Best restaurants in Paris
The 5 best restaurants in Paris right now
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The hottest restaurants in Paris
1. La Poule Au Pot
Virginie Garnier
Dish to order: Charolais beef fillet
It is said that the previous owner of this Les Halles institution anointed star chef Jean-François Piège as his successor, having snubbed every other approach. So it was that much-garlanded Piège, who runs a handful of restaurants in the area with his wife Elodie, took on the historic doll’s-house-like building, ripping out the café curtains and old wallpaper, giving it all a good scrub and polishing the little brass plaques that name-drop all the music stars who have nibbled the baba au rhum here (Motörhead, Tricky, Nu Shooz). But for the most part, La Poule au Pot feels exactly as it always did, preserved for the nation, and the menu of cuisine bourgeoise, plated up family-style, is intact, if elevated in terms of both produce and pricing. Classic onion soup is served daily, even in a heatwave, and snails, frogs’ legs and bone marrow make consistent appearances. Big-hitting mains include Charolais beef fillet and fabulous poached chicken; puddings are flawless, generous old-school treats. Le Poule au Pot is comfortingly beyond cool, yet only retro on paper, thanks to the dynamism of team Piège.
Address: La Poule Au Pot, 9 rue Vauvilliers, 75001 Paris
Website: lapouleaupot.fr -
2. Marsan par Hélène Darroze
Pinterest
Dish to order: Gilthead bream with Colonnata back-fat, Paris cep and black truffle
The smart Left Bank address – a short-ish walk over the river from many of the other restaurants here – hasn’t changed and nor have its regulars. But Marsan by Hélène Darroze (who recently scored three Michelin stars for her outpost in London) is relatively new otherwise, opening in 2019 as a fresh incarnation. The name is a tribute to her home region in Landes, and there’s no doubting the sincerity of her attachment to the south-west and its flavours. The tasting menu served at the chef’s table (get your hair done – they’re looking at you too) name-checks Béarn, Saint-Jean-de- Luz, Périgord, as well as her brother and grandfather. Tiny appetisers might include beautifully crafted crisps of chicken skin packing a foie-gras flavour bomb, or miniature goat’s-cheese pastries, light as air. A starter of sea urchin, caviar and cauliflower is disarmingly creamy; gilthead bream with Colonnata back-fat, Paris cep and black truffle is a major savoury mouthful; robustly thyme-scented baby lamb from the Pyrenees is a restrained showstopper. Frequent tableside drizzling and grating means you have to concentrate a bit, but why wouldn’t you? In contrast with the smart, mushroom-toned design that mops up any clanking of bespoke ceramics, the food is distinctive, thrilling and vitally French.
Address: Marsan par Hélène Darroze, 4 Rue d’Assas, 75006 Paris
Website: marsanhelenedarroze.com -
3. Le Cadoret
Joann Pai
Dish to order: Île flottante, crème caramel
The holy grail: classic French food, not too fancy, brilliantly well prepared and super value. Le Cadoret, opened in 2017 by chef Léa Fleuriot and her brother Louis-Marie, is a neighbourhood bistro, with mirrors, terrazzo floors and a relaxed atmosphere, which has been cleverly refreshed by its young owners with a jolly blue awning, craft beers and an up-to-date wine list (Loire- and Jura-heavy, and there’s quince liqueur from Domaine Binner in Alsace). The food, at a glance, might seem unadventurous, but there is great skill in cooking a really wonderful blanquette de veau or steak frites with béarnaise. Starters such as potato, fermented cabbage and haddock or homemade boudin noir are produce-led and delicate, and retro puddings (île flottante, crème caramel) are subtle, not sticky. The corner site is a short walk from Belleville Métro, with Parc des Buttes-Chaumont close by to the north for a hilly walk after lunch.
Address: Le Cadoret, 1 Rue Pradier, 75019 Paris
Website: facebook.com/lecadoret4. Double Dragon
Dish to order: Deep-fried Comté bao buns in XO sauce
From the patriarchal clan of the néo-bistro, a less masculine clutch of bars and restaurants has evolved around the 11th, including Septime, CheZaline and Le Servan, whose proprietors Tatiana and Katia Levha have now opened Double Dragon, a laidback joint that leans towards East Asia. Here, a friendly crew in white logo’d T-shirts serve a highly affordable menu of spicy comfort food, starting with deep-fried Comté bao buns in XO sauce, and a refreshing Lao-style tripe salad with holy basil. Sweet, spicy Korean fried chicken is an essential order, though some other mainstays, including mapo tofu, are a bit so-so; it’s the more esoteric dishes, such as a delicately foamy red spinach curry with egg yolk, that make Double Dragon more than just a pit stop for those craving a hit of chilli. Produce is largely organic, with distinctly French notes such as the Morteau sausage served with crispy rice, as well as the Philippe Pacalet 2015 Meursault on the drinks list next to Yunnan tea and sake. The decor is deliberately unstudied, and hip-hop resounds – not too bombastically – around the relaxed, family-friendly space.
Address: Double Dragon, 52 Rue Saint Maur, 75011 PARIS
Website: doubledragonparis.com5. Le Saint Sebastien
Mikael Bandassak
Dish to order: Monkfish tail finished over binchotan charcoal
There’s a world of talent behind the retro exterior of this unassuming yet brilliant restaurant. Owner Daniela Lavadenz left the financial sector and worked in lowly positions at Au Passage and Le 6 Paul Bert, devising and amassing her wine cellar for a year before opening Le Saint Sebastien with chef Rob Mendoza. His cooking is artful and balanced, encompassing ceviches, moles and clean-tasting sauces. A dish of squid served with a puritanically refreshing watercress and sorrel purée seems too simple to be so good, while monkfish tail is finished over binchotan charcoal and matched with miso aubergine. The wine list includes many cult heroes, such as Jacques Puffeney and Christian Binner, but classicists are on safe ground with Caroline Morey’s Chassagne-Montrachet. The interior can feel a little cold in winter, with its hard surfaces and Fifties mirrors, but when the room is buzzing with lovers, wine lovers and, usually, wine-industry insiders, and there’s a crisp-shelled vanilla tart on your plate, you wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.
Address: Le Saint Sebastien, 42 rue Saint Sebastien, 75011 Paris
Website: lesaintsebastien.parisOriginal article adapted from 9 March 2022. Please check out their other fantastic work
