Frog & British Library, The

The atmosphere here is oddly strip mall like. While I know it's a chain, the feel compared to most of the rest of the places I visited, just didn't feel very much like Paris, nor did it feel like the British pub they're trying for.

The beer was good enough to help make up for that though, being good, yet middle of the road, representations of the styles the were aiming for.

They do get bonus points for effort on the whole British pub thing though, the staff is required to speak english. Also free wifi makes for a nice place to do a business lunch/

 

Superbly located next to the national library (Francois Mitterand) near rue Tolbiac, with a nice patio and very comfortable interior. A friend who had spent a lot of time in the US took me here...turns out he frequents quite often to enjoy some beer that is closer to some of the US-styles he learned to love while overseas. They also serve their own crafted beers with clever names made from various Paris landmarks. I tried the "Dark de Triomphe" (stout) and the "InSeine" (bitter),. I liked the InSeine: good hoppy treat in a region where hops usually take a back seat.

The service is very good for a Paris establishment, in keeping with the Anglo theme. Their menu is superbly Anglo, both UK and US classics are on hand. I had one of their burgers, and I must say it was almost like being back home in the US, with bloody juiciness dripping all over. Quite nice.

Prices are reasonable for Paris. Dinner will run about 8-10 euros...add a few beers, and you'll have a bill of 20-ish+ euros. Not bad in a city where it is quite common to spend 30 euros for dinner. I've speculated that they may show NFL games when the season begins, and if so I'll be a regular, for sure.

They apparently have six brasseries in France, most in Paris, though I've not frequented the others. Their website has more details on the locations and beer/food selections: http://www.frogpubs.com