Restaurants

Restaurants

Restaurants
Gastronomic

L'Ambroisie
The atmosphere in place des Vosges (one of the most beautiful and intimate squares in Paris) exudes into the ultra chic L'Ambroisie, which is situated in a genuine hôtel particulier (private hotel). Classic French cuisine is served to pure perfection in these refined interiors decorated with rich tapestries. The menu changes according to the best fresh produce available and prices are steep. Diners can expect such delights as sea bass with olive oil emulsion, chanterelle and boletus mushrooms, and millefeuille with crystallised rhubarb. Wines are likewise expensive but the range is exceptional. Closed Sunday and Monday.

9 place des Vosges, 4th
Tel: (01) 4278 5145.
Website: www.ambroisie-placedesvosges.com
Price: $$$$

L'Arpège
Alain Passard has drawn on his family history to produce a restaurant renowned for superb, seasonal cuisine. His grandmother's portrait hangs on the otherwise minimalist walls and it is her cooking and joie de vivre that is the source of Alain Passard's inspiration. The restaurant is named in honour of his musical parents and to set the tone for the harmony of flavours. Passard's menu places emphasis on fresh vegetables, fish and white meat. Dishes include lobster carpaccio with olive oil and caviar, fragrant stuffed tomatoes or strawberries scented with hibiscus petals. The only grumble is that the restaurant can be a touch on the cramped side so be careful what table you get. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

84 rue de Varenne, 7th
Tel: (01) 4705 0906.
Website: www.alain-passard.com
Price: $$$$

Pierre Gagnaire 
This sumptuous award-winning restaurant has the reputation of being among the most exciting gastronomic addresses in Paris and it is certainly one of the most fashionable. Formerly based in St-Etienne, near the gastronomic capital Lyon, Gagnaire brought flavours of that region to Paris in his imaginative menus, which hold dear both tradition and innovation. A simple but refined décor, with spotless white tablecloths, makes the perfect setting for his challenging but impeccable cuisine. Specialities include suprême de poularde macérée au lait d'amande (chicken supreme cooked in almond milk) and pesto de roquette sauvage (wild rocket pesto). Look out for the ‘grand dessert' - an indulgent dessert orgy that includes pistachio ice cream and an explosion of chocolate. Closed Saturday.

6 rue Balzac, 8th
Tel: (01) 5836 1250.
Website: www.pierregagnaire.com
Price: $$

Restaurant Plaza Athénée
Alain Ducasse was awarded three Michelin stars within eight months of first opening his Paris restaurant in 1996, at 59 avenue Raymond Poincare, 16th, where he took over from star chef Joel Robuchon after moving to the capital from Monte Carlo. In 2000, Ducasse moved the restaurant to a chic new venue in the 8th, opening the Restaurant Plaza Athénée - a sumptuously stylish venue with soaring ceilings, warm tones and splendid chandeliers. Dishes include creations such as langoustine avec une crème citronnée (langoustine in a lemon cream sauce). As with Ducasse's other restaurants in Monaco and New York advance booking is strongly recommended. Closed Saturday and Sunday.

Hotel Plaza Athénée, 25 avenue Montaigne, 8th
Tel: (01) 5367 6500.
Website: www.alain-ducasse.com
Price: $$$$

Senderens
Ditching his once coveted three Michelin stars was a brave move for Alain Senderens, but that, and cutting prices, has made his restaurant more popular than ever. Situated in a grand fin de siècle-setting in chic place de la Madeleine it lies amid a wealth of posh shops. Senderens believes that each dish deserves a wine of its own to perfect the flavours and even allows Scottish whisky to sneak on to the menu as the perfect accompaniment for his smoked salmon. Other dishes include pan-fried chicken with cep risotto, roast duck with honey and spices, roast lamb with aubergines or pan-fried lobster served with polenta. No lunch Saturday and Monday. Closed all day Sunday.

9 place de la Madeleine, 8th
Tel: (01) 4265 2290.
Website: www.lucascarton.com
Price: $$$

Bistrot de l'Etoile
Some Parisian brasseries have become a little old fashioned and bistros are now all the rage for filling up late at night. Meals, such as duck foie gras with rocket salad, are served until 2330/2400, well after traditional restaurants have closed. Other highlights on the menu include langoustine ravioli with red peppers and a divine crème brulée. The atmosphere here is best described as chic decontracté (smart but relaxed) with a light and airy feel to the main dining room.

75 avenue Niel, 17th
Tel: (01) 4227 8844.
Website: www.bistrotetoile.com
Price: $$$

Bofinger
Frédéric Bofinger first set up a restaurant on this Bastille location in 1864. This convivial art nouveau brasserie exudes the unique atmosphere of Paris, as the business community forgets about the office for an hour or two, while tucking into classics such as steak tartare, salade mixte or shellfish. The highlight for real seafood lovers is Le Prestige - a gargantuan seafood feast that features lobster, crab, langoustines, a dozen oysters, mussels and sea snails amongst other fresh delights. Another speciality is the sauerkraut dishes. There is a real buzz here that is so sadly lacking in many of the rival brasseries and booking ahead is advised. The two- and three-course menus are excellent value.

5-7 rue de la Bastille, 4th
Tel: (01) 4272 8782.
Website: www.bofingerparis.com
Price: $$

Le Carré des Feuillants
One of the least understood chefs in Paris (perhaps because he avoids snobbery at any cost) Alain Dutournier brought his love of meat and fine fresh ingredients from the Basque country. The wooden interior of Le Carré des Feuillants is cosy but stylish with Murano glass chandeliers and contemporary artwork, though it is not by any means as lavish as many of the city's finest restaurants. Specialities include roast guinea fowl in a wild mushroom sauce or roast lobster with garlic and pepper nougatine, but this is really the place to enjoy a steak to remember. Fixed priced menus can be of varying quality, so it is best to stick to a la carte.

14 rue de Castiglionne, 1st
Tel: (01) 4286 8282.
Website: www.carredesfeuillants.fr
Price: $$$$

Chez Justine
If entertaining a ‘new media' client, or just needing a venue out of the staid ordinary for a client low on formality, then buzzy Chez Justine fits the bill. In raffish Menilmontant this fun and funky cafe opposite the legendary Café Charbon serves up some of the best value lunches in Paris. Where else can diners enjoy a starter of bone marrow and toast, a rack of veal and dessert for this price; they even throw in a cup of coffee afterwards. The only danger in this genuinely bohemian haunt is that savvy clients may want to stay all day and start on the similarly good value wines and cocktails.

96 Rue Oberkampf, 11th
Tel: (01) 4357 4403. 
Price: $-$$

La Chinoiserie
This elegant retreat amongst the bustle of central Paris has the feel of a Prohibition-era Speakeasy, but the food is far more impressively up-to-date under the expert guidance of Franck Paget. Starters include the likes of scallop sashimi or crab mousse, followed by perfectly cooked duck or cod laced with fennel. Style is married with substance with dishes that look sensational and taste sensational too. Complete the experience with a champagne cocktail and Asian fusion tapas beforehand in their hip Café M bar before a Lagavulin by the fire.

24 Boulevard Malesherbes
Tel: (01) 5527 1234.
Price: $$$

Georges
Georges, decorated in a style that matches the modern Centre Georges Pompidou, is the latest creation from the trend-setting Costes brothers. The restaurant's location on the sixth floor of the Pompidou Centre draws huge crowds, who come for the superb views across the city. A chic but trendy clientele dine here, while students often come to take a coffee break before diving back into their studies at the Pompidou library. The menu, which includes both French and international cuisine, changes frequently, although the duck, the lobster risotto and the chocolate tart are firm house favourites. Closed Tuesday.

Centre Georges Pompidou, 6th floor, rue Rabuteau, 4th
Tel: (01) 4478 4799.
Price: $$$

Pur Grill
Fine dining in one of Europe's best restaurants and the city's current place to be and be seen. Ease past the impressive wines on display in the entrance and settle into a stylish, but not overly fussy, dining space and open kitchen that serve as the perfect amphitheatre for the culinary drama about to unfold. Head chef Jean-Francois Rouquette won the Pur Grill a well-deserved Michelin star in 2008 and others surely will follow. Starters recreate the langoustine by serving it sashimi style while on the main course top notch Wagyu beef comes thinly sliced in a reduction bursting with flavour. Savvy diners opt for the tasting menu that opens up Rouquette's full range of creativity and his expansive range of flavours. The wine list is equally impressive with the Saint Aubin Premier Cru en Remilly 2006 a shining star.

5 Rue de la Paix
Tel: (01) 5871 1234.
Price: $$$$

Spoon, Food & Wine
Star chef Alain Ducasse forsakes classic French food for an Asian-inspired international cuisine where anything goes but it is all blended beautifully together. Expect copious portions and a trendy crowd. Guests can take a quick bite to eat from Japanese-style bento boxes at the bar, or indulge in a leisurely meal in the main area. Dishes in this minimalist-style restaurant include tofu and noodles or spiced chicken in coconut milk. The wine list is extensive, with a particularly wide choice of Californian wines. Closed weekends.

14 rue Marignan, 8th
Tel: (01) 4076 3444.
Website: www.spoon.tm.fr
Price: $$

La Boulangerie
Just opposite the legendary Lou Pascalou pub in trendy Menilmontant is this excellent neighbourhood restaurant. Fresh ingredients and all the usual suspects are on a menu that also manages a bit of flair, pretty impressive given the bargain basement prices. Set lunches are of two or three courses. Half the fun is having a drink across the road afterwards and hanging out with the local cool crowd who are starting to turn their backs on busy rue de Oberkampf.

15 Rue des Panoyaux
Tel: (01) 4358 4545. 
Price: $

La Bourse ou la Vie
The art of top-notch steak frites has been dying in Paris in recent years under the deluge of ‘healthy' snack bars. This, though, is a carnivore's paradise, a red meat oasis that defies current fashion to serve up no nonsense food with an equally no nonsense owner on hand to scare the living daylights out of diners. The sumptuous chips are fried in animal fat and the creamy pepper sauce is sublime in a restaurant that effortlessly evokes the sultry Paris of old.

12 Rue Vivienne, 2nd
Tel: (01) 4260 0883.
Price: $

Café Med
Right at the heart of touristy Paris sits this little budget gem. Getting a table in the tiny one room restaurant may not be easy, but it is worth the wait. Savour a starter, main and dessert crêpe for a low, set price. The food may not win any Michelin stars, but it is honest and fairly substantial, and the relaxed dining space is somewhere to linger a little in.

77 rue St Louis en L'Ile, 4th
Price: $

Galerie 88
This little Moroccan restaurant, frequented by a young arty crowd, is just a step away from Notre-Dame, overlooking the quayside. The thick, split-pea soup is delicious - equally good is bread with cumin and the wide range of wholesome salads. Meals are served until 2400 daily.

88 quai de l'Hotel de Ville, 4th
Tel: (01) 4272 1758.
Price: $

La Grande Mosquée de Paris
This beautiful mosque, close to the Jardin des Plantes and Natural History Museum, is an exotic setting for a spicy North African couscous or grillades (spicy meat stew) with frites (chips), followed by a tiny glass cup of refreshing mint tea, accompanied by sweet pastries, packed full with honey and pistachios.

39 rue Geoffroy St-Hilaire, 5th
Tel: (01) 4535 9733.
Website: www.mosquee-de-paris.org
Price: $

Le Grappillon
Right in the heart of Paris is a real bargain that does not sacrifice quality when it comes to budget eating. The set dinner menu of two or three courses is a steal for food of this standard in this location. Starters include the likes of tangy Bourgogne snails or foie gras followed by sliced roast duck or a chunky fillet of beef. This is the sort of great little unpretentious French restaurant that most people wish they had where they live.

32 rue Tiquetonne, 2nd
Tel: (01) 4028 9604.
Price: $$

La Coupole
This elegant brasserie originally served the market traders at Les Halles before it was moved to the suburbs. The restaurant continues to offer hearty traditional fare, among them oysters, French onion soup with a cheesy crust, steaks and a choice of pork offal dishes such as the hallmark dish (grilled pigs' trotters) all washed down with robust house wine from the owner's own vineyard. La Coupole is strong on seafood too with the oysters particularly good. And there is an added bonus: it is open 24 hours a day.

102 boulevard du Montparnasse, 14th
Tel: (01) 4320 1420.
Website: www.lacoupoleparis.com
Price: $$

L'Espadon Ritz Paris
Paris is a city of excess and to do it in a style the likes of Hemingway would have approved of, then head to the Ritz. Enjoy the world's most expensive cocktail in the Hemingway Bar, before moving on to the reassuringly expensive restaurant. With legend Michel Roth at the helm things cannot really go wrong. Start with the likes of the Cesar Ritz lobster bisque laced with pistachio before moving on to truffled sole or perhaps the lamb flambéed in cognac. Desserts and one of the city's best cheeseboards follow in an experience that has to be rounded off with a room at, where else, the Ritz. For mere mortals there is an excellent value four-course lunch. Look out also for what claims to be the world's first exclusively vegetarian gourmet degustation menu.

15 place Vendôme, 1st
Tel: (01) 4316 3070.
Website: www.ritzparis.com
Price: $$$$

Le Gymnase
Le Gymnase offers a complete night out for the price of a bottle of wine in some Parisian restaurants. Here diners are warmly welcomed in off the busy street and enter a world of decent food and jazz. Neither is world class, but that is not the point as the regulars who hang near the bar and the lucky tourists who stumble across it will attest to. The music is free and the chunky and perfectly cooked cōte de boeuf for two is a steal. Wines come by the glass or bottle and the generous crème brulées make a perfect climax to the night as the band finishes up.

44 boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, 2nd
Tel: (01) 4236 4645.
Price: $$

Le Jules Verne
This temple of fine food has really stepped up a notch now that über chef Alain Ducasse has breezed in to take over. The setting could not be more spectacular as the restaurant is housed within the Tour Eiffel, with sweeping views of the city. This is a homecoming of sorts for Ducasse with a contender for the city's best restaurant now residing in its most iconic structure. Reservations only accepted online. This is serious fine dining with a serious price tag to match, with the moneyed crowd enjoying Brittany lobster and truffled foie gras, not to mention some vertigo inducing expensive wines.

Tour Eiffel
Tel: (01) 4555 6144
Website: www.lejulesverne-paris.com
Price: $$$$

Les Philosophes
This restaurant in the Marais is justifiably very popular, so booking ahead is recommended. In summer there are tables outside and a cosy interior awaits in the colder months. The outdoor tables are the perfect place to sit and watch the hectic Marais street life. Menus are creative with lots of set and a la carte options. The most famous starter is the tomato tart, a delicate and flavoursome concoction, while the steaks on the main menu are chunky and expertly cooked. Leave room for desserts too with a smattering of French classics such as crème brulée and tarte tatin in generous portions.

28 rue Vielle du Temple, 4th
Tel: (01) 4887 4964.
Price: $$

Le Train Bleu
This grand old dame is one of the most atmospheric places to eat in the city. It is a brasserie that just oozes class, with seamless service and quality cuisine. It has the added bonus of looking onto the tracks of Gare du Lyon to one flank and out across the city on the other. Romanticised scenes of the Mediterranean destinations that the station used to serve adorn the walls and ceiling in an eatery that feels more like a palace than a brasserie with its lavish gilt and stucco work. The steak tartare is first rate and the three-course lunch is a steal with the likes of Lyon sausage to start, roast duck with raspberries to follow and the dessert of the day to end. The price also includes half a bottle of wine.

Gare de Lyon, 12th
Tel: (01) 4343 0906.
Website: www.le-train-bleu.com
Price: $$$