Restaurants
We have used the following symbols to give an idea of the price for a three-course meal for one, including half a bottle of house wine, tax and service:
€€€€ over 60 euros €€ 25–50 euros
€€€ 40–60 euros € under 25 euros
The Islands
Le Sergent Recruteur €€€€ 41 rue St-Louis-en-l’Ile, 75004; tel: 01 43 54 75 42; www.lesergentrecruteur.fr. Closed Sun and Mon. Opened in 2012, this stylish restaurant in an ancient house has already gained a Michelin star. Chef Antonin Bonnet has worked in Provence, Asia and London and this eclectic mix can be felt in his food; there is even sake on the drinks menu. But the restaurant’s main appeal is top-quality seasonal cuisine, cooked simply.
The Right Bank
Louvre and Tuileries
Le Fumoir €€€ 6 rue de l’Amiral-de-Coligny, 75001; tel: 01 42 92 00 24; www.lefumoir.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily; brunch on Sunday. Facing the Louvre, spacious, sophisticated Le Fumoir is renowned for shaking some of the best cocktails in town. It serves light pan-European cooking, such as poached cod with a warm salad of fennel, tomatoes and olives.
Le Grand Véfour €€€€ 17 rue de Beaujolais, 75001; tel: 01 42 96 56 27; www.grand-vefour.com. Open for lunch and dinner Mon–Fri. Set under the arches of the Palais-Royal, this is one of the most beautiful restaurants in Paris. Le Grand Véfour opened its doors in 1784 and has fed the likes of Emperor Napoleon and writers Alphonse Lamartine and Victor Hugo. Today it serves haute cuisine in the hands of chef Guy Martin.
Kaï €€€€ 18 rue du Louvre, 75001; tel: 01 40 15 01 99. Open for lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. Excellent Japanese restaurant near the Louvre with a good-value lunch menu (€28) and yummy cakes from Pierre Hermé for dessert. However, the service can sometimes let it down.
Café Marly €€€€ Palais du Louvre, 93 rue de Rivoli, 75001; tel: 01 49 26 06 60; www.beaumarly.com. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily until 2am. Rest from your labours at the Louvre in the lavish Second Empire-style rooms facing the Pyramid, or on the attractive covered terrace. The food is modern European, the service sometimes a bit slow.
The Grands Boulevards
Chartier € 7 rue du Faubourg-Montmartre, 75009; tel: 01 47 70 86 29; www.bouillon-chartier.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily; arrive before 1pm or before 8pm at night or you may not get a seat. The ambience at this historic budget option is an experience in itself: Belle Epoque decor, snappy waiters, shared tables and plenty of bonhomie.
L’Opéra €€€€ Palais Garnier, entrance on place Jacques Rouché, 75009; tel: 01 42 68 86 80; www.opera-restaurant.fr. Open 8am–midnight daily. With its two-storey undulating glass front, space-age interior with bright red chairs and carpets and, most of all, its location inside the Palais Garnier – the first time a restaurant has been set up here – this is one of the most talked-about restaurants in Paris. Splash out on roast and poached guinea fowl served with carrot and sesame salad, or slide up to the bar for one of the sumptuous cocktails.
Café de la Paix €€€€ 5 place de l’Opéra, 75009; tel: 01 40 07 36 36; www.cafedelapaix.fr. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Its prices are steep, but this is one of the city’s most historic cafés (it opened in 1862), and it is convenient for the Palais Garnier opposite and the department stores on boulevard Haussmann. There is a family-friendly brunch on Sundays.
Spring €€€€ 6 rue Bailleul, 75001; 01 45 96 05 72; www.springparis.fr. Open for lunch Wed–Fri, for dinner Tue–Sat. Young Chicago-born chef Daniel Rose is the talk of the town. His small restaurant books out months in advance, and with good reason; even haughty French critics have been bowled over. The superb seasonal cuisine is put together in an open kitchen, with the chatty Rose presiding; there’s a wine bar downstairs that you don’t have to book for. This is one of the best restaurants in Paris.
Willi’s Wine Bar €€€ 13 rue des Petits-Champs, 75001; tel: 01 42 61 05 09; www.williswinebar.com. Open for lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat. In business for over 30 years, this classy establishment near the Palais Garnier is great for a full-blown meal à table or simply a glass of wine at its high oak bar.
Beaubourg, Marais, Bastille and East
L’Apparemment Café € 18 rue des Coutures-St-Gervais, 75003; tel: 01 48 87 12 22. Open 9am–1am daily. Stepping inside this quaint café near the Musée Picasso is like entering someone’s house. Cosy seats make for lovely lazy dining, and simple, tasty food. There are board games, too.
L’As du Fallafel € 34 rue des Rosiers, 75004; tel: 01 48 87 63 60. Open noon–midnight Sun–Fri. The best falafel in Paris is a meal in itself. There are also shawarma sandwiches in pitta bread. Great location in the heart of the Marais.
Brasserie Bofinger €€€€ 5–7 rue de la Bastille, 75004; tel: 01 42 72 87 82 www.bofingerparis.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Close to the Opéra Bastille, the huge (300-seater) Bofinger is the archetypal Belle Epoque brasserie, complete with lush red-and-gold decor. It is a great place in which to enjoy delicious oysters and seafood, and specialities from Alsace such as choucroute.
Chai 33 €€€ 33 cour St-Emilion, 75012; tel: 01 53 44 01 01; www.chai33.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily. This restaurant is set in a light, airy former wine warehouse with a view of Bercy park. Choose your wine according to six styles, from light with a bite to rich and silky, with refreshing fusion food to match. Unpretentious sommeliers are on hand to help with wine choices.
Le Chateaubriand €€€€ 129 avenue Parmentier, 75011; tel: 01 43 57 45 95. Open for dinner only Tue–Sat. The latest food sensation in Paris is the ‘néo-bistrot’, run by young chefs creating innovative, cosmopolitan cuisine for usually less than €50 per head. This one has been voted one of the top 20 best restaurants in the world. Daily changing menu. Book well in advance.
Chez Omar €€ 47 rue de Bretagne, 75003; tel: 01 42 72 36 36. Open for lunch Mon–Sat, for dinner daily. Couscous is one of the most popular international dishes in Paris, and this perennially popular address does some of the best. It doesn’t take bookings, so get there early or join the queue of fashionable people outside. The portions are hearty, and the roast lamb is superb.
Chez Prune €€ 36 rue Beaurepaire 75010; tel: 01 42 41 30 47. Open for lunch and dinner daily. This is a cornerstone of the trendy Canal St-Martin area, and a great spot from which to watch the world go by. Good food at lunchtime; tapas-style snacks at night.
Le Petit Fer à Cheval €€ 30 rue Vieille-du-Temple, 75004; tel: 01 42 72 47 47. Open for lunch and dinner daily. With its tiny horseshoe-shaped bar, this café on the Marais’s trendy rue Vieille-du-Temple, is atmospheric and a great favourite with the bourgeois-bohemian crowd. Decent food. Friendly service.
Saveurs Végét’Halles €€ 41 rue des Bourdonnais, 75001; tel: 01 40 41 93 95; www.saveursvegethalles.fr. Open Mon–Sat for lunch and dinner. Good-value vegetarian and vegan restaurant south east of Les Halles. The menu includes salads, mushroom roast with blackberry and ginger sauce and there is a good choice of desserts such as fruit crumble or chocolate and banana cake.
Le Square Trousseau €€€ 1 rue Antoine-Vollon, 75012; tel: 01 43 43 06 00; www.squaretrousseau.com. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. A spacious bistro with Art Deco lamps, colourful tiles, a glamorous bar and terrace facing a leafy square. Among the delights available are gazpacho, tuna tartare, rosemary lamb and spring vegetables, beef with shallot sauce, and raspberry gratin.
Le Train Bleu €€€€ Gare de Lyon, 750012; tel: 01 43 43 09 06; www.le-train-bleu.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Built over a century ago, this huge restaurant in the Gare de Lyon is an artistic marvel, with frescoed ceilings and Belle Epoque murals. Classic French dishes are efficiently served. Good-value set menus.
Champs-Élysées and Trocadéro
Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée €€€€ 25 avenue Montaigne, 75008; tel: 01 53 67 65 00; www.alain-ducasse.com. Open for lunch Thu–Fri, dinner Mon–Fri. Here, cooking has been elevated to an art form, by France’s first recipient of six Michelin stars (three apiece for two restaurants). Expect truffles in abundance and superb vegetables from Provence. Reserve well ahead.
L’Entredgeu €€ 83 rue Laugier, 75017; tel: 01 40 54 97 24. Open for lunch and dinner Tue–Sat. The unpronounceable name and non-central location apart, this superior bistro has a lot going for it. Dishes include roast duckling in honey sauce and lots of foie gras, and the decor is suitably cosy and intimate.
Le Pavillon Elysée Lenôtre €€€ 10 avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008; tel: 01 42 65 85 10; www.lenotre.com. Open for lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. This pâtisserie is opposite the Grand Palais, in a glass pavilion created for the 1900 World Fair. The main reason to come here is for the delicious cakes, for which Lenôtre is best known. It’s also possible to have a three-course meal.
Western Paris
Guy Savoy €€€€ 18 rue Troyon, 75017; tel: 01 43 80 40 61; www.guysavoy.com. Open for lunch Tue–Fri, dinner Tue–Sat. The son of a gardener, Guy Savoy has an obsession with vegetables that has anticipated the current trend by more than a decade. The Michelin-starred chef happily pairs truffles with lentils or artichokes, and regularly makes the rounds to greet his guests.
Pré Catelan €€€€ route de Suresnes, 75016; tel: 01 44 14 41 14; www.restaurant-precatelan.com. Open for lunch and dinner Tue–Sat, lunch only on Sun. This is one of the most romantic spots in Paris, situated in the heart of the Bois de Boulogne. Haute cuisine, centring on fresh truffles, lobster, lamb and fresh seafood. Book well ahead.
Montmartre and the Northeast
Chez Toinette €€€ 20 rue Germain-Pilon, 75018; tel: 01 42 54 44 36; www.cheztoinette.com. Open for dinner Mon–Sat. With its red walls and romantic lighting, this cosy and convivial bistro in the heights of Montmartre is a good bet for a classic French dinner. Try the wild boar terrine, and don’t miss the superb crème brûlée.
Le Coq Rico €€€€ 98 rue Lepic, 75018; tel: 01 42 59 82 89; www.lecoqrico.com. Open daily for lunch and dinner. If you love poultry then this smart restaurant from Antoine Westermann is the place to come. Try roast chicken accompanied by homemade chips. The plat du jour (€15) changes daily.
Rose Bakery €€ 46 rue des Martyrs, 75009; tel: 01 42 82 12 80. Open for breakfast and lunch, Tue–Sun. Considered a folly when it opened in 2002, this deli-style café run by a Franco-British couple quickly made its mark, and is still going strong. The ingredients are of the highest quality, and make the soups, salads and quiches really shine. Vegetarian options.
The Left Bank
Latin Quarter and St-Germain-des-Prés
L’Alcazar €€€ 62 rue Mazarine, 75006; tel: 01 53 10 19 99; www.alcazar.fr. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Sir Terence Conran’s contribution to the Paris restaurant scene was to transform this former music hall into a designer brasserie. It’s been a hit, thanks to the easy-going atmosphere and competitively priced menu, which includes an upmarket interpretation of British fish and chips. DJs play on the mezzanine Thu–Sat.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon €€€€ 5 rue Montalembert, 75007; tel: 01 42 22 56 56; www.joel-robuchon.net. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Parisians queue up in all weathers to sample the warm brochettes de foie gras, or tapenade with fresh tuna conjured by France’s most revered chef. The two-star restaurant is set around an open kitchen, so you can watch the masters at work. A second Atelier has opened at the Publicis drugstore (www.publicisdrugstore.com) on the Champs-Élysées.
Le Comptoir €€€ Hôtel Le Relais St-Germain, 9 carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006; tel: 01 43 29 12 05; www.hotel-paris-relais-saint-germain.com. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Since its launch in 2005, chef Yves Camdeborde’s Art Deco restaurant – in the 17th-century hotel he runs with his wife Claudine – has been a steady hit with the city’s gastronomes. Queues at lunchtime say all you need to know about the superb updated brasserie fare, such as chicken basquaise or salmon croque-monsieur. Tables are tightly packed, and the atmosphere is always convivial. You’ll need to book months ahead for the set menu dinner.
La Ferrandaise €€€ 8 rue de Vaugirard, 75006; tel: 01 43 26 36 36; www.laferrandaise.com. Open for lunch and dinner Mon–Fri, dinner only Sat. An old-fashioned red entrance sets the tone for this Left Bank restaurant, with its three atmospheric dining rooms boasting exposed beams and tiled floors. The food is traditional French: try the sardines cooked in lemon juice or the succulent Bresse chicken with morille mushrooms.
Polidor €€ 41 rue Monsieur-le-Prince, 75006; tel: 01 43 26 95 34; www.polidor.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily. This bohemian restaurant is a perennial favourite of students and budget diners. The plats du jour have been reliable for around 150 years and arrive in hearty helpings. Bœuf bourguignon and tarte tatin are just the kind of traditional dishes to expect.
Le Rostand €€€ 6 place Edmond-Rostand, 75005; tel: 01 43 54 61 58. Open 8am–2am daily. This is one of the city’s more upmarket cafés, with prices to match – but it’s the sort of place you should treat yourself to at least once on a trip to Paris. A fine view of the Jardin du Luxembourg, good cocktails, a delicious snacks menu and an attractive mirrors-and-mahogany interior make this a classy spot for refreshment.
Around the Eiffel Tower
Au Bon Accueil €€€€ 14 rue de Monttessuy, 75007; tel: 01 47 05 46 11; www.aubonaccueilparis.com. Open for lunch and dinner Mon–Fri. This elegant bistro serves modern classics. The prix-fixe dinner menu (around €30) is viewed by many locals as one of the best deals in the neighbourhood, and the wine list is excellent. Seats on the terrace have views of its near neighbour the Eiffel Tower.
Les Cocottes €€€ 135 rue St-Dominique, 75007; www.maisonconstant.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily. This contemporary bistro run by chef Christian Constant has been packing Parisians in for its non-stop service of affordable and hearty grub: things like pumpkin soup or preserved shoulder of lamb. The name alludes to the cast-iron pots the food comes to the table in.
Le Jules Verne €€€€ 2nd floor, Eiffel Tower, 75007; tel: 01 45 55 61 44; www.lejulesverne-paris.com. Open for lunch and dinner daily. Location-wise, this restaurant on the second level of the Eiffel Tower is perfect for a celebration or romantic dinner, and since Alain Ducasse took over the nine-year concession in 2007, the food has improved considerably. Specialities include pan-seared turbot with violet artichokes and Provençal figs.
Montparnasse
La Closerie des Lilas €€€€ 171 boulevard du Montparnasse, 75006; tel: 01 40 51 34 50; www.closeriedeslilas.fr. Open for lunch and dinner daily. This historic brasserie still has a lot of charm and richly satisfying fare, though it lives off its reputation as a watering hole in the 1920s – tables are inscribed with the names of clients Lenin, Modigliani and André Breton. A pianist plays in the evening.
La Coupole €€€ 102 boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014; tel: 01 43 20 14 20; www.lacoupole-paris.com. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. Opened in 1927, this vast, iconic Art Deco brasserie, now run by the Flo Brasserie group, is still going strong. Brasserie fare includes huge platters of shellfish and grilled meats.