Chez Ramona

The alleys of Belleville are a delightful mishmash, a labyrinth of little streets full of cafés that welcome night owls and lost souls. Among these there is Chez Ramona, the grand old lady of rue Ramponeau, and her restaurant is a local legend. The place has the air of a mini-market, with shelves and shelves crammed with ingredients and Spanish specialities. On the walls, plastic flowers, cardboard souvenirs, a mock bull’s head, odds and ends from all over Spain, old paintings, family photos, plates of all sorts – a joyous mess of memories from ever since the place opened in the 1960s. Ramona chats away downstairs, drinking wine with the regulars or watching soap operas, while her daughter cooks and the deaf and dumb waiter serves clients upstairs. It’s another world.

Anyway, head for your table and tuck into a welcome tortilla. You’ll need to order ahead for the enormous, fantastic house paella (€38.60 for two), but don’t panic if you forget – there’s calamari fried in batter or cooked in the pan, Spanish mussels, prawns with garlic, jamón Iberico, Galician cod, chorizo and more. All quality produce cooked with real heart, with good wine, and more than affordable – expect to pay around €25 for a generous dinner and drinks. You won’t be able to try everything at one sitting, but you’ll want to come back anyway.