Le Diplomate

With its croque-monsieur lunches, scratch card dispensers, in-house tobacconist and clientele of local geezers, Le Diplomate is indistinguishable from hundreds of other brasseries in Paris. €2.30 will get you an espresso; €8 a meat dish. Ideally situated at walking distance from (but not too near) Convention metro station, it rarely fills up. Come here if you're after something reassuringly familiar, not for a novel experience.