Le Tambour

This place is for two things:
1) A really late night meal of braised, gravy laden steak or fries.
2) Drinking cheap Pelforth Blonde until the sun comes up.
Whatever else you want it to be, it is not. It’s lively all night long. The wait staff is the perfect mix of crabby French and friendly. Come once, you will get no particular attention or affection, but come a bunch and you will get to know them.
Your fellow late night drinkers will be friendly and standing out front with a smoke and a beer while arguing is exactly what you should be doing in France. It is the French way.
How fun this place would be if you don’t speak French is something I can’t tell you. But, I can tell you that you don’t need native fluency to have a good time. In fact, this is a perfect place to find courage and to loosen your tongue with some beers in order to speak some French in Paris, just like you dreamed you could.

These are the hours at Le Tembour:
Mon 5:00 pm — 5:00 am
Tue 5:00 pm — 5:00 am
Wed 5:00 pm — 5:00 am
Thu 5:00 pm — 5:00 am
Fri 5:00 pm — 5:00 am
Sat 5:00 pm — 5:00 am
Sun 5:00 pm — 5:00 am
Automatic 5 stars for hours like these. Everyone knows that every day of the week between 2AM and 5AM crazy happens here.

Je connais ce restaurant depuis 15 ans. Et au fur et à mesure je me rend compte qu’il perd en qualité. Les plats sont de plus en plus petits, les prix plus élevés et la qualité se perd aussi.
Malheureusement c’est souvent le cas des restaurants ouvert la nuit sur paris

This place is pretty cool. From the heated outside patio to the beautiful bar and memorably decorated dining room, this place has something to please everyone.
My friend grew up in the area and this is her favorite go-​to place.
Our dinner was momentarily disrupted by an elderly woman’s medical condition and an ambulance was summoned. In order to move her out of the dining room on the emergency response wheelchair, they unlocked our table and rolled it towards the wall without us even moving. Our table was built top of a small trolley and it was sitting on tracks! How cool is that!
The beer and wine was slightly expensive but the food was good. Not amazing but good portions and balanced flavors. The wait staff was extremely helpful and friendly through our lazy night of food ans drinks.
The interesting décor and eclectic ambiance is enough to deserve future visits.

Was actually shocked by some of the critical reviews of this place. My fiancé and I went here after a very long day at Disney Paris. As a result we were clearly American tourists and were still treated nicely. It was late and the place was about half full of people eating small meals and having a good time. As this was our last night we decided to go all out. We ordered a bottle of wine, foie gras, escargot, as well as duck confit and the waiters recommendation of skirt steak and dessert. Everything tasted wonderful, the service was good, not to fast but not to slow either.
Neither of us expected this to be the apex of dinning in Paris, but were pleasantly surprised but what appeared to be a nice local place serving good quality bistro fair at a reasonable price.

Just went to this nice, cozy and full of locals place with my wife and son — completely agree with the review of La C from Pasadena… stay away from this place if you want a quality food.
Locals are there in droves — it is true, but they only DRINK (and smoke).
If you are very hungry and no other place is available (in Paris???), sure, go ahead and have a bite, but be aware, you will be served a prefab dinner.
Time your waiter and see how long it would take him to get your main after you place the order — our three different dishes came in less than 10 minutes.
It is still better than many NorthAmerican fast-​food places, but I doubt you come to Paris to pay your hard earned money for less than «magnifique» food.
BTW, just a stone throw away there are a couple of really good restaurants — check on Unilocal,they are under first four listed in the area.

I mean, if you’re just looking for a snack and some wine, then this is a cute little place. We popped in here for a quick meal after arriving in Paris in the evening.
My friend ordered the Nicoise salad, but the anchovies were very very salty. Much saltier than normal. I opted for a plate of cheeses and bread and it was fine.
It’s a cute spot, but I wouldn’t go out of my way looking for it at all.

Terrible food! The atmosphere was cute, but way too many fruit flies (bar needs a good cleaning). Service was good. My onion soup was decent, but the andoulle sausage smelled and tasted horrible. Do NOT EAT THE SAUSAGE! (Or eat it on a dare) This place is open until 5am and probably great for a drink or some frites after the bars close and you don’t want to go home. And it’s not that great of a value. Two glasses of wine, sausage and soup cost 35 euros.

Une nuit de vendredi à samedi, t’as sauté la case «diner», il est 2h30 du matin, tu viens juste de croiser ton vieux pote d’école pas vu depuis 6 ans, quoi de mieux pour finir la nuit au tambour entre les discussions de comptoir, le chanteur Christophe, un morceau de viande et une bière ?
Alors c’est sûr, nous né sommes pas du tout au niveau de nos amis lyonnais avec leur «gratinnée»
Mais nous sommes rue Montmartre, entourés d’une déco «underground» où l’esprit convivial règne. Bref, c’est toujours mieux qu’au kebab.
De la cuisine simple, des produits moyens mais assumés, des prix carrément raisonnables, what else…,? Un peu moins d’ivresse peut être !
Y aller entre 23h30 et 5h00 du matin.

Based on food alone, I’d give it a 2.5 out of 5. But the service and atmosphere were so friendly and warm that I’m giving it a 3.5.
On top of that, prices are decent… AND they serve wine «a la ficelle» which means you get a bottle at your table, but you pay for only what you drink. This is perfect if you want more than a glass but can’t handle a full bottle or even half a carafe.
GENERAL ALERT:
Most restaurants in Paris (and probably all of France, sigh) use frozen, prepared entrees, appetizers and desserts bought at stores for restaurateurs. Think Trader Joe entrees heated up and presented beautifully on a plate… and priced $$$ more!
The frozen, microwaved food problem is so widespread that there’s talk of passing a law requiring «real» restaurants to display «fait maison» (homemade or made from scratch) on their menus. Currently, some restaurants are voluntarily using the «fait maison» label, but many downright lie.
I was watching a French undercover report on TV, and the journalist had to really press the server at a restaurant to explain if a certain dish was really made from scratch despite its «fait maison» label. Turned out they lied. It was really frozen and reheated.
When the journalist (posing as a customer) asked «But what kind of impression does this give foreigners who come to France to experience the famous cuisine??»
The manager replied «Look at those tourists over there,» pointing to a group of Japanese customers happily dining away. «They’re ignorant! They don’t know crap!»
If you want REAL, good French food 100% made from scratch, you’ll have to go to an expensive restaurant and pay dearly.
However, if you’re on vacation in Paris, you owe it to yourself to splurge a little. I mean, you’ve already paid an arm and a leg for the airline ticket and lodging. What’s another arm and leg for a gastronomic experience? Meh! You don’t mind trading in all your limbs for a once-​in-​a-​lifetime experience, right?

Meh. Not that bad, not that good either.
I kinda enjoyed my dinner (entrecôte and vegetables), nothing special tho. The menu has quite a few dishes to choose between: I liked the «Plates du jour» section, I really appreciated it.
Prices are OK but I didn’t like the restaurant itself: it really bothered me that we were kinda eating one against the other. There wasn’t enough space between the tables and walls were full of stuff: shelves, books, various objects… it really didn’t convey the proper «clean feeling», if you know what I mean.
The great thing is that they close at 5am, so in case you’re starving and you’re in the middle of the road next to the II arrondissement, this is the place you want to go (you really don’t have any other choices).
Like I said, food’s OK, staff is great (5 stars to all of the waiters, they’re really cooperative and easygoing) but environment… meh.
3 stars. Not that bad, not that good either.

My girl friend and I were walking around one night looking for a place to eat. Our hotel was right around the corner. It was late, we were hungry and cold (it was winter ’12). We passed places that looked like bars. finally, we stumbled in here. The place was crowded, loud, warm and the smell of food called us from the cold Parisian streets. We waited by the door along with the other prospective patrons. One of the waiters came over and asked how many, I replied back in English «two» then he asked another couple nearby. He then led all four of us (yes the other couple we found out were fellow Americans) into the restaurant. Lo and behold, he sat all four of us together in a booth! Go figure, put all the Americans in one table.
Surprisingly, it was one of the funnest and most awkward dinners I’ve had in my life! It was awkward because we found out that we were sitting across a couple who were on their honeymoon. It was fun because they were great company! The food at this place was amazing! We had a bottle of wine and dessert. I believe the bill wasn’t too expensive. William, our server, was so lively, entertaining and made really great recommendations for food. Fond memories about the food at this place will fuel my dreams until I come back.

Bar difficile à rater rue Montmartre, avec une déco extérieure toute droit sortie de la maison de blanche-​neige ;)
Installées en terrasse chauffée on peut profiter tranquillement de l’été indien
On y boit du vin a la ficelle (découverte pour moi ce concept de né payer ce qu’on a bu et nous pas la bouteille, pas forcément plus mal!), partagé une salade de légumes croquants et un tartare poêlé. J’ai tendance à me méfier de la préparation des tartares, mais ici en poêle c’était vraiment bon!
Je reprocherais a leur carte de né pas être très orientée «dîner» avec en plats principaux 90% de viande

Grab a bit of French taste in the funky Le Tambour restaurant, where the décor reminds one of artist-​Miro-​meets-​Louis IV-​meets-​French-​peasant-​farmer…
The location of this funky restaurant is on Rue Montmartre, a hip and quaint area of Paris currently in the midst of gentrification. This area resides in the stages of hip-​change that Bastille underwent 10 – 15 years ago.
We wandered into Le Tambour and we were immediately struck by the odd ambiance. Every nook and cranny in the place is full of some kind of paraphernalia that gives it the warm, crowded, feeling of your grandmother’s home. Wood or designed tables and soft lighting complete the setting.
The food is traditional French dishes, with a fish soup served only in the winter months, and for which my friend insists is fabulous. We had roasted chicken, salmon, and onion soup. All were excellent. And the desserts were very well done, tarte, and fresh. The prices are moderate but not at all unreasonable for this kind of restaurant and quality of food. The wine list was excellent.
What made the place even more fun wasn’t just the funky décor, but also the waiters with attitude. They were the final topping on a very lovely evening.

Nous avons atterri au Tambour pendant l’été car c’était la seule terrasse du quartier où il restait de la place. Le serveur a été super sympa et nous a laissé occuper une table de 4 alors que 2 des convives n’étaient pas encore arrivés. La carte est très classique (salades composées, viandes, desserts sans originalité) et les prix corrects pour le quartier.
Alors évidemment, on né va pas exprès au Tambour pour se régaler, mais en dépannage ou au milieu de la nuit, ça passé très bien.

Un beau bar parisien, en journée et le soir, une belle ambiance. Une belle terrasse dans la rue. Le service compliqué. Des tarifs corrects pour le lieu.

Autrefois quand André Camboulas tenait la maison on était bien reçu, on mangeait très correctement pour pas cher. Les tenanciers actuels ont augmenté les prix en flèche, la qualité est en chute libre et l’accueil est détestable. Il reste le décor très sympa. Pour un verre ça va mais pour manger plus jamais

We had a great time here– the owner works the table, and is a funny guy. The food was good, and his recommendations were great. For the bad review, my guidebook says that the French like their beef on the rare side. You just have to adjust a level higher.

Le Tambour is one of the few restaurants I visit more than once when I’m in Paris. There’s just something about it that I love. It’s always filled with locals and the servers have been there for years. The food is consistently good and there’s always a nice bottle of wine offered as a special. The servers can be a little mischievous and will mess with you a bit i.e. if you want a cooked steak request bien cuite or it will come blue and they will laugh at you, but my experience with them has always been good-​natured and fun. I love the décor and the owner is a funny man who will wander around speaking to his guests, making sure everyone is enjoying their meal and having a good time. Le Tambour is not the place to go if you’re looking for a romantic dinner, but if you want some lively fun, this is the place.

Très déçu
J’ai dîné plusieurs fois dans ce bistrot qui m’avait laissé une bonne impression. Cette fois j’ai été très déçu. J’ai commandé un bar et mon invité un suprême de daurade. Les plats nous ont été apportés en moins de 3 minutes et pourtant c’était cuit et archi cuit. Cuit 3 heures avant le service ou la veille et réchauffé vite fait au micro ondes? Le tout baignant dans l’huile… Quand à l’amabilité du serveur, certes on est à Paris, mais quand même il y a des limites à l’insolence avec les clients qui expriment leur déception. Je né conseille à personne cette expérience…

O top en plus le personnel ewt trop sympa

Steak was tough, raw (when I asked for medium) and the fat was uncooked, making it tougher to chew than the sole of your sneakers. Second steak I’ve had in Paris now and I can confidently confirm Americans know how to cook a great steak sooooo much better than the French! They cook up some awesome stuff… just not steak. Suck it Pierre! (his name wasn’t Pierre, I’m just being rude and generalizing). =P

Très sympa! Service, cadre, menu, portion… tout était au top.

Non loin de la fameuse rue Montorgueil, si vous cherchez un restaurant ouvert 24h/​24h 7j/​7 dans Paris vous y êtes! La déco est atypique et les serveurs super sympas. J’y suis allé juste pour boire un verre mais la carte des plats était alléchante et de plus raisonnable a tester prochainement pour un bon repas entre amis.

The servings are huge and just a salad will leave you full for days. Plus after dinner and wine and you still walk out only 20 euros lighter in the money belt.

Les 2 étoiles c’est parceque le cadre est pas mal, et il fait bon être en terrasse avec des potes.
les 3 étoiles manquantes, c’est parceque la nourriture est franchement mauvaise (j’aillais dire dégeu, mais j’ai voulu rester polie).
Mon steak tartare m’a donné la nausée, j’ai pris 3 bouchées et j’ai du arrêter. les frites étaient grosses et molles (tout ce que je déteste).
Si je me souviens bien mon pote avait prit du porc au miel, et c’était pas bien mieux.
Je comprends qu’à 4h du mat ce soit marrant d’aller manger làbas, mais en dehors de ça, limitez vous à une bière…

J’ai pris une simple bavette-​échalotes, et bien c’était très mauvais. C’est la première fois que je suis autant déçu d’un restaurant, et le serveur n’en a rien a faire des mes remarques… J’ai eu l’impression d’être un touriste à qui on répond «Ah oui c’était pas bon ?? et bah j’en ai rien a faire».
Cela m’a fait penser à certains «restaurants» de Saint Michel: très bien placés mais niveau de service et de qualité de la nourriture très mauvais. Sans parler des toilettes, dont la séparation avec la salle est à peine faite.
Dernière fois ici

Un bar typiquement parisien où il y a toujours une folle ambiance et où né sait jamais à quelle heure on va partir!
Ouvert jusqu’à 3h30, les noctambules adoreront pouvoir trouver à manger au Tambour à des heures improbables.

Il faut y aller en troisième, voire quatrième partie de soirée, c’est toujours animé, on y fait des rencontres de piliers de comptoirs mélangés à des noceurs qui finissent leur tournée des grands ducs…
Bref il y a souvent de l’ambiance, les verres né sont pas chers et la bouffe est plutôt bonne…
Attention aux barmans de la nuit qui sont assez bourrus (surtout le gros barbu) et peuvent vous vider sans ménagement si vous les ennuyer ou les titiller…

Mon premier repas au Tambour où la première fois de ma vie que je mangeais une andouillette en sortant de boîte à 4h du matin !
Mais l’ouverture en nocturne n’est pas le seul avantage de ce restaurant: plats traditionnels abondants, carte des vins exceptionnelle, une ambiance «comme à la maison» et des prix raisonnables. Je recommande fortement !

This place has a great atmosphere. Very lively. If you are looking for a nice calm dinner, this is not the place. It is common for people to break out in song (I know this first hand). The wine here I felt was a little overpriced for what I got. The food was pretty good. We got escargot which was tasty but I have to say the escargot from chartier was better (take that however you want). I order the rack of lamb and my wife the duck confit. The lamb was very succulent and definitely drew attention. Quite good, I was pleased. My wifes duck was also quite tasty. This wa my first time experiencing tarte tatin and man, I am going to have to find that back home cuz it was delicious. For those that don’t know it’s sort of like an apple upside down cake. It’s sweet, bit not overly so with just a hint of tartness. It was served with cream and when combined it’s very delicious. All in all, a very easy place to recommend.

C’est le genre d’adresse dont il faut se souvenir si vous chercher un restaurant qui sert après minuit…
Le cadre est unique et la clientèle parfois encore plus folklorique. Les plats sont savoureux et généreux illustrent une cuisine française/​parisienne rustique.
Ce lieu est une mémoiré de ce quartier des Halles qui a de plus en plus de mal à se rappeler son passé…

So I haven’t technically been here in seven years but this place sticks out to me because it was recommended as the more authentic Parisian café/​restaurant in the whole city.
Now that there is Unilocal I want to verify this.
I just got a note that they have a menu translated in English, so when in town go for it!
Cheers :)

This cozy spot is eminently small, casual, and usually full of locals. That doesn’t mean that tourists aren’t welcome: those who read English will appreciate the English on the menu, and if you’re lucky, your server might speak some, too.
Last I was here, we shared a bottle of smooth red wine, as well as many small plates: home duck foie gras with a tangy onion relish mix, escargots in garlic butter, crispy baked bread, and Lyonnaise sausage. For main plates, the duck with mango was a highlight, nicely fatty, and quite savory. If you like cow tongue, try it; it’s prepared with a marvelously piquant salsa-​like sauce.
Stop in for a bite.

Une fringale au coeur de la nuit? Les fêtards noctambules se ruent au Tambour. Ce restaurant joue la carte de l’authenticité. Cuisine franchouillarde et déco originale, on vient au Tambour à n’importe quelle heure de la nuit pour satisfaire une envie de bonne viande. A la carte pour une vingtaine d’euros: andouillette, pièce du boucher, pied de porc ou carré d’agneau…
Au délà de bons plats copieusement servis, les visiteurs nocturnes du Tambour apprécient la déco originale très parisienne. En vrac: des plaques de métro ou d’anciennes rues de la capitale, des bouches à incendie, des panneaux, des livres… Une ambiance chaleureuse !

Il y a des lieux comme ça qu’il faut avoir fréquenté au moins une fois et le Tambour en fait partie. Depuis des années, ce bar à vins /​restaurant donne un cachet particulier et un aspect village de ce côté-​ci de la rue Montmartre.
Alors certes, on peut y manger une cuisine française tout à fait correcte comme dans beaucoup d’endroits: en salle, sur la terrasse ou dans le patio couvert. Sauf que, on peut y manger jusqu’aux heures avancées de la nuit (4h).
Ensuite, le cadre est tout bonnement hallucinant: la décoration foisonne tellement de petits détails, panneaux, sculptures, livres et divers emprunts au vieux Paris (un arrêt de bus, une plaque de rue, un vieux plan de métro…) que l’on y découvre toujours quelque chose qui nous avait échappé !
Enfin, la faune locale est à l’image du lieu: jeunes et plus anciens, de passage ou habitués, asociaux et biscornus ou artistes et traders: tout le monde s’y retrouve dans une ambiance vraiment très décalée et au final très agréable.

Le restaurant Bizarroïde du quartier Montmartre — Montorgueil ! Une décoration faite de récupération, arrêt d’autobus, panneaux de signalisation, vieilles affiches… on se croirait retourné dans les années 50 ! Mais tout cela est tellement chargé et sombre qu’on pourrait frôler l’indigestion ! La carte est classique, très cuisine Française. Tout n’est pas du même niveau, les salades sont franchement bof (laitue en sachet et souvent noircies) mais les viandes sont au contraire, très bonnes. Je recommande le tournedos Rossini, vraiment délicieux.
C’est souvent bondé, alors n’attendez pas un service individualisé: c’est à la chaîné et le service doit tourner.
Cheeseburger a 14 € et salades à 12 €.
Petite astuce: Pour accéder à la terrasse fumeurs que l’on né voit pas du restaurant, demandez au patron, vous vous faufilerez ainsi derrière le bar et la caisse… ce qui n’est pas si fréquent.

A l’entrée de ce restaurant, vous trouvez un ancien arrêt de bus. Avec sa décoration rétro hétéroclite, vieille France, le tambour est typiquement le restaurant parisien comme les étrangers peuvent l’imaginer.
La cuisine est également typiquement française, que ce soit du foie de veau au confit de canard vous serez étonné par les plats Français de grand mère que l’on peut trouver.
Autre atout majeur on peut boire des verres «a la ficelle» mais le principal point fort est que le service restauration est ouvert de midi a 4h du matin… idéal pour les noctambules!

Cute décor and sweet servers. My salade landaise was nothing special, but my companions’ daily specials (souris d’agneau and magret de canard) were delicious. And the nougat glacé, ahhhhh. a lot more expensive than Picard, but you hardly notice with the beautiful presentation and the fun atmosphere.

A quirky bar /​restaurant not far from Les Halles. Food is decent and reasonably priced. The décor is best described as unique but the Tambour attracts a friendly bunch of locals and stays open til 4am at weekends. Recommended.