Restaurant chez Alex WENZHOU
Chinese restaurant — Quartier De Belleville (Paris)
About
Chez Alex Wenzhou, a historic Belleville institution since 1992, is an authentic Chinese restaurant specializing in Wenzhou regional cuisine. Located at 24 Rue de Belleville, this family-run establishment offers traditional dishes like dumplings, pork baos, handmade noodles, and sautéed eggplant. The restaurant stands out for its generous portions, affordable prices, and quick service. Open daily (except Thursday), it's a true haven for authentic Chinese cuisine lovers, attracting both local community members and Parisians seeking genuine flavors.
Mentions
Non-touristy Paris restaurants abound in Belleville
If Paris’ culinary worth is judged on flavour and diversity instead of Michelin Stars, then Belleville is its most appetising neighbourhood. Belleville may be sandwiched between the 10th, 11th, 19th and 20th arrondissements, but the cuisines of this Paris neighbourhood spread across continents, from Africa to Asia. A lap around the block will take you past kosher butchers with banh mi-shop neighbours and green grocers selling “tous produits exotiques” (all exotic products) to Caribbean and African locals. In amongst it all, bourgeois-bohèmes – known colloquially as “bobos” – swirl natural wine at the bar of gentrification. This smorgasbord of society is layered with culture, courtesy of the migrant communities that have coexisted here for decades. Poles, Greeks and Armenians settled locally before the Second World War, followed later by sephardic Africans from Tunisia and Nigeria. In the 1970s, Chinese and Vietnamese communities also moved in. But Belleville has forever been a place to eat, drink and be merry. Before it became part of Paris in 1860, it was a village with farms, orchards and vineyards. Belleville was outside Paris’ taxable area, which made it a cheaper location to drink and celebrate than within the capital. When Baron Haussmann demolished Paris’ slums as part of his radical urban redevelopment (1853 to 1871), hundreds of thousands of displaced and disadvantaged people moved to Paris’ east, where they were united as supporters of the Paris Commune. The joie de vivre of the working class was far from extinguished; they gathered in cabarets, theatres and guinguettes, a tavern named after cheap, young guinguette wine that was frequently consumed here. Today, Belleville is a world away from Paris’ wide, Haussmannian boulevards and sparkling storefronts – though only 15 minutes from the centre via Metro. Belleville’s grittiness tends to be positively reframed as a personality trait by its bobo crowd and visitors, but privilege is what allows those passing through to overlook the litter that decorates the curbs more abundantly than street art, disadvantaged huddles drinking in Parc de Belleville during the day, and the West African youths who seek refuge there at night. It's something to keep in mind as you explore the quartier, better known among tourists as the home of Père-Lachaise Cemetery, but too often overlooked as a dining destination. CHINOISE (CHINESE) Belleville is home to Paris’ second Quartier Chinois (Chinatown), which emerged during the 1980s and is centred around Boulevard de Belleville in the 20th arrondissement. Le Cheval d'Or was one of the earlier restaurants to open in 1987, a little further up the hill. It still has the original modest red shopfront embellished with a golden horse, but a slick, young team has been at the reigns since 2023. The French-Chinese bistro menu is a favourite among chefs. Dishes might include poached cod quenelles wrapped in fried tofu and splashed with nantua sauce (which has a creamy crayfish base), or ricotta-filled tortellini with the fermented funk of doubanjiang bean paste, a la mapo tofu. There’s a glut of delicious, more low-fi Chinese restaurants near the Belleville Metro station, centred around the major intersection of Boulevard de Belleville and Rue de Belleville. Along the latter, people crowd into Restaurant Chez Alex Wenzhou, which heats pork brioches (buns) on the spot to take away for less than a couple of euros. Ravioli Nord Est specialises in affordable dumplings (“raviolis” in French) and cold appetisers, like shredded potato and kelp salad. Noodles are hand-pulled in the window at La Tour de Belleville, ready to be submerged into heady pork and beef broths bobbing with tender brisket, while Chez Trois is your best bet for fragrant, northern Chinese dishes, such as cumin and chilli lamb brochette (skewers) from Xinjiang. For a Chinese breakfast, make a beeline for Best Tofu and dunk youtiao (doughnut sticks) into either sweet or savoury tofu pudding. Le Grand Bol serves more substantial dishes, whether garlicky pork ribs, glistening duck, slippery razor clams or other decadent seafood. ASIE DU SUD-EST (SOUTHEAST ASIAN) Within the Chinatown precinct are some Southeast Asian gems. At Ama Siam on Rue de Belleville, the second generation of neighbouring Thai and Laotian restaurant, Lao Siam, recreates the dishes of their childhood using local ingredients. Lao Siam opened in 1985 and continues to serve traditional Thai cuisine, such as hor mok pla steamed fish custard, fragrant sai oua sausage and yam woo sen glass noodle salad. They also host collaborative pop-ups with local food businesses. At Ama Sam, tradition continues in a more modern setting, with krathong rice-flour pastry shells filled with minced pork and veggies, fried whole sea bream in yam sauce with green mango, and moo pralo (braised five-spied pork belly with soft boiled egg and pickles). Viet Passion is the neighbourhood pick for Vietnamese cuisine. Banh mi are available here, but chả giò (Vietnamese rice spring rolls) and bún bò huế (spicy beef noodle soup) are house specialties. AFRICAINE (AFRICAN) Tunisian cafes and restaurants are scattered throughout Belleville, waking locals up with steaming clay bowls of lablabi chickpea stew and shakshuka, and assembling casse croute Tunisien from morning through to after midnight (a sandwich on doughnut-like bread, often ordered with tuna, sliced olive, boiled egg and smoky, piquant harissa). Lablabi chez Mokhtar is a small, bright blue shop with minimal seating where you’ll eat with the local Tunisian community. Some Tunisian restaurants also make for ideal late-night dining in Paris, including Kool Food, Di-Napoli and Restaurant Les Délices de Tunisie, all open until 2am most nights. Chez Rene et Gabin is another popular, all-day spot serving homely, cafeteria-style Tunisian food to a handful of sheltered tables on the footpath. They do a roaring local takeaway trade thanks to their daily specials, whether fish couscous on a Wednesday, Thursday's mloukhia (simmered jute leaf soup/stew) or Friday's t'fina aricha, a beef stew commonly eaten on Shabbat. Algeria has another roll worth knowing: the merguez (North African lamb sausage). You’ll find an oversized version down a side street off Boulevard de Belleville at Marco’s Grill, a store run by Jewish Algerians. There’s also foie, kefta and steak available, and you can order any of them as a generous plate with salad and roughly cut potato chips instead of in bread. Hang around to gesture to staff that you would like all of the condiments slopped on top, then sit in the window or at one of the outdoors tables on the pedestrian street and watch Belleville go by. AUTOUR DU MONDE (AROUND THE WORLD) Although there is heavy culinary representation in Belleville from Asia and Africa, it doesn’t stop there. At Le Mezze Du Chef, the focus is çig köfte; little fistfuls of meat-free steak tartare from Turkey's southeast. The dish is based on a classic street food made from minced lean beef, kneaded together with bulghur and spices, but it’s harder to find these days due to health and safety regulations. The more common vegetarian version, made with peppers, is available in this unassuming corner of Paris, served with a pile of pickles and a wedge of iceberg lettuce. L' Artisan Libanais is a Lebanese cafe and mini grocer near Pyrénées station, open from lunch through to after dinner. Faux-bougainvillea carpets the ceiling, with decorative wooden panelling and traditional black-and-white tiles continuing the theme. Pita wraps with fillings ranging from kofta to foie de volaille (chicken liver) can be ordered to takeaway or dine-in, while the glass counter tempts with mounds of dips, salads and sambousek. Specialites Antillaises Menilmontant is a dedicated Caribbean caterer, grocer and delicatessen that’s been serving the community since 1960. It’s a righteous pre-picnic spot where you can load up on French-Creole specialties such
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Where to Eat in Belleville, Paris | SUITCASE Magazine
to a diverse community of immigrants - including from Armenia, Greece, Tunisia and Poland - Paris' most defiantly independent district feasts from tables spanning the globe. Far from the bouillons and brasseries favoured elsewhere in the city, a traditional Belleville lunch more often takes the form of a stacked Tunisian sandwich from Di-Napoli, and even where typical French restaurant culture does seep through, it's often with a distinctive twist. Stroll Boulevard de Belleville and you'll find French-Caribbean favourites, aromatic broths borrowed from China's cookbook and the Tunisian Sephardic staple of shakshuka, to name but a few. Here are three we're booking next time we're in Belleville. restaurant IL POSTO With its eclectic architecture and multicultural vibe, Belleville definitely has something of New York about it, and this lively pizza restaurant plays with that, with its Brooklyn-ready interiors featuring exposed brick walls and glass ceilings. Expect delectable Neapolitan-style pizzas made in an authentic wood oven, from classic margherita to pizza bianca and calzone. Sunny day? We'd recommend sitting outside on the terrace to soak up Belleville's buzzy ambience. restaurant LE GRAND BAIN It's worth getting the Paris Metro to the east of town simply to dine at this excellent neo-bistro. The front of house is run by Edouard Lax, formerly of the popular Au Passage, while Emily Chia, an alumna of St John in London, presides over the kitchen. Expect an ever-changing offering of seasonal delights (consult the menu on the handwritten chalkboard) that give French classics an Asian twist: think a jambon-Comté-kimchi pithiviers pie, or a tartare of zander fish, melon and shisho. Dishes are accompanied by natural wines. restaurant RESTAURANT CHEZ ALEX WENZHOU This 30-year-old Belleville institution takes its name from Wenzhou, a port town in southern China, from which many people emigrated to Europe by boat from the 1930s onwards, a good number ending up in Paris (there's even a micro-quartier in the Upper Marais known as Little Wenzhou). The restaurant was opened in 1992 by Monsieur Xu to serve local immigrants from Wenzhou, and little by little began to be frequented by locals outside of the Chinese community, too. Today Xu Senior's son Alex Xu runs the popular restaurant, which has Parisians coming from all over town to sample the famous dumplings, dried meats and sautéed aubergine. It's old-school and cash-only, so bring your euros. Discover More The Most Instagrammable Restaurants in Paris
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Chez Alex Wenzhou - Restaurant asiatique à Belleville, Paris, France
Le menu de Chez Alex Wenzhou propose des nouilles artisanales, des raviolis, des soupes et des crêpes, mettant en valeur les méthodes traditionnelles chinoises. L'établissement est devenu partie intégrante de la transformation de Belleville en centre gastronomique asiatique pendant l'évolution culturelle du quartier. Le restaurant intègre des éléments de la cuisine de Wenzhou, reflétant l'accent mis par cette ville côtière sur les produits de la mer frais. Situé au 24 rue de Belleville, le restaurant est ouvert de 11h30 à 22h30 du lundi au mercredi et du vendredi au dimanche, acceptant les paiements en espèces. Le restaurant entretient des relations directes avec les marchés locaux pour garantir que les ingrédients répondent aux exigences des recettes de Wenzhou. Emplacement : Paris Accessibilité : Niedostępne dla wózków inwalidzkich Adresse : 24 Rue de Belleville, 75020 Paris, France 75020 Heures d'ouverture : Poniedziałek-Środa 11:30-22:30; Piątek-Niedziela 11:30-22:30 Téléphone : +33146365633 Site web : https://restaurantwenzhou.fr Coordonnées GPS : 48.87264,2.37938 Dernière mise à jour : 28 novembre 2025 à 02:32
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