10 essential Paris restaurants

Paris is the city of love, and what better way to celebrate your love than with food? Treat your amore—or yourself—to a night on the town at one of these beautiful restaurants in Paris, and discover why it’s one of the best food cities in the world.

Taste the indulgence at Cristal Room Baccarat

This seriously opulent fine-dining experience is brought to you by Michelin-starred chef Guy Martin, whose menu includes tasty gems like lobster marinated in a vanilla bouillon. But where you’ll nosh on this to-the-minute French cuisine is just as notable. Located in the former mansion of Marie-Laure de Noailles, a famously daring patron of the arts, the dining room’s opulence matches that of the food. The interior was designed by notable French designer Philippe Starck, who dressed it in crystal chandeliers, marble and ceiling murals. Unsurprisingly, this restaurant is pretty popular, so advance reservations are required.

Sample upscale cuisine at down-home Septime

Septime’s Chef Bertrand Grébaut learned from the best of the best: Chef Alain Passard, the owner and chef of legendary L’Arpège. Again, you’ll need to make reservations pretty far in advance, but the milk-fed veal with trout eggs is worth it. And despite the creative menu’s upscale nature, the restaurant itself is anything but stuffy. This Michelin-starred eatery is extremely popular due in part to its rustic, farmhouse-inspired decor.

Le Jules Verne | Flickr CC: Jim Rhodes

Enjoy the view at Le Jules Verne

One of the city’s most iconic restaurants is also one of its most romantic. The food and decor are both notable (we’ll get to that in a minute), but Le Jules Verne‘s location is second to none—it offers some of the prettiest views in the city from the Eiffel Tower’s second platform. Soak in the glittering city below while enjoying the Chef Alain Passard’s Bresse chicken with crayfish. And yes, plan your visit ahead of time—this restaurant is on pretty much every foodie’s and francophile’s bucket list.

Profiteroles at Allard | Flickr CC: Dan

Discover what makes the classics timeless at Allard

Tucked in historic St-Germain-des-Prés, Allard is known as the restaurant that never changes. Which is a whole lot more enticing than it sounds, given that it’s one of the best classic French dining experiences you can have in Paris. Its chefs have been churning out time-honored family recipes since 1932, still cooking up staples like coq au vin and Challans duck with olives. Which means you can finish your rustic meal with French favorites like sweet profiteroles.

Treat yourself at Le Cinq

This two-Michelin-star restaurant is as elegant as the beautiful Four Seasons George V hotel that surrounds it. Even the fine china and silver were created specially for the restaurant. And those special-made plates come loaded with some mouthwatering dishes, including crispy veal sweetbreads and the delicious-yet-rare beef wagyu. The staff will ensure your every last whim is seen to, from your first glass of wine to your last bite of iced dark-chocolate mousse.

Eat your vegetables at Mon Vieil Ami, Ile St-Louis

Chef Antoine Westermann’s restaurant is a walk-through of the epicurean delights of the Alsace region. The rustic, veggie-heavy menu offers mushroom risotto, melted leeks with roasted scallops and crusted pate. The modern bistro, located in Ile St-Louis, also serves up a clean, updated space complete with stone walls and matted mirrors.

Dine with drama at Restaurant Guy Savoy

To get into this three-Michelin-star knockout, you’ll enter Paris’s oldest factory—the French mint—and climb to the top of a dramatic, red-carpeted staircase. Once you’re inside this Guy Savoy outpost, you’ll be treated to views of the Seine and some seriously inventive fare including artichoke and black truffle soup and pan-fried mussels and mushrooms with surf’n’turf jus.

Taste the freshness at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée

The dining room at Plaza Ducasse is a serious stunner—the ceiling is dripping with crystalline chandeliers high above an elegant, white-and-gold space. The food is nothing to sneeze at, either. The fresh produce in dishes like the chausey sea scallop—served with cauliflower crust and white Alba truffle—is picked that morning, and all seafood and grains all come from sustainable sources. Chef Alain Ducasse’s dedication to ‘naturalness’ is prevalent in every aspect of the menu, which helped earn this prestigious eatery its two Michelin stars.

La Poule au Pot | Flickr CC: Hannah Wilson

Eat what King Henry IV ate at La Poule au Pot

Step back in time to Paris in the 1930s at this charming bistro, where the signature dish is still a poached chicken with stuffing (King Henry IV’s favorite dish). The simple decor is somewhat akin to that of a diner, offering big, comfy burgundy booths and lace curtains. But don’t be fooled by the dining room—the food here, while rustic, certainly deserves a spot alongside the Michelin crowd. Best of all, it’s open late, so you can wander in for a snack after hours spent drinking a little too much wine.

Tagged: Europe, Paris, Top 10 Lists

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Elle-Rose Williams

Elle-Rose is an award-winning travel blogger from the UK, who is the editor of www.theworldandthensome.com. She is based in London, but travels as far and wide as she can, as often as possible.