Family-friendly restaurants and cafés

19th-century composer Jacques Offenbach isn’t usually associated with cutting-edge digital art, but after a 10-year revamp, Offenbach’s former Belle Époque Gaïté Lyrique theatre has been turned into Paris’s first ever digital cultural centre - a 7 floor, multidisciplinary concert hall cum gallery that thrusts visitors deep into the realms of digital art, music, graphics, film, fashion, design and video games. It’s not the first time the building has undergone transformation: After being a haut-lieu of operetta and Russian ballet, it was pillaged by the Nazis, only to become a circus school in the 1970s and a mini theme park in the 1980s. But this time its interior, which combines the original Belle Epoque foyer with starkly modern spaces signed architect Manuelle Gautrand, is set to become a permanent fixture on the city’s cultural scene. Its programme explores the relatively unchartered territory of digital art, and the role of technology in artistic expression with electronic music concerts by cutting-edge acts; live multimedia performances; guest appearances by famous international artists and DJs; and film projections. You can even just pop into the funky surroundings for a decent cup of coffee and a flit through the magazines.

With its modern interior of pale wood and choice of 15 artisanal ciders, this outpost of a restaurant in Cancale, Brittany, is a world away from the average crêperie. Perhaps because it’s owned by a Breton who once lived in Japan. For the complete faux-seaside experience, you might start with a plate of creuse oysters from Cancale before indulging in an inventive buckwheat galette such as the Cancalaise, made with potato, smoked herring from Brittany and herring roe or the Charentaise with goats cheese, honey and salad. All ingredients are of high quality – such as Valrhona chocolate with 70% cocoa solids, Guéméné andouille sausage and seaweed and yuzu Bordier butter. One to keep in mind for Sundays, when many other restaurants in the Marais are shut. Make sure to call ahead to book. This restaurant serves one of Time Out's 50 best dishes in Paris. Click here to see the full list.

Bobo, yes, but still lovely. Insulated from the honking horns of the city, this place is a true oasis in central Paris. This small, organic canteen is warm and welcoming, a tavern for weary urban travellers in the heart of the Enfants Rouges market. Though somewhat difficult to find, it is far from secret – especially in summer when the colourful chairs come out to allow customers to enjoy the aromas of the market. Brunch is served on Saturdays and Sundays, and the ‘traditional’ menu (€20) is hearty and original. In addition to hot drinks and organic apple juice, take your pick from scrambled eggs, salad, assorted cheeses and cold cuts, fruit salad, cottage cheese, scones and jam. A plate full of variety and good products, it competes with the ‘fish menu’, which, for an extra €2, replaces the sausage and cheese with smoked salmon, herring, mackerel and taramasalata.

Enjoy a stress-free family feast - with Time Out's guide to Paris's child-friendly restaurants and cafés...

Even in Paris, the city of haute cuisine and knock-your-socks-off Brasserie fare, there comes a time when nothing but bacon, fried eggs, juicy burgers and fluffy pancakes drizzled in maple syrup will do. For those moments, Breakfast in America (known lovingly amongst regulars as B.I.A) offers bona fide American diner surroundings, all-day breakfasts and artery clogging delights like sticky pecan pie, washed down with bottomless mugs o’ Joe.  Needless to say it’s a hit with the brunch crowd who come in droves so large they queue up outside, rain or shine. Fortunately turn over is quite fast, so you rarely have to wait more than half-an-hour. The €15.95 brunch menu gets you comfort staples like sausages and eggs (over-easy, sunny-side up or scrambled) with toast and fries or a generous Connecticut ham and cheese omelet and a squidgy chocolate muffin. B.I.A won’t take reservations, but there’s a second branch in the Marais, so if Latin Quarter students have hogged all the tables, you can try your luck on the Right Bank.

Situated inside a grand old edifice encircling a courtyard on the aptly named Rue des Irlandais, the Centre culturel irlandais boasts a colourful history inextricably tied to that of the country it represents. Founded as an academy back in the 16th century, the institute initially served as a kind of safe house for Catholics fleeing the religious purges in Ireland. It hasn't lost its scholastic vibe – it still offers a library and boarding rooms for visiting Irish students – but its remit has since widened to include cultural events of all stripes. A large indoor space plays host to a variety of gigs, exhibitions, conferences, screenings and more (though Francophone visitors should be warned that French subtitles aren't always supplied). The programme covers a commendably wide cross-section of Irish culture – recent events include a folk-rock gig, a 'humourous' economics lecture and a screening of 'Shame' (Michael Fassbender providing the cultural connection) – though the centre's stated ambition to bring together French and Irish artists has yet to be fully realised. 

This charming café with a terrace in the shade of the Tour Saint-Jacques has lines and lines of books surrounding patrons inside. Since this is as central as can be, set just around the corner from the Hôtel de Ville, a cappuccino will set you back €6, but the atmosphere is pleasantly relaxing after a shopping marathon on rue de Rivoli. Food is served non-stop from noon to 11pm.

By noon on a Sunday there is a queue outside every falafel shop along rue des Rosiers. The long-established L'As du Fallafel, a little further up the street, still reigns supreme, whereas Hanna remains something of a locals' secret, quietly serving up falafel and shawarma sandwiches to rival any in the world. A pitta sandwich bursting with crunchy chickpea-and-herb balls, tahini sauce and vegetables costs €4 if you order from the takeaway window, €8 if you sit at one of the tables in the buzzy dining room overlooking the street. Either way, you really can't lose. This restaurant serves one of Time Out's 50 best dishes in Paris. Click here to see the full list.

Forget French glace, Italian gelati and British Mr Whippy: every self-respecting Parisian nowadays eats Argentinean helado – preferably from luxury fast food store Clasico Argentino. Founded by Argentineans Enrique Zanoni and Gaston Stivelmaher, the shop-cum-restaurant serves eight flavours of ultra-creamy ice cream made on the premises, including dulce de leche (a sweet, milky cream) and fruit helados laced with alcohol. If you want to take the Argentinean theme to the extreme, borrow one of Clasico Argentino’s DVDs (€20 deposit). The collection includes famous and lesser-known Argentinean films: perfect for watching over a tub of ice cream.

Paris’s oldest sweet shop has been in its original location for 250 years. While there are now other branches throughout the city, this grand old store, with its tiled floor à l’ancienne and its vintage pendant lights like glassy gumdrops, is still the place to call home sweet home. The smart, orange-labelled gift boxes of candy and chocolates are always a pleasure, as are the retro treats of times gone by: butterscotch roudoudous eaten out of a shell, marshmallow ropes, pretty violet bonbons for sucking on. Word has it that dancers from the Folies Bergère up the street used to come here for a sweet treat in between shows at the famed music hall. With the selection of candied chestnuts and delicate golden-paper boxes of candied orange peel to be had, it’s no surprise they were kicking up their heels in delight.