Must-see restaurants in Paris

  • Le Servan

    Paris

    Ornate cream-coloured ceilings with moulded cornices and pastel murals, huge windows and wooden floors give this neighbourhood neobistro near Père…

  • Le Beurre Noisette

    Paris

    Beurre noisette (brown butter sauce, named for its hazelnut colour) features in dishes such as beef cheeks braised in red wine and caramelised pork-belly…

  • Le Verre Volé

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    The tiny ‘Stolen Glass’ – a wine shop with a few tables – is one of Paris' most popular wine bar/restaurants, with outstanding natural and unfiltered…

  • La Cantine du Troquet

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    One of six eateries run by chef Christian Etchebest in Paris, La Cantine du Troquet is a favoured spot for fans of bistro fare made with top-notch…

  • Ladurée

    Paris

    One of Paris' oldest patisseries, Ladurée has been around since 1862 and first created the lighter-than-air, ganache-filled macaron in the 1930s. Its…

  • Le Cassenoix

    Paris

    The Nutcracker is everything a self-respecting neighbourhood bistro should be. 'Tradition et terroir' ('tradition and provenance') dictate the menu that…

  • Marso & Co

    Paris

    The menu is devised by Tomy Gousset, one of Paris' top chefs, so it's impossible to go wrong in this modern bistro. Food follows the season, with starters…

  • exterior (windmill in background), Le Bistrot de la Galette.

    Le Bistrot de la Galette

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    In the shadow of Montmartre windmill Moulin de la Galette, this vintage-fitted bistro is the creation of pastry chef Gilles Marchal, who uses locally hand…

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    L'Avant Comptoir du Marché

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Top chef Yves Camdeborde stars again with this porcine-specialist tapas bar wedged in one corner of the Marché St-Germain covered market-shopping complex…

  • Le Grand Vefour restaurant.

    Le Grand Véfour

    Paris

    Holding two Michelin stars, this 18th-century jewel on the northern edge of the Jardin du Palais Royal has been a dining favourite since 1784; the names…

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    Fou de Pâtisserie

    Paris

    Single-name patisseries scatter across the city, but for a greatest-hits range from its finest pastry chefs – Cyril Lignac, Christophe Adam (L’Éclair de…

  • Istr, exterior

    Istr

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Fabulously patterned wallpaper and a gleaming zinc bar set the stage for innovative Breton-inspired cuisine. The region's famed istr ('oyster' in Breton)…

  • Belle Maison, exterior

    Belle Maison

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    With hip blue-and-white-tiled decor in happening SoPi (south Pigalle), Belle Maison is always busy. It's named after a small beach on Île d'Yeu, off…

  • Goku, exterior (day)

    Goku

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Fronted by a bamboo-fringed terrace, Goku is a sizzling address for pan-Asian flavours. It serves everything from tapas-style kimchi (Korean fermented…

  • exterior, Mesdemoiselles Madeleines.

    Mesdemoiselles Madeleines

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Shell-shaped French madeleine cakes, immortalised by Marcel Proust, are the sole product of this ingenious spot, in a dazzling array of flavours: 'simple'…

  • Breizh Café Odéon interior

    Breizh Café Odéon

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    A fabulous people-watching pavement terrace with quintessential bistro chairs overlooking people-busy Carrefour de l'Odéon (snuggle up in a blue tartan…

  • Bontemps Pâtisserie exterior (façade)

    Bontemps

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    As pretty as a picture, with freshly cut flowers adorning marble tables and glass lampshades overhead, this salon serves buttery sablés (shortbread…

  • Bonhomie, exterior

    Bonhomie

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Good-time Bonhomie serves home-brewed beer and creative cocktails (Pina Sage, with sage-infused mezcal, almond liqueur and sherry; Bon Americano, with dry…

  • Bambou, courtyard.

    Bambou

    Paris

    This spectacular restaurant occupies a 500-sq-metre former fabric warehouse, with vintage birdcages and a giant metal dragon adorning the main dining room…

  • Farine & O, exterior (close-up)

    Farine & O

    Paris

    Pâtissier Olivier Magne, a winner of the prestigious Meilleur Ouvrier de France master craftsman competition, hails from the Cantal region of France and…

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    BigLove Caffé

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    There is no sign of the popularity of this insanely busy, Italian-run trattoria by the Big Mamma group flagging. From day one, Parisians have queued up…

  • exterior, Passerini.

    Passerini

    Paris

    Rome native Giovanni Passerini is one of the finest Italian chefs cooking in Europe today. Delectable specialities include roast pigeon with smoked…

  • exterior, Tomy & Co.

    Tomy & Co

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Tomy Gousset's restaurant near the Eiffel Tower has been a sensation since day one. The French-Cambodian chef works his magic on inspired seasonal dishes…

  • Massale

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Enchantingly vintage in design, with bar and overhead ceiling fan, this is a tasty little neobistro delightfully off the tourist-trodden track. 'Massale'…

  • Fief

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    The industrial-style red-brick-and-stone interior is as striking as the modern French cuisine of head-turning young chef Victor Mercier. Debut venture of…

  • Strobi

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    For an authentic taste of the edgy and increasingly happening Batignolles district, duck into this contemporary bistro and kick back around a scrubbed…

  • La Tropicale

    Paris

    Pistachio, chestnut from Cévennes, and vanilla with rum are among the exciting favours at this exceptional ice-creamery near place d'Italie. Ice cream is…

  • OnoPoké

    Latin Quarter

    Head here for creative beans, grains, pulses and veg topped with raw or smoked fish (tuna, salmon, white fish) and your chosen sprinkling of fried onions,…

  • Bustronome

    Paris

    A true moveable feast, Bustronome is a voyage into French gastronomy aboard a glass-roofed bus, with Paris' famous monuments – the Arc de Triomphe, Palais…

  • Bidoche

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Banker-turned-butcher Alexandre can invariably be found, knife in hand, at this artisanal butcher's restaurant where meat, sourced from small French…

  • Mamiche

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    Take one bite into a cinnamon roll, apricot crostata or signature babka (orange-blossom and chocolate brioche) at this new-generation boulangerie and you…

  • L'Avant Comptoir de la Mer

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    One of Yves Camdeborde's stunning line-up of St-Germain hors d'oeuvre bars – alongside Le Comptoir, L'Avant Comptoir de la Terre and L'Avant Comptoir du…

  • Les Papilles

    Latin Quarter

    This hybrid bistro, wine cellar and épicerie (specialist grocer) with a sunflower-yellow façade is one of those fabulous Parisian dining experiences…

  • Anima

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Dress on trend to ensure you don't look out of place at this sleek, fashionable Italian restaurant opened by David Lahner (of Racines fame) and Marco…

  • Boulangerie Huré

    Paris

    'Createur de plaisir' (creator of pleasure) is the enticing strapline of this contemporary boulangerie (bakery) where glass cabinets burst with feisty…

  • Abri

    Montmartre & Northern Paris

    It's no bigger than a shoebox and the decor is borderline nonexistent, but that's all part of the charm. Katsuaki Okiyama is a seriously talented chef…

  • Café Constant

    St-Germain & Les Invalides

    Run by Michelin-starred chef Christian Constant, this traditional neighbourhood cafe with original bar and mosaic floor cooks up some fantastic staples:…

  • Le Bistrot Paul Bert

    Paris

    When food writers list Paris' best bistros, Paul Bert's name consistently pops up. The timeless decor and classic dishes, such as steak-frites (steak and…

  • Double Dragon

    Le Marais, Ménilmontant & Belleville

    Sisters Tatiana and Katia Levha, who run nearby bistro Le Servan, fire up the spice on organic produce at this on-trend place. Barbecued duck hearts, pan…

  • Le Petit Pan

    Paris

    Parisians working in the 'hood fill this casual bistro to bursting at lunchtime thanks to a fantastic-value lunchtime menu, but it's after dusk that the…

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