweet board” and pain perdu (French toast). Another popular Australian morning spot is KB Coffee Roasters, which specializes in your necessary morning caffeine and has you in-and-out a lot quicker as this operates as a café rather than a restaurant. They also serve fresh squeezed juices, pastries and scones, sandwiches, fancy breakfast toasts and tartines, and yogurt bowls.

Other popular brunch spots include Les Inseparables for a lovely terrace and great brunch staples served all weekend, SyLon for a café vibe with fresh food, Marcel for hearty brunch staples straight from Instagram (like waffles, pancakes, avocado toast, eggs benedict, or a full English), and Ma Biche, which offers a prix-fix menu for €23. It includes a hot drink, a selection of homemade breads and pastries, fresh squeezed juice, scrambled eggs and your choice of beef tartarte, tuna, or risotto. You also can’t go wrong with cozy neighbourhood spots like Papilles (a delightfully cozy café that does a lovely brunch) or Jules Jo, which has a large menu with excellent cocktails for a lazy late start on Sunday.

Then you have the fancier brunch spots, tucked away in Montmartre hotels, providing an excellent and indulgent start to your day, with superior views and lots of options. At Terrass, you can have a big hotel brunch buffet for €45, which offers you a wide selection for your morning dining pleasure, including a selection of cheeses and deli meats/charcuterie, bacon and sausages, smoked salmon, scrambled eggs, an assortment of fresh breads and pastries, fruit, salads, yogurt and granola, hot fish and meat dishes, a hot vegetarian dish, lots of jams and homemade chocolate spread, along with fresh squeezed orange juice and lemonade, plus your necessary caffeine. While pricey, there is plenty of delicious food, made even better by the excellent view overlooking the neighbourhood and city. You can also have breakfast there during the week for a smaller and cheaper breakfast buffet, or go later in the day for lunch, dinner, or drinks and snacks. At L’Hotel Particulier, you’ll find an even pricier brunch for €55, but in addition to a big selection, you’ll enjoy fine glassware and china, while tucked away from the crowds in a lovely neighbourhood garden.

If you just want something lighter or a little faster - not looking to sit and linger – consider grabbing a smash burger from the new trendy burger joint Dumbo Paris. Named after the Brooklyn neighbourhood, you won’t be surprised to learn that these smash burgers are American style. Balls is a fun choice which works for everyone in the group as it caters to most diets. You start by choosing your balls (like meatballs, but in a variety of flavours), then pick a sauce and side. While you can definitely sit down and enjoy yourself here, it’s on the faster side, unless you get into the cocktails and wine, which naturally can drag out any meal. Veggie balls are available here, with other options including chicken balls, spicy tandoor beef balls, veal balls with caramelized onions and scarmozza, as well as lamb and pork balls. Yorgaki is a lovely option for some fresh and flavourful Greek cuisine. You’ll find Greek coffee (hot or iced) to accompany your pita and dips, mezzes, picturesque salads, spanakopita, Greek yogurt (regular of frozen), and an assortment of other Greek specialties.