Au Passage, Paris (11th)
It is your right not to Au Passage to go. But man, what a loss that would be. The new, more affordable (I know, that's not a word) restaurant of the owners/chefs of the popular (read: book 2 weeks in advance) restaurant Bones is hidden in a quiet alley on the edge of the 11th, a stone's throw from the concept store Thank you (which is on the edge of the 3rd aka Le Marais).
The advantages: more affordable, being able to just walk in (provided early or later in the evening) and the conviviality in the form of good-natured staff, a chef who curiously sticks his head out of the kitchen with every new arrival and a bartender who quickly pushes the 'leftovers' (the last bit from the container or pan) onto the plate. And that is the best Au Passage tip: get a seat at the bar. Put your head above the people for the better conversations (the acoustics are not very good) and you sit front row for the aforementioned cliques. The restaurant itself is not special: a classroom-like space with simple tables and chairs and a painting here and there. So refreshing. Oh. And I still dream about the burrata here.
