“A brasserie is where the pleasure of the eye is reunited with the pleasures of the table.”

In the sparkling brasseries of Paris, waiters in traditional long white aprons balance overflowing trays as they weave their way through beautiful Art Deco and Art Nouveau dining rooms with stained glass windows, romantic femmes-fleurs murals, glistening mirrors. The traditional menu—a lighter version of the pricier dishes served in “real” restaurants—includes choucroute, steak-frites, towering fresh seafood platters, and soups from bouillabaise to onion. “Brasseries rustle with all that makes Parisian life Parisian,” writes the author in this charming guide, first published in France, which will lead travelers to the best of these beloved institutions.

In the vast landscape of French eateries—from restaurants and bistros to bouillons and cafés—perhaps the most beloved are brasseries. The story of their founding can’t help but stir the French love of la patrie: “It was the 1870 annexation of Alsace by Germany that forced some of the best cooks in the region, determined to remain French, to bring their sausages and their kugelhopfs to the capital,” writes Francois Thomazeau in The Brasseries of Paris. The Weplers, Bofingers, Lipps: the names are to this day synonymous with good dining and good taste.

Beyond this, the French appreciate brasseries’ spectacular Art Déco or Art Nouveau settings; the classic menu; and simply the impressive number of meals served each day (typically 200; 800 at Bofinger)—all distinctive qualities of these institutions that “rustle with all that makes Parisian life Parisian.” Francois Thomazeau’s profiles of the most beautiful brasseries of Paris provide a unique glimpse into their history, lore, legend, and atmosphere.