Bistro Baghdad, an affordable Iraqi restaurant a stone's throw from the Champs-Elysées

Paris is a cosmopolitan city where gastronomy from all over the world can be found. From address to address, you can slip into the shoes of a culinary globe-trotter, discovering sometimes little-known cuisines that invite you to take a voyage within navigo's reach. A foretaste of cultures from all horizons, often transporting us to our heart's desire.

A stone's throw from the Champs-Elysées, in Rue du Colisée, a modern bistro invites us to savor Iraqi gastronomy: Bistro Baghdad. The Bistro Baghdad has succeeded in winning over both tourists and local customers with its affordable offering of comfort food. In a modern decor with many nods to Arabian culture, the transition to the Middle East is made, and you can set out to conquer this little-known gastronomy, which should delight bon-vivants. Beware, however, of those with a light appetite: there's plenty on the menu.

On the go, you can go for a kefta sandwich with marinated lamb or chicken, for which the khubz tannour, the traditional Iraqi bread found throughout Levantine cuisine, is prepared à la minute in a traditional oven and priced at 7€50. On the spot, prices are quite affordable, especially for the neighborhood. On the menu, kemias, grills and dishes in sauce share the stage!

At lunchtime, you'll find a starter/main course or main course/dessert at 16€, and a second starter/main course/dessert at 20€. The dish of the day is priced at 13€50. It can feature fish specialties such as pollack, or roast poultry, and the variety of recipes offered over the weeks is enough to inspire a taste for discovery.

• To be read
• Tips for the week of April 29 - May 5, 2024 in Paris: free or inexpensive outings
• What to do in Paris and the Ile-de-France region in April 2024? Our good plans and ideas to discover
• Where to eat out in Paris? Good addresses, discoveries and favorites by arrondissement

For starters, we decide to oscillate between hot and cold, on the one hand indulging in Koubba Halab, a crispy rice dish stuffed with minced meat and flavored with spices, served in fours, and on the other, fried eggplant salad garnished with cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and onions in a special sauce. These are mouth-watering dishes! However, if you've got a big appetite, we recommend that you share the starter, as the rest of the meal promises to be (very) hearty.

The special of the day is a grilled cockerel with lemongrass, accompanied by a saffron-scented broth and rice. Enough to warm us up and make us forget the ideal cold that reigned outside. Another must on the menu: grilled meats. Here, we're tempted by skewers of minced lamb meat, quite juicy as they are mixed with fat and accompanied by the famous tannour bread and rice. Serve with homemade ayran, a yoghurt-based drink found here, very creamy and flavored with spices and tangy notes.

For dessert, we'll share the basboussa, a semolina-based cake that should please fans of the Gulab Jamun found in Indian cuisine. This speciality wasn't as sweet as we'd expected, so we could really taste the grated coconut.

All in all, if you're a good eater, or if your taste buds are looking for comforting, affordable food just a stone's throw from the Champs-Elysées, this is the place to go.