Eating well in Paris is not difficult (even un poulet rôti in a brown bag from the market is delicious, par exemple), but if you want to eat at only the best restaurants in Paris, you must take care and you must plot your bookings well in advance. The long-time food capital of the world has a food scene that stretches far and wide, across arrondissements and cuisines, and you need your little black book to be very detailed, lest you trip up on idiosyncratic opening hours.
If you’re in town for multiple meals, you may want to factor in one extraordinary tasting menu (or menu de dégustation), one classic bistrot and one modern French restaurant, overseen by a chef of impeccable pedigree. You’ll find all three of these – and more – in our list below, which features our 10 current favorites. If you’re traveling with us on our Ultimate France journey, do discuss the possibility of extending your stay in Paris, so you can immerse yourself in the food scene, and eat a little bit of everything the food capital has to offer.
Le Clarence
31 Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, 8th arrondissement
We’ll begin with a bang, at a restaurant that’s twice as elegant as its beautiful name. Le Clarence is a two Michelin star chateau of gastronomy set in a lavish 19th century private mansion, just off the Champs-Élysées. It has all the chandeliers, wood paneling, drapery and period artworks one could hope to see on a night out in Paris – a perfectly flamboyant setting for a high-end multi-course meal that’s always full of surprises. The restaurant describes its cuisine as “vibrantly modern” but chef Christophe Pelé’s history includes many of Paris’s most acclaimed French fine dining restaurants. Choose between a five or seven course tasting menu, and settle in to your jewel box surrounds as you’re regaled with – perhaps – kadaif of langoustine, pig ears, citrus and green chilli cream, or morel gyoza with caviar and squid ink, orgrilled scallop with Sicilian tangerine and sorrel cream. Who knows? No spoilers here.
Table by Bruno Verjus
3 Rue de Prague, 12th arrondissement
Before he was a restaurateur, Bruno Verjus lived many lives – as a medical student, an entrepreneur, a food writer and a radio host – but he has always cared deeply about ingredients. Table – one of the best high-end restaurants in Paris – is his rightful place, where he sources the very best of everything and elevates each ingredient without distorting it. He will animatedly talk to you about his suppliers, if that’s your kind of thing. And though the table at Table is in fact a wave-shaped counter, this is not a restaurant with casual credentials –it has two Michelin stars, and currently sits at number 3 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. It’s fine dining – a sensation of the Paris food scene – but the atmosphere is warm and accessible. The daily menu is called “couleur du jour”, changing completely each day depending on what local producers have brought in. Bruno Verjus says, “we don’t place quantity orders, only quality”.
You may also enjoy reading: How Do Restaurants Get Awarded a Michelin Star?
Bistrot Paul Bert
18 Rue Paul Bert, 11th arrondissement
What is the best French restaurant in Paris? It can be difficult for outsiders to decipher which traditional French restaurants are worth their appetites, but this bistrot is everything you need it to be. It has a mostly burgundy color scheme and a prix fixe menu which is presented to your table on its chalkboard. This is not just one of the best bistrots in Paris, it’s one of the best places to eat in Paris, and you must book it in advance (by phone, in as much French as you can muster). The menu is all your French dining dreams come true. For instance, to start: crème de lentilles au fois gras or house terrine. Then: onglet with shallots and fries, or sole meunière. Leave space for dessert, because all the French classics are here, vying to live in your memory forever: chocolate mousse, Grand Marnier soufflé, or the crown of your vacation: the Paris-Brest (a choux pastry ring, with praline crème mousseline).
Kubri
108 Rue Amelot, 11th arrondissement
If you want to book something dynamic and creative, this Lebanese restaurant in the trendy north Marais is special. Kubri is run by three women, including chef Rita Higgins, who has put her beloved Lebanese cuisine firmly on the lists of the best restaurants in Paris, where it belongs. In a white and terracotta dining room, Parisians have fallen head over heels for Kubri’s three types of hummus (classic hummus, with zaatar and and dukkah; pea, mint and feta hummus; cuttlefish hummus). The rest of the menu is a riot of color and flavor, with meze dishes like cauliflower fattoush, with feta, crispy shallot, pistachio, herbs and lemon, as well as larger ‘tabak’ dishes like Lala roasted chicken with toum and black lime labneh. There are beautiful French and Lebanese wines, plus fabulous cocktails and homemade iced teas. Kubri is just a damn good time – for vegetarians, pescatarians, meat-eaters and everyone else, too.
Bookmark for later: The World’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2024 and Where to Find Them
Septime
80 Rue de Charonne, 11th arrondissement
Rue de Charonne is a long, winding 17th century road that spans the whole of the 11th arrondissement. There, eyewear boutiques sit between fromageries, concept stores and très chic French brands like Sessun and Isabel Marant. This is also where you’ll find Septime, which Michelin describes as “the quintessence of the new breed of Parisian restaurants, resolutely hip and trendy, but also unwaveringly committed to good food”. It’s true this has become a genre of its own, but Septime was early on the scene, with its stripped back, industrial style interiors (big wooden tables, exposed lightbulbs) and contemporary bistro kitchen helmed by a chef (Bertrand Grébaut) who rose through the ranks at three Michelin-star Arpège, with French food legend Alain Passard. The setting is relaxed, and the seven-course dinner is always a thrill from beginning to end. If you can’t get a table, its sister wine bar, Septime La Cave, is round the corner on Rue Basfroi, offering 10 rotating natural wines by the glass, and a few small plates.
Sushi B
5 Rue Rameau, 2nd arrondissement
If you love Michelin-starred sushi, find a way to make one of the eight seats at Sushi B your own. Close to the Richelieu site of the historic and grandiose National Library of France the diminutive Sushi B is quietly exquisite, with lots of marble, straight lines and fine glassware. Choose the omakase menu to enjoy the chef’s choice of sushi and sashimi as well as two plates of the day. Dishes that foodies wax lyrical about at Sushi B include Breton lobster with wild asparagus and broad beans in a soy-cream sauce, fillet of grilled seabass with spinach and lemon-flavored dashi, and sashimi of amberjack. Remember Sushi B if you need somewhere on a Sunday, when many restaurants are closed, or if you’re dining alone – you may just grab the last seat.
You may also be interested to read: This Country Takes the Crown for the Most Michelin-Starred Restaurants in 2024
Plénitude
8 Quai du Louvre, 8th arrondissement
Follow the trail of luxury: in the Samaritaine department store, a veritable palace of fashion, food and lifestyle, owned by LVMH (Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA), you’ll find the Cheval Blanc Hotel, which describes itself as “a confidential haven”. Cheval Blanc is an incredibly sophisticated address, with glittering views of the Seine, and it contains the modern, light-filled dining room that belongs to Plénitude, a three Michelin-star cocoon of culinary wonders. Head Chef Arnaud Donckel is an artist and it’s impossible not to be awed by his process. He pays unfathomable attention to sauces, devoting himself to jus, dressings and elixirs and putting them centre stage. It’s like nothing you’ve seen or tasted before. And there’s yet more genius coming from pastry chef Maxime Frédéric, whose millefeuille took him two years to design. Plénitude means “fullness” and Michelin describes this epic Parisian restaurant as “the absolute pinnacle of fine dining”.
Le Colimaçon
44 Rue Vieille du Temple, 4th arrondissement
Meandering the lively Marais on foot is a timeless activity for visitors to Paris, when the icons have been ticked off the sightseeing list. Once the city’s Jewish quarter, the Marais is full of patisseries, legendary falafel spots and big fashion brands, plus King Henry IV’s Place de Vosges, and the one-of-a-kind Centre Pompidou, too. But it’s never been a hub for the best restaurants in Paris, which is what makes Le Colimaçon such a find. It’s just a perfect little traditional French restaurant, exactly where you need it to be, with a big welcoming blackboard out the front, and adorable tables in windows with wrought iton balconies, overlooking the hubbub. It’s the pitstop you need in your back pocket. Head here for: six perfect crispy snails with garlic-parsley butter, eggs with truffle mayonnaise, knife-cut steak tartare with fries, duck confit, and bourbon vanilla crème brûlée. Then – if you can – get back out there and meander.
For even more French travel inspiration: Sophisticated And Stylish: Why Southern France Is Unmissable
Double Dragon
52 Rue Saint-Maur, 11th arrondissement
Our fourth and final entry in the 11th arrondissement, where so many exciting menus are being drawn up every day, Double Dragon is an ‘Asian canteen’ run by sisters Katia and Tatiana Levha, who are also behind nearby Le Servan, the popular bistro with the big gold bar. Double Dragon holds a Bib Gourmand from Michelin for “cooking that is full of character”. Menus feature items like a Comte bao bun served with XO mayonnaise, a version of the Filipino dish lechon kawali (crispy, honey-glazed pork) and cauliflower kare-kare (Filipino curry) with peanut sauce and Thai chilli jam. Not forgetting the muscovado brownie with toasted rice ice cream. If they’re fully booked, you can usually put your name on a waiting list, so try your luck and head for the local caves à vin while you wait.
Les Arlots
136 Rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, 10th arrondissement
This is a brilliant lunch if you need to be near the Gare du Nord, as visitors to Paris often do. But it’s one of the best places to eat in Paris if you don’t, too. It’s a small, cosy, carnivorous cavern, with a zinc bar and hundreds of wine bottles on shelves. There is scarcely a more ideal, more French plate than Les Arlots’ signature homemade herby sausage, with smooth, buttery mashed potatoes and gravy. And if that doesn’t sound very refined to you, wait until you eat it. There’s also (depending on seasonality and availability) a tuna tartare with (perhaps) artichoke and strawberry, and a divine dry-aged onglet steak (one of the best in the city). A sommelier will talk you through the wall of wine, and help you to choose something wonderful. Reservations are essential, particularly if you have a Eurostar to catch.
FAQs:
Is there a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower in Paris?
Currently, the two Michelin star Le Jules Verne occupies a space on the deuxieme étage (second floor), what they refer to as “a mythical setting”.
How many Michelin star restaurants are there in Paris?
As of 2024, there were 121 Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris, making Paris the second city in the world for Michelin-starred restaurants, after Tokyo.
What is the most expensive restaurant in Paris?
At Guy Savoy, the 13-course tasting menu costs 680 euros per person. For comparison, Table by Bruno Verjus’s tasting menu costs 480 euros per person.
Of course exceptional French gastronomy is not only found in Paris. Take a look at our Ultimate France small group journey to see what else you could be tasting.
