Practical information
Address: 49 rue de Turenne, 75003
Nearest transport: St. Paul (1) or Chemin Vert (8)
Hours: Open every day
Reservations: Last minute booking usually OK
Telephone: 01 42 72 96 17
View larger map View a map of all of our restaurants here.
Average price for lunch: 10-19€
Average price for dinner: 20-34€
Style of cuisine: Classic French
Special attributes: open Sunday, open Monday
Type of crowd: foodies, neighborhood locals
Interior: charming & traditional
Atmosphere: casual
Reviews of interest
- Patricia Wells (2012) ” … fun and funky…Chef-owner Pierre Lecoutre is a master at the stove, and diners can watch him perform in his tiny, open kitchen, shifting copper pots, stirring and searing, offering up gorgeous, giant entrecôte (beef rib steak), frying up deliciously crisp and golden French fries…”
- Le Figaro (2011) “Que du bon…La saison s’exprime aussi à travers une salade de girolles (excellentissime), un colvert rôti, coing et potimarron, un parmentier de faisan et quelques fantaisies tripières.”
- Meg Zimbeck (2011) “Café des Musées is affordable, centrally located, and open every day. Those attributes, along with the fresh tasting classic French cuisine, make it ideal for visitors to Paris. The only drawback: all the visitors know it.”
- François Simon (2010) “Le service. Grands garçons et une jeune fille encadré par un monsieur quadrillant à mort le restaurant…Estimable. Est ce cher ? Ca va, dans les 20-30€…Faut-il y aller ? Qui retourne avec moi?”
- Barbra Austin via Girls’ Guide to Paris (2010) “A favorite of locals and visitors alike, it’s perfect for those who are not looking for something revolutionary, just good food at good prices…”
- Caroline Mignot (2010) “Le rapport qualité prix est l’un des meilleurs du quartier…”
- Alexander Lobrano (2009) “This deservedly popular place in the Marais consistently delivers spectacularly good food at very reasonable prices…”
- David Lebovitz (2007) “…a terrific restaurant in Paris…a neighborhood-type restaurant where people just go for good food but are welcome to linger…”
About our listings
Our best efforts were made to ensure that information provided was accurate at time of publication. Have a correction or update? Send it here.
Based on a friend’s recommendation, I took another friend here for his birthday during a trip to Paris. The food was great I had scallops and he had squab), and the service was even better. While opening my bottle of cider, the waiter managed to shower a nearby table and we all had a great laugh. It’s tiny, but well worth seeking out. We both still talk about Cafe des Musees and can’t wait to go back.
We recently dined there. Personally, I found the restaurant’s menu to be mediocre and ordinary. It reminded me of cheap eats where we went 40 years ago – on the rue Saint Benoit in Saint Germain. No reason to go back.
The menu is very simple, but everything was executed very well. We had the escargot with mushrooms, pork and steak. The sauces were uniformly excellent and everything was what you’d imagine a corner bistro to be. You can taste the difference and quality. It’s an exceptional little place.
Larry must have been driving a Plymouth Duster. Francois Simon loves this place: http://www.lefigaro.fr/sortir-paris/2010/10/29/03013-20101029ARTFIG00674-hache-menu-cafe-des-musees-trop-malin.php
and so do I.
Just went on the recommendation from your site. My husband and I loved it. He had the cocotte poulet (next table saw it on our table and ordered it!) and I had the ribsteak frites-excellent. Staff was lovely and attentive. The place had a good energy. Exactly what one wants out of a Paris corner bistro. Authenticity, straightforward quality food and value. You guys know what your talking about.
Based on all the recommendations for Cafe des Musees, we decided to give it a try. I would say it ranks as one of the worst meals I’ve ever eaten out. We had chicken (tasteless) and the steak and frites (very mediocre, frites were blah). It’s very touristy and doesn’t feel at all like a typical French bistro. Go someplace else if you want a great meal in Paris.
I remember reading somewhere that the restaurant is closed from 1-7 Jan but I can’t seem to find where I got this information from anymore. Can any one confirm if the restaurant will be on vacation on the same dates in 2013?
Can’t say this was my favourite meal by any stretch of imagination. I went to this place since it was conveniently located in the neighborhood where I wanted to be. The service was rather random as was the food. Not on my list to retry.