Dunkirk in the very north of France has welcomed its first 鈥榖ouillon鈥� restaurant as the trend for the traditional low-cost fare continues to spread across the country.
A 鈥榖ouillon鈥� is the 鈥渁ncestor of the Paris bistro,鈥� said Jason Groux, head of new restaurant Le Petit Montmartre, to . 鈥淸It鈥檚 where you can] eat simple cuisine鈥hat we could have found on our grandmothers鈥� plates.鈥�
Around 15 years ago, there was only one of these restaurants left in the whole of Paris. Now, there are only about 100 across France and 25 in Paris alone.
But, despite the inspiration for the restaurant coming from Paris, the Dunkirk restaurant has not forgotten its roots. The staff are all from the coastal city, and trained locally. Moreover, the restaurant, which was previously a restaurant cabaret, will continue to host dinner shows on the weekends.
Open continuously from 11:00 to 23:00, it was busy on its first day, the manager said, and has continued to attract customers.
One spoke approvingly of the 鈥渓ow prices, great atmosphere and traditional food鈥�, when interviewed by BFMTV, all of which are the calling cards of the traditional bouillon restaurant.
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The first bouillons
The concept of the bouillon restaurant dates to 1855 when butcher Pierre-Louis Duval had the idea of offering cheap meat cooked in a broth (hence the name 鈥榖ouillon鈥� linked to the French word for 鈥榯o boil鈥�) to market workers at Les Halles in Paris.
The term later became most synonymous with brothers Fr茅d茅ric and Camille Chartier, who opened the first Bouillon Chartier in 1896 in the Grands Boulevards neighbourhood.
In the early 1900s, there were almost 250 bouillons in Paris, of which approximately 10 belonged to the Chartier brothers.
The restaurants started to fall out of popularity after World War One, when their Art Nouveau style fell out of fashion and slightly more refined brasseries started to grow in popularity.
To quote Luc Morand, owner of Bouillon Racine in Paris: 鈥淸Brasseries are] slightly more refined. Bouillons were really canteen-style, with large tables. You were put right next to your neighbours, and the goal was to get you to eat and free up the table as quickly as possible.鈥�
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Only one left 15 years ago
Bouillon Chartier at Grands Boulevards was considered to be the last true bouillon standing, 15 years ago.
Christophe Joulie, who now runs Paris鈥檚 three Chartier locations, said: 鈥淚f my father and I hadn鈥檛 taken it [the business] over in 2007, nobody would be talking about bouillons today.鈥�
The business鈥� sites now include a historic bouillon in Montparnasse, which reopened in 2019; and a completely new one at Gare de l鈥橢st, created in 2021.
A meal costs 鈧�20 on average, with starters beginning at 鈧�1 for the soup of the day, main courses at 鈧�7 for frankfurter and chips, and pot-au-feu at 鈧�11.50. For dessert, a cr猫me caramel will set you back 鈧�3.20.
While Mr Joulie says the low prices are partly down to knowing which ingredients to buy, the business model also requires high volumes.
At Grands Boulevards, it is impossible to reserve a table, and they do 1,800 covers a day. Clients range from Parisian business professionals to students and tourists.
Read more: Buy a 鈧�50 ticket for chance to win a restaurant in France
Bouillons have spread from Paris
More bouillons have also opened outside of Paris in recent years, with ones now operating in Lyon, Lille, Metz, Grenoble, Orl茅ans, Dijon, Tours, and Deauville.
Such is the style鈥檚 growing popularity, that leading figures in the culinary world are joining in.
Thierry Marx, head of the Madame Brasserie restaurant on the first level of the Eiffel Tower, is set to open his own 鈥榖ouillon-style鈥� restaurant in Saint-Ouen, in the northern Paris suburbs, in 2024, reports French newspaper Le Figaro.
Mr Morand, owner of Bouillon Racine in Paris, said he could understand the restaurant style鈥檚 growing resurgence.
鈥淚n France, we don鈥檛 really have a culture of high-quality cheap food,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat is why McDonald鈥檚 was able to develop and why there are lots of pizzerias. There were brasseries, but they often served food that was not very good, and more expensive than a McDonald鈥檚.鈥�
He has particularly noticed interest in bouillons among young adults.
鈥淚鈥檝e been here for 20 years. For a long time, nobody knew what a bouillon was,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hen some smart people opened Bouillon Pigalle. They got great press, and brought the term bouillon back in fashion.鈥�
Bouillon Pigalle opened in 2017, and proved such a hit with a new generation that the owners soon opened a second restaurant in R茅publique.
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