The 38 Essential Restaurants in Paris

February 18, 2020 Admin 0 Comments

From a Michelin-starred vegetarian tasting menu to an offal feast in Les Halles, here’s where to eat in the French capital

Over the last 10 years, Paris has boldly reclaimed its title as the best food city in Europe. The French capital is bustling with a brilliant constellation of new restaurants by talented young chefs from all over the world, plus an inventive and diverse array of casual dining options. There's also been a renaissance of its long-established gastronomic landscape, including traditional bistros, brasseries, and stylish restaurants serving classic French cooking made famous by Escoffier, including dishes like blanquette de veau (veal in cream sauce) and pistachio soufflés.

February 2020 Update:

As usual, some restaurants must leave the list to make way for new ones.

• Many Paris chefs are looking for ways to reintroduce fun to expensive, haute cuisine. Excellent bistros Au Petit Tonneau and Chez la Vieille make way for La Scene and L’Epicure, two restaurants where high prices are guaranteed to buy you an amazing experience along with refined dishes.
• The Paris dining scene has never been more cosmopolitan, so Pianovins and Hugo & Co. leave to make room for the wild Israeli party at Shabour and Japanese chef (and Clown Bar alum) Sota Atsumi’s solo project, Maison. Meanwhile, chef favorite Le Tagine replaces Le Mansouria as the capital’s best Moroccan restaurant.
• The wave of affordable dining in Paris continues with places like Le Cadoret, which replaces Detour. KGB and Eels also provide great bang for your Euro, seeing off Chez Michel (which changed owners).
• As the bistronomy movement grows long in the tooth, traditional French comfort food has become popular again. Baieta makes way for terrines and pates en croute at Restaurant Arnaud Nicolas. Chez l’Ami Jean, Stephane Jego’s homage to southwestern France, edges out Le Severo. Wine bar Juvenile’s solid, lowkey Gallic feed replaces A Noste. And Le Bon Georges gives way to Frenchie, which has become a beloved institution 10 years in, thanks to chef Gregory Marchand’s creative cooking.

Prices per person, excluding alcohol:

$ = Less than 10 euros (less than $11 USD)
$$ = 10 - 35 euros ($11 - $40 USD)
$$$ = 35 - 75 euros ($40 - $83 USD)
$$$$ = More than 75 euros ($83 USD)

Looking for a more comprehensive take on Paris, from the hottest new restaurants to a ranking of the best macarons? Consult the Eater Guide to Paris. Want to know what to see and do besides eat? See here from our friends at Curbed.

Eater’s bringing this map to life with a trip to Paris, brought to you by Black Tomato. See the full itinerary and book a food-filled trip now.

Alexander Lobrano is the ultimate Paris restaurant expert and author of Hungry for Paris and Hungry for France. He blogs about restaurants on alexanderlobrano.com and writes often for the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Saveur, and other publications.