Happa Tei

The red façade and long waiting line that front Happa Tei are a familiar sight to habitués of the Rue Saint-Anne. Amid the trendy Japanese restaurants and bars that line the street, this chaotic little establishment is a bastion of unfussy Osaka-style cuisine, namely okonomiyaki (omelette-cum-pancakes) and takoyaki (fried octopus balls).

You need only take one look at the floor-level tables on the left as you walk in to know that authenticity reigns supreme in Happa Tei; this goes for the food as well as the layout, and we can report that the chefs do what they do better than practically anywhere else in Paris. The dishes are as succulent as they are scalding, and make for a refreshing break from rarefied plates of sashimi – the big egg and meat pileup that is an okonomiyaki will fill the emptiest of stomachs, and for only €15-20. On this basis, it's time for Osakan cuisine to have its day in the sun.