Dining out in Paris but don’t know where to go? Check out our handy guide to the best restaurants in Paris here!
Le Meurice
This is the place to go to if you are looking for Gallic grandeur. The Hotel Meurice is located in the heart of the city. Mosaic floors, crystal chandeliers and heavy damask curtains compliment the rest of the décor. Chef Yannick Alléno has an extensive menu on offer, with a starter of crispy green ravioli with a fricassee of snails and wild garlic, and the spit-roasted red-wine marinated pigeon with red cabbage and apple juice being among the most popular of dishes. Many of the ingredients that are used here are rare and found in obscure places such as the honey from hives on the roof of Paris’s Opéra Garnier.
L’Astrance
The price of Haute cuisine in Paris is often high, but you will soon realize that it is worth every penny when you dine at L’Astrance. Chef Pascal Barbot’s dishes will delight the taste buds. Enjoy his turbot with baby spinach and sea urchins or the galette of finely sliced button mushrooms and verjus marinated foie gras dressed with hazelnut oil.
Huitrerie Regis
This delightful restaurant is located in the heart of Saint Germain des Pres and is well known for its fantastic oysters, which come straight from the France’s Marennes-Oléron region. Enjoy one of the many fabulous white wines with your plateau de fruits de mer, which is served with freshly baked bread and butter. Add clams, prawns or sea urchins to your dish to complete a truly French experience.
Macéo
This handsome establishment is run by Mark Williamson. It has oxblood colored walls and parquet floors, and wedding cake moldings are part of the décor. Chef Thierry Bourbonnais incorporates a lot of vegetables in his menu, which is great news for vegetarians. He regularly centers an entire dish on one specific vegetable such as tomato and asparagus. Scallops marinated in sea weed oil on a bed of quinoa are one of the more popular dishes.
Spring
Daniel Rose is the genius from Chicago who came up with this concept. He has enjoyed a full house since he moved to the renovated 17th century house and has people flocking to his establishment to sample his delightful dishes. One such dish that he has created is the Basque country trout with avocado and coriander flowers. It is rather difficult to get a table here and if you are not lucky enough to have gotten a booking, then go down to the wine bar in the basement to get your hands on one of the delicacies that is served here.
Les Tablettes
Chef Jean-Louis Nomicos has the pleasure of creating amazing dishes in this superb restaurant which is located in the swanky 6th arrondissement. Anne-Cécile Comar has combined basket-weave looking walls and apricot colored upholstery to create a truly unique setting. Veal sweetbreads with a confetti of lemon pulp are one of the dishes that you absolutely must try.
Le Stella
Dining here is an absolute pleasure and a rather nice change from the other mediocre brasseries that exist in Paris. You will receive great service and typically French traditional dishes when visiting here. Onion soup, steak tartare, escargots, sole meunière and roast lamb are some of the favorites on their menu.
Thoumieux
Chef Jean-Francois Piège took it upon himself to go out on his own and create his own destiny here. It was not until he opened the Las Vegas style intimate restaurant on the first floor, that he had Parisians flocking in to see what all the hype was about. He gave the traditional French restaurant experience an edge, allowing guests to order a single dish without having to go through the mainstream three-course meal.
Yam’Tcha
Adeline Grattard, one of the few female chefs in France, fell in love with Asian cuisine while in Hong Kong. Here you can choose to be served a different tea with each course – an interesting alternative to wine. Her menu changes on a regular basis and one of the dishes to give a try is the grilled scallops on a bed of bean sprouts in bright green wild-garlic sauce.
Ze Kitchen Galerie
The style of this restaurant resembles an art gallery, with paintings on the walls, parquet floors and steel tables and chairs. Chef William Ledeuil offers guests an extensive French contemporary menu, with Sardinian malloreddus pasta with a pesto of Thai herbs, parmesan cream and green olive condiment being one of the show stopping dishes.