According to a Forbes survey, Paris is the best city in the world in terms of eating well, ahead of Rome and Tokyo. I have lived in Paris between 2005 and 2008, for 3 years, on the right bank in the 8th arrondissement. Naturally, my list of favorites reflects that to a certain extent, although the Paris Metro takes you very efficiently anywhere in Paris with the Paris beltway.
Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars
Restaurants in Paris are open only for lunch and/or dinner. You go there to eat, often in a rather formal setting. For dinner, the restaurants in Paris typically open at 8pm. The best restaurants are those with 1 to 3 Michelin stars.
Bistros in Paris are scaled down versions of restaurants, also open only for lunch and/or dinner. They tend to be less formal. Some bistros are Michelin-starred.
Brasseries open very early in the day and serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. You can also have just a beer or a café. My “down the road” brasserie Paris Europe would open at 6:30am and I often would have a croissant and an espresso there before going to work.
Wine Bars primarily serve wine by the glass, but most of them also have elements of a bistro or a brasserie. Accordingly, I have listed Willi’s Winebar – a popular hang-out for Americans and other expatriates in Paris – as a bistro.
Cafés serve as places where people sit to have a café, by themselves or with others, eat something or have glass of wine. Most cafés serve lunch and light dinners in the evening. They generally do not have pastries except during mornings, where a croissant or pain au chocolat can be purchased with breakfast coffee.
Restaurants
Le Grand Vefour
M Palais Royal, 1st
Historic place with outstanding food. The oldest continually operating restaurant in Paris. Tucked like a jewel box in the Palais Royal’s quietest corner.
Le Meurice
228 rue de Rivoli, 1st
Starting Sept 1, 2013, Alan Ducasse and his team will cook at Le Meurice, for 7 months at least.
Taillevent
M Charles de Gaulle - Étoile, 8th
Famed for what is probably the most sumptuous wine cellar in Paris.
Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athenee
M Alma-Marceau, 8th
Starting October 1, the restaurant will be closed for renovations for 7 months.
Le Chateaubriand
M Parmentier, 11th
Bistronomics cuisine that made it to the Top 50 restaurants in the world list of Pellegrino in the Oberkampf area. “Le Chateaubriand operates at the rock 'n' roll end of French cuisine, not only in terms of what it leaves out — pomp and ceremony, expensive frippery, soft furnishings — but also thanks to self-taught chef Inaki Aizpitarte's laconic persona, and a certain Gallic shoulder-shrugging nonchalance. Dinner is unique.”
See:
The 2010 World's Best Restaurants
Closerie des Lilas
M Port-Royal, 14th
Legend. The romance of days when men like Henry James and Ernest Hemingway gathered here is still very much alive at this popular café-restaurant. Nice outdoor dining.
Bistros
Willi’s Wine Bar
Metro Pyramides, 1st
Owned and run by the Brit Mark Williamson, well known in the American community.
See:
Wine bar: Paris --- Le Petit Monceau, Willi's wine bar and Lavinia
Chez Omar
M Arts et Metier, 3rd
My favorite couscous place in Paris. No reservations. Prepare to prop the bar (and be rather more intimate with your neighbors when you sit at your table).
Ma Bourgogne
Metro Bastille, 4th
Setting under the arcades of the picture perfect place des Vosges.
Au Bourguignon du Marais
52, rue Francois-Miron, 4th
Excellent place to sample the best of Burgundy by the glass over regional classics.
Le Temps des Cerises
M Place d’Italie, 4th
Relaxed rue de la Butte au Cailles bistro, where diners sit elbow-to-elbow on long wooden tables.
Les Racines
8 Passage des Panoramas, 6th
The Passage des Panoramas (off boulevard Montmartre) is a beautiful belle époque shopping arcade. Tucked away inside is Les Racines, owned and run by Sommelier Pierre Jancou, who is evangelical about vins naturels.
Il Vino
13 boulevard de La Tour-Maubourg, 7th
Enrico Bernardo, youngest-ever winner of the World's Best Sommelier award, runs this restaurant where, for once, food plays second fiddle to wine. You are presented with nothing more than a wine list. Each of 15 wines by the glass is matched with a surprise dish, or the chef can build a meal around the bottle of your choice. Strong Italian influence.
Café du Commerce
M Emile-Zola, 15th
One of the most attractive budget restaurants of Paris, with 3 floors.
Bistro des Dames
M Place-de-Clichy, 18 rue des Dames
Excellent bistro, tucked away in a side street near Place de Clichy. Not in any guide.
L’Entracte
M Anvers, 18th
Tucked away in a side street near Sacre Coeur.
Brasseries
Le Vaudeville
M Bourse, 2nd
My favorite place for a pot (a drink) after work.
Le Beuf sur le Toit
M St-Philippe du Roule, 8th
Paris Europe
51 Rue de Rome, 8th
My “down the road” brasserie, just next to my apartment building: Cette belle brasserie traditionnelle propose plats du jour, desserts frais faits maison et accoudé à son imposant comptoir on y déguste volontiers ses sandwiches et salades qu'accompagnent avec bonheur d'honnêtes vins de pays. Le Café PARIS EUROPE vous reçoit du Lundi au Samedi de 6h30 à 22h30 et vous offre son service continu dès 11h.
Chez Chartier
M Grands Boulevards, 9th
One of the remaining 19th century workers’ canteen in Paris that has kept not only its mirrored interior, but also its low budget menu. The bill is calculated on the paper that is covering the table. Was classified as Monument historique in 1989.
Julien
M Strasbourg-St-Denis, 10th
Created in 1902. Love to sit in the beautifully slinky art nouveau décor.
Le Train Bleu
Gare de Lyon, 12th
One of the most romantic restaurants in Paris, but has become a favorite of Japanese tourists. I only go for drinks there at the bar while waiting for my train.
La Coupole
M Vavin, 14th
An institution. Huge. My absolute favorite. No reservations – you wait at the bar.
Le Wepler
M Place de Clichy, 14th
One of my favorite neighborhood brasserie, when I used to live in Paris, “c’est correct” as my French friends used to say – not more and not less.
A La Maree
Place des Pêcheurs, Rungis
Jon Rowley recommendation: “A La Maree at Rungis, the wholesale market outside of Paris. Rungis opens at 3:00 am. Oysters and soupe de poisson at 2:00 am at A La Maree, open all night, seemed a must-do and we did.”
Cafés
Au Petit Fer a Cheval
M Hotel-de-Ville, 4th
A Marais institution.
Café de Flore
M St-Germain-des-Prets, 6th
The haunt of the Surrealists in the 1920s and 1930s. Picassos met muse and model Dora Maar here. I sat several times next to Karl Lagerfeld (in the late evening).
Le Deux Magots
M St-Germain-des-Prets, 6th
This is the epitome of the Paris literary haunt, but I prefer Café de Flore.
La Rotonde
M Vavin, 14th
Lenin and Trotsky sipped their café crème here in 1915 and made it famous. Jon Rowley likes it.
Le Chinon
M Abbesses, 18th
My Montmartre favorite.
Wine Bars
Lavinia
3-5 bd de la Madeleine, 1st
restaurant et bar a vin - Lavinia is one of the biggest wine shops in Paris, with a broad and deep selection of French wines, but also some New World wines. Upstairs there is a restaurant and a bar where you can drop in for a glass or a bottle of wine at the wine bar, until 8 pm. At the wine bar, you can choose any of the more than 5000 bottles they sell at the shop and just pay the shop price.
See:
Wine bar: Paris --- Le Petit Monceau, Willi's wine bar and Lavinia
Bar de L’Entracte
47 rue de Montpensier, 1st
A stone through away from the Grand Vevour, in the corner.
Aux Bons Crus
M Bourse, 7 Rue des Petits Champs, 1st
Opened in 1905, a solid down-to-earth wine bar.
Juveniles
M Palais Royal, 1st
Owned by the legendary Tim Johnston, the wines are very interesting as is the Anglophone clientele.
See:
A Cult Paris Wine Bar - Juveniles
Legrand Filles et Fils
1 Rue de la Banque, 2nd
A wine store, which closes in the evening. But during the day (until 7pm), at the horseshoe bar, at one of the tables, or in the covered galerie, numerous wines are available by the glass. Was just sold to an Asian investor.
La Cremerie
M Odeon, 6th
Tiny place focusing on “natural wines”. Has gained cult status among natural wine drinkers.
See:
The Natural Wines of La Cremerie in Paris
Le Petit Monceau
93 rue de Monceau, 8th
When I lived in Paris my “down the road bar” was Le Petit Monceau, just next to my apartment building in the 8th district. There are hundreds of these wine bars in Paris. This is the place where people from the neighborhood meet after work “pour un pot”. You would stand at the bar, talk about Carla Bruni and other gossips and have a decent French table wine. Typically, only French wines are on the wine list, but not the expensive ones, only the reasonably prices ones. Many of the wines at the Le Petit Monceau are from the South of France. The food is simple, nothing special, but good. I would stand at the bar from 7 pm to 9 pm and then move on to one of the tables and have some food. Le Petit Monceau in the rue de Monceau was run and owned by a guy by the name Richard, my friend , when I was there, but has changed ownership and management since then.
See:
Wine bar: Paris --- Le Petit Monceau, Willi's wine bar and Lavinia
Autur d’un Verre
21 rue de Trévise, 9th
Resembles an ancient bistro, but in reality, this used to be an internet shop that American restaurateur Kevin Black converted into a bar à vins. He is a self-trained chef and passionate fan of natural wines.
Le Verre Volé
67 rue de Lancry, 10th, open every day
An institution for organic wines.
Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris in 2012
All the restaurants listed below serve French cuisine, except otherwise specified. Restaurants in each category are listed by postcodes (i.e. by arrondissements). Stars in brackets denote recently lost stars.
3 Stars
• Le Meurice (19.5/20), 228 rue de Rivoli - 75001 Paris ● Meurice Hotel
• L'Ambroisie (19/20), 9 place des Vosges - 75004 Paris (Traditional)
• L'Arpège (19.5/20), 84 rue de Varenne - 75007 Paris (Inventive)
• Ledoyen (19/20), Carré des Champs-Elysées - 75008 Paris (Classic)
• Epicure (19/20), 112 rue du Fg-Saint-Honoré - 75008 Paris ● Hotel Le Bristol (Classic)
• Pierre Gagnaire (19.5/20), 6 rue Balzac - 75008 Paris
• Alain Ducasse (19.5/20), 25 avenue Montaigne - 75008 Paris ● Hotel Plaza Athénée (Traditional)
• Astrance (19/20), 4 rue Beethoven - 75016 Paris
• Le Pré Catelan (19.5/20), Le Pré Catelan (Bois de Boulogne) - 75016 Paris (Inventive)
• Guy Savoy (19.5/20), 18 rue Troyon - 75017 Paris (Inventive)
2 Stars
• Le Grand Véfour ( ) (19/20), 17 rue de Beaujolais - 75001 Paris (Traditional)
• L'Espadon (19/20), 15 place Vendôme - 75001 Paris ● Ritz Hotel (Traditional)
• Passage 53 , 53 passage des Panoramas - 75002 Paris
• Relais Louis XIII , 8 rue des Grands Augustins - 75006 Paris
• Carré des Feuillants (19/20), 14 rue de Castiglione - 75001 Paris (Inventive)
• Jean-François Piège (19/20), 79 rue Saint-Dominique - 75007 Paris
• L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon - Saint-Germain , 5 rue de Montalembert - 75007 Paris ● Hotel Pont Royal
• L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon - Etoile , 133 avenue des Champs-Élysées - 75008 Paris
• Senderens (Lucas Carton) , 9 place de la Madeleine - 75008 Paris
• Lasserre , 17 avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt - 75008 Paris (Traditional)
• Taillevent ( ) (19/20), 15 rue Lamennais - 75008 Paris
• Le Cinq ( ) (19/20), 31 avenue George V - 75008 Paris ● Four Seasons Hotel (Classic)
• Apicius (19/20), 20 rue d'Artois - 75008 Paris
• Jamin , 32 rue de Longchamp - 75116 Paris
• Michel Rostang (19/20), 20 rue Rennequin - 75017 Paris (Traditional)
• Bigarrade , 106 rue Nollet - 75017 Paris
1 Star
• Gérard Besson , 5 rue du Coq Héron - 75001 Paris
• Goumard , 9 rue Duphot - 75001 Paris (Seafood)
• Le Céladon , 13 rue de la Paix - 75002 Paris
• Benoît , 20 rue St-Martin - 75004 Paris
• La Tour d'Argent , 15 quai de la Tournelle - 75005 Paris (Traditional)
• Paris , 45 boulevard Raspail - 75006 Paris
• Jacques Cagna , 14 rue des Grands-Augustins - 75006 Paris
• Hélène Darroze ( ), 4 rue d'Assas - 75006 Paris
• Caffé Minotti , 33 rue de Verneuil - 75007 Paris (Italian)
• Gaya Rive Gauche par Pierre Gagnaire , 44 rue du Bac - 75007 Paris
• Le Divellec , 107 rue de l'Université - 75007 Paris (Seafood)
• Le Chamarré , 13 boulevard La-Tour-Maubourg - 75007 Paris
• Les Ormes , 22 rue du Surcouf - 75007 Paris
• Violon d'Ingres , 135 rue St-Dominique - 75007 Paris
• Vin sur Vin , 20 rue de Monttessuy - 75007 Paris
• Les Ambassadeurs ( ) (17/20), 10 place de la Concorde - 75008 Paris ● Hotel du Crillon (Traditional)
• Le Laurent ( , 41 avenue Gabriel - 75008 Paris
• Relais d'Auteuil ( ) (16/20), 31 rue Murat - 75016 Paris
• La Luna , 69 rue du Rocher- 75008 Paris (Seafood)
• Stella Maris , 4 rue Arsène Houssaye - 75008 Paris
• Le W , 5 rue de Berri - 75008 Paris ● Warwick Hotel
• Table du Lancaster , 7 rue de Berri - 75008 Paris ● Lancaster Hotel
• Le Clovis , 14 rue Beaujon - 75008 Paris ● Sofitel Arc de Triomphe
• Carpaccio , 37 avenue Hoche - 75008 Paris (Italian) ● Royal Monceau Hotel
• Jardin , 37 avenue Hoche - 75008 Paris (Mediterranean) ● Royal Monceau Hotel
• L'Angle du Faubourg , 195 rue du Faubourg St-Honoré - 75008 Paris
• La Marée , 1 rue Daru - 75008 Paris
• Chiberta , 3 rue Arsène-Houssaye - 75008 Paris
• Les Élysées , 25 rue Vernet - 75008 Paris
• Marius et Janette , 4 avenue George V - 75008 Paris
• Copenhague , 142 avenue des Champs-Elysées - 75008 Paris (Scandinavian)
• Chez Jean , 8 rue Saint-Lazare - 75009 Paris
• Au Trou Gascon , 40 rue Taine - 75012 Paris
• Le Duc , 243 boulevard Raspail - 75014 Paris (Seafood)
• Montparnasse '25 , 19 rue du Commandant Mouchotte - 75014 Paris ● Hotel Le Méridien
• Maison Courtine , 157 avenue du Maine - 75014 Paris
• Chen-Soleil d'Est , 15 rue du Théâtre - 75015 Paris (Chinese, Asian)
• Jules Verne , Tour Eiffel - 75016 Paris
• La Table du Baltimore , 1 rue Leo Delibes - 75016 Paris ● Sofitel Baltimore
• Passiflore , 33 rue de Longchamp - 75116 Paris
• Tang , 125 rue de la Tour - 75116 Paris (Chinese & Thai)
• Le Relais du Parc , 59 avenue Raymond Poincaré - 75116 Paris ● Sofitel Le Parc
• Hiramatsu , 52 rue de Longchamp - 75116 Paris (Japanese-style French)
• Le Pergolèse , 40 rue Pergolèse - 75116 Paris
• Les Béatilles , 11 bis rue Villebois-Mareuil - 75017 Paris
• La Braisière , 54 rue Cardinet - 75017 Paris
• Sormani , 4 rue Général Lanrezac - 75017 Paris (Italian)
See here for the 2013 Michelin stared restauants in France.
Schiller’s Favorites
This posting is part of the Schiller’s favorites series. Here is a full list of all Schiller’s favorites postings so far.
Schiller’s Favorite Restaurants, Brasseries, Bistros, Cafes and Wine Bars in Paris, France
Schiller’s Favorite Crab Houses in the Washington DC Region, USA
Schiller’s Favorites at the 2013 Riesling and Co Tasting in New York City, USA
Schiller’s Favorites from the VDP Grosses Gewaechs – Grand Cru – Presentation at Kloster Eberbach, 2012, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in New York City, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in Charleston, South Carolina, USA
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars and Other Wine Spots in Vienna, Austria
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Bars in San Francisco, USA
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Bordeaux (City), France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Budapest, Hungary
Schiller’s 12 Favorite Restaurants of Antananarivo, the Capital of Madagascar
Schiller's Favorite Apple Wine Taverns in Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Schiller’s Favorite Wine Taverns in Mainz, Germany
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars and Other Places Where You Can Have a Glass of Wine in Healdsburg, California
schiller-wine: Related Postings
The Natural Wines of La Cremerie in Paris
Wine bar: Paris --- Le Petit Monceau, Willi's wine bar and Lavinia
A Cult Paris Wine Bar - Juveniles
Focus on Natural Wines: The Terroirs Wine Bar in London
The 2010 World's Best Restaurants