Beyond Jajangmyeon: A Guide to Authentic Chinese Food in Paris

France has a huge number of Chinese restaurants, many serving the real thing rather than localized versions. The easiest area for visitors to find authentic mainland Chinese food is the back streets behind Galeries Lafayette. It's the biggest and oldest department store in Paris, and so vast that shopping there can leave you drained, which makes a plate of spicy food in one of the back-street restaurants a good way to unwind.

First is Wok Up Restaurant, highly recommended by several Chinese friends, especially for the sweet-and-sour pork and the fish noodle soup. On the menu, look for porc sauce aigre douce and soupe de nouilles au choucroute de poisson. Another favorite among Chinese people in France is spicy stir-fried pork intestines, listed as intestins de porc au piment fort.

Second is Miam Miam Cool, with lots of spicy soups and a choice of wheat noodles or glass noodles. Try the beef noodle soup, Des nouilles au boeuf, or Des vermicelles au boeuf for glass noodles. The flat pork dumplings in spicy sauce are Des Raviolis du porc sans soupe, and the dumpling soups and wontons are under soupe de raviolis.

Head down toward the Marais and you'll find 888 NightMarket, which picks signature dishes from regions across China. It's best with a group, so you can order a bit of everything. Try the lamb skewers and mala xiangguo (dry-pot stir-fry). The water spinach popular across Southeast Asia, known as morning glory in English and liseron d'eau in French, is excellent too. For dessert, there's a mango-and-coconut shake served in a beer glass, filled to the brim.

Third is Trantranzai, the best-known Sichuan noodle chain in Paris, with several branches. The one visited was in the 5th arrondissement. The noodles are handmade, you choose the spice level, and the menu is very similar to Miam Miam Cool's. It's always packed, so book ahead.

You may have seen families or friends gathered around a huge pot, eating slowly. That's hot pot, similar to shabu-shabu: you dip ingredients into boiling broth. In French it's Fondue Chinoise, and in Chinese huoguo. For fresh, good-quality ingredients, try Han Shi Fang. Each person gets a broth of their choice, and you help yourself from a buffet of ingredients. Freshness is key in hot pot, and the many Chinese diners here suggest they agree. All-you-can-eat is 30 euros. After eating this much authentic Chinese food, you honestly stop craving jajangmyeon and jjamppong.

France is also in the middle of a bubble tea boom. Its popularity here keeps climbing. Since it's a Taiwanese drink, many shops make versions that taste just like Taiwan's, though at around 6 euros on average they're not cheap. People still line up. Here are two shops that Chinese friends rate as the best in Paris.

Tea Yammi is a café, unlike most bubble tea places, which are tiny take-away counters. It sells cakes, has tables, and even offers the sponge and roll cakes popular across Asia, which are hard to find in Paris because sponge cake isn't a French dessert. It's near the Louvre and the Opéra, a handy break in a day of sightseeing.

Yi Fang is the classic take-away-only shop and is especially known for fruit-based drinks. There are a few simple seats, but they're not comfortable for long. Instead, take your drink to the beautiful, historic Palais Royal garden next door. There's a fountain and plenty of seating, and sipping authentic Taiwanese bubble tea under a blue sky is a happy way to rest.