Brunch in Canal Saint-Martin, Ourcq and Villette

Arriving for breakfast at Holybelly, you get a warm welcome from the tattooed, beanie-wearing staff. Early risers are already in place at the pretty wooden and white-painted booths over a star-patterned tiled floor, local workers smiling and chatting over their coffees. On the menu, there are things like fig and caramelised hazelnut pancakes with whipped cream and maple syrup (€11.50), or pancakes with fried eggs and bacon...

This snug and welcoming vegetarian café is done out in a ’50s-style décor of dated wicker-frame mirrors, slate menus and formica-topped chairs. The pleasant brunch menu (€10) features things like a hearty frittata of broccoli, butternut squash and cheddar, served with roast potatoes, sweet potatoes, a creamy sauce of mustard, honey and lemon, and a mixed green salad (yes, that’s just one dish)...

This nice little spot by the Canal Saint-Martin is friendly without being overbearing, good quality without being expensive. The kitchen serves up French classics without pretension: oysters, snails, grilled sea bream – you name it. At €12 the main course-dessert combo menu is worth it, especially if there’s any of their delicious lemon tart left by the time you get there. On Sundays the menu branches out into Swiss or even Norwegian territory, with rösti and smoked salmon making for an alternative brunch...

Another badly-kept secret, in just a few months La Chambre aux Oiseaux has become one of the most popular restaurants on the Canal Saint-Martin, to the point where you need to reserve a week ahead for their Sunday brunch. For €19, the brunch brings you a selection of crusty breads, fresh fruit juice and a hot drink, plus tabbouleh, turkey and cucumber salad, boiled eggs and a sweet, creamy tiramisu with red berries. The restaurant has become the favourite hangout for hip Parisian bloggers – it’s exactly the sort of place they like to sit around and write about...

Les Enfants Perdus is a discreet and really rather chic fine-dining restaurant frequented by the bobos of the Canal Saint-Martin. For the €25 brunch no fewer than three platters are brought to you :mini-viennoiseries, house orange juice and hot drinks of your choosing; then shirred eggs, cake, a beautiful slice of organic salmon on a bed of salad and a cup of cucumbers in white cheese with mint. And finally an enormous platter with vegetable soup, faisselle au miel, grapes, ham and cheese...

We've had restaurants devoted to rolls, chips, even balls – now in the ‘weirdly amazing themed menu’ category, here's the Pancake Sisters, who do exactly what they say on the tin. That's three pancake-themed meals a day – in innumerable different colours, flavours, flour types and dietary permutations. They're a roaring succes, too – book ahead to secure a table at this popular Canal Saint-Martin spot, or take yours to go...

Don’t come here expecting to get a fix of tikka masala or gulab jamun; Marcel is first and foremost a fusion restaurant, mixing Indian flavours with Western culinary traditions. For brunch, Marcel offers a refreshing alternative to the endless pancakes with maple syrup on offer elsewhere. There are four set menus on offer priced between €20 and €25, main dishes with orange juice and mini-viennoiseries: salmon steak, malaï kofta, beef burger or vegetable tart...