The Top 10 Restaurants in Paris
As one of the most sophisticated and exciting culinary scenes in the world, Paris offers a wealth of fantastic dining options. We reveal our selection of the top 10 restaurants by occasion in Paris.
1. Best Overall Experience - With the talented, disruptive young chef Inaki Aizpitarte at the kitchen’s helm, Le Chateaubriand is a quintessential Parisian dining experience. Having just been voted as the 11th best restaurant in the world in 2010, Le Chateaubriand offers a highly affordable 5-course bistronomy menu in a trendy 1930’s neo bistro setting. Prepare to be taken on a surprising and explosive culinary journey of light yet intense flavours inspired from the chefs regular travels around the globe.
2. Best Value Gem - Having only recently opened its doors in 2009, the award-winning Frenchie is one of the most in-demand restaurants in Paris for its simple yet flavorsome seasonal Franco-Italian cuisine, inexpensive prices and its cosy-yet-chic Brooklyn-style interiors. Having worked with Jamie Oliver in London followed by an 18-month stint at New York's Gramercy Tavern, chef Grégory Marchand's flavoursome cuisine allows the seasons' produce to shine.
3. Best Traditional Bistro Cuisine - Gourmet foodies and dedicated locals sit elbow-to-elbow at this tiny Latin Quarter bistro to experience famed chef Yves Camdeborde’s brilliant modern take on traditional French bistro cuisine. With a +6-month waiting list for the highly coveted dinner setting, thankfully Le Comptoir du Relais offers a fantastic affordable bistro-style a la carte menu during the day. L’Ami Jean is also another riotously fun French dining experience by chef Stephen Jego.
4. The Best For Trendy Scene - Dining at Derriere is like being invited over to your seriously cool friends house for a night of fun, adventure and a little naughtiness. Hotel Costes is another venue where the cool people play and the international jetset dash to upon arrival in Paris. Set within the hip Hotel Costes, the exquisite open courtyard are the tables of choice in summer and the sultry red velvet lounges inside are perfect for intimate dining during winter.
5. Best For Experimental Cuisine - As one of Paris’ most exciting up-and-coming talents, Swedish chef Petter Nilsson is on the watch list of Paris’ serious foodies. His highly creative evening 5-course tasting menu (for a mere €38 no less) at La Gazzetta showcases some of the most interesting and affordable bistronomy cuisine in Paris.
6. Best International Cuisine - As the master of Franco-Asian cuisine, acclaimed chef William Ledeuil's award-winning Ze Kitchen Galerie is a restaurant-cum-art gallery that combines Ledeuil's greatest passions - exquisite art, sophisticated French cuisine and reinvented South-East Asian flavours, In addition, hidden away in a tiny back street in central Paris’ Les Halles is a hidden 20-seat jewel box by the name of Yam’tcha (“to drink tea”), which despite only recently opening its doors is already one of Paris’ hottest new foodie havens which draws upon French cooking techniques and exotic Chinese flavours.
7. The Value Gastronomy Lunch - Having worked with some of the world’s greatest chefs (Pierre Gagnaire and Bruno Cirino to name a few), the highly talented chef, Christophe Pelé, is part of the next generation of classically trained young French chefs who are currently reinventing modern French cuisine. Tucked away in the 17th arrondissement, La Bigarrade is one of our favourite places to enjoy an exquisite yet reasonably priced multi-course gastronomy lunch.
8. Best For Views - With the most spectacular views in Paris, Le Jules Verne restaurant is perched high above the city at the top of the Eiffel Tower where the view alone is worth the challenge of securing a highly coveted table.
9. Best Outdoor Terrace - The breathtaking outdoor terrace of the Cafe de L’Homme is one of the most beautiful alfresco dining spots in Paris. With unobstructed views overlooking the Eiffel Tower, the Trocadero and the Seine River, you’ll have a front row view of the hourly sparkling Eiffel Tower light show.
10. The Best Patisseries - If you're looking for the best addresses for the most exquisite sweet things in Paris (including France’s world famous macaroon biscuits), then stop by these incredible patisseries: Pâtisserie des Rêves, Gerard Mulot and Pierre Herme. Jacques Genin is also one of our favourite chocolatiers in Paris. Full Review
