Is Paris the most important dining city in the world? The first restaurant named as such was established there after the French Revolution, and two of the oldest cookbooks were published in Paris in the 14th century — Taillevent's Viandier and the anonymous Mesnagier de Paris. It was in Paris that Nice-born Auguste Escoffier established the framework for French Haute Cuisine before it gained international status. Surrounded by cattle, orchards and vegetable gardens, Paris was always the epicenter of excellent ingredient production — hence a nearly endless bounty of famous and delicious French foods like croissants, navarin d'agneau, onion soup, crêpes Suzette, pied de cochon grillé, escargots en persillade, sole meunière and many others, without even beginning to talk about cheese and wine — Brie being the emblematic cheese of Paris and Champagne its dedicated wine. All the classics of France can be found in Paris, and we have tried to highlight the best of the best, from cheap eats to humble bistros to brasseries and yes there are two restaurants with 1 star that I could not avoid.
As usual our lists do not feature Michelin starred restaurants. They can all be found here. So - it’s breakfast time and we must choose between the two best croissants in town: The beauty and the beast:
Des Gateaux et du Pain - The beauty
Have you ever thought you could fall in love with a croissant? This beauty is perfection. The cover pastry is a hymn to lightness and crispiness while the inside is soft, fluffy and generous. The aspect of this croissant looks like it was spun with golden threads of silk. It also crumbles beautifully on to yuor shirt when crunched into. For those with a sweet tooth, have a look at the delicious homemade cakes Claire Damon produces, only made with fresh and seasonal fruits. The colours are so vivid you may need sunglasses.
Nice review here of the history of croissants from Purato’s
Des Pains et des Idees: The Beast
What Jessie Eats
These deformed croissants are gnarly. They look like they were thrown out as defective by some other baker. But - Mais oui! - these are superb. They lack the beauty and lightness of the Beauty. But the what the Beast lacks in good looks - it makes up for in depth of croissanty flavor. I would take my friends to the beauty but I would sneak off to the beast.
Here is a nice list from Everyday Parisian - I have my eye on Blé Sucre
Croque Monsieur & Croque Madame - They are terrible in Paris
Superba in Venice, Ca,
Before you get your hopes up about this beautiful photo - it is from Superba bakery in Venice California. I have had 20+ in Paris - including one for €70 at the George Cinq and they were all terrible. If anyone knows of a good one please drop it in the comments
Tanguy - Are these the best (savoury) crepes in the world?
Tanguy has the best savory crepe (galette) anywhere. Yes better than the famous versions at Breizh and Krugen- Get the ham, cheese (Tomme) and egg or, for a smokier version, replace ham with smoky bacon. A hidden gem in Paris.
Laurent Dubois - Cheese - and see the baguette just after this!
In 1962, French President Charles de Gaulle asked, "How can you govern a country which has two hundred and forty-six varieties of cheese? », and there are actually over 1,200 varieties of these cheeses! Well, the only solution is to visit Laurent Dubois, a decorated and beloved "fromager" who has dedicated his life to the selection and perfect presentation of artisan cheeses in Paris (nothing pasteurised or industrial here). His shop on Boulevard Saint-Germain is as cute as you would wish it to be. He also presents a few gourmet kinds of cheese with artisan touches like fruit and nut additions that always sell out in 24 hours.
Here is a pleasingly concise history of cheese from Pure France
Boulangerie Utopie - Best baguette?
There are over 1000 bakeries in Paris and even the bad one’s aren’t that bad. While I have tried dozens of croissants - I have not had so many baguettes so I will recommend Utopie on the back of a best baker prize in 2016 and a best baguette award in 2024. While the outside of the shop is mundane - the outside of this baguette is gloriously toasted and crunchy - the profile is all natural sourdough. Grab one of these beuties and cheese from Laurent Dubois above and you have Picnic Paradise in the Park!
A concise overview of the baguette from carron.paris
Caractére des Cochon for Supreme Jambon Beurre - Lebovitz
David Lebovitz
Jambon - Beurre: ham and butter on a baguette is wildly over-rated. It has become such an icon of the quintessential parisian sandwich (it is referred to as a “Parisian” ) that visitors fawn over any and all versions. But it only rises to a religious experience when threee conditions are met.
It must be made from a perfect crusty baguette with a light fluffy interior
It must be spread with Normandy or Brittany salted butter
It must featureThe famous Dumbea ham which is the only ham cured in Paris
When these three conditions are met…sandwich nirvana ensues. There are many spots that meet 2/3 conditions but not all three. At Caractère de Cochon, the jolly owner - “solo” serves 3 of 3 - and they are perfect. Do you know others that meet these criteria? Please advise in the comments.
Here is a well written Love Letter to Jambon-Beurre from Cookin’ With Class
Le Bistro des Vosge - French Onion Soup Specialist
I do not know if there is a better Soupe D’Oignon in Paris but this Bistro celebrates it on the their window. It has all the classical ingredients but what I like most about it is that it comes out with the broth boiling and the cheese bubbling. Beware 3rd degree burns
Le Procope - The oldest restaurant In Paris since 1686
This is the world’s first literary café where the list of literary and other luminaries who have dropped by is comprehensive including Voltaire, Robespierre, Victor Hugo, Benjamin Franklin, Rousseau, Thomas Jefferson, Napoleon left his hat as collateral, which remains on display today. If you would like to dine like a literary giant, try the “Odeon” Onion Soup, Calf’s Head Casserole and Crepes flambéed in Grand Marnier.
It may sound touristy but it really is charming and well worth a visit - read more from the Infatuation
Bofinger was founded in 1864 and has a beautiful Belle Epoque decor with a spectacular dome in the center and bow-tied waiters who look as if they stepped out of a Degas painting. The first part of the menu is called “The Sea on a Platter” - there are your starters sorted - while the next section is called “Alsation Sauerkrauts” specializing in Alsatian Choucroute Garnie (sauerkraut with sausages and various meats) - There are your main courses sorted. Dessert? You might as well have your crepes flambeed in Grand Marnier table side? This place is huge so stick to the specialties above, go for lunch and enjoy an experiential lunch while running around Bastille
French chef Yves Camdeborde is widely recognized as the pioneer of the neo-bistro, a concept he created in the ’90s to make haute cuisine more accessible to diners. Dubbed the chef of "bistronomy,” in 1995, he opened his Art Deco restaurant in the 17th-century Hôtel Le Relais Saint-Germain, where he expertly tows the line between bistro and neo-bistro. During lunch, the Comptoir is a simple brasserie; in the evenings, however, the 20-seat restaurant becomes a temple to Camdeborde’s philosophy of elevating classic bistro dishes. One of Paris’ toughest reservations, there is no dinner menu. Diners eat whatever inventive, abundantly fresh, elevated bistro dishes Camdeborde chooses to cook that evening. The five-course prix fixe may feature haute cuisine versions of croque monsieur, salade niçoise, steak-frites or rolled saddle of lamb with vegetable-stuffed “Basque ravioli.”
Paul Bert - This is the most beloved Bistro in Paris
This beloved and well known bistrot offers dishes such as sautéed ris de veau (sweetbreads), steak au poivre done with green peppercorns, joue de beouf (beef cheeks) tenderly stewed in burgundy wine, or a côte de boeuf for two, served with fragrant golden pomme frites. Recipes often have a subtle modern twist, but never veer far from tradition. The interior is a beautifully preserved space, zinc bar and all. This is essential Paris at its best.
“Josephine” Chez Dumonet - The most under-rated Bistro in Paris
Courtesy of Our French Impressions
Josephine offers meticulously prepared classics like boeuf bourguignon, duck confit and gigot d’agneau but the signature dish is an astoundingly buttery roasted pigeon, its breast deboned, legs done confit, and served in a reduction of its own juices. It’s topped with a fan made of tiny, feather-thin golden potato discs. The other house special is a textbook-perfect crisp confit de canard; this meltingly tender duck confit is artfully prepared. For dessert? Classic (giant) souffles must be ordered in advance., Price-wise, Chez Dumonet is “splurgy” but poortions are big. Grumpy waiters and a warm room round out Paris’ best kept secret.
A veal chop, utterly plain, unaccompanied or sullied by decoration or inspiration. Just an awkwardly butchered skinny rib that has been grilled for too long on one side and too little on the other so that it is simultaneously stingingly dry and overdone and flabbily, slimily raw. My companion can’t decide which side to complain about….It is, all things considered, entre nous, the worst restaurant in the world.
But - everyone else considers this a gem
Patricia Wells: “A place that every Paris Food Lover should experience, at least once.
Business Insider: I'd definitely recommend Chez L'Ami Louis to those looking for an authentic French bistro experience.
Food snob: “There is something so attractive about the rustic excess and heartiness of it all that it is hard to ignore”
Paris by Mouth “L’Ami Louis is one of the most atmospheric restaurants in Paris. It’s dark and dramatic, with white jacketed servers bringing overflowing plates of snails, foie gras, and other classic French dishes. The roast chicken, with its accompanying tower of shoestring fries, is as good as everyone says it is”
Pamela Morgan: “They have perfected simple dishes with an obsessive focus on quality, technique
John Curtas: “Some of the best poulet, foie gras, and a haystack of frites the size of your head”
Ruth Rogers from River Cafe - One of her five favorite restaurants in the world: I love it there, and you don’t want to go when you’re not hungry, because it is rich.
Goop 🤣 : It is one of the best, most venerable bistros in Paris. We firmly in the school of the latter. It is small and wood-paneled, with an ancient oven and a sick wine list. We’re usually so full by the end that we walk back to the hotel.
Gayot: The ultimate bistro experience with intensely flavorful, garlicky Provençal-inspired cooking. The decaying nineteenth century décor is charming.
David Beckham’s birthday: “They set off to David’s favorite restaurant in Paris, L’Ami Louis, spent the night at 5 Star La Reserve, a five-star hotel and jetted home in the morning.
Your Pro Move
Almost every review rants about high price which is ridiculous - the portions are huge! Go with 4 people and order one of each to share: Escargots (40), Foie Gras (60), Roast chicken with matchbox frites (100), Potato Gallette which is the best thing on the menu (30), Seasonal fruits (25) and Baba Rhum (25) That’s 280 split 4 ways and you will be stuffed. 70 each in the best bistro in Paris? A steal.
Just because the inside is decorated like a ship should not be held against Le Duc. Simple fresh seafood from Normandy and Brittany shine in a “less is more manner. The raw dishes are superb reflecting on the pride in freshness approach to sourcing. If you like seafood - you will love Le Duc.
Cafe des Ministiere - An essential stop for French classics
There are 147 starred restaurants in Paris and this un-starred wonder is better than all of them. French classics rendered at a level not even for-seen by their creators.
The vol-au-vent with sweetbreads, poultry and truffle jus, as well as the stuffed Pontoise cabbage (French champion in 2022) have made this spot un-bookable.
Thank you to Aurore and Troung for bringing me there.
We named it our best restaurant of 2022, and plenty of newspapers (Le Figaro, the New York Times) have lavished similar praise. If you manage to get in, don’t neglect to order the choux farci façon Reine with leaves of Pontoise cabbage lacquered around a tender mound of smoky sausage and foie gras, in a moat of perfectly balanced bouillon:
Chef Jeans stunning cabbage
VAISSEAU d’Adrien Cachot - The future of French Gastronomy?
Adrien takes a selfie with S
Ok - This one has a star. But today one cannot talk about dining out in Paris without talking about Adrien Cachot. "Cachot e pepe" mochi, prepared in the manner of a pepper and citrus risotto! He also has a penchant for less conventional ingredients, such as offal, which contribute unusual textures. Finally, another characteristic of his cuisine is the marriage of surf and turf, with dishes such as his superb black ruff, a fish from the Mediterranean seabed, judiciously combined with tripe and vin jaune.
Sortir a Paris:
Dishes include lentils with coffee, spider crab and anise; mochi “Cachot” e pepe” 🤣 confit Jerusalem artichoke and fermented Jerusalem artichoke purée; cod and tapioca pearls cooked in a mussel jus; and Mont-Blanc around button mushrooms. It's inventive, creative, beautifully presented and diabolically gastronomic - or perhaps gastronomically diabolical.
While there are common strikes of luxury ingredients, Japanification and other trends, somehow the food still feels French forward and the innovation feels effortless. This kind of cooking - like AM in Marseilles seems to herald a renaissance in French gastronomy.
Here is a great review from Meg Zimbeck from Paris by Mouth:
Cachot’s dishes may be playful and provocative, but they are balanced. They make sense, perhaps a new kind of sense. Don’t let the youthful branding…fool you into thinking he isn’t serious. This guy is serious…
Beware: ingredients are revealed only after eating which is annoying but here? All sins are forgiven. Go Adrien!
La Tour D’argent - The most historic restaurant in the world
Lobster - Alexander Lobrano
The history of La Tour D’Argent is so deep - I will leave it Travel Curious Often to recount. LTDA has past through many ups and downs over the centuries including a collapse of quality around 2016 going from 3 stars to 1 star. They finally completed a long overdue renovation of the restaurant alongside the unintentional renovation of Notre Dame whose view is more glorious than ever (after the fire). Now, the restaurant is back with a vengeance. The famous pressed “Blood” duck is the star of the show with the ducks coming from Maison Burgaud, a supplier in Challans for the past 70 years. The BBC claims the traditional way of slaughter is to suffocate the birds 🥸 and here is the tableside ritual:
The skin is intricately removed with tweezers and then the fillets are sliced from the breast. Next, the duck legs are removed and taken back to the kitchen to be roasted further for the second part of the dish. As I watch, Jacquin places the remaining carcass in the central cavity of the press and turns the wheel, its spout delivering a scarlet drizzle of blood. This is added to the heart and liver in a silver dish atop a silver stove. Next, in goes a glass of the finest cognac and a glass of Madeira wine, and Jacquin whisks it gently over the heat as it thickens – the blood serving as the emulsifier. Then the brown, velvety sauce is gently spooned over the fillets on their silver platter and served to the table alongside the lightest of pommes soufflées.
The other legendary dish is the Pike Quenelles.
All together the food, the enormous wine list and cellar tour on request, impeccable service, iconic views of the Seine and Notre Dame and a mesmerizing history make the return of La Tour.D’Argent a triumph.
Jacques Genin - Master Patissier
Jacques Genin is a real-McCoy old-fashioned pâtissier, using pastry, dried fruits and nuts, and whipped cream like a proper pastry master should do, and with him, you won’t find the trendy tricks other pâtissiers try, i.e. excess sugar, gelatin, whipped mascarpone, whipped ganache and buttercream everywhere, and other terribly greasy-cloying stuff. For a taste of sweet heaven - come here. Spoiler alert - trusted foodies are saying Maxime Fredéric is the new king of the pastry hill - read about it here
Here is a rave review from David Lebovitz about Jacques Genin
Thats a wrap on the best of Paris Post.
Below the paywall is a mix of delicious ethnic restaurants and the best ⭐️⭐️⭐️ fine dining temple in Paris.
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