7 special restaurants in Paris
Paris, like every major city, has a multitude of restaurants to choose from and it can be hard to know where to eat on your city break. For a memorable meal, avoid the main tourist traps and dine with the locals. We think these seven restaurants present the most special places to dine out in the city...
1. Le Fumoir
Budget: €€€
Address: 6 rue de l’Amiral-de-Coligny, 75001
Website: www.lefumoir.com
Opening hours: Open for lunch and dinner daily; brunch on Sunday
Facing the iconic Louvre, spacious, sophisticated Le Fumoir is renowned for shaking some of the best cocktails in town. It serves light pan-European cooking, such as poached cod with a warm salad of fennel, tomatoes and olives.
2. Le Tastevin
Budget: €€€
Address: 46 rue St-Louis-en-l’Ile, 4th
Website: www.letastevin-restaurant.fr
Opening hours: Closed Mon lunch
Set in a building with beginnings dating from 1620 with a wood-panelled dining room, this gourmet restaurant is home to plenty of charm. Food is traditionally French: try the crayfish salad for starters, then steak flambéed with thyme, followed by profiteroles or melt-in-the-middle chocolate pudding.
3. Le Comptoir
Budget: €€€
Address: Hôtel Le Relais St-Germain, 9 carrefour de l’Odéon, 75006
Website: www.hotel-paris-relais-saint-germain.com
Opening hours: Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
Since its launch in 2005, chef Yves Camdeborde’s Art Deco restaurant – in the 17th-century hotel he runs with his wife Claudine – has been a steady hit with the city’s gastronomes. Queues at lunchtime say all you need to know about the superb updated brasserie fare, such as chicken basquaise or salmon croque-monsieur. Tables are tightly packed, and the atmosphere is always convivial. You’ll need to book months ahead for the set menu dinner.
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Chez Toinette goat's cheese salad. Photo: Gil Eilam/Flickr
4. Chez Toinette
Budget: €€€
Address: 20 rue Germain-Pilon, 75018
Opening hours: Open for dinner Mon–Sat
With its red walls and romantic lighting, this cosy and convivial bistro in the heights of Montmartre is a good bet for a classic French dinner. Try the wild boar terrine, and don’t miss the superb crème brûlée.
5. Au Bon Accueil
Budget: €€€€
Address: 14 rue de Monttessuy, 75007
Website: www.aubonaccueilparis.com
Opening hours: Open for lunch and dinner Mon–Fri
This elegant bistro serves modern classics. The prix-fixe dinner menu (around €35) is viewed by many locals as one of the best deals in the neighbourhood, and the wine list is excellent. Seats on the terrace have views of its near neighbour the Eiffel Tower.
6. Chez Prune
Budget: €€
Address: 36 rue Beaurepaire, 75010
Opening hours: Open for lunch and dinner daily.
This is a cornerstone of the trendy Canal St-Martin area, and a great spot from which to watch the world go by. Good food at lunchtime; tapas-style snacks at night.
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Chez Prune. Photo: Gil Eilam/Flickr
7. La Régalade
Budget: €€€
Address: 49 avenue Jean-Moulin, 14th
Opening hours: closed Sat, Sun, Mon lunch and Aug
A destination bistro for epicures across Paris for over 10 years, La Régalade never disappoints. Since taking over the reins, chef Bruno Doucet has injected it with life, while retaining much of what was good about it, especially the reasonable pricing. Start with the complementary pâté de campagne with ‘rustic’ bread, then proceed with a cream of walnut soup poured over a flan of foie gras, duck hearts with oyster mushrooms, and Grand Marnier soufflé to finish. Prix-fixe menu is €34.
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