My wife and I were visiting her Parisian cousin, who lives in the 7th. We went out for lunch, and the cousin suggested Le Bistrot de l'Universite, near Rue de Bac. It certainly fits the definition of "bistro"--small, informal, with simple foods prepared in traditional...ways.
There was no three-course lunch menu on offer, just a la carte dishes-about six entrees and six plats. The entrees ranged from snails and shrimp salad to pate and terrine. We ordered only main courses: duck breast, plank steak, salmon. All were simply but perfectly prepared, accompanied by green beans, fried potatoes, and pasta, respectively.
We arrived around 1:45 pm and took the only table available downstairs. The upstairs was also packed as we learned when folks came down to settle their checks. Downstairs holds 40 people in a space smaller than our living room, so it's typically cozy and humming with conversation.
This part of Paris tends to be a little pricier than, say Montmartre, so our main courses alone were 18 Euros each. Add wine, mineral water, and a shared dessert -- and excellent nougat ice cream--and we came close to 100 Euros for three.
Service is a bit frantic as one or two owners (?) try to cover all the tables.
You'll take no risks here with quality and preparation. If you aren't familiar with French menu terms, be sure to ask for the server/owner to translate or consult a translator/dictionary. The menu changes daily and comes on a large blackboard.
Look the the red front walking east on l'Universite from Rue de Bac.More