Stuart Friendly Café / Restaurant

Les Halles / Rivoli - 1er / 2eme, Paris –

In a neighborhood not lacking for LGBT bars, Stuart Friendly is a popular brunch spot, coffee shop, and tea house that’s also the self-proclaimed “premiere hetero-friendly restaurant in Paris.”

Serving a mélange of organic teas and wines alongside the chef’s seasonal specialties, the venue invites people of all ages, nationalities, and sexual orientations to gather and get friendly over a fusion of French, Italian, and North American fare.

The menu changes seasonally, but usually includes lots of vegetarian and fish dishes, egg plates, beef tartare, and homemade desserts to go with the standard croissants and pastries.

A typical Sunday brunch attracts young French families, fully equipped with their strollers, toys, and restless toddlers, as well as bubbling high school students and bespectacled older professionals scanning the morning paper.

A simple décor of spare wood paneling, mod-clear plastic chairs, and stone walls keeps the focus on conversation, interrupted only by the pair of flat-screens that alternate between foreign films, nature documentaries, and French music videos.

Tourists and expats are also drawn to the open, welcoming atmosphere that’s busy but laid back all week, especially since the bilingual owners are just as eager to help patrons practice French as they are to speak in English.

Warm, intimate, and as diverse in its menu as it is in its clientele, Stuart Friendly is a perfect spot for a Sunday brunch or a low-key evening among friends.