I had a few recommendations to visit Le Temps des Cerises before I arrived in Paris, and when we found out it was a short walk from our hotel, I called after check-in and made a reservation for dinner really easily.
Le Temps des Cerises is on a corner and is very very tight! When we walked in, they literally had to move the tables around so that we could squeeze in. (I don't know what we would've done if I needed to get up during the meal at any point...) It is very dimly lit and very cozy, with a print of the eponymous song hung alongside other bits of art depicting Parisian scenes. There aren't many tables, so I would definitely recommend calling ahead and keeping your dining party smaller, as it has a fairly cozy, quiet atmosphere of folks chatting rather than boisterously laughing with a large group. (Also, the restaurant may not be able to physically accommodate a lot of people at one table, and you will be sitting very close to other diners.)
Almost all staff members spoke English, as this is a popular spot with tourists. In fact, while we dined there, there was only one party out of about 6 that I heard speaking French. The other parties spoke English (4 American, 1 British). A carafe of water was put under the tap as soon as we were seated so that we had water and some radishes while we waited for our food. The menus were, unfortunately for my boyfriend, in French, but I did see/hear the servers translating menu items for other tables if you need clarification on what something is.
Since it was our first evening in Paris, we kicked off with escargots because hot, garlicky, buttery snails and bread was so comforting for a pretty chilly evening. I got the duck breast, which came with a side of grilled banana/plantain? It was not unpleasant but a bit of an odd pairing, I had to say. I didn't love the sauce that came with the duck. It was tart but didn't have a lot of other flavor notes to it. I didn't dislike it enough to avoid it, but I would've preferred the duck without. My boyfriend went with the grilled flounder, which was prepared really beautifully. Both of our mains were served with a bowl of mashed potatoes? I guess I'm not used to sides being served so apart from the rest of the food, especially mashed potatoes, which I'm used to having on the plate to soak up juices. We wound up not really eating them, especially because there was baguette to be had!
For dessert, we tried the chocolate millefeuille, which was really more like deux feuille: two very thin crisps of chocolate sandwiching vanilla cream and berries. It was a good end fo the meal.
+ Solid food
+ Solid staff
+ Solid (if cramped and dimly lit) intimate atmosphere read more